- 92% of UK and Irish employees have experienced financial stress or worry in the past year
- 9 in 10 (89%) employees say financial stress has affected them at work
- 54% of employees with access to financial wellbeing tools expect their finances to improve (vs 43% overall)
Financial pressure is eroding the UK and Irish workforce, with 92% of employees reporting financial stress in the past year, according to new findings from Zellis. Launched today by Zellis, the UK and Ireland’s leading provider of HR, pay, workforce management (WFM), and benefits solutions, the Financial Wellbeing Report 2025 underlines the growing need for employers to treat financial wellbeing as a core part of their duty of care.
For too long, employers have treated financial wellbeing as a ‘perk’ or ‘add-on’. However, the report shows that employee financial resilience is critical for both employee wellbeing and in turn, business growth. Business leaders are also feeling the strain, with only 12% saying they are unaffected by money worries.
The impact of financial stress
Financial stress is not just a personal issue, it’s a workplace issue. Zellis’ survey of 2,500 employees and 500 business leaders in the UK and Ireland found that 89% of respondents say their working lives have suffered as a result of financial stress.
- Almost half of the employees surveyed agree that they found it harder to focus or concentrate at work when dealing with financial anxiety, and more than a quarter acknowledged that it made them less productive.
- Around 2 in 5 (38%) business leaders say financial stress and worry have made them less able to effectively communicate with their team.
The Financial Wellbeing Report comes swiftly after the government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, which includes measures such as making financial education compulsory in English primary schools and the promotion of payroll saving schemes.
Responsibility rests with employers
As the review explains, employers are uniquely placed to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of their employees. Zellis research shows that financial resilience is crucial to an employee’s overall wellbeing and organisations have a responsibility to cater to people’s financial needs. Tools that support employee financial wellbeing and help improve financial literacy are fundamental.
The Zellis report found that among those who have access to financial wellbeing tools and use them at least weekly, financial stress is lower.
- 54% of employees with access to financial wellbeing tools expect their finances to improve in the coming year, compared to 43% of employees overall.
- 78% of employees who have access to such tools have used them at least oncein the past year; more than half of those (47% of the total) use them more than once a month.
- 78% of employees say they contribute more to the business when they feel confident about their finances.
Gethin Nadin, Chief Innovation Officer, Zellis comments, “the cost-of-living crisis has not only exposed the fragility of employee household finances but has also laid bare the limitations of traditional employer support. Despite the data, headlines, and lived experiences of millions of UK and Irish employees, too many organisations remain on the sidelines. But financial wellbeing of employees is no longer a peripheral concern – it is a business-critical imperative. This report shows employers must act not just out of compassion, but out of necessity for their own survival.”
The Next Generation of Financial Wellbeing Tools
Zellis is tackling the growing workplace stress crisis with next-generation financial resilience solutions. Today, the company announced a major update to its award-winning HCM and Pay platform, introducing Zellis Financial Wellbeing – empowering organisations to give employees greater clarity and control over their finances through:
- Intelligent Payslips:AI-enabled payslips that decode complex information, helping employees understand salary variations across pay periods, tax adjustments, and overtime payments with ease.
- Earnings Trackers & Benefits Checkers:Real-time dashboards providing complete visibility of pay and benefits, promoting transparency and informed financial decisions.
- Personalised Financial Education:Tailored resources designed to improve financial literacy, fill in gaps and build long-term confidence.
- Money Management Tools:Easy to use, practical tools for budgeting, saving, and planning to strengthen financial resilience.
- Earned Wage Access (EWA): Payroll integration to allow employees to access up to 50% of earned wages, via their mobile phones, reducing reliance on high-interest overdrafts and payday loans, and leading to a 70% reduction in overdraft fees among regular users.
“Every organisation is focused on what comes next but this depends entirely on whether their people have the financial fitness to get there”, said Abigail Vaughan, CEO at Zellis. “Employers need to stop seeing financial wellbeing as a cost and instead realise it’s a crucial driver of growth and core to allowing people to reach their full potential. Employee financial wellbeing should be the concern of every member of the C-suite, not simply the concern of HR and People teams.”
As organisations plan ahead for 2026, and look to build long-term resilience, employee financial fitness must be a core priority. Zellis encourages business leaders to put financial wellbeing at the heart of their people strategy – helping their workforce to not only manage today’s pressures but build confidence for the future.
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