Financial Stress Impacting Job Performance, Retirement Savings

January 30, 2012 1:24 am

For many professionals, money worries are not just affecting life at home, but at the office, too, says a new survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

The survey asked HR professionals key questions, including, "In the past 12 months, have employees been more likely to dip into their employer-sponsored retirement savings plans compared with previous years?" More than half—55 percent—of HR professionals agreed while 17 percent strongly agreed. A little less than a quarter, or 24 percent, disagreed, and three percent strongly disagreed.

When asked the impact of employees' personal financial challenges upon work performance, roughly one in five—22 percent—of HR professionals cited a "large impact." Sixty-one percent noted "some impact" while 16 percent responded, "slight impact." Only two percent of HR professionals observed "no impact" upon workers.

A closer look at the impact on work performance shows that:

47 percent of HR professionals noticed employees' struggle with their "ability to focus on work."
46 percent noticed issues with "overall employee stress."
26 percent observed a negative impact on "overall employee productivity."
24 percent said money woes are leading to "employee absenteeism and tardiness."
20 percent are concerned about "overall employee morale."
12 percent noticed a negative impact on "overall employee health."
7 percent said "working relationships with other employees" are the least impacted.

Nearly half—49 percent—of HR professionals said employees are stressed by an "overall lack of monetary funds to cover their personal expenses."

Some money woes were more specific like "medical expenses" and "saving for retirement," said 35 percent and 26 percent of HR professionals, respectively.

Twenty-two percent of HR professionals attribute worker money woes to "credit card debt" and the same number also cited "home mortgage payments."

Roughly 12 percent of HR professionals said "education expenses" were causing workers' financial stress that was noticeable in the workplace. Education expenses include the employee's own tuition costs, that for dependent children, or other family members.

More than half, 52 percent, of organizations represented in the survey currently provide financial education to their employees. A closer look shows that 79 percent offer access to an employee assistance program that includes financial counseling and resources. Sixty-eight percent provide financial education specific to employer-provided benefits such as retirement, medical insurance, and flexible spending accounts. Nearly half, or 47 percent, offer financial education limited to retirement-related planning.

Among the 52 percent of organizations that teach employees about financial planning, 39 percent cover budgeting, paying for education, debt reduction, credit card use, homeownership, and taxes.


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