Improving employee productivity is constantly top of mind with employers.

However, finding the right tools and resources to do so is not always easy.

While employers may cite several reasons their employees are not reaching their full potential, there is one silent distraction plaguing the American workplace that many employers may not recognize is the root of some serious productivity issues.

According to a report by the Personal Finance Employee Education Foundation, one in four workers suffer from serious financial distress as a result of personal finances.

Of those 30 million workers, 30 to 80 percent of them spend time at work worrying about their stressful personal financial situations and dealing with financial issues instead of working.

In addition to serving as a distraction from work, the Center for Financial Services Innovation found that financial anxieties can also lead to absenteeism, health care claims, employee turnover and more.

With such a high rate of impact and an extensive list of negative effects, it is more important than ever that employers find affective ways to combat this problem.

Considering the implications of this wide-reaching issue, many employers are beginning to integrate financial literacy education programs into the workplace.

While the topics of these financial educational programs can vary, many employers have started to provide family-focused ones.

Today’s workers require a different kind of financial literacy education, particularly, one that can benefit their entire family by providing employees with guidance on how to educate their children and grandchildren on money matters.

Family-focused financial literacy education programs are not only beneficial and stress-alleviating for parents and grandparents alike, they are also necessary as we move into a pivotal period of financial change.

An enormous transfer of wealth is taking place now, with the Baby Boomer generation transferring $41 trillion in assets to their Gen X and Millennial children, according to research from the Boston College Social Welfare Research Institute.

Parents and grandparents need to ensure their heirs are well-prepared to handle these assets responsibly. By instilling sound financial literacy lessons in their children and grandchildren, their heirs will be more likely to maturely manage a large lump sum of money.

By offering a financial education program in the workplace that helps employees raise financially responsible children and grandchildren, employers can give their employees – and their families – easier ways to talk and learn about money.

By sharing age-appropriate financial literacy lessons and suggesting topics to cover with their family members, these types of workshops provide easy to implement lessons into their everyday family life.

From the grocery store to piggy banks, there are several ways children can learn important financial lessons from their parents and grandparents.

While there are many ways to provide financial literacy education in the workplace, it is most important that employers provide meaningful knowledge that will have a long-lasting impact on employees.

This education can be as simple as a work-sponsored after-hours event. To maximize impact, employers should ensure the education is provided by a qualified financial consultant with knowledge of the topic.

Employers should also consider hosting this workshop on an annual basis to further enhance benefits.

With the introduction of financial literacy education into the workplace, employees suffering from serious financial distress will be provided the necessary tools to alleviate their stresses and diminish their worries.

While this education alone may not be enough to completely rid them of their financial hardships, it can serve as a launching pad for fiscal improvement, as well as a resource to improve employee productivity.

Please note: The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy. When you link to any of these web-sites provided here, you are leaving this site. Our company makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these sites. Nor is the company liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, sites, information and programs made available through this site.

Registered Representative/Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Signator Investors, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC, and Registered Investment Advisor. Legacy Consultants Group is independent of Signator. 8515 Cedar Place Drive Suite 108 Indianapolis, IN 46240 134-20171030-409989

Kyle Sanders is the owner and lead financial consultant of Legacy Consultants Group.

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Why financial literacy education may help employees be more productive

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