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Few events in your employees’ lives are as life-changing as becoming a parent. As a result, new parents often begin to look at their benefits in a fresh light. After all, they may now rely on their employer for new forms of support alongside their continued financial well-being.

As an HR professional, you may also want to take a fresh look at your company’s total rewards strategy. You’ll want to make sure your parent-focused benefits — such as parental leave and college savings plans — aren’t siloed as stand-alone offerings, but are fully integrated into your overall financial well-being program.

Why Parental Benefits Are Now More Key Than Ever

For new parents, returning to work can be challenging as they navigate the demands and costs of childcare alongside their jobs. Recent research from Pew Research Center highlights just how important workplace support can be for working parents. In a 2026 survey of 2,242 U.S. working parents, 54% said it was difficult to balance their work and family responsibilities.

The same research found a significant gap between the benefits working parents say would help them and what they have access to at work. Among working parents who are not self-employed, 84% said paid parental, family or medical leave would be extremely or very helpful, but only 50% said they have access to it. Similarly, 71% said flexibility to work from home would be highly helpful, while 23% said they have a great deal or a fair amount of flexibility to do so.

The more flexibility and support employers provide, the better positioned new parents may be to balance work and family responsibilities and remain in the workforce. Employers who understand what employees at different stages of parenting need to maintain and improve their financial well-being can also strengthen employee loyalty and retention.

Today’s diverse workforces require customized programs that can help employees achieve their individual and family financial wellness goals. This applies to parents of children at every age and stage, including those welcoming a newborn.

Here’s how you can make sure your total rewards strategy is doing the best job possible to attract, retain, and support your parent employees.

Evaluate Your Existing Parental Benefits

Are your parent-oriented benefits offering the best help you can give to the widest variety of your parent employees?

Some of the most common benefits include parental leaves, paid time off, and college savings programs. Let’s look closely at each to help determine if your offerings are up to date and effective.

Paid Parental Leave

The Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees of covered employers to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons, including the birth or adoption of a child. The leave is generally unpaid, although employees may be able to use accrued paid leave during some or all of the FMLA leave.

For federal employees, the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave following a qualifying birth or adoption.

Although FEPLA applies only to federal government employees, it sets a strong example for private and nonprofit organizations. You might consider whether your leave policies provide meaningful support for new parents and whether those policies are inclusive of fathers, non-birth parents, foster parents, and parents who use surrogacy. State and local paid-leave requirements may also apply, so employers will want to review the laws that cover their workforce.

Recommended: Financial Planning Tips for LGBTQ+ Couples

Flexible Return to Work Schedules

A flexible return-to-work policy for new parents can help ensure that new moms and dads continue to stay in the workforce. Some employers, such as PwC, for example, are finding that a gradual return can help with the transition. The firm allows parent employees to work a 60% reduced schedule at full pay for up to four weeks as they return to work.

Some large companies are also easing the transition by offering free or affordable on-site childcare for working parents. Still others have had success providing more customizable remote schedules for re-entering parents and more flexible PTO benefits that accommodate children’s illnesses and childcare gaps.

Whatever ways you decide to support the transition from parental leave to a return to work, be sure they’re clearly communicated to your workforce. Ideally, you’ll want to have a sit-down with a new parent employee before the baby arrives to review all relevant benefits, including what’s expected during a return to work.

Inclusive Parental Benefits

It’s important for employers to make sure their leaves, time-off, and return-to-work policies apply to all types of families. Parental benefits can be a wonderful opportunity for building your inclusive benefits strategy. Same-sex couples with surrogates, adoptive parents, and foster parents need the same parental leave and flexible return-to-work policies as traditional birth mothers. And any type of new parent may need spousal or partner time off for bonding and caretaking. If your health plan covers fertility treatments, you may want to ensure that same-sex couples and other nontraditional families are covered by those as well.

Early College Savings Opportunities

The idea of saving for college starting as soon as a child is born is nothing new. But is your company doing everything it can to make that possible? Automatic payroll contribution to a 529 savings plan can be one of the most effective ways for all parents to save for their children’s education.

In addition, assistance with determining what 529 savings plan is best for your employees may also help. Employer-provided guidance can help parents navigate state tax laws, fees, maximums, minimums, and investment options among the different 529 savings plans available.

