Article How employers can support staff struggling with long-term financial planning

You can probably picture the scene. You’ve hosted a session on your workplace pension scheme. You’ve done your best at keeping it engaging, but you’ve come to the end and it’s time for questions.

Except, all you see are a few glazed eyes. Or worse: no one coming off mute against off-camera names. You’re not alone.

Many employees find long-term financial planning overwhelming: often to the point of disengagement.

For employers, understanding and addressing this emotional landscape can be the difference between tick-box benefit provision and real, life-improving impact.

Overwhelm is not just about the numbers

It’s tempting to believe that clearer guidance, more information, or a new digital tool will solve financial disengagement. But I believe that the real blockers are often emotional, not technical. In a recent Money:Mindshift podcast episode, I talked to author, financial coach and campaigner Catherine Morgan.

Her mission is to educate people on the wisdom behind the statement: “It's not just about the money". But, if it isn't about the money, what’s it really about? It’s about self-worth, identity, healing old patterns, and learning to treat yourself with compassion and agency.

Of course, we can’t not worry about money. It's too important. It’s too interlinked with who we are. But we can worry in better, more constructive ways. Overwhelm arises when employees are faced with too many decisions, unfamiliar jargon, or the nagging sense that they ‘should have started sooner’.

But underneath, you could argue that it’s often about identity, confidence, and past experiences with money.

The result is that many employees freeze, avoid engagement, or procrastinate on the most important financial decision.

Knowing the difference between stress and overwhelm

In an organisational context, stress is when employees are balancing work, home, and life’s demands. Overwhelm is what happens when another financial decision (or yet, another email about their pensions) tips them over the edge.

When people are overwhelmed, it’s not just that they’re too busy; it’s that their brains literally struggle to process more information or take the next step.

Emotions are data – and what this means for employers

In an earlier episode of our Money:Mindshift podcast about ‘How to compare yourself’, Neil Bage – behavioural finance expert and keynote speaker – brilliantly explains that ‘emotions are data’.

He said: ‘The easiest way to talk about emotions is that emotions are data. The brain takes in data right through our senses... And when it takes in that data, it creates on the fly an emotional response.

‘That emotional response is another data point that is a reaction to the first bit of data that went into the engine.

‘So all of these emotions are just data points. And we need to look at them as data. As information that we can pause, think: “Oh, why do I feel like this?” and then do something about it.’

For employers, recognising overwhelm as ‘data’, rather than mere disengagement, opens the door to a more supportive, human-centric approach.

Three ways employers can help employees with financial overwhelm

1. Name and normalise the emotion

Make feeling emotions, even ones perceived as negative – like worry, stress and overwhelm – normal, and part of life. Use communications and workshops to acknowledge that financial overwhelm is normal, not a sign of incompetence. Encourage open conversations and reassure employees that they’re not alone in finding this challenging.

2. Don’t bombard your message

When rolling out new benefits or financial tools, resist the urge to bombard staff with too much information at once. Instead, create space for reflection, whether that’s a quiet drop-in session, a pause after a big launch, or just allowing more initial silence when asking for questions.

3. Break decisions into bite-sized actions

Help employees focus on just one manageable step at a time: such as reviewing a payslip, updating a beneficiary, or setting a small savings goal. Celebrate small wins and reinforce that incremental progress is more important than perfection. Make resources and signposts easy to access and ensure that support (such as helplines or wellbeing champions) is visible and approachable.

In summary

Financial overwhelm is a widespread and human response to complex, emotional decisions. As an employer, you could make a real difference by recognising the signs, naming the emotion, and helping staff move from paralysis to progress, one step at a time.