Earned wage access (EWA) offers benefits to both companies and employees

Why everyone wins when employees have immediate access to wages earned

Even before the COVID-19 economic shutdown, the harsh fact is that many workers live paycheck-to-paycheck. They experience severe cash flow constraints, principally driven by a disconnect between daily expenses and traditional pay cycles.

Several major employers, such as Walmart, McDonalds, and Uber, have adopted EWA programs. By offering employees immediate access to cash, these companies have secured a low-cost way to attract employees and generate goodwill among their work force.

79% of surveyed workers are more willing to switch to employers already offering EWA.

Source: Pymnts.com, Visa Direct powers real-time payroll for frontline workers, May 14, 2020

To offer an EWA program an organization would typically partner with an EWA provider such as a payroll application provider or payroll outsourcing provider. The provider integrates its software with the company’s payroll system—or simply turns on the feature—so that employees can seamlessly request funds against their earned wages.