Open enrollment is the perfecttime for your employees to assess their needs, and then choose amedical plan that fits them best—both in care and cost.

Open enrollment has a bad reputation. For many employees, it'sthat special time each year when they have just a few short weeksto make crucial choices about subjects that confuse and overwhelmthem. It's a magical dance of stress, procrastination, andlast-minute scrambling, and when it's all over, they take acollective sigh of relief and stop thinking about their benefitsfor another year.

Financial wellness programs, on the other hand, are morerelaxed—a little too relaxed. They usually consist ofwell-intentioned lectures about how employees should budget their paycheck once it's cashed. Andsince there's no hard deadline, most employees just hit the snoozebutton on your advice again and again, as they struggle daily withthe stress caused by unexpected bills and an uncertain future.

Related: Employee financial stress: How to recognize andaddress this growing workplace problem

But if you provide pre-tax benefits to your employees—like anHSA, FSA, or a 401(k)—you are uniquely positioned to help themimprove their financial health in a way that is meaningful andmeasurable. If you present Open Enrollment to your employees as anannual financial check-up, you can help them make decisions thatwill protect them from sudden expenses, put them on the path to acomfortable retirement, and make them see just how valuable theirbenefits are.

You just need a good hook. Here are three ways to present youropen enrollment as an annual financial check-up:

1. Open enrollment is the perfect time to look at whatyou spent last year, and set aside what you'll need nextyear.

Plans can change from year to year. An employee might beexpecting a surgery, or starting a family, or taking an onlineknife-juggling course. The point is, when plans change, medicalneeds—and costs—can change, too. A medical plan that worked finelast year might not be the best financial option next year.

Open enrollment is the perfect time for your employees to assesstheir needs, and then choose a medical plan that fits thembest—both in care and cost. Ideally, they have access to a decisionsupport tool that can walk them through their options and estimatehow much they'd spend on each plan, based on the care they mightneed. If that's not available, then some helpful messaging couldremind them to consider any big life changes when they're choosinga plan, and offer some guidance about what kind of questions theyshould be asking if they want to make the smartest financialdecision.

2. Open enrollment is the perfect time to revisit yourpre-paycheck choices to save as much as possible ontaxes.

Your employees probably know exactly how much they pay per monthfor rent, mortgage, internet or their mobile phone plan. But theymay not know how much they pay each month in insurance premiums ortaxes—or how much they save with pre-tax accounts. That's becauseall of those things happen before they cash their check. For goodor bad, those costs and savings are invisible.

That's why open enrollment is such an essential moment in youremployees' financial health. Once per year, they havedeadline-driven opportunity to reconsider what they spend theirpaycheck on—before they get their paycheck. If their employer canclearly show the benefit of contributing to a pre-tax account likea 401(k) or an HSA—the choices they make during open enrollmentwill help them save money all year long. (And it doesn't hurt thatthe company pays less in payroll taxes, too.)

3. Open enrollment is the perfect time to take aholistic view of your finances and determine yourpriorities.

Your employees have more than medical plans and pre-tax accountson their minds. They might be dealing with any number of otherfinancial challenges—like student loans, credit card debt, or saving upfor a house. If you want this financial check-up to feelmeaningful, it has to be personal and relevant to their wholesituation.

One of the most helpful things you can do is give your employeesguidance on which challenge to tackle first. At Jellyvision, weusually suggest the following priorities:

1. Create an emergency fund of at least $400 (to prevent surprisebills from becoming ongoing debt)
2. Take advantage of any company 401(k) match (for an immediate100 percent return)
3. Pay down any high-interest credit card debt

You could also consider providing other helpful resources, likepersonal finance podcasts or budgeting apps. Open Enrollment canbecome a time when they can map out their financial goals for theyear, instead of operating on a month-to-month basis.

It won't be easy. It will be worthit.

Rebranding open enrollment as a financial check-up will take alot of work, and a little faith. But if you do it, you'll be ableto leverage this once-a-year window into a perfect opportunity foryour employees to make smarter financial choices, build betterfutures, and save a lot of money—both for them, and for yourcompany.

Bob Armour is CMO of Jellyvision.

Read more: 

• HSAs: Moving from spending to saving tostrategizing
• Employers still struggle to educate employees about401(k)s
• 5 myths about employers' role in financialwellness