Skip to content 
Guest Blog by Amy Kleppinger, FinFit
As employers face increasing pressure to support a financially stressed workforce while also demonstrating return on investment on benefits spending, many are turning to their HR partners for guidance.
The urgency is real.
According to PwC’s 2026 Employee Financial Wellness Survey, 59% of employees report being stressed about their finances with that stress directly impacting productivity, engagement and long-term workforce stability. Other research shows that financial stress can consume hours of employees’ work time each week and significantly reduce job focus.
For HR outsourcers (HROs), this shift represents both an opportunity and a challenge. Clients are no longer just looking for administrative support—they’re looking for perspective on which benefits make a measurable difference.
And when it comes to financial wellness, many current approaches fall short.
The Problem: Activity Without Outcomes
Over the past decade, financial wellness has become a standard part of the benefits conversation. Most employers now offer a combination of tools, education or resources designed to help employees better manage their finances. But despite increased investment, outcomes remain inconsistent.
One reason is that success is often measured by activity rather than impact, such as:
- How many employees logged in?
- How many employees attended a webinar?
- How many employees completed a course?
These metrics are easy to track—but they don’t answer the most important question:
Are employees actually becoming more financially stable?
For HROs advising clients, this distinction matters. Employers are under growing pressure to justify benefits spending, and engagement metrics alone rarely translate into meaningful business outcomes like improved retention, reduced absenteeism or increased productivity.
A Workforce That Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All
Another challenge is that today’s workforce is increasingly divided.
While some employees are building savings and planning for the future, others are struggling to manage day-to-day expenses. Research shows that many workers lack even a modest financial cushion with a significant portion relying on credit or short-term borrowing to cover basic needs.
This “two-track” reality has important implications for benefits strategy:Traditional financial education may resonate with employees focused on long-term goals, butit often misses those dealing with immediate financial stress.
For HROs, this means helping clients recognize that a single, uniform approach to financial wellness is unlikely to be effective. Instead, benefits need to reflect the different financial realities employees are navigating.
The Missing Piece: Access
Sure, financial education plays an important role—but, on its own, it’s often not enough. For employees living paycheck to paycheck, the issue isn’t a lack of knowledge; it’s a lack of financial flexibility.
When unexpected expenses arise, many workers turn to high-cost solutions simply because they don’t have better options. As PwC data shows, a significant portion of employees rely on credit cards or short-term borrowing to bridge everyday gaps.
This highlights a critical gap in many financial wellness programs: They focus on how employees should manage money, but not on what employees can do when they don’t have enough of it.
For HROs advising clients, this raises an important consideration: Do the benefits being offered actually help employees navigate real financial constraints or do they assume a level of stability that many employees simply don’t have?
What HROs Can Do Differently
As financial wellness evolves, HROs are uniquely positioned to help clients move beyond surface-level solutions and toward strategies that drive measurable outcomes.
A few key shifts can make a meaningful difference:
1. Start With Outcomes, Not Offerings
Before recommending any solution, help clients define what success looks like through:
- Reduced financial stress
- Increased emergency savings
- Lower reliance on high-cost debt
This creates a clearer framework for evaluating impact.
2. Push Beyond Engagement Metrics
Encourage clients to ask vendors deeper questions:
- What outcomes are being measured?
- How is employee financial stability improving over time?
- What data supports those claims?
This helps ensure benefits are delivering real value—not just activity.
3. Recognize the Role of Short-Term Financial Needs
Not all financial challenges are long-term planning problems. Many are immediate, day-to-day issues. HROs can help clients consider whether their benefits:
- Address short-term liquidity gaps
- Provide practical support during financial emergencies
- Complement education with real-world solutions
4. Segment the Workforce
A more effective approach often starts with acknowledging that employees have different needs. Helping clients think in terms of segments—not averages—can lead to more targeted and impactful benefits strategies.
Moving From Activity to Impact
Financial wellness is no longer a “nice-to-have” benefit. It’s increasingly tied to core business outcomes, from productivity and engagement to retention and workforce stability. For HROs, this creates an opportunity to play a more strategic role.
By helping clients focus on outcomes, align benefits with real employee needs and evaluate solutions more critically, HROs can move the conversation beyond activity and toward meaningful impact.
About FinFit
FinFit partners with employers and HR providers to deliver financial wellness solutions that go beyond education—helping employees build stability, access resources and improve financial outcomes. Learn more about FinFit in the PrismHR Marketplace.
Amy Kleppinger is FinFit’s head of marketing.
