Financial Wellbeing in 2025: What’s shifting, what still needs fixing, and what’s next

What’s new?

This year, we’re seeing a sharper focus on embedding financial wellbeing into workplace culture, not bolting it on as an afterthought.

The cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, with inflation, interest rates, and everyday essentials creating pressure that’s neither healthy nor sustainable. Many are feeling the pressure silently and it’s showing up in mental health, engagement, and absenteeism.

The shift?

Financial wellbeing support is becoming more practical, more targeted and (thankfully) more human. It’s about giving people tools they can use; not just tick box content they’ll forget by Monday.

We need to offer real resources like access to one-to-one financial coaching, support with debt, and inclusive financial education that meets people where they’re at.

What's needed?

There’s progress, yes, but there’s also a gap between what’s being offered and what employees need to feel safe, seen, and supported. So, we need to start providing:

• Support that reflects real life - We need to move beyond general advice and capture what people are facing. That means offering help with debt management, emergency savings, and navigating rising costs.
• Accessible, ongoing financial education - Financial literacy isn’t a one-off lunch & learn. It’s an ongoing journey. From understanding credit scores to managing household budgets, employees need relevant, inclusive learning that speaks to their current reality.  Think e-learning, webinars, drop-in Q&A sessions, or line manager training so leaders know how to spot financial stress and signpost help.
• Mental health and money - We can’t talk about financial wellbeing without talking about mental health. Financial anxiety isn’t always easy to spot. Sometimes it’s as unremarkable as someone who stops showing up with the same energy.  We need joined up support that includes mental health resources, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), and a culture where it’s OK to say, “I’m not fine.”
• A push towards financial security, not just literacy- There’s growing traction around the idea that having £1,000 in savings can be a tipping point for feeling stable. Helping people build towards that through salary sacrifice, savings clubs, or matched contributions isn’t just generous, it’s strategic. It helps create a buffer that gives people breathing space.
• Tailored support for a diverse workforce - One size fit all just won’t cut it anymore. Financial wellbeing looks different for a 24-year-old new starter and a 52-year-old carer supporting ageing parents. We need to tailor support by age, life stage, background, and circumstance and make sure it’s communicated clearly and empathetically.

What's next?

In 2025 we should be thinking about:

• More inclusive and flexible support, from emergency grants to on-demand coaching.
• Greater collaboration between wellbeing, reward, and DEI teams to ensure financial health is truly embedded in how we care for people.
• Leadership visibility and vulnerability. When leaders are open about their financial experiences, it sends a powerful message: it’s okay to talk about money. That kind of vulnerability reduces stigma and gives others permission to ask for help.

Offering financial wellbeing benefits isn’t enough anymore. We need to start asking better questions, so not just, “What are we offering?” but:

• Do our people know what’s available?
• Can they access it easily?
• Does it genuinely meet their needs?

Because it’s not about the offer, it’s about the impact.

Support only matters if people know it exists, trust it, and can use it when it counts. That’s the real test.

No one’s asking us to become financial advisors. But we are responsible for creating cultures where financial wellbeing is taken seriously, where help is easy to find, and where no one feels like they must pretend to be ok just to get through the week.

Thriving teams aren’t just supported in mind and body; they’re supported in their financial reality too.

In 2025, that’s not a nice to have, it’s building a culture of value and respect and that’s what real leadership looks like.

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