Customize Financial Well-Being Benefits to Help Parents

New parents likely need access to many of the financial wellness benefits your firm may offer or consider offering. This might include:

•   Access to legal services to help write wills, designate guardians, and change beneficiaries

•   Opportunities to sign up for any supplemental life insurance or disability income insurance your organization offers and guidance on why protection can be more of a priority for parents

•   Home-buying benefits such as house hunting and mortgage services

•   Help building an emergency fund

•   Financial planning services, including budgeting and retirement planning (to make sure this doesn’t get lost in the shuffle)

•   Student loan pay-down programs to help parents handle their obligations from the past while still being able to plan for the future

You might also want to renew new parents’ engagement in overall wellness benefits such as weight loss, exercise, and stress reduction programs. If you don’t already, you might consider offering such programs to parents with children of all ages, since all parents (not just new parents) have stress to deal with.

The Takeaway

Becoming a parent is a life-changing occurrence for anyone. But employers can use this happy event to solidify financial well-being, loyalty, and productivity among their workers who are parents.

For more on how to customize a suite of parent-oriented benefits, visit SoFi at Work

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Photo credit: iStock/Tempura

This content is for educational and informational purposes only. The products, services, or features discussed may not currently be available via the SoFi platform. Any references to third-party products, services, or companies do not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or solicitation by SoFi. Readers should independently evaluate their options and consider their individual financial needs and circumstances before making any decisions. ©2026 SoFi Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOAW-Q326-003

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Financial health and mental health are closely connected. Financial strain can contribute to stress and affect areas such as sleep, emotional well-being, and productivity. At the same time, mental health challenges can make it harder for people to manage finances and stay focused at work.

Recent research indicates that these pressures continue to affect today’s workforce. PwC’s 2026 Employee Financial Wellness Survey found that 59% of employees are stressed about their finances, while 49% say their compensation isn’t keeping up with costs. Among Gen Z respondents, 85% said financial stress affects their mental health, and 71% reported reduced productivity.

Financial pressures are not the only source of stress at work. The American Psychological Association’s 2025 Work in America survey found that 54% of U.S. workers said job insecurity has a significant impact on their stress levels. The survey also found that concerns about job security can affect workers’ sleep and relationships, while 46% said their work environment has a negative impact on their mental health.

These overlapping pressures can create challenges for both employees and employers. Financial stress and mental health concerns may affect concentration, motivation, productivity, and engagement. That has led many employers to look at financial well-being and mental health benefits as complementary parts of a broader employee support strategy. Here are some ways organizations can address the connection between financial and mental health and help employees navigate both.

Recognize How Financial Well-Being Programs Can Support Mental Health in the Workplace

Financial planning, budgeting tools, debt-management resources, financial coaching, and financial education have become increasingly common workplace benefits. These resources can help employees develop financial skills, manage day-to-day challenges, and work toward longer-term financial goals. Having access to practical financial support may also help employees feel more prepared to handle financial pressures, which can be an important part of overall well-being.

Financial well-being programs can complement, rather than replace, mental health benefits. Employees dealing with financial stress may benefit from resources that address the underlying financial concerns while also having access to mental health support when needed. Employers can consider how these programs work together as part of a broader approach to employee well-being.

Offer a Choice of Flexible Financial-Contribution Programs

Personalized benefits that are relevant to individuals’ situations can be especially helpful in reducing the financial stress employees are feeling right now. Depending on an employee’s personal situation, payroll deduction emergency savings accounts, student loan repayment programs, and/or debt management tools may be effective ways to help workers handle the financial stressors that may be contributing to depression, anxiety, and other mental illness.

This may be a good time to take inventory and see what solutions might be missing from your financial well-being benefits. Questions to consider include:

•   Have you set up an automated emergency savings program for employees?

•   And if you have, are you sure your employees know it exists and how to participate?

•   Do you have a 401(k) matching program for employees paying off student loans?

•   Are your education and financial planning efforts aimed at all employees, not just those focused on long-term savings?

Help Employees Keep an Eye on Long-Range Goals, Too

Today’s high cost of living combined with immediate financial concerns like repaying student loans and credit card debt means that many employees are simply not saving enough for the future.

Despite the demand for short-term saving solutions, you may also want to help employees balance short- and long-term goals. Even for younger employees, you don’t want to take the focus completely off retirement and college savings benefits. And for employees who are closer to retirement, building savings is important, too. Helping everyone in your workforce, regardless of where they are, maintain a balance between short-term and long-range goals can be an important step to developing their overall financial well-being and lowering their stress.

