Case Study: how to build an award-winning savings programme

Speakers:

Patrick Leavey - UK Financial Wellbeing Strategy Lead at the Money & Pensions Service 

Sarah Williams - Chief People Officer at OCS Group UK & Ireland

Guillermo Rodriguez-Guzman - Associate Director, Research and Innovation at Nest Insight

Jonathan Pearson - Head of Department (Interim) Consumer Policy and Outcomes at the FCA

Five key takeaways:

1. The UK has an emergency savings crisis, and employers are central to solving it
   The discussion repeatedly highlighted the scale of the issue: 10% of UK adults have no savings and 20% have less than £1,000. The core message was that government cannot solve this alone, and employers have a major role in building financial resilience.
2. The biggest barrier is not motivation, it is friction
   Nest Insight’s evidence showed a clear intention-action gap: most people want to save, but very few do it through workplace channels. The reason is practical friction, such as complex sign-up journeys, too many steps, and low confidence when getting started.
3. Payroll saving works because it helps people start and stick with saving
   The panel stressed that workplace saving is effective when it is embedded in payroll and easy to maintain. The goal is habit-building, not one-off saving, and that can reduce stress, improve control over money, and prevent small shocks from becoming crises.
4. This is good for business, not just employees
   Employers such as OCS described clear organisational benefits from financial wellbeing support, including stronger engagement and potential improvements in attendance and productivity. The panel encouraged employers to capture outcomes data and employee stories to strengthen the internal business case.
5. Regulation should not be used as a reason to delay
   The FCA’s message was that opt-in workplace savings schemes are deliverable now under existing rules. Employers do not need to wait for new legislation, especially if they work with capable providers and follow the FCA’s published guidance. The National Coalition for Workplace Savings was positioned as the mechanism to scale adoption and share best practice.

Summary

This breakout session focused on the UK emergency savings gap and why employer-led workplace savings is now seen as a practical national lever for change. The panel aligned on one core point: people want to save, but many do not start unless the experience is simple, trusted, and built into the flow of work and pay.

Government context was clear. The Financial Inclusion Strategy positions savings as a core part of resilience, with figures cited in session showing 10% of UK adults have no savings and 20% have less than £1,000. The National Coalition for Workplace Savings is designed to accelerate employer adoption and increase participation.

Research insights from Nest Insight highlighted the gap between intention and action. Most people understand saving matters, but friction in sign-up, low confidence, and day-to-day financial pressure prevent follow-through. The strongest improvements come from reducing complexity and making it easy to start and continue through payroll-linked journeys.

OCS shared a practical employer case study. With over 55,000 colleagues across the UK and Ireland, and many in lower-paid frontline roles, OCS positioned workplace savings as a direct response to real financial pressure. Their rollout has expanded significantly since 2022, with 30,000+ colleagues now eligible and around 41% actively engaged on platform tools. Reported benefits include stronger colleague confidence and a clearer path to improving attendance and day-to-day focus.

The FCA's message was that regulation should not be treated as a blocker. Employers can implement opt-in schemes within the current framework if they work with suitable providers and follow published guidance on areas like promotions, regulated boundaries, and data handling.

On pensions, the panel view was that short-term emergency savings and long-term retirement saving are complementary. Early evidence cited in the session suggests workplace savings can be additive, with no observed increase in pension opt-outs in trial environments.

Recommended next steps

• Keep communication active and practical, not one-off
• Use colleague stories to increase trust and uptake
• Track outcomes that support a business case, including engagement and absence indicators
• Share results externally to help scale adoption across sectors
• Engage with the National Coalition for Workplace Savings to access peer learning and implementation momentum

Bottom line

The session's closing call was ambitious and clear: move the UK from 10% of adults with no savings toward zero. Employers were positioned as central to achieving that outcome through simple, high-trust workplace savings design and consistent communication.