How a Texas Community Health Organization Turned PTO Into $600,000 of Retirement Savings and Student Loan Relief.

Boosting retirement plan participation is hard enough on its own. It's even harder when a meaningful chunk of the workforce is younger staff just entering the job market, already stretched thin by competing financial obligations like student loan debt. One Texas-based community health organization, with more than 1,500 employees, found a way to solve that problem, and a few others, with a single benefit.

The Challenge

This organization, a mission-driven community health provider, was looking for a way to boost participation in its retirement plan. Many employees, particularly younger staff just starting their careers, struggled to contribute due to competing financial pressures, student loan debt chief among them.

At the same time, the organization was sitting on high PTO balances with no real outlet for employees to use those unused hours in a way that matched their financial needs or personal values. True to its socially conscious culture, the organization also wanted a benefits solution that could support employees' growing interest in social wellbeing, giving them a way to support causes and coworkers, not just themselves..

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The Solution

This organization implemented PTO Exchange to give employees greater control over their unused paid time off, activating options for retirement contributions, education expenses, PTO sharing, and charitable giving.

The impact was immediate and measurable. Employees have contributed more than $600,000 in pre-tax dollars to the organization's retirement plan, meaningfully increasing participation and promoting long-term financial wellness.

Recognizing how heavily student debt weighs on younger staff, the organization also activated the education feature, which has seen 86 exchanges totaling over $100,000 used specifically to pay down student loans, a benefit that's proven especially meaningful for recent graduates.

Through the sharing and giving features, employees have used their PTO to support coworkers during medical emergencies and to donate to causes they personally care about, reinforcing the organization's values of empathy and community service.
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The Impact


Since 2022, employees at this organization have exchanged:


•    $760,000+ in PTO value
•    14,400+ PTO hours
•   1.81 exchanges per user, per year on average


In Their Words

"The PTO Exchange program relieves the pressure of using all of your time when it just isn't possible. Moving my extra PTO to my retirement plan will help secure time in the future for what is truly important - family and friends. Great program!" EMPLOYEE

Why It Works for Community Health


This organization's story shows how a single benefit can advance retirement readiness, ease the burden of student debt, and reinforce a culture of mutual care, all at once. By giving employees choice and purpose in how they use their earned time off, this organization strengthened both its retirement plan and the sense of community that defines its mission.

 

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