UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Of the many advantages to the Office of Human Resources’ new Web-based approach to the 2016 Benefits Open Enrollment period, perhaps none better illustrates the convenience and usefulness of this new online model like the benefits webinar.
Like the 2016 Benefits Open Enrollment microsite, accessible at http://openenrollment.psu.edu, the benefits webinars are an easy-to-use, comprehensive digital resource that provides faculty and staff with in-depth benefits information and the opportunity to have their questions answered from wherever they choose at a time convenient for them.
The microsite’s Benefits Open Enrollment webinars page contains a schedule of upcoming seminars, log in instructions, and links directly to the presentations.
Gregory D. Stoner, senior director, Compensation and Benefits for the Office of Human Resources, says that like the microsite, the webinars were designed to provide busy faculty and staff a convenient, interactive resource for benefits information.
“The webinars minimize the lost time and productivity that faculty and staff would experience attending and traveling to traditional seminars,” said Stoner. “Most importantly, the webinars are interactive, so attendees can ask questions or get direction to the benefits information that is important to them.”
While the 2016 Benefits Open Enrollment will not happen until Nov. 2 to 20, 2015, hundreds of faculty and staff have already attended the first-two webinars. Fourteen more webinars are scheduled for 9:30 to 11 a.m., Oct. 13, 19 and 27, and Nov. 2, 10, 16 and 18, and 2 to 3:30 p.m., Oct. 15, 21 and 29, and Nov. 4, 12, 17 and 19.
The three-main topics covered in the webinar are comparing and understanding health plan choices (PPO Savings Plan and PPO Blue Plan), what’s new for 2016, and additional benefits information, but attendees have the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to any benefits matter, Stoner added.
From the Benefits Open Enrollment microsite, logging in to the webinars is a three-step process. First, roll over the “Resources” category on the top menu bar, and scroll down to and click on “Webinars.” Next, click “Login” from the webinar schedule chart below shortly before the beginning of the presentation and follow the log in instructions. The final step is to dial-in to hear the presentation and ask questions using the phone number 800-747-5150 and the access code 8651473.
This year’s Benefits Open Enrollment period takes on added emphasis due to the need for all employees to take action. Because the Pennsylvania Wage Payment & Collection Law requires employers to have an employee’s written consent to take deductions from that employee’s pay for voluntary benefits, all full-time, benefits-eligible Penn State employees must log into ESSIC during 2016 Benefits Open Enrollment, make their benefit elections and provide consent or risk the discontinuation of benefits.