b'24 Partner News Summer 2022Corporate5 thingsWhen employees are worried about money and struggling with stress, their performance at work is invariably affected. Its in the employers interest to pay attention to financial wellbeing and offer support.you couldIts no secret that when were stressed, our ability to concentrate and be effective at work is likely to be impaired.That means employers can pretty much be doing toguarantee that at any given time, at least some of their employees will be affected by stress and/or mental-health issues that hinder their ability to do their job well. After all, in a 2018 survey, three-quarters of respondents said they had felt so stressed they had been overwhelmed or unable to support yourcope 1 . 2 .That was before the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw an increase in the number of adults experiencing some form of depression double from 10% to 21%employeesFinancial worries are invariably a big part of all this. Money is a daily concern for 16% of adults in the UK, according to a Money and Pensions Service survey, with nearly half the adult population saying they had worried financialabout money once a week or more in the previous month 3 .In some cases, it means employees arent able to do their job at all. Its estimated that some 4.2 million worker days are lost each wellbeing year due to a lack of financial wellbeing, equating to 626 million in lost output 4 .Its clearly an issue that employers need to take seriously, primarily for the benefit of their employees, but also for the success of the organisation and the economy as a whole. This means offering employees practical and emotional support for their financial wellbeing and their general mental health. Here are five ways in which you can When employees are worried about money andstart to do this:struggling with stress, their performance at work is1. Raise awareness of financial wellbeingThis includes aspects of education, such invariably affected. Its in the employers interest toas explaining financial terminology, and pay attention to financial wellbeing and offer support. facilitating conversations that can help employees to understand the nature of financial stress and how it might be affecting them.For instance, someone entering a financial wellbeing workshop might not realise that finance is the main cause of their stress, says Harriet Shepherd, Workplace Financial'