The Takeaway

Research shows that financial stress can significantly impact your workforce, leading to mental and physical health issues as well as decreased engagement and productivity. By connecting mental health and financial wellness benefits into customized, accessible packages, you can better support your employees and prepare them for future challenges.

SoFi at Work can help. We provide the benefits platforms and education resources that can enhance financial wellness throughout your workforce.

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This content is for educational and informational purposes only. The products, services, or features discussed may not currently be available via the SoFi platform. Any references to third-party products, services, or companies do not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or solicitation by SoFi. Readers should independently evaluate their options and consider their individual financial needs and circumstances before making any decisions. ©2026 SoFi Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOAW-Q326-001

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Building an emergency fund savings program for employees can be one way employers can help workers prepare for unexpected expenses and financial disruptions. Many Americans continue to struggle to build adequate emergency savings.

According to Bankrate’s 2026 Annual Emergency Savings Report, just 27% of U.S. adults have enough emergency savings to cover at least six months of expenses, while 24% have no emergency savings at all. That shortfall can contribute to financial stress. Bankrate found that 60% of Americans are uncomfortable with the amount of emergency savings they have, including 31% who are very uncomfortable and 29% who are somewhat uncomfortable.

HR leaders have taken note of the need to help employees build greater financial resilience. Some employers are incorporating emergency savings into their broader financial wellness benefits, giving workers tools to set aside money for unexpected expenses.

If your organization is considering an emergency saving benefit, there are several ways to approach it. Here are six moves that can help you build an emergency auto savings program that supports your employees while fitting your company’s needs.

1. Evaluate Employee Needs

Adding an emergency savings plan can help employees alleviate a significant amount of financial stress and provide a solution to the lack of short-term savings. This might be especially appealing for younger members of your workforce who may have fewer resources to rely on than older employees.

To determine how effective an auto savings program will be for each segment of your staff, you might think about creating a preliminary survey of employees to see what they feel they need most from a short-term savings plan.

Consider the following questions:

•   Will you participate or do you feel there are already too many demands on your paycheck?

•   Are you more likely to join if the company offers a match or initial contribution?

•   Will you gravitate to emergency savings in lieu of long-term retirement savings?

•   Do more accessible after-tax savings in a 401(k) account that can be used for emergencies appeal to you?

•   Do you think automatic enrollment in an emergency saving plan could help you feel more financially secure?

2. Check Out the Competition

A good next step is to determine what competitors are offering their existing talent and new recruits in the short-term financial wellness arena. For example, is an emergency savings program common among companies competing for your talent? Do most competitors offer a match or contribution to get employees, especially new hires, started?

Use the results of this data and the survey of employees to devise the most effective program for your employees (see below) and, importantly, to help convince team members and management why an automated emergency savings program is right for your company’s comprehensive compensation and benefits package.

3. Determine the Impact of an Emergency Savings Program on Your Total Rewards Strategy

Your total rewards strategy may have evolved in recent years as you’ve adjusted compensation, benefits, flexibility, performance recognition, and career development programs. As you consider adding an emergency auto savings benefit, think about how it fits into your broader strategy. Does it support your financial wellness goals and align with your organization’s business priorities? Does it address a financial need that your employees are facing today?

Emergency savings can complement a broader total rewards strategy by helping employees prepare for unexpected expenses and feel more financially secure. But it’s important to structure the benefit so it supports your overall goals for attracting, retaining, and engaging talent.

Adding an emergency savings benefit may also shift employees’ attention toward immediate financial needs rather than longer-term needs. As you implement the program, consider how you can support both. Alongside emergency savings, continue educating and encouraging employees to work toward longer-term financial goals, such as saving for retirement and preparing for future health care costs.

The goal is to make emergency savings part of a broader financial wellness strategy — not a replacement for other benefits and resources that help employees build financial security over time.

4. Select the Solution and Roll Out Best for Your Goals

At SoFi at Work, we’ve found that selecting the right solution is critical to the utilization and effectiveness of every benefit in your total rewards strategy. Following the McKinsey framework can work well for all types of benefit rollouts, including emergency auto savings programs. These four principles can also help ensure benefit rollouts are integrated into your business strategy.

Choose Partners Wisely

There are generally two ways to set up ESAs for employees: One is to link these accounts to an existing 401(k), where the ESA shares the same platform as the 401(k) plan. Another option is to set up an ESA with an outside bank or financial institution.

