This guide explains what open enrollment is and provides and overview of the steps workers can take to review and update their benefit choices during the open enrollment period.
What is "Open Enrollment?"
Open enrollment is the time period each year when workers can review and make changes to their benefits, including their medical, dental, vision, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, and life and long-term disability benefits, for the upcoming year. These changes are made in Workday.
Important dates 2024
- Tuesday, May 7, 2024 - Annual Benefits Fair from 1:00pm-4:00pm at the Willits-Hallowell Center. Stop by to connect with the Benefits team or a vendor, to receive giveaways and to enter raffles.
- Monday, May 13, 2024 - Start of the open enrollment period.
- Friday, May 31, 2024 - End of the open enrollment period. This is the last day you can make changes to your benefit plans.
- Monday, July 1, 2024 - This is the date your benefits decisions will become effective.
Getting Help
- For more information on the health plan renewal, benefit options, open enrollment, and the benefits fair, please see the documents attached at the bottom of this page
- For further benefits support, feel free to contact the Human Resources department at hr-benefits-g@mtholyoke.edu.
- For technical support and Workday help, please create a Workday Help Ticket
Open enrollment steps
Log into Workday
- Log into Workday using your MHC user name and password
- Note 1: You do not need to include "@mtholyoke.edu" in your user name
- Note 2: If you have not logged into Workday before, you will need to set up Duo two-factor authentication before logging in
- Note 3: Bookmark the following link so you can easily return to Workday in the future: https://wd5.myworkday.com/mtholyoke/d/home.htmld
Find and begin the open enrollment task
You can navigate to open enrollment two ways, from "My Tasks" on the Workday home screen, or from the "Benefits and Pay" app. Instructions for each method are described below.
Access open enrollment from the Workday home screen:
- Look for the "Open Enrollment" task in the Awaiting Your Action card, or in your "My Tasks" inbox
- Click on the Open Enrollment task
- On the next screen, click the orange Let's Get Started button
Or, access open enrollment from the Benefits and Pay app:
- Open the global navigation menu, located in the top left corner of the Workday home screen
- Click the Benefits and Pay app
- Click the Benefits button in the menu on the left
- On the next screen, click the Enroll button
- Then click the Let's get Started button
Review and update your benefit choices
- At the top of the Open Enrollment screen, note the following fields:
- Projected Total Cost (Monthly) - This number will update as you review and modify your benefit elections
- Projected Total Credits - This number will be greater than $0.00 if the employee qualifies for the health insurance subsidy
- Enrollment Instructions - A brief overview of available benefits
- Scroll down to view all benefit choices available to you. Each benefit is represented by a card with a summary of the benefit type, your current choices, and the monthly cost of that choice
- Click Manage or Enroll on any card to see detailed information and to review or change your benefit elections
- In the details screen that appears for each benefit, note the following fields:
- Benefit table - This table includes information such as the name of the benefit plans available, options to Select or Waive each benefit, your monthly cost, and the company contribution. You can click on any blue text to see more information in a pop-up window.
- Help text - Next to the table is a block of text that provides more information about the benefit(s) as well as links to company policy documents and other resources.
- Buttons:
- Confirm and Continue - Save your benefit choices and proceed to the next step
- Cancel - Discard changes and return to the previous screen
- After selecting certain benefits, you may be asked if you want to add a dependent.
- Click Save to proceed without adding a dependent.
- Click the checkbox (☑) to the left of the name of an existing dependent to add them to the chosen benefit
- Click Add New Dependant to add a dependant.
- If you select Add New Dependent:
- Indicate whether you want to mark this dependent as a potential beneficiary.
- If you select yes, you will need to add information about the dependant/beneficiary on the next screen. After saving that information, you will be returned to the previous screen. Scroll down to add a social security number (or other national ID) for the dependant/beneficiary.
- Click Save when you have added all dependants and beneficiaries.
- You will see a pop-up message that says: "Your changes have been updated but not submitted. Next steps: Update another plan, or click Review and Sign once you're ready to submit your changes."
- Close that message to return to the open enrollment screen
- Repeat the steps above to review and update your choices for each benefit listed on the open enrollment screen.
Add beneficiaries
Some benefit choices will ask you select a beneficiary (or beneficiaries). When prompted to do so, follow these steps:
- In the Primary Beneficiaries table, click the plus icon (➕) to add a beneficiary
- Follow the appropriate prompts to add an existing beneficiary, add an existing trust, or add a new beneficiary or trust
- Note: Remember to click the "Contact Information" tab in the middle of the screen to add an address for your beneficiary
- Indicate the percentage of benefits you wish to grant to your chosen beneficiary(ies) or trust(s)
- Note: the Percentage must add up to 100% across all beneficiaries in order to save your choices
- Click Save to submit your choices
Submit your open enrollment benefit choices
- From the Open Enrollment screen, scroll down and verify that you have reviewed or updated all of your benefit choices. Each benefit card will say Updated or Reviewed if you have opened it. If the card does not display one of these statuses, you have not yet reviewed that benefit choice.
- Click the orange Review and Sign button at the bottom of the screen
- Review your choices. Read the information in detail to ensure that all of your benefit elections are correct
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen
- Read the Legal Notice
- Click the I Agree checkbox (☑) to apply a digital signature
- Click the orange Submit button to submit your benefit elections
- You have submitted your elections. They will be effective July 1, 2024
Print your 2024 Benefits Statement
- From the submission page described above, click the button labeled View 2024 Benefits Statement
- Click the Print button at the bottom of the page
- Click the Download button to save the file to your computer
- Follow your usual process to print the saved file
Make additional changes during the open enrollment period
As long as it is within the open enrollment period (May 13th to May 31st 2024), you can make changes to your benefit choices even after you have digitally signed and submitted your choices. To do so, follow these steps:
- Open the global navigation menu, located in the top left corner of the Workday home screen
- Click the Benefits and Pay app
- You will see a card labeled "Open Enrollment" under the heading "Needs Attention." Click the Edit button on this card
- Click the Let's Get Started Button
- You have now returned to the Open Enrollment screen
- Review and update benefits as described in the "Review and update benefit choices" section above.
- Important note: You must click the Review and Sign button and apply your digital signature to submit your updates