Guide to inclusive financial wellbeing

Money worries are one of the biggest causes of stress for all of us, but not everyone experiences them in the same way.

Inclusive financial wellbeing isn’t just about money skills – it underpins stability, fairness, and trust across an organisation. When employees feel financially supported, they’re more likely to feel engaged, valued, and able to contribute fully at work.

To mark National Inclusion Week, here are some practical ways to look at your financial wellbeing strategy through an inclusivity lens.

1. Inclusive financial wellbeing solutions

Financial priorities shift with age and circumstance. Review your offer against the demographics of your workforce and align benefits accordingly.

Do your financial wellbeing benefits provide relevant support for employees at:

• Different life stages

• Different income levels

• Different backgrounds

• With different financial needs

At Money First Aid, our Money First Aider® training equips employees to support colleagues facing challenges at different life stages. We also offer our Financial Foundations course for apprentices, graduates, and early-career employees, and partner with pension providers to deliver workplace pension education.

Accessibility matters too. Are your financial wellbeing benefits available to all employees, regardless of:

• Role

• Location

• Shift pattern

• Language

• Learning needs

Practical access is just as important. Live webinars are useful – but can all employees join if they work night shifts, drive for a living, or spend their day on the warehouse floor? Our Money First Aider® training is online and self-paced, making it accessible across roles, locations, schedules, and learning needs.

Personalise solutions where possible.
Digital tools can make support more inclusive by tailoring benefits to individual needs. Behavioural nudges, reminders, and personalised pathways can help employees take action at the right time. Another way to personalise is by training managers and employees with our Money First Aider® training, so people have someone they trust to speak to in confidence, with clear signposting to further support.

2. Inclusive communication

The most inclusive benefits won’t make an impact if employees don’t know about them, or if communication itself excludes certain groups.

Ask yourself:

• Are your communications clear of jargon and overly technical language?

• Are resources available in relevant languages, multiple formats, and accessible for people with disabilities, varying learning needs, and different levels of financial confidence?

• Are you communicating regularly, through the right channels, to reach everyone?

Attitudes to money, saving, and debt also vary widely across cultures and backgrounds. Tailoring your messaging with cultural sensitivity helps ensure everyone feels supported.

Employees often miss out on valuable benefits simply because they’re not reminded often enough. Communicate regularly and use campaigns like Pensions Awareness Week or Carers Week to spotlight different aspects of your offer. Don’t forget to include new joiners in onboarding, so support is visible from day one. You can download our Financial Wellbeing Calendar to support your communication plan for the year.

3. Inclusive workplace culture and policies

An inclusive approach to financial wellbeing also means looking at the bigger picture: your policies, culture, and the systemic issues that influence financial security.

Acknowledge and address pay and pension gaps.
The gender pension gap remains significant – in 2025, women retired with 36.5% less income than men, equivalent to £7,600 a year on average (TUC). The gap is even wider for women from minority backgrounds and those with disabilities. Employers can respond by being transparent about pay, reviewing pension policies, and offering targeted pension education for those with specific needs.

Recognise structural inequalities.
Ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, neurodiverse colleagues, and other groups often face disproportionate financial challenges due to systemic barriers. Acknowledging these realities – and creating safe spaces to talk about them – helps build a culture of trust.

Support family leave and caring responsibilities.
Maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, and caring responsibilities all have long-term financial impacts. Inclusive employers provide guidance and resources to help staff plan ahead and maintain financial security during these transitions.

Use data to design and refine support.
Demographic data, information about dependents, and benefit usage can highlight hidden needs. Analysing this data builds a more accurate picture of employee challenges and helps you identify gaps, align initiatives, and refine your strategy.

Encourage employee voice.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), wellbeing champions, and structured feedback forums can help shape your financial wellbeing programmes. Listening to lived experiences ensures initiatives are relevant and respectful, rather than based on assumptions. Training managers and those in people, wellbeing, and DE&I roles to confidently have these conversations makes this even more effective.

Final thought

By embedding inclusion into your financial wellbeing solutions, the way you communicate them, and your wider culture and policies, you can ensure no one is left behind. An inclusive approach doesn’t just reduce financial stress – it builds trust, stability, and belonging, helping every colleague feel supported both personally and professionally.