Financial Flexibility at Work: The Impact of Earned Wage Access on Job Satisfaction and Trust via Financial Well-Being
Keywords
Loading...
Authors
Issue Date
2026-01-12
Language
en
Document type
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Title
ISSN
Volume
Issue
Startpage
Endpage
DOI
Abstract
Financial stress remains a concern for a substantial share of Dutch employees, prompting
organizations to explore HR practices that support workers’ financial well-being (FWB).
Earned Wage Access (EWA) allows employees to access part of their earned wages before
payday and has been linked to reduced financial pressure and improved work outcomes in U.S.
studies. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Perceived Organizational Support
(POS), this study examines how EWA relates to employees’ FWB, job satisfaction (JS), and
trust in their employer (TR) in the Netherlands, and whether FWB mediates these relationships.
A cross-sectional survey of 115 users of the CashOut application showed that EWA is positively
associated with JS and TR, and that FWB is positively related to both outcomes. However,
EWA does not significantly predict FWB, and no mediation effects were found. Overall, the
findings indicate that EWA functions more as a relational signal of employer support than as a
financial tool. This perspective can help organizations position EWA within supportive HR
strategies and provides a foundation for future research in European labor markets.
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen