If you are using a vague word as a sentence subject, you can probably use passive voice as a way to be more economical with your words or to provide for better information flow, or both.
Examples:
Poor flow:
Google managers encourage their engineers to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. This means that if you have a great idea, you always have time to run with it.
Better flow:
Google engineers are encouraged to take 20 percent of their time to work on something company-related that interests them personally. This means that if you have a great idea, you always have time to run with it.
(Source: “The Google Way: Give Engineers Room,” by Bharat Mediratta & Julie Bick, New York Times)
Poor flow:
Ever wonder why students struggle with picking a major in college? When was the last time someone asked students what they’d like to study in school and given the time to pursue their own interests?
Better flow:
Ever wonder why students struggle with picking a major in college? When was the last time students were asked what they’d like to study in school and given the time to pursue their own interests?
(Source: “Pursue Passion: Demand Google 20% Time at School,” Katherine von Jan, HuffingtonPost.com)
Sometimes passive voice can help you improve flow even in a sentence where the subject is specific and necessary to the sentence. For example, passive voice improves word order by helping you place old information before new information. For more on flow, see my blog post here.
In addition to word order, correct use of passive voice requires attention to several features of grammar. If you are not sure how to correctly construct passive voice sentences, see my blog post on passive voice.
EMS/writing 