Today’s employees expect more than just access to benefits — they expect support in making smart use of them. And with 60% of full-time U.S. employees reporting financial stress, the need for that support has never been more urgent.
Financial stress doesn’t just affect employees’ wallets; it impacts focus, productivity, engagement, and even retention. That’s why a modern financial wellness solution can’t simply sit alongside your benefits stack. It should empower it.
When thoughtfully implemented, financial wellness becomes the connective layer that helps employees understand, engage with, and maximize the resources you’ve already invested in. It reduces stress, boosts participation, and drives outcomes that matter to both your workforce and your business.
Here’s what to look for in a financial wellness partner — and how the right one can amplify the value of everything you already offer.
1. It Should Connect Physical, Metal, and Financial Well-Being
Most wellness programs focus on physical or mental health, but they often overlook an important pillar of holistic wellbeing: financial health. Financial stress impacts many aspects of a person’s wellbeing including mental health, physical well-being, and overall job performance.
An integrated financial wellness solution acts as a bridge across your wellness ecosystem:
- Reducing financial stress improves mental clarity and emotional resilience.
- Better money management enables employees to afford and engage in physical wellness programs like Gympass or Virgin Pulse.
- Personalized financial coaching bridges the gap between financial goals and everyday decisions, helping employees feel more in control.
What to look for: A solution that doesn’t just add another app, but strengthens the wellness initiatives you already provide through synergy and shared data insights.
2. It Should Activate Underutilized Benefits
Many organizations offer competitive benefits like 401(k) plans, HSAs, FSAs, and equity compensation, but much of that value is lost when employees don’t understand how to use them. A financial wellness platform should simplify benefits so employees can understand them and, in turn, drive informed participation when employees choose benefits that meet their needs.
This means a financial wellness program should:
- Educate employees on contribution strategies, tax advantages, and compounding growth.
- Provide plain-language guidance to break down RSUs, ESPPs, and other equity benefits.
- Offer support year-round, not just during open enrollment.
Why it matters: A recent Payroll Integrations report found that 25% of employees feel only “a little” or “not at all” informed about their benefits. Unsurprisingly, participation in programs like 401(k)s jumps from 52% to 70% among employees who feel well-informed. Without education and support, employees miss out — and so does your ROI.
This kind of support transforms your offerings from “available” to actionable and ensures employees see benefits not just as paperwork but as key tools for financial growth.
3. It Should Operate On Top of Your HR Tech — Not Inside It
Adding a financial wellness solution shouldn’t mean overhauling your current tech stack. Instead, the best solutions act as a strategic activation layer, working seamlessly with what you already have.
Look for a partner that can:
- Plug into your existing HRIS, payroll, and benefits systems without creating IT burden.
- Deliver real-time budgeting and savings insights based on paycheck data.
- Contextualize benefits like healthcare, legal support, and tuition assistance within the broader financial picture.
Why this matters: You get greater value from your current stack while keeping workflows clean and intuitive for both employees and administrators.
4. It Should Deliver Measurable Outcomes
HR leaders are increasingly asked to prove the value of every program they launch. The right financial wellness platform should make it easy to gain actionable insights on employee well-being.
Best-in-class partners provide:
- A Financial Wellness Score (FW Score) to benchmark and track employee progress over time.
- Behavioral data showing engagement with HSAs, 401(k)s, EAPs, and other benefits.
- Clear ROI metrics tied to reduced financial stress,
