5 tips for maximizing Workday Open Enrollment: Enhancing your total rewards package

1. Create a Workday Open Enrollment project plan and timeline

Before Workday Open Enrollment begins, it's crucial to establish a project plan and timeline. Start by identifying key milestones, such as communication dates, access to the Workday system, scope of any plan design or vendor changes and the deadline for enrollment. Collaborate with your HR and payroll teams to ensure that the plan aligns with the overall organizational objectives and effectively communicates the timeline to employees. A well-structured project plan and timeline will ensure that everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities, minimizing confusion during the open enrollment process.

2. Consider potential impacts of the Workday release

When planning Workday Open Enrollment, it's important to consider any Workday releases or updates that may coincide with the enrollment period. Release 1 is scheduled for March and Release 2 is scheduled for September which will likely coincide with your open enrollment period. Workday regularly introduces new features and functionality, which can potentially impact the user experience during open enrollment. Stay informed about upcoming Workday releases and evaluate how they might affect your open enrollment process. Allocate time to understand and communicate any changes to employees, ensuring they are prepared for any modifications to the user interface or processes.

3. Prioritize end-to-end testing

Thorough testing is crucial for a smooth Workday Open Enrollment experience. Conduct end-to-end testing of the entire open enrollment process in Workday, including plan configuration, eligibility rules, dependent management, pricing, payroll deductions, vendor integrations and employee self-service functionality. Identify potential issues, such as incorrect calculations or missing data, and rectify them before the enrollment period begins. Engage a diverse group of testers, including payroll and integrations, to replicate real-world scenarios and gather feedback to ensure that the system is functioning as expected. Robust testing mitigates the risk of errors and enhances the overall user experience.

4. Pay attention to Workday Integrations

Workday often integrates with external systems, such as benefits providers, payroll systems and third-party platforms. As you plan for open enrollment, be sure to collaborate with your integration owners to evaluate how plan design and/or vendor changes will impact benefit integrations. During Workday Open Enrollment testing, verify that these integrations are working seamlessly. Test new enrollments, eligibility updates and synchronization between Workday and the integrated systems. Collaborate with your IT team and integration partners to address any issues and ensure that accurate data flows between systems. A well-integrated and synchronized environment will enhance the accuracy and efficiency of benefits administration during open enrollment.

5. Balance open enrollment processing and configuration

Managing the open enrollment cycle requires a careful balance between configuration and processing of the enrollment window. While configuring open enrollment in Workday, consider factors such as plan options, pricing, eligibility rules, dependent management and integrations. Ensure that the tenant is configured correctly, reflecting the desired benefits options and corresponding rules. Simultaneously, establish a process for managing the open enrollment process in Workday, including initiating, closing and finalizing open enrollment events, handling employee inquiries, resolving system-related issues and addressing changes to eligibility that impact open enrollment. Maintaining a balance between configuration and process management guarantees a smooth and efficient open enrollment experience for both HR teams and employees alike.

Workday open enrollment is a pivotal time for employees providing the opportunity to unlock a wealth of advantages that form their total rewards package. Employees have the chance to personalize their benefits package according to their unique needs, empowering them to proactively shape their total rewards to align with their goals and priorities.

By using the five tips above as a guide, you’ll be on your way to navigating the open enrollment process in Workday more effectively. In doing so, you can optimize the Workday Open Enrollment experience leading to increased employee engagement and satisfaction in selecting their benefits.