Small businesses struggle with open enrollment and want outside help

Running open enrollment is getting harder for small businesses, and many owners want help. Fast Company reports that nearly 70% of small business owners are open to bringing in outside support for employee benefits. Open enrollment is the yearly window when workers choose or change their benefit plans.

What the report says

Many employers admit they are struggling to find ways to finance and organize benefit plans that keep getting more complex. The report says businesses are now overseeing open enrollment for their workers, which puts more of the work on the owner.

Cutting benefits could look like the easy way out. Most owners are not choosing that. They are looking for help instead, so they can keep the programs their workers rely on.

• Nearly 70% are open to outside help with benefits.
• Owners say plans are harder to pay for and organize.
• Most want help rather than cuts.

What is not known yet

The material available does not say who ran the research or how many owners were asked. It also does not say what kind of outside help owners have in mind, or what that help costs. Those details matter, because the price of help could cancel out the time it saves.

For owners, the practical step is simple. Before signing up with any outside provider, ask what it costs and what exactly it handles during open enrollment.