2017 News

Event to focus on how companies can create a financially stable workforce

On Tuesday, September 19, leading human resources executives are coming to Washington University in St. Louis to discuss how companies can help alleviate their employees’ financial stresses. The event, at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, is Catalyzing a Financially Stable Workforce: How to Choose the Right Financial Wellness Program for Employees.

The event is free and open to the public. Because of limited seating, however, registration is required. Members of the media are invited to attend. Event and registration information is available here.

Financial stress is a problem: An industry survey found that 42 percent of American workers have difficulty meeting monthly household expenses. As a result, their work suffers, and so does their health. The Center for Social Development (CSD) and Prosperity Now are sponsoring the daylong event with panels and discussions about financial wellness programs in the Clark-Fox Forum in Hillman Hall. Human resources executives from Harvard University, Staples and JPMorgan Chase are among those who will speak. Susy Cheston, financial inclusion and wellness consultant for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, also will make a presentation. In addition, best-selling author, behavioral economist and TED speaker Dan Ariely will speak at lunch.

Business leaders can offer employees a number of services: financial counseling for employees in crisis, financial coaching for those interested in setting long-term goals, and partnering with outside companies that offer direct loans to their workers, according to CSD researchers and Prosperity Now, whose findings appear in the recently released guide “Workplace Financial Wellness Services: A Primer for Employers.”