Pouring financial confidence into Diageo's global workforce

• ‍Established: 1997 ‍
• Industry: FMCG ‍
• No. of employees: 26,000+ ‍
• Countries operate in: 60+

‍The situation

When Diageo asked its employees what they needed, the answer was clear. In the company's "Your Voice" survey, its people reported rising cost-of-living pressures and a growing need for practical financial health support, including help making sense of the benefits already available to them.

At the same time, Diageo faced rising healthcare costs and saw preventative support as a growing priority. Financial health was a natural place to start. nudge's 2026 Global Financial Wellbeing research found employees with stronger financial literacy are 18% less likely to experience depression. Helping employees take action on their finances gave Diageo a way to support their overall health, before small pressures became bigger problems.

Improving financial confidence also helps employees make more informed decisions about their workplace benefits. nudge's research showed that employees who rate their financial literacy as good or excellent are 2.3 times more likely to participate in a company share plan, reinforcing the value of helping employees understand the benefits available to them.

While Diageo already offered a broad range of employee benefits, there wasn't a consistent global financial health program focused on guidance, confidence, and long-term behavior change. The ambition was to move beyond providing benefits to helping employees understand and make the most of them.

The solution

Diageo partnered with nudge to roll out its financial health platform, with a clear goal: to strengthen employees' financial health and confidence for the long term through personalized, impartial guidance.

The rollout combined global consistency with local relevance. Channels ranged from email to laptop lock screens, backed by leadership communications and local HR and Communications teams. Physical materials and local advocates reached employees without regular desktop access, so no part of the workforce was left out.

nudge was integrated into Microsoft Teams, putting support inside the tools employees already use every day, with no extra step to find it. Live webinars and masterclasses, attended by more than 620 employees, added expert support for employees who wanted to go deeper.

Employees were also connected to Diageo's wider benefits through the nudge. The platform linked to five core benefits across seven countries, with targeted campaigns promoting the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and eldercare concierge service. That meant employees could move straight from understanding their options to acting on them, helping Diageo get more from the support it already offered and directly addressing the health priorities behind the program.

The results

Employee impact

• 76% of employees across the UK, India, and South Africa use nudge to support their financial health‍
• 62% are returning users (4,857 people), coming back to build on their progress
• Usage targets met within four months of launch

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Comparing Diageo employees who use nudge against non-users, using Censuswide data, shows a clear difference in financial health outcomes. nudge users are significantly more likely to:

• Feel confident managing their finances (93% vs. 78%)
• Have more than six months of salary saved (42% vs. 17%)
• Feel on track to retire when they want (61% vs. 43%)
• Spend less than they earn each month (71% vs. 42%).

These findings show a clear link between taking action on your finances and better financial health.

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Employer impact

• 28% take-up of the EAP campaign ‍
• 12% increase in take-up of the eldercare benefit

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‍Looking ahead

Diageo's ambition is to embed financial health further into the everyday employee experience, supporting people to build lifelong financial confidence rather than viewing financial support as a one-off benefit.