Market Trends

State of the Workplace 2026 Financial Benefits Study

Learn how to bolster talent attraction and retention amid concerns around AI disruption.

Our annual State of Workplace Financial Benefits Study explores how employees and HR executives view workplace benefits and equity compensation, helping to uncover strategies employers can adopt to enhance engagement and retention.

 

This sixth annual study comes at time when companies are prioritizing retention and hiring. In a tightening job market increasingly influenced by concerns around AI disruption, financial stress continues to negatively affect employee productivity. This is fueling employee demand for practical planning guidance and sending employers in search of stress-reducing financial benefits that can act as talent engagement levers.

Employees continue to turn to their employers for support with personal financial needs, and employers must help meet those needs through a full spectrum of workplace financial benefits.
Scott Whatley
Head of Morgan Stanley at Work

Amid ongoing economic pressure, 84% of employees say they encountered financial issues in the past year—most often with budgeting, financial goal setting and retirement planning.1 This underscores the need for workplace financial benefits and education designed to enhance employee confidence, strengthen engagement and support productivity.

 

At the same time, both equity compensation and advice-driven retirement benefits have become deciding employment factors. To unlock the value of those benefits, however, guidance is key. By providing employees with goals-based investing support and retirement planning assistance, employers can differentiate themselves in today’s ever-evolving and more complex talent environment.

 

Realizing these outcomes hinges on delivering more comprehensive, integrated workplace financial benefits that prioritize long-term planning, equity compensation and retirement savings. This approach stands to do more than enhance employee financial confidence. It also positions employers to create a meaningful advantage in attracting and retaining talent.

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Financial Benefits Drive Retention

With retention and hiring identified as the top strategic priority for 65% of HR leaders,2 workplace benefits are in the spotlight. In fact, 72% of HR executives worry that employees will leave if their company can’t offer the benefits they seek.3 This is not an idle concern. According to this year’s survey, 91% of employees say they would consider switching jobs for benefits that better help them reach their goals.4 For those workers, having more comprehensive financial benefits ranks as a high priority, along with access to equity compensation and retirement support.

85% of employees say they would feel more invested in staying at their company if it offered financial benefits tailored to their needs.5

Rising Need for Benefits That Help Reduce Financial Stress

Although benefits that support employees’ mental, emotional and/or physical well-being remain on employers’ radars, 53% of HR managers now agree that stress-reducing financial benefits matter more to job satisfaction.6 This year, 56% of employees say financial stress negatively impacts their work and personal life, down from 66% last year.7 Yet, 80% of employers believe these financial worries negatively affect workplace productivity.8 This has elevated the need for financial planning guidance, education and advice tailored to employees’ real-world issues.

74% of employees believe their employers should more actively help them through specific financial troubles.9

Professional Guidance Has Become a Strategic Lever

With employees willing to make career decisions based on the strength of workplace financial benefits, employers are seeking ways to offer more meaningful support. Companies willing to invest in offerings that help employees make more confident financial decisions are likely to stand out. Notably, 75% of employees believe benefits focused on financial and investment planning are essential to meeting their financial goals.10 Assistance through the full retirement cycle is also key, with 46% of employees seeking help with goals-based investing, 45% interested in retirement income solutions and 43% most valuing access to a financial advisor.11

95% of employees consider access to assistance from professional financial planners important when choosing where to work.12

Untapped Opportunities Remain

As employees increasingly turn to their employers for help maximizing their financial benefits, certain gaps in coverage are becoming more apparent. Employees reducing their contributions to workplace benefits programs want practical help with financial planning. To reach their personal financial goals, 59% of workers would like assistance with retirement preparation.13 Access to equity compensation is also a critical differentiator, with 86% of employees interested in receiving equity and 75% of current recipients agreeing it’s the most effective motivator.14 Employers serious about boosting talent attraction and retention should consider taking note.

91% of HR leaders say their companies need to do a better job helping employees understand and maximize the financial benefits available to them.15
Explore more insights in the State of the Workplace Financial Benefits Study
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Footnotes

1 The State of the Workplace 2026 Financial Benefits Study, Morgan Stanley at Work, #.

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15 The State of the Workplace 2026 Financial Benefits Study, Morgan Stanley at Work, #.

 

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