Financial Wellbeing Briefing 2025
This four-page briefing provides key insights from the REBA Financial Wellbeing Research 2025, published in partnership with WEALTH at work.
Dive into fresh perspectives on how employers can turn financial resilience into a competitive advantage.
With rising levels of ill-health, an ageing workforce and chronically low long-term savings, financial fragility is fast becoming a hidden drag on productivity and staff engagement. As government initiatives loom, how will organisations balance new regulations with the real costs of poor financial health?
REBA’s research of 223 leading organisations reveals fresh strategies for tackling these challenges – from innovative savings initiatives to rethinking financial wellbeing initiatives for carers, parents and those managing health conditions.
With the use of digital tools to support financial decisions having almost doubled in a year (from 16% to 30%), it’s clear that artificial intelligence and data will play a pivotal role in the future of financial wellbeing.
If you don’t have time to read the full report, this four-page briefing offers a snapshot of the main findings, or read the full report for benchmarking data, emerging trends, improving retirement adequacy, financial wellbeing budgets and the support services shaping a better financial future.
About the research
Using REBA’s extensive membership, the insight team conducted an online survey between April and May 2025 to produce the full 40-page Financial Wellbeing Research 2025. The robust methodology uncovered clear future trends and decision-making patterns among the 223 respondents, representing 1.3 million employees.
Contributors
Zoe Alexander
Zoe joined Pensions UK as policy director in November 2024. Prior to joining the association, Zoe was director of strategy and corporate affairs at Nest. Earlier in her career, she worked in policy, strategy and operational roles at the Department for Work & Pensions and HM Treasury, with a focus on pensions.
Donna Christie
Donna has been at Dana Petroleum for 13 years, working her way up from UK HR adviser to head of HR and reward. Donna’s responsibilities include oversight of all people-related matters within the business, giving counsel and advice to staff and managers, and the development of fit-for-purpose HR processes to ensure compliance with current legislation and best practice.
Muntazir Hadadi
Muntazir has been head of pensions at First Bus since April 2023. His responsibilities include overseeing retirement savings strategy, governance, compliance, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring pensions support workforce planning, risk management and reporting. He also serves as a DC scheme trustee. Muntazir started out as an auditor, then at FirstGroup moved to pensions.
Michelle Elsworth
Michelle joined Jet2 as its general manager, reward and benefits, in December 2024. Her responsibilities cover the full reward remit, including pay, bonus, share plans, benefits management and colleague recognition. Michelle has worked in several reward positions at organisations including Yorkshire Building Society and, most recently, at building material supplier SIG.
Debi O'Donovan
I’m Debi and I co-founded REBA in 2015, where I am a director. I enjoy sharing insights, data and information about employee benefits and pay via articles, research, guides and videos because I believe it helps so many employees receive better reward packages than they would if REBA didn’t distribute this knowledge. REBA has a great community and it makes my work fun to talk to the wide variety of people working in reward and benefits through our events, both large and small.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- Phone:
- 07740 056590
- X:
- @debiodonovan
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/debiodonovan/
Jo Phillips
Jo leads research and innovation at Nest Insight – the public benefit research and innovation centre for financial security. Her research with industry and academic partners focuses on better understanding the challenges people face and finding real-world solutions to support low- and moderate-income households to be financially secure, today and into retirement.
Oliver Porter
Oliver has been pensions and benefits manager for maritime services organisation Clarksons since January 2023, managing global pensions and benefits strategy with a focus on improving employee experience and engagement. Prior to this, he held several pensions manager roles in organisations including UBS and Tesco.
Jonathan Watts-Lay
Jonathan is one of the original founders of WEALTH at work. He has worked with companies across the UK to help their employees improve their financial future through the provision of financial education, guidance and investment advice. He is a recognised commentator on a range of financial matters, from helping employees make the most of their pay and benefits, to planning for retirement.
- Email:
- [email protected]
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, WEALTH at work
WEALTH at work is a leading financial wellbeing and retirement specialist - helping those in the workplace to improve their financial future.
