Putting Earned Wage Access in its Place

Employee monitoring payday on calendar

This article was written by Tom Spann, Brightside CEO and co-founder, and originally published in HR Daily Advisor on June 6, 2024. In December 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced plans to outline how consumer lending laws interact with earned wage access (EWA) programs. These programs have grown in popularity as a solution […]

Beyond Financial Wellness: Financial Care for Frontline Workers

If you’re using financial wellness benefits to support your frontline workers, are you seeing any improvements in their financial situations? Most employers don’t – but it’s not their fault. These benefits aren’t designed to address this financially vulnerable group’s financial struggles, let alone improve their financial health. Brightside CEO and Co-founder Tom Spann and Amazon […]

How Brightside Helps Employees Find Money

Dollar sign image pointing in an up arrow

More than 70% of employees now live paycheck to paycheck, and 49% say high monthly bills are the biggest reason for their financial strain. As part of our mission to improve the financial health of working families, we provide employees with personalized support and real solutions to triage urgent financial needs, address root causes of […]

How Amazon Supports Frontline Employees’ Financial Health

Frontline worker struggling with car repairs needed to get to work

When Amazon’s team asked employees about their perceived value of a range of different potential benefits, it learned that its frontline employees wanted financial benefits that could help with basic financial needs such as groceries, medications, and electrical bills. “Those financial benefits just kept coming to the top of our employee want list,” said Justin Roberts, Amazon’s […]

Want to Support Employee Mental Health? Address Their Top Source of Stress

Female warehouse employee experiencing mental health issues due to her financial stress

Employers invest billions of dollars on behavioral tools meant to support employee mental health, but behavioral health needs still drive 41% of all healthcare spend. Why? Finances – employees’ biggest source of stress – aren’t being addressed. Frontline employees, who are more financially vulnerable than the broader workforce, suffer even more intensely. They have day-to […]

How Brightside Provides Hope and Financial Help

Young frontline employee feeling hopeful about her financial future with Brightside Financial Care

Brightside provides personalized financial support and solutions for all employees. Yet, because frontline workers comprise 70% of America’s workforce – and just 13% are financially healthy – our unique Financial Care model is particularly critical for frontline employees’ complex and nuanced needs, which other employee financial benefits aren’t built to serve.  Keep reading to learn […]

5 Facts Employers Should Know About Frontline Employees

Frontline workers meet with their supervisor in a distribution center

1. Frontline workers are struggling financially Financial Health Network’s data indicates that 30% of Americans overall are considered financially healthy based on eight different financial health measures; the figure dips to 13% when looking specifically at frontline employees. While 25% of frontline workers are considered financially vulnerable, that’s true of just 17% of the broader […]

10 Reasons Why Typical Financial Wellness Strategies Don’t Work for Frontline Employees

Two frontline employees working in a fulfillment center

Frontline workers have different needs and barriers to achieving financial health and resilience. These are also the employees driving the most organizational cost in terms of turnover, healthcare utilization, missed work, and more.  When you offer a solution specifically designed to improve frontline financial health, your employees’ financial lives improve, and you’ll see it reflected […]

Why Financial Care is Critical to 401(k) Success

Middle aged frontline worker is stressed out because he is unable to contribute for retirement amid other sources of financial stress

In 2022, Americans’ financial health declined for the first time in five years. Today, seven out of 10 Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Nearly half of Americans who earn $100,000+ a year live paycheck to paycheck, too. Their financial challenges aren’t due to a lack of employer concern for their financial wellbeing. (In fact, 97% […]