The Solo HR Practitioner’s Complete Guide to Benefits Open Enrollment at SMBs

As the sole HR person at a growing small or medium-sized business, you wear countless hats throughout your day. One week you’re onboarding new hires, the next you’re mediating workplace conflicts, and when benefits season rolls around, you suddenly become an insurance expert, communication specialist, and project manager all at once.

Benefits open enrollment represents one of the most complex and high-stakes projects you’ll manage each year. Unlike other HR initiatives that you can adjust and refine over time, benefits decisions lock your company and employees into year-long commitments that affect everyone’s financial wellbeing and job satisfaction. The stakes are particularly high because benefits often represent 25-30% of total compensation costs, making them one of your largest budget line items after salaries.

This guide transforms what often feels like an overwhelming annual ordeal into a manageable, strategic process. You’ll learn to approach benefits not as a necessary evil, but as a powerful tool for attracting talent, retaining your best employees, and demonstrating your company’s values in concrete ways.