Reaching Every Employee (and Their Family) During Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment isn't just about employees. It's about reaching everyone who needs to make informed benefits decisions: spouses weighing family coverage options, dependents evaluating plan changes, retirees managing post-employment benefits, and job candidates reviewing benefit packages before accepting offers.

Yet most organizations still rely on communication systems that only reach current employees with corporate credentials. The result? A significant portion of your benefits audience is left without the information they need during one of the most critical decision-making periods of the year.

The Hidden Communication Gap

The numbers reveal a concerning story. According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, only 53% of organizations engage spouses or dependents in benefits communication, and just 67% communicate directly with retirees¹. That means nearly half of the people who help make family benefits decisions are operating without complete information.

This communication gap creates confusion during moments that matter most. When families can't access plan details, enrollment deadlines get missed, suboptimal choices are made, and HR teams face a flood of questions they're scrambling to answer.

Why Strong Communication Has Become Business-Critical

Internal communication is no longer a nice-to-have. It's a critical business function. According to Gallup, only 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree they receive the right amount of communication from their company, and internal communication ranks as one of the top three drivers of engagement².

When people are confused or uninformed about their benefits, they disengage. During Open Enrollment, that gap translates directly into poor plan choices, underutilized programs, and preventable costs for both employees and employers.

Companies with modern internal communication tools report a 16% increase in employee engagement, a 15% boost in productivity, and a 13% improvement in revenue impact compared to those without updated communication platforms³.

Why Traditional Communication Falls Short

Many companies still rely on traditional intranet systems or employee-only portals to host Open Enrollment information. While these tools may serve current employees, they create fundamental barriers to inclusive benefits communication.

Traditional systems are typically restricted to current employees with login credentials, automatically excluding spouses, dependents, retirees, and job candidates. These platforms rarely offer mobile-friendly experiences, yet family members often need to review benefits information on their phones during commutes or evening discussions at home. Most require IT support to update or maintain, creating bottlenecks when HR teams need to make real-time changes during the busy enrollment period.

The barriers are widespread. In one study, 19% of organizations without an intranet said it was because their workforce is primarily mobile or offline⁴. Another 25% cited lack of IT support as a barrier to adopting more effective communication solutions⁵.

Consider the ripple effects when benefits communication excludes key decision-makers. Spouses who can't review plan options in detail may push for familiar choices rather than optimal ones, leading to higher out-of-pocket costs. Retirees without direct access to updated information flood HR with questions about coverage changes and COBRA options. Job candidates increasingly expect benefits transparency before accepting offers, and when they can't easily access comprehensive information, it may influence their decision about your organization.

Open Enrollment, the SwellSpace Way

SwellSpace addresses these challenges with a fundamentally different approach. Instead of locking information behind corporate credentials, SwellSpace gives HR teams a public-facing, mobile-friendly site accessible to anyone who needs it.

Employees, spouses, dependents, retirees, and job candidates can all find plan details, enrollment steps, FAQs, and contact information without calling HR or hunting through emails. HR teams can update content directly and in real time, ensuring information stays current throughout the enrollment period. Whether someone is reviewing plans on their phone during a commute or helping elderly parents understand retiree coverage, SwellSpace ensures your message is clear and accessible on any device.

This approach improves engagement, reduces confusion, and significantly lowers the burden on HR teams during one of the busiest times of the year.

Don't Just Offer Benefits. Make Them Accessible.

Open Enrollment is an opportunity to build trust, demonstrate transparency, and empower employees and their families to make confident decisions about their healthcare and financial security.

When benefits information is hidden behind logins or restricted to employees only, people tune out or make decisions without complete information. But when access is simple, communication is clear, and everyone who needs information can find it, engagement rises and your programs deliver the value they're designed to provide.

Ready to give your Open Enrollment communication the reach it deserves?

Schedule a quick demo and see how SwellSpace helps you reach everyone who matters during Open Enrollment and beyond.

Sources

1. International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP). Benefits Communication Growing in Importance and Difficulty. Retrieved from https://blog.ifebp.org/benefits-communication-growing-in-importance-and-difficulty
2. Gallup. State of the Global Workplace 2024. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
3. Simpplr. 2025 State of Internal Communications and Intranet Technology Report, p. 14
4. Simpplr. 2025 State of Internal Communications and Intranet Technology Report, p. 15
5. Simpplr. 2025 State of Internal Communications and Intranet Technology Report, p. 15