- Employer support can help employees address financial issues and plan for the future.
- Organisations should be proactive and not wait for staff to struggle before promoting support.
- Providing case studies of how helpful support has been to other employees can prove its efficacy.
Financial wellbeing appears to be at the forefront of people’s lives; Wealth at Work’s March 2026 research revealed 47% of workers are unable to save for their future, and 36% had increased stress due to money worries. To combat this, employers should demonstrate the effectiveness of their financial wellbeing programmes so employees know where and how they can access support.
Addressing financial problems
To address financial issues, employers should understand the reasons behind these and offer solutions, such as creating a support package and signposting to external help if needed. Cost-of-living pressures still remain, with employees dealing with rising household bills that outpace wage growth, housing and travel costs, and debt repayments. An inability to save for some is also a recurring issue, as highlighted in Wealth at Work’s aforementioned research.
Financial stress often manifests as distraction, disengagement and poor decision making, which can affect everyone, says Bharat Siyani, vice president of people and culture at Breathe HR.
“Employers [that] recognise this and take steps to help send a powerful message,” he says. “Financial wellbeing is a fundamental part of that. When employers introduce new support, act on feedback or step back from initiatives that aren’t landing, it signals to employees that they are paying attention and care about the outcomes.”
Another issue is that not everyone has received formal financial education, which can impact knowledge about basic budgeting, debt and emergency funds.
For some, money can run out before payday, forcing them into difficult choices or relying on high‑cost credit, says Alan Curd, financial wellbeing expert at Willis Towers Watson.
“Employers are well placed to help by offering structured financial wellbeing support that builds practical skills and confidence,” he explains. ”Supporting financial wellbeing is not just a welfare issue, but also a productivity one.”
In order to determine and demonstrate the effectiveness of support, employers can gather feedback from staff about their experiences and how a programme helped them. Regular questionnaires, pulse surveys and focus groups allow employers to track progress on an ongoing basis and build a deeper understanding of what different groups of employees value and where gaps may exist. Sharing real outcomes makes support feel credible.
Jonathan Watts-Lay, director at Wealth at Work, says: “This enables employers to analyse the effectiveness and trends over time to clearly demonstrate progress and impact. Personal insights bring the data to life and help employers communicate the real value of the programme back to staff in a way that feels meaningful and authentic, reinforcing trust and engagement.”
How financial wellbeing programmes can help
A good financial wellbeing programme will offer support that is relevant and real. One‑to‑one financial guidance, whether through a flexible benefits arrangement or a standalone service, can be a useful form of support. Sessions can be funded by the employer or the employee.
Education through on-demand webinars or on‑site sessions are effective for workforces that are dispersed or shift-based. These can cover financial planning, budgeting, mortgages, debt, and saving and investing for both the short and long-term.
Financial education is key to provide employees with information to help themselves, building long-term capability and confidence, adds Curd.
“Earned-wage access schemes can provide short‑term relief for unexpected expenses, but do not address underlying behaviours and can, in some cases, create further problems,” he says. ”Without education, these risk becoming a sticking plaster rather than a solution.”
Employees who attend one‑to‑one financial guidance sessions may share positive experiences with colleagues, which can build trust and drive engagement. Word of mouth is a powerful way to demonstrate the value and effectiveness of support.
However, there is still a disconnect between employees understanding what is available to them and how the benefits can work for them, says Watts-Lay.
“If employers already have benefits in place, employees need to understand their advantages,”he explains. ”Voluntary benefits, such as discount schemes, are free for employees to use, and flexible and scalable when choosing what’s most relevant, such as for large appliances or around Christmas. These need to be communicated for staff to understand how they can help them. Employers can track impact and take-up of online learning tools, webinars, intranet pages or digital content. Employers can also look at increases in workplace savings or pension contributions take-up. This not only helps to demonstrate effectiveness, but also provides insight to shape future offerings to remain relevant.”
Employers should think about what their workforce actually needs and frame benefits as effective financial tools to make their lives easier. Financial wellbeing programmes could allow employees to divert some of their pay to individual savings accounts (Isas) to build up an emergency fund, while partnering with certain providers can help staff to re-broker household bills.
However, the support has to be easy to find, use and relevant to be effective, for example, bikes-for-work schemes and season ticket loans can help with rising travel costs, says Siyani.
“If employers have an employee assistance programme (EAP) that includes financial support, they should make it visible and normalise using it,” he says. ”Regular benefits clinics, clear onboarding communication and an accessible online portal make a difference. Employers can monitor engagement through financial wellbeing benefit participation rates and EAP usage, using outcomes such as financial stress changes, productivity and absenteeism. For example, a decline in emergency requests can be a tangible sign of progression. They should ensure these are communicated and regularly tracked to demonstrate the effectiveness.”
Tackling stigma around support
Financial wellbeing support should be positioned as something for everyone, not just those in difficulty. To create a culture where employees feel comfortable accessing it, employers can provide examples of staff who have used benefits to help with their finances, which can help them recognise their own situation and take action. Additionally, when senior leaders are willing to talk openly about financial pressures, it signals it is safe to do so.
Embedding conversations into regular one-to-ones and performance check-ins, rather than waiting for a crisis, normalises the topic, explains Siyani.
“If employees feel embarrassed to talk about money, or worry it will affect how they’re perceived at work, they won’t use support,” he says. ”A psychologically safe workplace is one where people bring their full selves, and that has to include their financial reality.”
Manager training is critical to recognise financial stress signs and to have compassionate conversations without prying. Organisations can also offer access to helplines, allowing employees to ask sensitive questions in private and gain peace of mind.
“HR teams may prefer this approach, particularly where internal capability or capacity is limited,” says Curd. “Using external, professional support helps remove stigma while ensuring employees receive reliable guidance.”
A strong way of demonstrating the effectiveness of financial support to employees is communicating what they can access, highlighting previous success stories and take-up levels, and how it can help with issues they may be facing.
