Skip to main content

Inflation and open enrollment: How one is impacting the other

Employer and employee conversing over paperwork

Inflation is causing many employees to feel financially strained. According to The Hartford’s Future of Benefits Pulse Survey, nearly half of all U.S. workers feel inflation is making it difficult for them to contribute to their employee benefits. Because of this, employees will consider options and determine how to best optimize their money spent. This year’s open enrollment may be more challenging for employers and benefits providers.

According to Voya research, 70% of workers are looking for employers to help them enhance their benefits selections. This includes retirement savings, healthcare, health savings accounts and voluntary benefits (e.g., critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability income or accident insurance). This same research also revealed that due to inflation, employees will spend more time during this year’s open enrollment reviewing their benefits selections compared to years past.

Read our Benefits Insights for tips on understanding how employees approach benefits selections and how employers can help employees better understand their options and make more informed decisions.

For more information about employee benefits, our services and products, contact HANYS Benefit Services by email or call 800.388.1963.

This article is intended for informational use only and should not be construed as professional advice. ©2022 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

Popular posts from this blog

Innovative employee retention strategies: 9 fresh ideas

Employee engagement and retention are pivotal in every sector, but they carry even more weight in the not-for-profit space, where resources are often limited. High turnover can be both costly and disruptive, impacting productivity and damaging morale. In an era of workforce evolution, to effectively retain their top talent, organizations must explore innovative employee retention strategies that go beyond conventional methods.  Engaged employees are distinguished by their higher productivity, motivation and loyalty, and they are more likely to stay with a company for the long term. Gallup recently updated its research article, The Benefits of Employee Engagement , finding that "low engagement teams typically endure turnover rates that are 18% to 43% higher than highly engaged teams."  In addition to turnover, disengaged employees negatively impact a company's financial health, with turnover costs averaging six to nine months of the departed employee's salary, accordin

Employee benefits strategies: 5 budget-friendly ideas

Retirement and employee benefits help create a solid foundation for recruitment and retention. They’re also pivotal in enhancing job satisfaction, boosting productivity, encouraging employee well-being and increasing workplace morale. With the work landscape evolving rapidly, organizations are revisiting their offerings to develop stronger employee benefits strategies.  The first area most small- and mid-size employers investigate is quick, short-term ways to foster company culture. In this blog, we’ll cover budget-friendly ideas to improve your employee benefits initiatives. Think of them as smaller action items that can help you gain a competitive edge. Then, we’ll take a closer look at how customizing your benefits plan can support your new efforts.  1. Promote a healthy work culture  Investing in employee benefit plans is not just about fulfilling a checklist. It's about creating an environment where employees feel supported in both their professional and personal lives. Benefi

What are Alternative Investments? 4-Part Introduction

The market has seen a lot of uncertainty in recent years. Because of this, many organizations are looking for new ways to diversify their investment portfolios. Our best-kept “not-so-secret” secret: alternative investments. In this blog, we'll explore alternative investments with a focus on how they can potentially shield your portfolios from downside market volatility. In addition, we'll break down its benefits and risks and whether it could be a good fit for you. Part 1: What are alternative investments? Alternative investments may help diversify your investment portfolios through non-traditional investment strategies. Non-traditional investment options have varying liquidity ranges depending on the strategy and fund structure. Alternative investments are sometimes referred to as alternative assets. According to the Harvard Business School , the seven types of alternative investments are: private equity; private debt; hedge funds; real estate; commodities; collectibles; and s