Expert Kelley Keehn sheds light on destigmatizing money conversations and transforming workplace culture
As people with their ears to the ground, HR professionals are uniquely positioned to observe the financial hardships that employees face. However, many are ill-equipped to initiate these crucial financial conversations.
One expert believes that in a world where financial stress can weigh heavily on individuals, destigmatising conversations about money may prove to be the transformative step needed to establish financial well-being as a fundamental pillar of workplace culture.
In an interview with HRDTV, founder and keynote speaker Kelley Keehn delves into the ways HR professionals can bolster financial literacy among employees and sheds light on why this topic remains the last taboo in our society.
If you’d like to learn more about how to implement financial literacy within your workforce, watch the full HRDTV interview here.
“At the end of the day, we probably know more about what’s going on in the bedrooms of our employees and co-workers than we do about their finances and I really want to change that conversation,” she said.
Highlighting the enormous pressure that poor finances can put on a person, Keehn said, “It seeps into every part of person’s life; they don’t sleep well, their mental health suffers, their health can suffer, and then they bring all of that to work.”
HR’s crucial role in financial literacy
Keehn set up Money Wise Workplaces – a company that provides support and guidance to HR professionals who are actively advocating for financial literacy within their organisations.
“They [HR] know when an employee is having their cheques garnished, or they’re just struggling to afford food, and with the rising cost of living and everything that is on their plates right now,” said Keehn.
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As employers focus on conventional benefits like health coverage and perks, the holistic importance of financial literacy falls by the wayside.
“I really think it’s the last taboo in our society; talking about money issues, talking about debt, and financial stress,” she said.