{"id":636379,"date":"2026-10-20T14:50:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T14:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636379\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T14:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T14:50:09","slug":"the-employee-benefit-workers-want-most-a-bigger-paycheck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/636379\/","title":{"rendered":"The employee benefit workers want most: A bigger paycheck"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rising inflation and stagnant wage growth are intensifying employees\u2019 financial stress, while many workers say their employers\u2019 financial wellness benefits are falling short, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/bruce-crumley\/employees-say-financial-wellness-benefits-arent-working-62-percent-want-this-instead\/91421887\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Inc. reports.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A 2026 Employee Financial Wellness Report by payroll integration provider Payroll Integrations, based on a survey of 229 workers, found 46% were unable to cover an essential expense while waiting for payday at least once recently, and nearly one-quarter experienced the shortfall repeatedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The financial strain is also affecting workplace performance and retention. About 74% of respondents said financial stress had harmed their mental health or productivity, while nearly two-thirds had considered leaving their jobs for higher pay in the previous year. Additionally, 46% had switched employers because of dissatisfaction with pay or benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Employee confidence in workplace financial wellness programs has deteriorated sharply. Only 35% felt very or completely supported by their employer\u2019s programs, down from 74% in 2025. That contrasts with 63% of surveyed employers who believed their programs were helping employees as intended.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Although 82% of workers contribute to employer-sponsored retirement plans, only about one-third believe their savings will provide a comfortable retirement without requiring them to continue working. The findings suggest employers may need to reassess how they compensate and support their workforce as living costs rise.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sixty-two percent of employees say higher wages or cost-of-living adjustments would do the most to improve their financial wellness, outranking career advancement opportunities and bonuses at 41%, and additional paid time off or mental health days at 36%. Only 11% identified financial tools or guidance as worthwhile investments, reflecting the growing disconnect between traditional benefits and workers\u2019 immediate financial needs.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inc.com\/bruce-crumley\/employees-say-financial-wellness-benefits-arent-working-62-percent-want-this-instead\/91421887\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Inc. has the full story.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rising inflation and stagnant wage growth are intensifying employees\u2019 financial stress, while many workers say their employers\u2019 financial&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636380,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[138,336,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-636379","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-business","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}