Should Employees Be Automatically Enrolled in Well-being Programs?

Enrollment often feels like a minor administrative detail. Behaviorally, it’s one of the most influential design choices.

How people enter a program shapes whether they ever engage with it. We believe defaults matter more than intentions.

When employees must opt in, participation requires a conscious decision that competes with dozens of daily demands. Each extra step adds friction, and friction quietly suppresses action.

Automatic enrollment changes the psychology. Instead of asking, “Should I join?” employees experience the program as something they’re already part of.

That shift activates loss aversion. Once people feel they already have something, disengaging feels like giving it up rather than simply declining. And we don’t like to give up what we have.

This affects every stage of engagement. Attention improves because there’s no barrier to entry. Interest increases because the program feels intentional. Desire builds when people realize something has been set aside for them. Action becomes easier because the hardest step has already been removed.

This design doesn’t force participation. It reduces unnecessary friction in busy environments to help people begin their journey instead of keeping them at the trailhead.

We should be clear, not every program is the ideal candidate for auto-enrollment and there are exceptions. However, for incentive-based designs, default enrollment often aligns better with how real decisions are made at work.

Leaders should examine where defaults, enrollment steps, or opt-in requirements unintentionally add friction, and consider whether making participation the path of least resistance better supports engagement.

In our work with organizations, we often find that engagement challenges trace back to small structural decisions like enrollment. These details shape behavior more than messaging ever could. Looking at defaults through a behavioral lens often reveals opportunities that were hiding in plain sight.

Curious about what default opportunities might exist in your program? Let’s talk strategy - schedule a free, 30-minute session with us to explore further.

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