Beginning this month and running through the end of June, Employee Benefit News will be bringing you "Benefits Boot Camp," articles on communication, wellness programs and voluntary benefits to help you make 2009's process the best ever.

Benefits communications professionals have different ideas on how best to communicate cost increases, new plan designs or benefit reductions, but they all agree on one thing: Benefits communication is a marathon, not a sprint. While open enrollment may only last a few short weeks each fall, it's important to keep employees engaged throughout the year.

"Open enrollment communication is more challenging than ever before," says Carol Tavella, senior manager of SmartBusiness Advisory and Consulting. "HR's goals stretch beyond simply informing employees of changes. There's much focus on improving and influencing behavior as well as helping employees understand the risks and rewards of their options."

Moving towards constant engagement can help benefits professionals better prepare employees for changes that will come during open enrollment. It's also important to help employees stay more motivated during the rest of the year, says Jesika Goldman, vice president of human capital for Aon.

"It's a new way of thinking about the employee's role in their own health care decisions and the financial decisions that are attached to the choices that they're making."

Goldman lays out the cornerstones for an effective communications plan:

• Start early
• Keep it simple
• Make it real
• Don't stop at open enrollment

Explaining change

If you plan on making major changes to your benefits offerings, prepare employees early for what's to come. As soon as employers know that a change is on the horizon, plan how to effectively communicate that to your employees, Goldman suggests.

"Help employees see why a decision is being made, [and if increased costs are involved] make sure the employee understands [that the decision] wasn't made lightly," she advises. "The key thing there is that you can't expect employees to feel positive, but you can explain why you're making the choices."

A great way to begin is by developing and distributing a total rewards statement. When employees understand the full value of their benefits offerings, they are more likely to understand the need for cost-sharing and feel more engaged in the "team" approach.

"It's critical to make these plans real to employees," says Goldman, who also suggests creating "real-life scenarios" for employees about how specific plans will work over the course of a year for married couples, people with children, single employees, etc.

"Know your employees," says Valerie Shelton, benefits manager for AAA Cooper Transportation, a trucking company based in Alabama. "Get out with [your employees]. Don't assume you know what they want - you have to go out there and understand what their problems are."

Keep language simple and make sure that complex concepts, such as consumer-driven health plans, are understood.

To engage employees in benefits programs, it is important to provide the tools to make an informed decision, says Pam Rollins, central division communication practice leader at Watson Wyatt. For example, some employers make available health cost comparison calculators or offer aggregate claims experience so that employees can effectively determine if they are over or under-purchasing their health care, notes Tavella.

Make the media match the message

You should also amp up the power of your communication strategies based on the breadth of change that is coming, says Matthew Evans, communication manager, global organizational advancement and human resources for the Timken Company in Canton, Ohio.

Consider also developing communication across multiple channels, Evans says. His company uses a variety of communication distribution methods, ranging from one-on-one employee meetings to e-mail correspondence incorporating Flash video and graphics, to reach his 13,000 U.S. associates.

Repetition and portion control

Just as you can't run a marathon the first time you hit the track, it isn't possible to go from an out-of-touch employee population to an engaged one overnight.

Using repetition of key messages and a variety of communication vehicles is perhaps the first step towards developing a receptive employee population, suggests Tavella.

While there isn't such a thing as too much communication, there is such a phenomenon as too much detail.

Experts suggest making each message "bite-sized" so as not to overwhelm employees. Be especially careful to explain new terminology.

By all means, provide more detailed information on a Web page or make it accessible for those who wish it, but the average employee will become overwhelmed by technical language and HR jargon.

Even the best athletes vary their routine, trying swimming, yoga or even belly dancing classes to break up the monotony.

Use posters, e-blasts, face-to-face meetings, home mailings and videos, if you wish. "There is no one superior vehicle," Tavella says.

Don't be afraid to test-market new ideas and see how they work.

Go high speed with new technology

Employers can successfully leverage new technologies in benefits like blogs, podcasts and e-blasts to reach out to employees at a very personalized level. Technology can provide "deeper and longer-lasting" communication, Goldman says.

While it is often difficult for HR professionals to reach out directly to each individual employee, blogging during the months leading up to open enrollment is a way to engage employees on a community basis, suggests Michael Rudnick, global practice leader of intranets and portals for Watson Wyatt.

It also provides a repository of employee questions and answers, which can be useful for both employers and employees searching for similar answers.

Web-based applications can allow employees to input personal information to determine the best health plan or retirement savings vehicle, while video messaging and podcasts can capture the attention of employees who have a lower reading level or who are less inclined to read paper messages.

Successful HR teams have modified Internet and intranet sites to allow employees access to benefits information 24/7/365 so that employees can find useful information all year long.

Many employers have also encouraged paperless enrollments in an effort to streamline processes and eliminate costly paper mailings.

However, employers still seem reluctant to eliminate paper from the process entirely.

"There's still a need for a human interaction component," Tavella says.

"It truly depends on the individual employee and employee population," says Goldman.

No matter your preferred method of communication, it's important for both employee and employer to understand their role in the process. "However an organization defines success, it's dependent on the joint responsibility and partnership between employers and employees, each playing an active role in the process," Goldman says.