If employees are paying into a pension every month, why do so many still feel unsure about their financial future?
That uncertainty is becoming harder for employers to ignore. Drewberry’s Workplace Pensions Survey 2025 found that just 15% of employees say they truly understand how pensions work, while 57% do not know how much they need to save for a comfortable retirement. More striking still, 68% do not believe their current pension will be enough.
At the same time, expectations around support are changing. Employees are not just looking for access to a pension scheme. They want more help understanding their options, more visibility over what is being provided, and more practical ways to balance long-term saving with short-term financial pressure. Drewberry also found that 72% want more pension guidance from their employer, while 52% want to learn more about salary exchange.
The conversation is no longer just about pension compliance. It is about how pensions sit within a broader financial wellbeing strategy, and how benefits platforms can make saving feel clearer, more flexible and more relevant to real life.
Why pensions can no longer sit on their own
For many employees, retirement saving does not happen in a vacuum. It competes with rent or mortgage costs, childcare, debt repayments and the need for an emergency buffer. That means even when people understand the importance of long-term saving, they may still struggle to prioritise it.
A more effective approach is to stop treating pensions as a standalone benefit and start positioning them as one part of a wider savings ecosystem. That ecosystem might include retirement saving, short-term emergency savings, tax-efficient contribution mechanisms and better guidance at key life stages.
For employers, this matters for another reason too. Employees increasingly see pension value as part of the overall employment proposition. The Drewberry survey found that 58% would prefer bigger pension contributions over other benefits, while 48% say they would contribute more themselves if their employer matched it.
So what does that look like in practice? For many employers, it is less about adding lots of new benefits and more about joining up the savings support they already offer with a few more practical options.
What joined-up savings support looks like in practice
A more joined-up savings strategy does not have to mean introducing lots of complex new benefits. Often, it is about helping employees make better use of what is already available, while adding practical options that support different savings needs.
Salary exchange: Salary exchange is an area where employee interest often outpaces understanding and take-up. For employers, that creates a clear opportunity. Better communication can help employees understand the tax advantages, while also creating savings that employers may choose to reinvest into pension contributions.
Matching structures: Matching can also be a powerful engagement tool. If employees can see a clear link between increasing their own contribution and receiving more from their employer, pension saving starts to feel more tangible. It moves from being a background deduction to a visible part of the reward package.
Payroll-linked workplace savings: This is where the wider workplace savings conversation becomes especially important. Payroll-linked savings options can help employees build healthier savings habits by making saving regular, automatic and easier to access. For some employers, that could mean simple workplace savings arrangements designed to support shorter-term goals. For others, it may mean integrating savings support into a wider financial wellbeing offer.
Sidecar savings: Sidecar savings is one of the most interesting emerging models in this space because it links short-term and long-term saving together. Employees build an accessible emergency savings pot through payroll, and once that reaches a defined level, contributions can be redirected into longer-term retirement saving. The principle is simple but powerful: better financial resilience today can make it easier for employees to keep saving for tomorrow.
Where benefits platforms can make the difference
The challenge for employers is not just deciding what support to offer, but making it visible, accessible and easy to act on. That is where a platform-led approach can make a real difference.
A modern benefits platform can help employers present pensions and workplace savings in a way that is easier to understand, easier to engage with and more relevant to different employee groups. That might include:
Employee benefits platforms can also give employees access to more personalised support. Through FlexGenius, services such as WTW pension guidance can help employees think through contribution decisions, pension consolidation and retirement planning in the context of their own circumstances.
This matters because low engagement is not always a sign that employees do not care. Often, it reflects complexity, lack of confidence or the sense that pensions belong to a distant future rather than everyday life. A well-designed platform can help close that gap by making savings support feel less abstract and more usable.
That also fits with the wider direction of pensions policy. As attention shifts towards adequacy, value and better outcomes, employers will need more than a default scheme and an annual reminder. They will need ways to communicate pension value more clearly and connect it to the broader financial experience of their workforce.
Making savings support feel more real
Employees do not separate pensions, savings and financial pressure as neatly as employers sometimes do. They experience them together. That is why the most effective pensions support is no longer just about scheme access, but about helping people understand what they are building and how long-term saving fits alongside everyday financial reality.
FlexGenius helps employers bring pensions, workplace savings and financial wellbeing support together in one place, making it easier for employees to see their options, engage with what is available and make more confident decisions about the future.
To find out how FlexGenius can support a more joined-up approach to pensions and workplace savings, contact the team today.