For many employers, an out-of-plan solution is appealing because these accounts are often hosted through banking platforms that can offer easier access to the funds for employees, while reducing employer responsibility and involvement. If you go this route, you’ll want to look for a credible partner that can provide expert support and advice to a wide variety of employees with varying financial needs. Consider partnering with a bank, credit union, or other financial institution that offers a low-cost, easy-to-use platform, like SoFi At Work’s Emergency Vault.

Focus on What’s Feasible

Make the program feasible to launch, which will help you make meaningful progress for employees in the short term as you lay down the foundation for long-term initiatives. This is key with emergency savings rollouts because by helping to relieve some short-term financial stress, you allow employees to focus on long-term goals sooner rather than later.

Make It Sustainable

Sustainable programs are able to flex with your business over time and during uncertain business conditions. Can your emergency auto-save program survive current or future political and economic changes? To answer this, your company may need to weigh questions such as: Do the engagement benefits of a match outweigh the cost of sustaining the program? Is the plan flexible enough to undergo changes in the economy, your workforce, and your business strategy over time?

Get Personal

Enable personalization where you can. This way, employees are likely to feel emergency auto savings can help meet their unique needs. Offering a range of amounts that employees can automatically withdraw is the first step toward personalization. Providing calculators and other educational tools that help employees determine how much they need to save and how much they can afford to save is another personalization tactic.

Recommended: How Much Should Your Employees Have in Emergency Savings?

5. Use Communication Effectively

Top-notch communication techniques can help you drive participation and, importantly, change savings behavior in your workforce. Coordinating communications about the importance of emergency savings with other financial well-being education programs can also help get the word out in an immediate and holistic way.

Clarity is Key

Accompany your rollout with clear communications telling employees exactly what they can expect, including:

•   How payroll deduction works

•   How much — or how little — employees can save in the account

•   Calculators, tools, and education efforts designed to help employees determine what they should/can save

•   Thorough explanation of any company match offered — how much, how often, and portability

•   Which bank, credit union, or other financial institution will run the account

•   How much, if any, interest will be earned

•   How withdrawals can be made

•   The fact that withdrawals can be made for any reason, no questions asked, with no penalties

•   A reminder that if employees leave the company, they may easily transfer their contributions to the account to their own savings account

Meet Employees Where They Are

Make sure effective and thorough communications are available across platforms so you can keep up with your far-flung workforce. Simply posting on the company website and hoping people sign up likely won’t work, especially for remote workers who may be feeling disconnected from corporate communications.

In all communications, make sure you take a multi-platform, consumer-grade, mobile-native technology approach.

6. Take Ongoing Pulse Checks

To determine engagement and any ongoing tweaks that need to be made, you’ll want to establish metrics to measure success at least quarterly. Then you’ll want to benchmark those results against your competitors and national averages to add an “outside-in” perspective.

There are several ways you can solicit employee input on the success of the program: employee surveys, focus groups with critical talent segments, and analysis of recent departing employees and job candidates who declined an offer.

Metrics can also help you track how well the benefit is supporting business goals. For instance, a customer-service-oriented company may find a higher focus among phone reps and fewer errors when staff is less burdened with financial worries.

The Takeaway

These six concepts are designed to help you build a successful, engaging, and effective employer-sponsored emergency savings plan. By reducing employee stress and increasing productivity and loyalty, you can help promote financial well-being in your workforce as well as enhance your company’s total rewards strategy and overall business objectives.

If you’re interested in setting up an emergency savings program, SoFi at Work can help. We provide an array of benefit platforms and education resources that can enhance financial wellness throughout your workforce.

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Photo credit: iStock/alvarez

This content is for educational and informational purposes only. The products, services, or features discussed may not currently be available via the SoFi platform. Any references to third-party products, services, or companies do not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or solicitation by SoFi. Readers should independently evaluate their options and consider their individual financial needs and circumstances before making any decisions. ©2026 SoFi Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOAW-Q326-004

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When employees feel financially secure, they can be more engaged, productive, and loyal workers. But simply offering a variety of financial benefits may not be enough to let all members of your workforce actually achieve financial wellness. And that’s especially true today, as employees navigate persistent inflation, elevated borrowing costs, and uncertainty about the future.

So what are you doing right? And what can you improve?

Measuring financial well-being can help you answer those important questions.

Why Measure Financial Wellness and Why Now?

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, financial well-being is defined by a person’s sense of security and freedom of choice, both today and in the future.

However, Bank of America’s 2025 Workplace Benefits Report — which surveyed nearly 1,000 full-time employees and 800 employers — reveals a stark reality:

•   Only 47% of employees feel financially well-off.

