The Overlooked Benefit: Why Add Wills to Financial Wellbeing Programmes

Quick Insight for HR Leaders

• Around half of New Zealand adults do not have a Will. 

• Financial stress is the #1 source of personal stress for employees (TELUS Health).

• Many employees worry about whether their families would be protected if something happened to them.

• Including Wills and estate planning in financial wellbeing programmes helps employees take action on something they often delay.

Around 50% of New Zealand adults do not have a Will. This means a significant proportion of your workforce may be leaving major decisions about their families and assets to chance.

Employee benefits are designed to support people through the realities of life.  Flexible work, leave policies, and development opportunities all play an important role. ‍

Yet one of the most significant sources of personal stress rarely appears in a benefits programme: whether employees have taken practical steps to protect their family if something happens to them. No current Will. No clear estate plan. No written instructions about guardianship or end-of-life wishes.

For many employees, this is not about avoidance. It is about time, complexity, and not knowing where to start. Estate planning always feels important, but never urgent. Until it is.

This is where employers can make a meaningful difference.

A shift in how organisations think about financial wellbeing

Over the past decade, organisations have invested significantly in improving employee benefits. Many programmes focus on workplace perks that support day-to-day culture, from fruit bowls in the kitchen to reserved car parks. While these can help create a positive workplace environment, they rarely address the deeper financial concerns employees carry about protecting their families and planning for the future.

Belinda Heunis, CEO of Footprint:
“Employee benefits used to focus on perks, today leading organisations are recognising that real financial wellbeing means helping employees plan for the future and protect their families.”

Employees want to know their families will be taken care of if something happens to them. Yet estate planning is rarely included in workplace benefits, even though it directly affects the long-term security of the people employees care about most.

Forward-thinking HR leaders are beginning to close this gap by integrating Wills and estate planning into their financial wellbeing strategies.

The gap in most financial wellbeing programmes

Many employee financial wellbeing initiatives focus on salary, KiwiSaver and budgeting education. These are important foundations. But they do not answer the questions employees quietly worry about:

• Would my family know what to do if something happened to me?

• Have I clearly documented guardianship for my children?

• Are my assets structured in a way that protects the people I care about?

• Have I made my wishes clear?

Wills and estate planning exist to provide clarity. When these are included as part of a structured financial wellbeing programme, employees are more likely to take action.

Why this matters for HR leaders

Financial stress does not stay at home. It affects focus, engagement and performance.

According to TELUS Health, 54% of employees cite financial concerns as their primary source of personal stress, and 31% admit their mental health is affecting their productivity at work. This is not a marginal issue. It is a workplace issue.

For many employees, the stress is not only about day-to-day expenses. It is also about feeling unprepared for the future. Not just retirement savings, but practical protection. Who steps in if they cannot make decisions? What happens to their family? Have they documented their wishes clearly?

For HR leaders, the impact becomes most visible during major life events. Serious illness. Sudden loss. Extended leave. When an employee has not put plans in place, the emotional and practical burden on their family increases, and teams feel the ripple effects.

Including Wills and estate planning in your benefits offering is not about providing legal advice. It is about normalising future planning, offering trusted education and providing a clear pathway to take action. It signals that your organisation sees the whole person, not just the role they perform.

What effective support looks like

Many organisations already provide benefits such as EAP services, health insurance and retirement savings support. Including Wills and estate planning is a natural extension of these programmes.

While health benefits help employees manage wellbeing today and retirement savings support the future, estate planning makes sure employees have taken practical steps to protect their families if something happens unexpectedly.

A modern financial wellbeing programme goes beyond information sessions about savings. It provides:

• Education relevant to different life stages

• Clear guidance on Wills and estate planning

• Access to trusted professionals or structured tools

• Private, self-directed options for employees who prefer discretion

This fills the gap between earning today and protecting tomorrow.

‍When employees complete a Will and estate plan, they gain clarity. They reduce the risk of conflict for their families. Most importantly, they gain peace of mind. That peace of mind matters at work.

What HR leaders should look for in an estate planning benefit

When considering how to include estate planning in a financial wellbeing programme, organisations should look for solutions that are:

Accessible
Employees should be able to complete the process easily without complex legal barriers, anytime, from anywhere.

Educational
Employees need guidance on what decisions they are making and why they matter.

Private and self-directed
Many people prefer to complete estate planning privately without needing to discuss personal circumstances at work.

‍Scalable
Solutions should work across large and diverse workforces.

Planning is an act of care

Having a Will is one of the most practical ways a person can care for their family. Yet many people never get around to it without support or prompting.

Employers are uniquely placed to provide that prompt. By embedding estate planning within financial wellbeing, you make it easier for people to follow through. For employees, this is about feeling prepared and protected. For HR leaders, it is a tangible way to demonstrate care in action and strengthen a benefits offering in a way that is both practical and human.

As organisations continue to evolve their employee benefits strategies, financial wellbeing is becoming a core pillar of workplace support.

Including Wills and estate planning is a natural extension of that strategy. It helps employees move beyond short-term financial management and take meaningful steps to protect the people who matter most.

If you are reviewing your employee benefits and want to strengthen your financial wellbeing offering, including Wills and estate planning, visit Footprint Connect to learn how we help organisations support their people to feel prepared, protected and future ready.

‍ ‍