1. Reduce stigma
Create secure, judgment-free entry points into financial education and wellness. Employees who are stressed about their finances are more likely to be embarrassed to ask for financial guidance. Those employees are also significantly more overwhelmed and slightly more likely to say AI tools are more effective for them.
While employees overall prefer personal interaction, AI-enabled tools may offer a low-pressure starting point for those who are embarrassed to seek help, especially when they can get financial coaching with a real person when they’re ready.
2. Foster trust through real coaching
Financial coaching works better when it’s personal, flexible, and free of judgment. Employees want to start where they feel comfortable. Programs should recognize that finances are deeply personal and that progress and individual journeys aren’t always linear. Employees value human coaches who understand the nuances of their situation and help them navigate the emotions behind the behaviors that impact financial decisions.
3. Emphasize skill building
Demystify money management, which is a skill that can be developed like any other. When employees see finances as a skill to build, progress feels possible, and small wins grow over time. That matters when 52% don’t feel capable of planning for their longer-term goals.
Importantly, motivation to learn isn’t lacking. Forty-eight percent say they’re highly motivated to learn new financial planning skills—budgeting, investing, building credit, managing debt—to improve their financial well-being.
4. Focus on financial building blocks and relevant benefits
Start with basics like cash flow, emergency savings, and debt. Then move on to retirement planning, tax optimization, and risk management to help employees develop their financial independence. Employees can’t focus on long-term goals if day-to-day finances are unstable.
Carefully consider total compensation that incentivizes the desired workplace behaviors, pairing base pay with benefits that enhance the perceived value for employees, like student loan paydown, mental health support, parental leave policies, childcare assistance, and wellness programs. Connect financial education directly to benefits. When employees understand how a particular benefit solves a real financial need, they’re more likely to use it and value it.
Usage of financial wellness programs is strong, particularly around younger employees. Eighty-three percent of Gen Z and 79% of millennial respondents whose employers offer financial wellness services report using them to get spending under control, pay off debt, and save more. Well-designed programs can build on that momentum over time.