Many companies are offering financial wellness training to their employees—but what are the measurable outcomes of these programs?

While there’s a myriad of potential distractions at work, personal financial stress has a tremendous negative impact on worker productivity: 81 percent of workers say financial problems have affected their productivity, according to a 2014 report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Human resources professionals have noticed the problem—61 percent say that financial stress is having at least some impact on employee performance.

Many companies are scrambling to address the issue with financial wellness programs, offering classes, coaching, and counsel for their workers. But are these programs really working?

The CFPB’s report, “Financial Wellness at Work: A Review of Promising Practices and Policies,” takes a deep dive into the measurable outcomes some companies have seen from establishing financial wellness programs. Here are a few examples:

-- A 2009 study of a public-private partnership between the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and the United Way of the Midlands followed a group of employees who received nine hours of classroom training and up to five personal sessions with a financial planner. After participating in the program, the employees stopped requesting new loans from their 401(k) plans and a number of participants started paying their bills on time.

-- A recent survey of 80,000 participants in the U.S. Army’s Personal Finance Management Course found the program’s strongest impacts were on retirement savings—on average, participants doubled the amount they contributed to their retirement account, from about $15 per month to more than $30. The author notes that if those new savings habits are maintained for two years, they will yield $4,300 in savings over the course of a worker’s career. Two years definitely seems like a great benchmark for changing someone’s behavior—for the better, in this case!

-- Andrew Rosencranz, owner of Pacific Market Research in Seattle, wanted to help his 350 employees deal with their financial stress. With the help of a program presented by Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, Rosencranz began a training program that focused on basic financial skills like budgeting, setting up a direct deposit, and handling debt. The shared focus on gaining financial knowledge created an atmosphere of positive peer pressure at the company, Rosencranz told the CFPB. Eight out of ten participants said they’d “strongly” recommend the program, while 78 percent reported they’d made a positive change in their spending habits because of the program.

-- The office supplies giant Staples implemented a game-based approach to educating its employees about financial wellness. The company introduced an online game called Bite Club, where employees manage a nightclub for vampires. Within the game, users must evaluate financial decisions such as investing in a 401(k), paying off debt, or spending money on extras. Gamers had the opportunity to compete against coworkers across the nation and the world. Around 80 percent of Staples employees participated in the game, and company executives are pleased with the outcome—so pleased that they’ve hired the design company to create more games.

-- Employees at Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) took part in a financial wellness program offered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and many experienced dramatic results. One employee had taken repeated—and sizeable—loans from her 401(k). Following her participation in the program, she said, “After I got a plan, my finances did not change. But, for first time in my life, I thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel.” As of the 2014 report, 200 NFM employees have taken the financial wellness program.

Interested in reading more financial wellness program success stories? Check out the CFPB’s full report.