18 Oct 2018

Survey: The Employer’s Guide to Financial Wellbeing

This research, from Salary Finance, was designed to better understand how personal money matters affect people’s day-to-day lives and their performance at work.

The guide analyses responses from more than 10,000 employees across 25 sectors. It offers an insight into the deep and varied impact of personal money worries and the cost to employers caused by a workforce suffering from low financial wellbeing.

Key findings

40 per cent of UK employees have money worries.
Those with money worries are 8.8 times more likely to have sleepless nights, 7.6 times more likely not to finish daily tasks, 5.7 times more likely to have troubled relationships with work colleagues and 2.3 times more likely to be looking for a job.
They are more likely to suffer from poor mental health and are 4.9 times more likely to be depressed and 3.8 times more likely be prone to panic attacks.
The estimated cost of reduced concentration, absenteeism and higher staff turnover represents 13 to 17 per cent of an employer’s total salary bill.
Financial wellbeing is not linked to salary. One of the groups with the highest percentage of money worries (49 per cent) is those earning more than £100k pa. It is not the amount that you earn, but what you do with it that is the cause of money worries.
77 per cent of employees trust their employer, demonstrating that there is an opportunity for employers to help their employees.

This paper introduces the concept of a Financial Fitness Score as a benchmark and basis for future improvement for both individuals and employers; and a new financial wellbeing toolkit that provides employers with a framework for action.