America Saves Week: February 27 – March 4, 2017

February 28, 2017

This will be Hillcrest’s third year as a partner with America Saves Week, an annual opportunity for individuals to assess their savings and take financial action.  For the past three years, we encouraged savers – or potential savers – just like you to set a goal, make a plan, and save automatically.

This year we have expanded our staff educational offerings to focus on financial wellness the entire month of February.  A 2015 report conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 72 percent of adults feel stressed about money at least some of the time, and 22 percent experience extreme financial stress.  Investing in financial wellness boosts the overall well-being of employees, increasing their health, productivity and engagement.

According to Forbes “The concept of authentic financial wellness is measured by a combination of factors including the overall satisfaction with our current financial situation, actual financial behaviors (i.e., budgeting, saving, paying off credit card balances in full), financial attitudes, financial knowledge, and objective financial status.”  To help our staff, we are offering educational opportunities to learn more about our retirement plan, using the health plan in a more cost effective way, credit history and mortgage lending.

Providing financial benefits also shows employees that the organization cares about them as individuals, inspiring loyalty and motivation.  When employees feel their employers care about their health and well-being, they’re 38 percent more engaged.

Follow @AmericaSaves and @ChooseToSave on Twitter. Like and promote the America Saves and Choose To Save Facebook pages.  Promote savings with the hashtag #ASW17.

-Shannon Hagensten, Director of Human Resources, Hillcrest Family Services