Keeping your employees engaged, productive and happy is a major factor in the success of your company. According to GuideSpark, “86% of employees say that benefits play a significant role in the decision to stay with their employer.”

The best HR departments not only create strong benefits packages, but they also know how to get their employees enrolled. What good is a benefits package if no one signs up?

A successful open enrollment leads to better employee retention, saving your company time and money. Here are three ways to help increase engagement during open enrollment.

Present the Benefits Clearly

Let’s face it: the ins and outs of benefits packages can be a snooze.

How do you communicate important information to people who aren’t all that interested in the details? HR professionals are up against short attention spans when trying to educate employees. Eyes glaze over and minds drift once you get down to the nuts and bolts of it all.

The first step to holding your audience? Summarize the benefits in a clear, direct way. Keep it simple! Use language people understand. Translate any industry lingo into layman’s terms.

There are many tools and outlets available to communicate with your employees. From old school brochures to cutting-edge apps, explore and use all your available options.

Two particularly successful tools for marketing your message are video and FAQ sheets. Why not film a quick tutorial? And a cleverly written FAQ sheet can show off highlights and positive results of your company’s package.

Make Them Hustle (a little) for the Win

It doesn’t matter how old we get: everyone loves prizes. Make a dry topic more fun by introducing added incentives and a little healthy competition. Raffles, company giveaways, and contests are all great ways to increase engagement. Create a company-wide challenge to see which departments win for participation and early open enrollment.

Introduce some fun into your open enrollment! Host a lunch-time movie after your benefits presentation or order pizza for a Q & A session. Get creative and make it entertaining.

Build in Added Perks to Your Program

Do your employees already have the option to work remotely?

According to the New York Times, over 40% of Americans spend some of their time working offsite. It’s a perk that costs you little, but packs a huge value. Reducing a commute, saving on gas and being around to walk the dog adds up to a much happier, more productive employee.

Flexible hours are another big draw. Not only will your employees appreciate the time, you might be surprised how much more focused they are if they hit the gym or go to that yoga class before they clock in.

With proper planning, clear messaging, and some outside-the-box thinking, open enrollment can be an exciting, productive and successful time. Providing the right benefits and doing the work to get your whole company on board really is a win-win for everyone.