Many companies offer employees financial wellness programs with budgeting tools, webinars, and most recently, AI- driven coaching and advice. These tools may look like support – but they don’t help with money emergencies, such as when an employee’s car breaks down, rent is overdue, or their account is drained before the next payday.
Those examples are common dilemmas for the 70% of employees who live paycheck to paycheck. If your benefits strategy doesn’t include help for these everyday money problems, they will ultimately become a problem for your bottom line.
Consider this finding from Vanguard’s new research: Employees with less than $2,000 in savings lose six hours a week to financial stress. That’s four times more than their coworkers with modest savings spend worrying about money.
With 70% of employees not financially healthy, most need the help of a real person who can understand the complexity of their challenges, remove the barriers standing in their way, and find solutions that reduce their financial stress.
Without that human support, your investment in employee financial wellbeing isn’t going to deliver the change or ROI you want to see. Here’s why.
The people who need help the most are often the least served
Financial stress makes it difficult for people to make sound decisions and take actions in their best financial interest. Even employees who are motivated to try to improve their situations on their own may lack access to safe and affordable solutions due to low credit scores, limited income and assets, and existing debt.
But with help from a real person who is on their side, things can get better – especially for the most financially vulnerable employees. In a 2025 randomized trial by TIAA, access to human-led financial support had the biggest impact on people who were less educated, and/or had lower credit scores. These are the same groups who are often overlooked or underserved by traditional financial wellness benefits.
AI can improve efficiency — but it’s not the answer
There’s been a lot of buzz about how artificial intelligence is changing the way employees access benefits—and there’s truth to that. AI can make it faster and easier to surface the right information at the right time, which is a positive shift for employers and employees. In fact, Brightside Financial Assistants use AI to help quickly identify a Brightside user’s best options, including resources that are available and in their area, to deliver timely and impactful support for clients.
But financial challenges are rarely only about dollars and cents. Employees may be in situations that AI simply can’t know – which can include mental health issues, domestic violence, financial abuse, legal woes, or client’s who feel stuck in grief due to crisis, illness, divorce, or losing a loved one.
Financially struggling employees need human understanding, empathy, and a person to help them have hope that things can improve in order to take steps in a new direction. They also need to trust in the source who is giving them financial support, before they’ll take action. According to the Financial Health Network, only 12% of people trust AI chatbots for financial advice, compared to the 57% who trust human financial professionals.
Real help also means helping people use what they already have
Most employers already offer benefits to help ease employees’ financial stress, including emergency grants, hardship funds, legal aid, and commuter benefits. But those often go unused, simply because employees don’t know they exist, don’t know how to access them, or give up when pursuing them feels too hard.
That’s why Brightside Financial Care integrates with other employer benefits to boost the impact of the entire offering for both employers and employees. Brightside Financial Assistants find the best options for each client and prioritize free resources that will solve their challenges. This includes surfacing other relevant benefits the employee qualifies for, walking them through forms or applications, and helping to troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
Don’t underestimate the value of real solutions from a real person
Financial stress can’t be solved with one-size-fits-all financial content or chatbots alone. It takes empathetic, action-oriented support from a caring partner who meets people where they are and walks with them toward financial stability.
Learn more about how Financial Care transforms lives and delivers the impact you want to see from your benefits, including increased productivity, retention, and overall worker wellbeing.