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Passive vs. Active Enrollment: Why Better OE Outcomes Start Long Before OE Season 

For many organizations, Open Enrollment success is measured by a single question: 
Did everyone enroll on time? 

If the answer is yes, it’s tempting to call OE a win and move on. 

But completion doesn’t always equal confidence — and that’s where the difference between passive enrollment and active enrollment matters more than most teams realize. 

Passive enrollment keeps things moving. Active enrollment builds understanding, trust, and better long-term outcomes. And the biggest mistake organizations make is assuming the difference shows up only during Open Enrollment itself. 

In reality, it shows up months earlier. 

What Passive Enrollment Really Looks Like 

Passive enrollment isn’t always intentional. In fact, many organizations default into it because it feels efficient and low-friction. 

In a passive enrollment environment: 

  • Employees roll over last year’s elections without much review 
  • Benefits education is concentrated into a short OE window 
  • Communication focuses on deadlines, not decisions 
  • Success is measured by participation, not understanding 

On paper, this can look successful. Enrollment rates are high. Deadlines are met. The process “works.” 

But under the surface, passive enrollment often leads to: 

  • Higher employee regret after OE 
  • Increased questions once benefits are in use 
  • Confusion during life events 
  • More support requests for HR and brokers later in the year 

It’s a bit like putting OE on autopilot. You’re moving forward — but no one is really looking out the window. 

What Active Enrollment Does Differently 

Active enrollment asks employees to do more than check a box. It asks them to engage. 

In an active enrollment approach: 

  • Employees review and confirm their benefits choices 
  • Education happens before, during, and after OE 
  • Communication focuses on understanding, not urgency 
  • Success is measured by confidence, engagement, and outcomes 

Yes, active enrollment requires more intention. But it also delivers better results: 

  • Employees are more confident in their decisions 
  • Fewer downstream corrections and complaints 
  • Better alignment between benefits offerings and employee needs 
  • Cleaner data for future planning 

Active enrollment isn’t about making OE harder for employees. It’s about making decisions clearer. 

The Hidden Cost of “Set It and Forget It” Enrollment 

The challenge with passive enrollment isn’t just employee confusion — it’s that problems don’t show up right away. 

They show up: 

  • When employees realize mid-year they chose the wrong plan 
  • When HR fields avoidable questions during the busiest times 
  • When brokers are asked to fix issues that could’ve been prevented 
  • When leadership wonders why benefits satisfaction hasn’t improved 

At that point, it’s already too late to fix the root cause. 

That’s why active enrollment can’t be treated as a last-minute tactic. It has to be supported by year-round planning. 

Why Active Enrollment Only Works with Year-Round OE Planning 

Active enrollment fails when organizations try to cram education and engagement into a few hectic weeks. 

You can’t expect employees to make thoughtful benefits decisions if: 

  • This is the first time they’re seeing plan details 
  • They’re under deadline pressure 
  • They haven’t had time to ask questions or absorb information 

Think of Open Enrollment like a final exam. You don’t want OE to be the first lesson — it should be the culmination of months of preparation. 

That preparation includes: 

When enrollment season arrives, employees should feel ready — not rushed. 

The KPIs That Support Active Enrollment (Not Just Completion) 

If you want active enrollment, you need to measure the right things. 

Instead of focusing solely on participation rates, consider tracking: 

  • Engagement with benefits communications 
  • Click-throughs or views of educational resources
  • Attendance at information sessions or webinars 
  • Mid-year benefits awareness or pulse survey results 
  • Post-OE confidence or satisfaction scores 

These metrics give HR teams and brokers early signals — long before OE — about where confusion or disengagement may exist. 

Completion tells you who enrolled. Engagement tells you how well it worked. 

Grab our free worksheet to work through setting measurable KPIs and OE goals. 

How HR and Brokers Drive Active Enrollment Together 

Active enrollment works best when HR teams and brokers treat it as a shared responsibility. 

HR brings: 

Brokers bring: 

  • Broader market perspective and benchmarking 
  • Expertise in benefits education and plan design 

When goals are set early and reviewed together, both sides can: 

  • Align on messaging and timelines 
  • Adjust education strategies before OE pressure hits 
  • Support employees more proactively 

The result is fewer surprises — and better outcomes for everyone involved. 

Active Enrollment Starts Now — Not The Quarter of OE 

The biggest myth about Open Enrollment is that it starts in the same quarter as Open Enrollment window is open. 

In reality, the outcomes are decided much earlier. 

Organizations that see better OE results don’t rely on last-minute reminders or passive defaults. They invest in planning, goal-setting, and engagement throughout the year — so enrollment feels like a confirmation, not a scramble. 

Passive enrollment may get people through the process. 
Active enrollment helps them get it right. 

And the work that makes that possible starts long before OE season ever arrives. 

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