Prescribing financial confidence: UCB’s financial wellbeing evolution

No. of employees: 850+

Industry: Pharmaceutical  

Established: 1928 

Introduction

When UCB first partnered with nudge to deliver their UK financial wellbeing program, their primary goals were to develop their wellbeing agenda beyond just physical wellbeing and drive uptake of their wider benefit package, including the bonus sacrifice scheme. In just the first quarter of the program being live, participation of the bonus sacrifice scheme surged by 72% - a clear sign that when awareness and understanding is underpinned by impartial, personalized financial education, the benefit resonated more with employees and delivered meaningful impact for the business.

The situation 

Building on this success, UCB set out to embed financial wellbeing more deeply into its culture. The goal was to move from one-off engagement to sustained impact - empowering employees to make informed decisions, improve their financial resilience, and take advantage of the full benefits available to them.

With this in mind, UCB defined four key ambitions:

• Raise awareness and understanding of financial benefits 
• Support confident decision-making through personalized education 
• Integrate financial wellbeing into everyday experiences 
• Build an internal network of advocates to drive long-term support 

The solution  

Together with nudge, UCB expanded its program into a multi-channel, people-first strategy, which included: 

• Timely, targeted nudges, delivered by nudge, to deliver simplified complex topics like bonus sacrifice into clear, relevant actions linked to employees’ real-life goals
• In-person engagement via wellbeing fairs and annual campaigns that encouraged employees to check in on their financial health with nudge 
• Financial Wellbeing Champions, trained by nudge, to promote peer-led support and platform engagement 
• Data-led personalized education, segmented by age, goals, and interests for maximum relevance 
• Strategic communication by using nudge’s Financial Wellbeing Calendar to link benefit education to internal campaigns like International Women’s Day 

Financial education became part of UCB’s wellbeing strategy, providing accessible, and timely education to the right people at the right time. 

The strategy combined digital and in-person elements - balancing tech-driven personalization with real-life conversations and advocacy. Financial education wasn't seen as an add-on, but as the heart of wellbeing and the employee experience.

The results

UCB’s people-first, data-smart and purpose-led approach drove high engagement and measurable business impact: 

This approach created a scalable, sustainable wellbeing model - one that continues to benefit both UCB’s people and business goals. Higher participation in voluntary benefits has delivered tangible cost savings while empowering employees with better knowledge and confidence. 

UCB’s journey with nudge shows how financial wellbeing, when embedded thoughtfully and consistently, can evolve from a single campaign into a culture of support, empowerment, and value for everyone.