•   77% are stressed by the current economic climate.

•   85% are carrying personal debt.

•   50% wish they had started saving for retirement earlier.

So, how is your team faring? Measuring your workforce’s financial health allows you to identify specific struggles, understand how those challenges impact business performance, and refine your total rewards strategy to provide meaningful support.

How to Better Understand Your Unique Workforce

Measuring financial well-being will allow you to determine what segments of your workforce are struggling the most. It can also help you figure out what you can provide to help all your employees move forward. For many employers, that’s a two-part process.

1. Wage Assessment

Many employers start this process by assessing wages. No doubt you’ve compared your wage and salary decisions against competitors’ offerings, the local labor market, and industry averages. Indeed, you may be paying above the industry standard. But it’s important to remember that even above-standard wages don’t ensure financial wellness. Your workers may still be struggling.

With that in mind, you may want to compare your company’s wages against what constitutes a local living wage in the areas where your employees work. MIT’s Living Wage Calculator may be able to assist you with this. This tool helps determine how much money a person in a specific area needs to earn to cover basic expenses and how much that person has leftover for disposable income, including saving for the future. This may be a more realistic gauge for all levels of your workforce when assessing wages and determining financial well-being.

Recommended: 3 Ways to Support Your Employees During Times of Uncertainty

2. Self-Assessment Survey

The next phase involves gathering direct input from your workforce. If you haven’t already, design an anonymous online financial wellness survey to get a baseline assessment of your employees’ needs.

An effective assessment evaluates the four pillars of financial security:

•   Spending: Determine if employees are living beyond their means due to high living costs or budgeting habits. By asking how long employees think their money would last if they suddenly lost their income, you’ll also collect data on how many of your employees are prepared for an emergency.

•   Saving: While retirement participation and 401(k) deferral rates are primary metrics, a survey allows you to look deeper. Assess whether employees are saving for short- and mid-term goals like emergency funds, tuition, or homeownership, especially if your benefits package supports these areas.

•   Debt and borrowing: Identify the burden of high-interest credit card debt versus “strategic” debt like mortgages or student loans. Understanding your workforce’s debt-to-income stress is important, as it is often the most significant barrier to long-term financial health.

•   Planning: Evaluate employee preparedness by tracking enrollment in life and disability insurance. This section should also assess whether staff have set formal financial goals or are utilizing company planning tools. These insights reveal how effectively your workforce balances long-term stability with immediate needs, while identifying critical gaps in your current benefits communication.

Depending on your workforce and your goals for the assessment, you may also want to include more subjective elements in your research, such as employee interviews or focus groups. This can add human stories to the data collected and help inform new benefits going forward.

Measuring Financial Wellness Empowers Employees

When employees take a smart, well-written, and well-designed assessment survey, they’re not just providing information to their bosses, they’re also thinking through their own financial wellness strategy.

Incorporating an interactive tool that gives immediate feedback can help employees identify their current status and balance their short- and long-term financial goals.

Consider providing a one-on-one meeting with a financial planner or other expert to each employee who completes the survey. This encourages your workers to take action with their newfound knowledge and further enhance their overall financial wellness. (It can also prompt more willingness to take the assessment among employees.)

Recommended: Top 10 Reasons Financial Wellness Is Important in the Workplace

Measuring Provides a Compass for Your Financial Wellness Benefits

It’s also important to analyze your own data on the benefits you’re currently providing to determine how well they’re contributing to employee financial wellness. A comprehensive look at who is using what benefits — including everything from health insurance and 401(k)s to paid parental leave and student loan assistance — and what employees are paying for or contributing to those benefits, can unlock details about access and participation among all levels of your workforce.

A benefit analysis combined with a wage assessment and employee financial wellness survey helps provide a deeper understanding of gaps in your total benefits strategy, areas where employee engagement and education are needed, and what new tools and programs might enhance financial well-being among your workers.

The Takeaway

Measuring your employees’ financial well-being now can lead to the design and implementation of benefits that will enhance financial wellness for all of your employees in the future.

SoFi at Work can help provide the wellness measuring tools you need to achieve that goal.

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Photo credit: iStock/SDI Productions

Products available from SoFi on the Dashboard may vary depending on your employer preferences.

Advisory tools and services are offered through SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. 234 1st Street San Francisco, CA 94105.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans, Personal Loans, Private Student Loans, and Mortgage Loans are originated through SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC), (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org ). The 529 Savings and Selection Tool is provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. 2750 E. Cottonwood Parkway #300 Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121. ©2025 Social Finance, LLC. All rights reserved. Information as of November 2025 and is subject to change.


Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SOAW-Q226-002

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Benefits professionals play a critical role in leading their teams through periods of uncertainty. Whether driven by economic shifts, political/regulatory changes, or a global crisis, uncertain times can heighten employee stress, reduce morale, and impact productivity. Now more than ever, workers look to their employers for stability, empathy, and meaningful support. For HR pros, this presents a unique opportunity to strengthen employee trust, promote well-being, and reinforce organizational stability.

Supporting employees during challenging periods generally requires more than just maintaining current benefits; it often calls for thoughtful adjustments, clear communication, and a focus on mental, emotional, and financial health. What follows are three actionable ways benefits pros can meet the moment and help employees feel valued and secure even when the future feels unclear.

1. Make Sure Communications Are Honest and Accurate — and That They Reach Everyone

During uncertain times, it’s important to remain as open and transparent as possible with your team. This helps normalize what employees may be feeling and fosters a supportive environment where workers feel connected and reassured, even if the future is unpredictable.

Be Honest

Research indicates that employees engage more if they think company communications are honest. That means it’s OK to tell employees management is still looking into a change or isn’t sure exactly when a new policy will be implemented. In uncertain times, it’s better to keep in touch. Employees are looking to you for leadership, but they also want to be in on the process when changes are taking place. What’s more, giving employees honest updates can avoid the need for damage control later.

Be the Voice of Reason and Compassion

Your employees are likely overloaded with news and information, some of which may be contradictory and confusing. It’s important that your communications stay on top of breaking news and add a clear, helpful, and understanding voice to the discussion when events impact the company, the employees, and benefits.

Recommended: How Financial and Mental Health Can Collide With Work

Take a Multi-Channel Approach

While internal email remains the most common way to communicate with employees, you also want to use mobile and social media to help ensure that all workers see vital communications no matter where they are or what their work situation may be. This will be, literally, reaching out to your employees where they are.

Recommended: Benefits of Working From Home for Employees

2. Review Your Voluntary Benefits

In times of uncertainty, employees may look to their employer for a shoulder to lean on. Many HR professionals recognized this during the pandemic and responded by offering a variety of flexible benefits that helped employees solve their short-term financial challenges while also assisting them in building a stronger future.

Research shows that more employers are offering voluntary benefits across a wide spectrum of needs. The most popular add-ons include: supplemental health insurance policies (e.g., critical illness, accident, and long-term care), legal benefits, identity theft protections, and pet insurance.

Whatever combination of flexible or voluntary benefits you may be considering, you’ll want to be sure it fits your workers’ demographics and pressing needs. A variety of well-chosen benefits can help your employees face their specific challenges while also reducing stress and calming nerves during any period of uncertainty.

3. Help Employees Balance Short-Term and Long-Term Financial Well-Being

In uncertain times, a flexible financial well-being approach that includes the short-term benefits employees need to make it through is more important than ever. That’s why so many employers have introduced the types of benefits that employees feel are most relevant to their current financial concerns. Those may include emergency savings programs, homeownership benefits, and student loan repayment programs, to name just a few.

But this doesn’t mean that the importance of retirement savings and other long-term benefits should be diminished. Far from it. The security of knowing long-term retirement savings is in place can help add to employees’ overall financial well-being, especially during tumultuous times. Through effective communication and education programs, HR professionals can help employees balance short-term and long-term financial needs and goals.

The Takeaway

Periods of uncertainty present both challenges and opportunities for benefits professionals. By prioritizing clear, honest communication, strategically reviewing and expanding voluntary benefits, and offering resources that support both immediate financial needs and long-term security, employers can effectively support their workforce.

These proactive steps not only help employees navigate stressful times but also build essential trust and reinforce the organization’s commitment to employee well-being.

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Products available from SoFi on the Dashboard may vary depending on your employer preferences.

Advisory tools and services are offered through SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. 234 1st Street San Francisco, CA 94105.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans, Personal Loans, Private Student Loans, and Mortgage Loans are originated through SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC), (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org ). The 529 Savings and Selection Tool is provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. 2750 E. Cottonwood Parkway #300 Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121. ©2025 Social Finance, LLC. All rights reserved. Information as of November 2025 and is subject to change.

SOAW-Q226-003

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