Companies that look at benefit enrollments as a “one and done” process are missing a golden opportunity, according to a new white paper.

Marianne Adams

Employers should trade that approach for one of building relationships with employees that span the entire year, said the white paper, released by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Co., which provides disability, life and supplemental accident and health insurance policies.

“Employers must encourage benefits dialogue throughout the year to support and enhance the enrollment experience,” said Marianne Adams, assistant vice president for enrollment services at Colonial Life, in a statement. “When companies take a holistic approach to their enrollments, employees can start to learn how their different insurance plans complement each other and make more informed choices for themselves and their families.”

The white paper was released days before the traditional open enrollment season for health benefits, which runs from Nov. 15 to the end of the year and allows employees at many companies to elect their benefits for 2010.

The report noted enrollments should be focused on a company’s entire benefits package, not just core benefits.

“The typical benefits enrollment focuses on traditional core benefits such as major medical, group life, dental and vision,” Adams said. “However, today’s enrollment process needs to be adapted to include all benefits being enrolled, including voluntary, employee-paid benefits that are growing in popularity such as individual life, disability and accident plans. This approach helps employees understand how all their different insurance plans work together.”

Companies also need to make enrollments much more personalized, according to the report. In fact, a recent survey shows human resource professionals rate individual counseling sessions as the most effective benefits enrollment tool. Forty-eight percent say individual sessions are “very effective,” followed by web-based enrollments at 37%.

The white paper analyzed survey data from national human resources and business research organizations, as well as its own proprietary research, to uncover the best ways to maximize the benefits enrollment experience for employers and employees.