You studied languages at uni and speak several yourself – what do workplaces have to gain from helping to improve their team’s financial literacy? Having financial worries is a huge source of stress and can make workers distracted, unmotivated and more prone to accidents. They may get sick more often, take time off so they can sort things out and ask for advances on their pay. Conversely, when people have a handle on their debt, a workable budget and a plan for the future, they can relax and feel more confident, which leads to being more productive. It’s fantastic to see how people bloom.
How so? I could give so many examples! One man took what he learned to his church, which saw his new understanding of budgeting and saving ripple throughout his whole community. One recently widowed participant got in touch a couple of years after the course to say that having put the systems she’d learned in place, she was feeling so set up, so cushioned and it was making a huge difference in her life. Another reckoned it had probably saved his marriage. I could go on...
New Zealanders don’t tend to talk about money very freely – how do you ensure your sessions aren’t awkward or intimidating? To help people feel at ease, I like to set the scene by explaining that this is a safe spot in which to practise discussing potentially hard matters, while also letting people know that they don’t have to share if they don’t want to. There are plenty of times when the participants get together to work in pairs or groups, and I make lots of space for fun and laughter while they’re picking up skills. I work with people from different cultures all the time, so another of my focuses is to give everyone space to express their cultural values. It’s so important that everyone feels free to do that, and it’s always really useful for the whole group to hear about different financial customs, attitudes and habits.
What do you wish more people knew about Sorted at Work? That there’s a wealth of information right there, ready to access, and it’s the interaction between participants that really brings it to life. Sorted at Work courses are often transformative for participants – and their workplaces too. Pretty much everyone goes away feeling excited, more confident in their own decision-making, happier and more hopeful about their future.
