Wellness Program ROI: Investing in Your Employees’ Financial Future

Can a financial wellness program yield an ROI that is meaningful to your company? The financial health of your employees directly affects their well-being, and in turn, the ways they work. According to a report published by the FINRA foundation, 60% of Americans feel anxious about their personal finances. This means that money is often one of an employee’s biggest concerns, ones which they take into their workplace and carry on their back as they drive home from the office.

While financial wellness may not initially appear to be a threat to your workplace, it is a constant drain on your resources. In the most extreme circumstances, it can even lead to high absenteeism and high turnover. You might be surprised to find just how much time is lost over the course of a year due to financial stress alone.

Do Employees Care About Financial Wellness?

How much do employees care about their overall financial well-being? Using a survey, My Secure Advantage collected data about the level of financial stress employees face today.

The MSA Financial Wellness Score is the outcome of a survey that allows greater insight for the ways money factors into the mind of employees. Scores range from 1 to 10, with 1 indicating overwhelming financial stress and very low financial well-being and 10 indicating very high financial well-being and low financial stress. On average, employees who take this survey score below 6, and very few indicate high financial well-being and low financial stress.

What does this say about the state of your workforce? Money is of great concern to your employees, regardless of their position or salary. SHRM found that 69% of full-time employees have made improving their financial health their top priority, and 88% of employers have begun taking steps to understand their employee’s financial needs.

Measuring the ROI of a Financial Wellness Program

Because financial wellness programs vary, there is no exact number that can be attributed to participating in a financial wellness program. The ROI of a financial wellness program is best calculated by understanding how financial stress impacts your budget, and how a program addresses it.

According to the ASPPA, the total cost of financial stress in the workplace ranges from 15% to 20% of total compensation paid. Reducing financial stress by even 3% can improve a company’s bottom line through cost avoidance.

Employees experiencing high financial stress indicated that they lose 4.4 hours of productivity per week, on average. Now imagine that multiplied over the course of a year!

People who are stressed about their finances tend to experience impacts to their physical health as well. While stress may appear “all in our mind,” it can affect every part of our bodies. Stress has been linked to headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and skin conditions. Over 75% of visits to a doctor’s office are linked to stress-related causes. According to data gathered by Eastern Kentucky University, financial stress costs companies $300 billion annually between visits to a doctor and missed work days.

What sort of solutions does a financial wellness program provide to these employees, and how can employers earn back the lost hours that are associated with this form of stress? It may boil down to providing your employees with tools and resources to take back control of their financial well-being.

How Does a Financial Wellness Program Generate ROI?

A financial wellness program is only as effective as its solutions to resolve common money issues faced by employees. At My Secure Advantage, we have designed a program that addresses the most common financial issues facing employees today:

• Debt Reduction – Options for eliminating personal debt such as medical bills or personal loan debt and understanding the debt-income ratio
• Buying a Home – Renting vs. buying, the pre-approval process, and mortgage repayment
• Improve Credit – Understanding how credit scores work, disputing inaccurate information and maintaining excellent credit
• Student Loan Management – Comparing federal and private student loans, shortening the repayment timeline, and dealing with loans on a limited budget
• Income Loss – Re-adjusting budgets, increasing income, and exploring lifestyle changes
• Retirement – Thinking about retirement lifestyles, understanding compounding returns and risks, estimating income in retirement
• And more!

For a financial wellness program to offer ROI, it can require a holistic approach with dynamic tools that go beyond seminars. My Secure Advantage offers personalized education where MSA Money Coaches work one-on-one with employees to help them build healthy financial habits and achieve financial goals.

Employers who offer financial wellness programs often see more effective workplaces, with employees able to dedicate their focus to the work in front of them.
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Sources Cited:

1. Pierce, Timothy. “Large Number of Americans Reported Financial Anxiety and Stress Even Before the Pandemic.” FINRA, 28 Apr. 2021, www.finra.org/media-center/newsreleases/2021/large-number-americans-reported-financial-anxiety-and-stress-even.
2. Miller, Stephen. “Employers Feel More Responsible for Employees’ Financial Wellness.” SHRM, SHRM, 23 Oct. 2020, www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/employers-feel-more-responsible-for-employees-financial-wellness.aspx.
3. Adams, Nevin. “Measuring the ROI of Financial Wellness.” American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, 5 Oct. 2018, www.asppa.org/news/browse-topics/measuring-roi-financial-wellness.
4. Casarella, Jennifer. “The Effects of Stress on Your Body.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body.
   “Work Related Stress on Employees Health.” EKU Online, 20 July 2020, safetymanagement.eku.edu/blog/work-related-stress-on-employees-health/.
5. My Secure Advantage, Inc., January 2023. Based on MSA member self-reported data, when working with a coach on this specific issue, from 1/1/21 – 12/31/22.