Persistent gaps between employee priorities and employer strategies continue to limit the value of retirement and benefit plans.
In our recent articles, CAP Guidelines Set the Standard and Is Your CAP Built to Withstand Market Uncertainty?, we explored how plan design and investment flexibility are essential for helping employees navigate today’s economic volatility.
What the ongoing research continues to reinforce is this:
Employees are prioritizing long-term financial wellbeing while many employers are still focused elsewhere.
Let's look at the numbers
According to the 2024 WTW Global Benefits Attitudes Survey:
78% of employees across North America say they are not saving enough for retirement
59% of employees rank financial wellbeing as one of their top concerns
Yet only 22% of employers are prioritizing financial wellbeing in their strategy
Only 36% of employees feel confident they are on track to retire
33% say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago
This disconnect is not subtle. It is measurable and it has real consequences for engagement, retention, and plan effectiveness.
While many employers continue to focus heavily on traditional health benefits or surface-level perks, employees are asking for something different: clear, practical support for long-term financial health.
This is a Strategic Opportunity
Financial stress often stems from uncertainty. Employees want to know:
Am I saving enough?
Are my investments aligned with my future goals?
Will I be okay when I retire?
These are fundamental questions and too many benefit strategies are not built to answer them.
Addressing this disconnect is the first step!
Education and clarity can only follow when your strategy aligns with what employees truly need.
When employers realign their approach to reflect employee priorities, they unlock more potential in every compensation dollar being spent.
Next Comes Education
Capital Accumulation Plans (CAPs) are a critical tool for long-term planning. But without a clear structure and aligned communication, they fall short. A well-structured CAP, combined with a strategy that reflects employee priorities, provides a pathway to greater confidence, stronger engagement, and better long-term outcomes.
This is where education comes in but only after the plan is designed with purpose.
Employees can’t act on what they don’t understand, and they won’t engage with tools that feel disconnected from their concerns.
The Bottom Line
Employees are telling us what they want.
Support with retirement. Guidance on saving. Clarity around long-term financial health.
If your benefit and retirement plans aren’t built with these priorities in mind, the next step isn’t a brochure or a seminar. It’s a conversation about structure, alignment, and whether your current strategy is truly working for the business and its people.
Once that foundation is in place, then you can give employees the education and tools they need to take control of their future with confidence.
Send us a message if you want to connect. Otherwise, get a copy of the full survey by request below.