5 proven ways employers can better support deskless workers' financial wellbeing
Financial wellbeing is a strategic priority for HR and reward leaders around the world. Yet many organisations are missing one of the largest, and often most financially vulnerable, parts of their workforce - frontline employees.
Whether they're manufacturing products, caring for patients, serving customers, driving logistics or keeping operations running, frontline workers are essential to business success. But when it comes to financial wellbeing and employee benefits, they're the hardest employees to reach.
Traditional communication channels don't always work. And valuable workplace benefits frequently go underused because employees don't know how, or when, to access them.
For global organisations, improving frontline employee financial wellbeing isn't just about offering more support. It's about delivering the right support, in the right way, at the right time.
Our latest financial wellbeing research shows why this matters more than ever.
The challenge facing frontline workers
Financial wellbeing is moving in the wrong direction. Nudge's 2026 global financial wellbeing research found:
- Financial literacy has fallen by 22% since 2023.
- 1 in 5 employees have no emergency savings.
- Employees who don't receive financial education and benefits support are 31% less likely to report good mental health (51% vs. 74%).
While these trends affect employees across every sector, frontline workers often face additional financial pressures that make personalised support essential. Many are managing:
- Variable shift patterns or fluctuating income
- Physical roles with increased health-related financial risks
- Caring responsibilities
- Limited access to desktop communications
- Less flexibility to attend webinars or training sessions
For employers, this creates a significant challenge.
If financial wellbeing programs are designed primarily around office-based employees, they're unlikely to reach the people who need them the most.
Why frontline employees are often overlooked
Many organisations have invested in workplace financial wellbeing. They've introduced financial education platforms, retirement guidance, Employee assistance programmes, savings initiatives and more.
Yet engagement with frontline employees often remains lower than desk-based workers. The issue isn't the quality of the support. It's accessibility.
Email campaigns don't always reach employees working on factory floors or in retail environments. Intranet articles require desktop access. Lunch-and-learn webinars can clash with rotating shifts. And generic financial education rarely reflects the financial realities of frontline work.
The most successful programs recognise that financial wellbeing for frontline workers requires a different engagement strategy, not a different audience.
Why frontline employee financial wellbeing matters
Financial wellbeing isn't just good for employees. It produces measurable business outcomes.
Nudge's 2026 global financial wellbeing research found that employees who receive financial education and benefits support are:
- 77% more likely to feel cared for by their employer (78% vs 44%)
- 25% more likely to feel committed to their employer (50% vs 40%)
- Nearly three times more confident making financial decisions (34% vs 12%)
- 23 percentage points more likely to report good mental health (74% vs 51%)
Employees with strong financial literacy are also:
- More than twice as likely to have emergency savings (88% vs 42%)
- Far less likely to have no retirement fund (8% vs 44%)
- More likely to report lower stress and anxiety.
When employees feel more confident managing their finances, they're better able to focus at work, make informed decisions and take advantage of the support already available to them.
For employers operating across multiple countries and workforce types, that creates measurable business value.
The future of frontline financial wellbeing
As financial literacy continues to decline, organisations have an opportunity to move beyond awareness campaigns and create lasting behaviour change. The most successful financial wellbeing strategies don't simply provide information. They make financial education:
- Relevant
- Personalised
- Easy to access
- Embedded throughout the employee experience
- Connected to existing workplace benefits
For global employers with large frontline workforces, this isn't just about improving financial wellbeing. It's about creating a more engaged, resilient and financially confident workforce.
If you're reviewing your employee financial wellbeing strategy or looking for practical ways to improve engagement with frontline workers, Nudge’s latest Employer Playbook is designed to help with:
- Five practical strategies for engaging frontline employees
- Actionable recommendations for HR and Reward teams
- Tips for increasing employee benefits engagement
- Best practices backed by global employee research
- Practical ideas you can implement across international workforces
Download the Frontline workers playbook.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Nudge
A leading financial wellbeing benefit using behavioural science & technology to help employees.
