Amsterdam, Tuesday 2 September 2025 – Nearly a third of Dutch employees have experienced financial stress in the past two years. More than one million working people are dealing with serious financial problems that affect their mental health and focus at work[1]. This has major consequences in the workplace: employees with financial worries are 20% less productive and take seven extra sick days per year[2]. It not only affects the wellbeing of the employee, but costs employers thousands of pounds per employee each year. To tackle this fast-growing problem at an early stage, OpenUp, the platform for mental wellbeing, is from today also offering financial coaching. Alongside psychologists and physical health coaches, financial experts are now on hand to help prevent financial stress.
Psychologists signal increase in financial stress
Financial worries are increasingly translating into stress and other wellbeing issues. OpenUp’s psychologists are signalling a worrying trend: more and more clients are coming forward with symptoms of stress or anxiety related to their financial situation. This comes as no surprise, according to research by Deloitte, 47% of Dutch households are financially vulnerable or even unhealthy[3]. Young adults in particular (aged 18–24) are being hit hard by inflation, rising housing costs and insecure employment contracts.
“People come to us because they can no longer sleep or feel exhausted,” says Gijs Coppens, healthcare psychologist and founder of OpenUp. “But in conversations it turns out they are lying awake at night worrying about unpaid bills or feeling anxious about the future. If you don’t acknowledge and address that, the stress keeps coming back, no matter what you do in therapy.”
Preventive support for financial stress pays off
The financial resilience of employees is concerning and represents an invisible cost for organisations. With this new financial coaching offering, OpenUp underlines the importance of a preventive, integrated approach to workplace happiness and mental resilience. All psychologists and physical lifestyle coaches can directly refer to or collaborate with a financial expert within the OpenUp network. Employees can also book a session with an expert themselves. This approach is unique: the psychologist or physical health coach remains involved throughout the process, so that mental and financial support go hand in hand. Coppens: “Imagine someone who no longer dares to open official letters at home. Our financial expert provides practical help, for example with budgeting or creating a financial plan, while the psychologist addresses the underlying feelings of shame and fear of losing control. That way we tackle the problem from both sides.”
Regaining control
The launch of Financial Coaching is available as an additional service for all organisations connected to OpenUp. Paul Li, financial coach at OpenUp: “Rising inflation, job insecurity and the constant comparison with others mean that financial stress is becoming more and more common, even among people with a good income. Someone who is just about managing today could be in difficulty tomorrow. That is precisely why preventive support is important: To stop financial worries from growing into serious financial problems. Because shame or pride often gets in the way of the conversation, financial coaching helps to have that conversation and gives people back control over their future.”
[1] Research NN, 2025; AWVN, 2024
[2] NCFG, 2025
[3] Deloitte Financiële gezondheid van Nederlandse huishoudens in 2024 – maart 2025
About OpenUp
OpenUp helps employees grow, at work and beyond. Through an accessible platform, OpenUp offers direct support to build and retain resilient and engaged teams. The service consists of three components: personal sessions with psychologists or physical health experts such as nutritionists or sleep experts, interactive group sessions and online courses. Unlike traditional EAPs or occupational health services, OpenUp focuses on direct, preventive help with mental health issues. Support is anonymous, without waiting lists and available in more than 35 languages. More than 2,000 organisations and 500,000 employees rely on OpenUp to reduce absenteeism, increase retention and strengthen the productivity and engagement of their employees.
