Building workforce resilience: Why we’ve introduced the Royal London Stocks and Shares ISA
Like many people, I sometimes wonder if I’m doing enough to secure my financial future. It’s a concern I hear echoed by colleagues and customers alike.
In today’s fast-changing world, financial worries can weigh heavily, impacting home and work life - especially when life throws the unexpected our way. That’s why we believe employers, with our support, can play a vital role helping their people build financial resilience for the long term.
Recognising the diversity of employee needs
No two employees’ financial goals are the same. Some are saving for retirement, others for a first home, or their children’s futures, while many are simply trying to build a safety net.
Our research shows that while ISAs have been available for over 25 years, there’s still a gap between those who feel confident investing and those who don’t. For example, only one in four people hold a Stocks and Shares ISA - the main barriers are insufficient funds, a lack of investing and a fear of losing money. And we see that different groups are impacted to different extents - women and lower-income employees are less likely to invest in Stocks and Shares ISAs because of those barriers. So, there’s work to be done together if we want to build a more confident and resilient workforce.
Why we’ve launched a stocks and shares ISA
We understand that employers are increasingly searching for ways to support their workforce and attract and retain talent. But not all can afford to introduce new costs or complex benefits.
That’s why our Stocks and Shares ISA is designed to be easy for employers to offer alongside our workplace pension, and simple for employees to access and save for their future.
Our ISA offers the same competitive annual management charge as your workplace pension, helping keep long term costs down for your employees.
With our trusted investment options and meaningful guidance and support, employees can be confident that their investments will work hard for them. Qualifying ISA savings will also get an added boost from ProfitShare when we do well. Just like their workplace pension.
Bridging the knowledge gap
Employers have a unique opportunity to make a difference. By promoting financial education, sharing clear information about the benefits and risks of ISAs, and encouraging open conversations about investing, we can help employees feel more confident and in control. It’s not just about retirement - it’s about helping people weather life’s storms, plan for the future, and feel secure today.
Practical steps for employers
If your workplace pension scheme is with Royal London, our Stocks and Shares ISA is available automatically to your employees. You don’t need to request this benefit.
However, there are some key steps you can take to help your employees take charge of their financial futures:
- Support employees in learning more about investing and stocks and shares ISAs
- Provide information to help them understand the difference between saving and investing
- Clarify the differences between pensions and ISAs
- Communicate the benefits of investing, not just for retirement but for all of life’s goals.
This email template, Understanding ISAs and investing, has been added to our communication toolkit, to make it easy for you to share this information with your employees.
Looking ahead: Building a fairer future together
Introducing a Stocks and Shares ISA is about more than simply offering a new product for us—it reflects our commitment as a mutual to putting people first and helping them build a more secure and resilient future no matter their circumstances.
Guided by our mutual ethos, we believe in working together with employers to share knowledge and ensure employees have access to the right support and information to help them make choices that work for them. Together, we can move from uncertainty to confidence, and from resilience to genuine financial wellbeing for individuals, families and communities alike.