Companiesconcerned about employee well-being should care that theiremployees have a household budget, pay off debt, and save forthings like houses, college and retirement. (Photo:Shutterstock)

Let's be honest – We Americans spend a lot of time at work. In fact, we spend an average of34.4 hours a week on the clock, and for many that number islaughably low. According to Gallup, we spend more time on the jobthan our counterparts in the world's largest economies. We also getfewer vacation days and we often don't take them all.

But all those hours have failed to move the needle on jobsatisfaction. We work a lot, but poll after poll indicate jobsatisfaction continues to hover below 50 percent. That's bad forpeople and bad for business – thus the idea of employee well-being was born.

The concept is not new, but the healthy job market and retiringbaby boomers have helped usher in new well-being initiatives thatinclude everything from better benefits and healthy food, tocomfortable office furniture and massages. The big question isthis: How does your company make sure it's not just checking thebox but rather effectively addressing the physical, emotional andfinancial needs of the people on their teams? The answer to thatcan be traced back to your company culture.

Related: Behavior change: The focal point of successfulemployee well-being initiatives

We work with thousands of companies on innovative andinteractive ways to teach employees how to manage their money. Wenotice, time and time again, these employers have establishedhealthy company cultures – environments where people matter most.That's why they care that their employees have a household budget,pay off debt, and save for things like houses, college, andretirement. Having employees who are healthy financially fits their companyculture.

The need is enormous

Caring is not enough. More than 70 percent of people are livingpaycheck to paycheck, almost half of the peopleyou meet couldn't take care of a $400 emergency without borrowingmoney from someone or dipping into their 401(k). Participationrates have increased because of things like auto enrollment, butthe account balances and the savings rate haven't improved.

If your employees are having money problems, they'll quit and goacross the street for just a few dollars more thinking that willfix the problem. I don't need to tell you how expensive turnoveris.

Studies conducted by SmartDollar found that 51 percent ofemployees said they were either “scared” or “confused” about money.Scared and confused. That should be enough to motivate your companyto create a culture where financial wellness is every bit asimportant as vegetables and gym memberships.

Do that and Employee Well-being month will be every month.

Brian Hamilton is vice president of Ramsey Solutions'SmartDollar Financial Wellness Program.