Banking on tomorrow: a case study on retirement

Why 73% of employees increased retirement contributions

For many, retirement can feel like a distant milestone. But for this financial services company, helping employees prepare early turned uncertainty into action - driving stronger engagement and long-term financial confidence. 

Helping people take charge of their financial future 

When this organization went through a benefits transition, one of the most important priorities was retirement planning. With changes to the retirement scheme on the horizon, leaders knew they needed to do more than simply communicate the updates, they wanted to ensure their people understood the long-term impact of their choices and make the best decision for them.

Turning change into opportunity 

Rather than focusing only on the technical details of the new scheme, the employer partnered with nudge to place financial education at the heart of the transition. The aim was to give employees the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions - whether that meant increasing contributions, consolidating pensions, or setting clearer long-term goals. 

nudge underpinned the project with personalized, timely communications (nudges) that aligned with internal announcements and broader wellbeing initiatives. These nudges delivered education in digestible, relevant ways, ensuring that every employees built their understanding at their pace.

Creating meaningful engagement 

The team emphasized the opportunity during Pensions Awareness Week, which highlighted the resources available and prompted thousands of reads on the nudge platform. What started as curiosity soon grew into genuine interest, with retirement education becoming the most popular topic across the organization. 

Timely support also directed people to review their contributions, or exploring ways to combine existing pensions - and linked directly to the retirement portal to make the next steps as easy as possible. Engagement rates soared, with more than three-quarters of employees opening and acting on these communications. 

Alongside the nudges, live webinars and provider events offered deeper guidance. Since people had already been engaging with nudge's personalized education, the sessions landed with greater impact. Employees arrived informed, ready with questions, and more open to taking positive action on their retirement plans. 

The impact 

Within months, nearly three-quarters of employees chose to make additional voluntary contributions to their retirement plans. The financial services company also saw an increase in it's financial health score, particularly in the “Planning” pillar, which measures long-term financial confidence and retirement readiness. 

A lasting shift 

By embedding education into the transition process, the team transformed a potentially complex and daunting change into an opportunity for growth. Employees didn’t just adapt to a new retirement scheme - they enhanced their knowledge and confidence to make choices that will benefit them well into the future. 

Get in touch if you want to enhancing retirement education for your people and their futures.