Open enrollment season has a way of revealing an uncomfortable truth: many employees don't fully understand the benefits they have. They may know they have "good insurance," but ask them the difference between a deductible and an out-of-pocket maximum, how their HSA works, or whether their plan covers a telehealth visit, and the answers get fuzzy fast.

That gap matters. A benefits package is one of the largest investments an employer makes in its people, but its value depends on whether employees understand and use it. A plan nobody understands doesn't feel like a benefit. It feels like a paycheck deduction.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap

When members don't understand their coverage, the consequences show up everywhere. Employees skip preventive care they're entitled to at no cost. They head to the emergency room when urgent care or a virtual visit would have been faster and far cheaper. They leave employer HSA contributions on the table, overlook voluntary benefits like accident or critical illness coverage that could protect them from a financial shock, or pick a plan based on the lowest premium without considering what they'd actually pay when they need care.

For employers, the cost is just as real. Confused employees flood HR with questions, underused benefits drive up claims costs in the wrong places, and a benefits package that should be a recruiting and retention advantage gets undervalued by the very people it's designed to serve.

The fix isn't more information. Most employees already have more paperwork than they can read. The fix is better education, delivered in a way people will actually absorb.

One Workforce, Many Learning Styles

Today's workplace may include five generations working side by side, and each tends to approach information differently.

A 26-year-old entering the workforce may be choosing a health plan for the first time, often after aging off a parent's coverage. They're comfortable with technology and want information that's quick, visual, and available on their phone. A simple, scannable overview of what an HSA is will likely do more for them than a 40-page plan summary.

A 40-year-old juggling kids, aging parents, and a demanding schedule wants efficiency. They need to compare options quickly, understand how dependent coverage works, and enroll without taking time off to do it.

A 60-year-old approaching retirement may have deep experience with insurance, but also has more complex questions: how their coverage coordinates with Medicare, what happens to their life insurance when they retire, or whether they should adjust their retirement contributions. They often want to sit down with a real person and talk it through.

None of these preferences are right or wrong. They're simply different, and an education strategy that only speaks one language will leave a large part of the workforce behind.

It's also worth remembering that generation is only one factor. Knowledge levels vary widely at every age. Some younger employees are financially savvy; some long term employees have never truly understood their plan. Good education works at multiple depths, offering a quick overview for those who need the basics and a deeper dive for those who want the details.

The Where and When Challenge

Even the best content fails if it doesn't reach people at the right time and place. Workforces have changed dramatically. The traditional approach of a single enrollment meeting in the break room at 10 a.m. simply doesn't work anymore. Many organizations now have a mix of fully remote employees, hybrid staff who are in the office a few days a week, and on-site teams working first, second, and third shifts.

Reaching everyone requires offering education through multiple channels and making it available when employees need it. Information should be just as easy to access at 2 a.m. as it is during a live session at noon, whether that's on a phone, on a laptop, or in a printed guide on the kitchen table. Spouses and family members, who often help make benefits decisions, should be able to review materials too.

Building an Education Strategy That Reaches Everyone

The most effective benefits communication combines several formats so every employee has a path that fits them. That usually means benefit guides available both digitally and in print, live and recorded virtual sessions for remote and off-shift staff, on-site meetings timed to reach multiple shifts, and one-on-one conversations for employees with complex situations or who simply prefer talking to a person.

Education also shouldn't stop when enrollment closes. Year-round reminders about preventive care, tips on choosing the right care setting, and timely nudges around life events like marriage, a new baby, or approaching retirement keep benefits top of mind when employees actually need them.

How OVD Helps

At OVD, we believe a benefits program is only as strong as employees' understanding of it. That's why education is built into how we support our clients, not added on as an afterthought.

• Benefit guides in digital and print. We create benefit guides that put everything employees need in one easy-to-navigate place, and we offer them both electronically and on paper. Employees who prefer digital can open their guide on any device, anytime, and find plan details, costs, and contacts in seconds. Employees who prefer something in hand can take home a printed guide to review with their family. Either way, everyone gets the same clear, consistent information.
• Online enrollment. Our online enrollment solutions let employees review their options and make elections on their own schedule, whether they're at a desk, on a break between shifts, or at home in the evening. It's simpler for employees and reduces the administrative burden on HR, with fewer errors and cleaner data.
• Education in every format. We work with each client to understand their workforce and build a communication plan that fits, from quick resources for employees who want the highlights to personal support for those who want to talk things through.

Whether your employees are 226 or 62, remote or on-site, working days or overnights, OVD advisors meet them where they are, at every stage of life. Ready to rethink how your organization communicates benefits? Contact an OVD advisor to learn how we can help.

_{Our content is written and reviewed by OVD advisors, who may use AItools to assist.}