Implementing Workplace Wellness Incentives: Best Practices for Encouraging Employee Financial Wellness

Recently, employers have started to realize the importance of implementing workplace wellness incentives to promote a healthy lifestyle among their employees. While physical wellness programs such as gym memberships and healthy eating initiatives are often common, more and more companies are also focusing on promoting employee financial wellness.

Employee financial wellness refers to the overall financial health and stability of employees, which can significantly impact their overall well-being and job performance. By providing incentives and resources to help employees manage their finances effectively, employers can not only reduce stress and increase productivity but also improve employee retention and satisfaction.

Let's explore the best practices for encouraging employee financial wellness through workplace wellness incentives. From financial education workshops to incentives for saving and budgeting, these initiatives can have a positive impact on both employees and employers.  

The Benefits of Employee Financial Wellness Programs and Workplace Wellness Incentives

Financial wellness programs are designed to provide employees with the education, tools, and resources they need to better manage their personal finances and reduce financial stress. After recognizing the impact that financial stress can have on employees' health, job performance, and overall job satisfaction, many companies are turning to workplace wellness incentives that focus specifically on employee financial wellness. 

By offering these programs, employers can see a number of benefits for both their employees and their organization as a whole. Some of these benefits include:

• Increased job satisfaction and engagement
• Reduction in stress and absenteeism
• Improved productivity and morale

Investing in employee financial wellness not only improves the financial health of employees, but also leads to a more engaged, productive, and satisfied workforce. Let's explore how a wellness incentive program can help make sure your employees actually get the most out of it. 

Best Practices for Implementing Financial Wellness Incentives

When it comes to introducing new benefits, it's no secret that increasing employee engagement is equally as important. In fact, a 2023 study revealed that more than 80% of HR and EX professionals agreed that improving benefits offerings, awareness, and accessibility is a priority, and 71% percent agreed that their employees underutilize their benefits.¹

To combat this, employers need to take proactive steps. They must evaluate and improve their existing benefits, promote active listening from employees, and enhance their benefits program implementation and technology to facilitate effective communication with employees.

For financial wellness incentives, here are some good places to start:

• Offer financial education workshops and resources 
• Provide access to financial support services 
• Match employee contributions to retirement accounts 
• Offer incentives for participating in your employee wellness program 
• Track and measure participation and outcomes to assess program effectiveness
• Solicit feedback from employees to continuously improve incentive offering
• Collaborate with benefits providers and financial experts to optimize program design and incentive ideas

Case Studies on Effective Employee Wellness Programs

While most people agree that financial wellness is important, not many studies have looked at the real-world impact.

Since many large employers, financial institutions, colleges, and government agencies use our Enrich Financial Wellness program, we decided to take a look at our own data to see what impact our interactive program had on things like:

• Emergency savings
• Retirement participation
• Employee stress levels and employee well-being
• Credit scores
• Staying on track with financial goals

Some of the highlights include:

• A 27% increase in users that have a 3-6 month emergency savings fund built up
• An average credit score increase of 25.51 points 
• A 34% increase in 401K contributions

To learn more, access our complete report from the 12-month study. 

Tips for Encouraging Employee Participation with Wellness Incentives

One way to increase employee participation in your company's wellness program is to make sure that your benefits are tailored to the needs and preferences of your employees. This can be done through surveys and feedback mechanisms to understand what benefits are most valued by employees and what improvements can be made.

Additionally, employers can enhance communication and awareness of benefits by using multiple channels such as emails, newsletters, and social media to regularly motivate employees and keep them informed on available benefits, how to access them, and any upcoming changes.

Employers can also offer educational sessions, webinars, and one-on-one consultations to help employees better understand and utilize their benefits and workplace wellness programs.

Most importantly, technology also plays a crucial role in modernizing benefits communication and administration. Employers can use online platforms and mobile apps to provide easy access to benefits information and wellness program incentives, enable employees to enroll in benefits, track their usage, and receive personalized recommendations. These tools can also allow for ongoing feedback and engagement from employees to continually improve the benefits experience.

By taking these proactive steps to enhance benefits offerings, communication, and technology, employers can increase employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention. Ultimately, investing in corporate wellness programs is not only about attracting top talent but also about ensuring that employees get and appreciate the benefits provided to them. 

1 - The Business Case for Boosting Benefits Engagement: Improving Employee Wellness, Retention, and the Bottom Line