What employees actually need from financial wellbeing support

Employees often need a little help when up against the financial shockwaves that come with poor health, cost of living increases and other unexpected life events.

Anyone who has read the government’s Keep Britain Working review knows financial wellbeing is one of the defining people challenges of our time. Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty, rising costs and health-related inactivity, employees need the support to help them navigate everyday financial pressures and unexpected life events.

How organisations provide that is the million-dollar question. Education, budgeting tools and savings initiatives are always well-intentioned, but do they create resilience? True financial wellbeing comes when employees have the capability to manage their finances, the protection to withstand financial shocks when life goes off-piste, and the support to access and use these tools when they need them.

The connection between health and financial wellbeing has become impossible to ignore. Research consistently shows that financial worries contribute to stress, anxiety, poor sleep and reduced productivity. At the same time, poor health often creates financial strain, particularly for lower-paid workers with limited savings and a heavier reliance on regular earnings, creates a vicious cycle:

Employee is worried about money
Delays seeking medical support or works through it
Ignores burnout warning signs because they cannot afford time away from work
Wellbeing and organisational performance suffer as condition leads to long-term absence.

The challenge is particularly acute among frontline, deskless and lower-paid workers who face multiple challenges. These employees are more likely to work in physically demanding roles, experience higher levels of sickness absence and have less flexibility to attend appointments or access support services.

They are also less likely to benefit from premium healthcare benefits. According to PG data, four in five frontline workers have no financial protection. Where it is offered, take-up is as low as 20%.

Employees increasingly need support that addresses both prevention and protection, and many organisations are finding that traditional approaches to financial wellbeing are no longer enough.

Five ways to address the challenge:

Prevention: Measures that focus on prevention play a crucial role in building resilience, because early intervention is one of the most effective ways to protect people’s health and finances. As an alternative to PMI, health cash plans can help workers access affordable everyday healthcare before problems escalate. Faster access to physiotherapy and diagnostic testing, online GP access and mental health support can all reduce anxiety and avoid a nagging issue leading to long-term absence. These affordable, preventative benefits can help close the gap between those who have access to healthcare support and those who need it most.
Protection: Unfortunately, prevention alone is not enough. Employees also need the reassurance of knowing that they (and their family) will be protected in the case of serious illness, injury or unexpected life events. Statutory Sick Pay is now £123.25 per week, 18% of average weekly earnings. For a frontline worker with little or no savings, that gap is the difference between a proper recovery and working through illness. Income protection, life insurance and other forms of financial protection provide a safety net when employees face those circumstances and a peace of mind that can also contribute to better wellbeing.
Guided access: Even the best or most well-intentioned benefits strategy can fail if employees cannot access support. Providing all benefits through one HR app can be transformational for workers at every level, but accessing a platform is not the same as using it: our data shows that 64% of cleaners and 77% of security officers log in to HR apps, but fewer than 20% buy anything. We need to remember that deskless and frontline workers face practical barriers to benefit engagement. Shift patterns, limited time, operational pressures and reliance on non-digital communication channels can all reduce awareness and impact utilisation.
Human: In an age of AI and digital platforms, benefits still need to be designed around the realities of working lives. We should never underestimate the role that face-to-face contact retains for onboarding and training people how to use the tech and access their benefits and support. In a PG study, transactions rose 10-12% in the eight weeks after a site visit compared with a control group that had no face-to-face. On average, a single visit reactivates one ‘dormant’ worker in twelve, rising to one in five in the logistics sector.
Communication: By thinking carefully about accessibility and then communicating well, employers build trust. Targeted and planned communications can come through a combination of email, push notification and line manager engagement. The unifying factor needs to be the language – keep it simple to make it effective.

Financial wellbeing is not simply about helping employees save money, it’s about creating an environment where people can access preventative support, protect themselves against financial shock and get support when they need it.

Summary checklist

Consider prevention and protection together, not separately:

Be aware of practical hurdles facing frontline and deskless workers
Embrace digital technology for quick
Combine 24/7/365 tech platforms with face-to-face contact
Maximise communications to make sure they land

If you employ frontline, deskless or shift-based teams, this is a vital read. Affordable Access: Inclusive Benefits for Frontline and Shift Workers, the first report in our three-part series with REBA, shows where traditional benefits strategies are falling short, why access matters as much as provision, and how employers can build support that genuinely reaches the people who keep their organisations moving.

Inside, you’ll find practical insights on the protection gap, the barriers that prevent workers from accessing support, and the steps organisations can take to improve engagement, wellbeing and resilience across hard-to-reach workforces.

Download your complimentary copy today and use it to start a more inclusive, practical conversation about benefits, protection and financial wellbeing for every part of your workforce.