Financial stress doesn’t stay at home.

Financial pressures can affect individuals beyond their personal lives and often follow them into the workplace.

When employees are worried about their finances, it can influence how they feel and perform at work.

In the workplace, this may be reflected through:

• Reduced focus and productivity
• Increased absence or disengagement
• Higher levels of stress and anxiety

Providing employees with access to financial education and guidance can help them better understand their financial choices and feel more confident about managing their finances over the long term.

What the research tells us

88% of adults report that the cost of living is one of the most important issues facing the UK today.¹

ONS analysis shows that people experiencing financial pressures such as struggling with bills or relying more on credit, are more likely to report lower wellbeing and higher levels of anxiety.²

These findings highlight how financial pressures can affect individuals’ overall wellbeing and why many organisations are increasingly recognising the importance of supporting financial wellbeing in the workplace.

¹Office for National Statistics (ONS) - Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: January 2026.

Opinions and Lifestyle Survey. Data were collected between 7 January and 1 February 2026 from adults aged 16 and over across Great Britain, with 7,906 households sampled. Participants were randomly selected from individuals who had previously taken part in the Labour Market Survey (LMS) or the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN). A total of 3,090 individuals responded, representing a response rate of 39%.

²Office for National Statistics (ONS) How are financial pressures affecting people in Great Britain? 22 February 2023

Based on pooled data from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), covering 14 September 2022 to 8 January 2023. Further methodology (including sampling and weighting) is detailed in the linked article Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain: September 2022 to January 2023, which reports a sample of 18,464 adults aged 16+ in Great Britain.