Imagine you are dropped into a hostile wilderness with nothing.  You have no phone, no maps, no supplies, no companions, and no help.  What are the first things you need?

You need to set up shelter, get food and water, and try to stay warm. All other needs in life are meaningless unless these basic physiological needs are satisfied, and one’s body is actually functioning.

What do you need next?  Security.  Security means not losing what you’ve scavenged, and protecting yourself against threats.

Now imagine your everyday life.  How is that any different from being in the wilderness in terms of the first two things you need each and every day?  The answer:  it isn’t. 

Welcome to the real-life game of television’s “Survivor”. 

Security is so fundamental to human existence that it is a cornerstone of PayActiv’s mission statement: “Security, Dignity, and Savings for All”, and is the theme of this month.

Foundational Security

We know that security is necessary for survival, but like basic physiological needs, it is also foundational.  All human beings have what psychologist Abraham Maslow called a “hierarchy of needs”, which he illustrated as a pyramid showing what motivates all humans.

A person cannot grow into the best version of oneself unless one has the foundation to build from.  PayActiv strives to provide that second foundational level of Maslow’s pyramid for its users.  That’s because we take our statuses as a Certified B-Corporation and Public Benefit Corporation seriously.  We aim to make the world a better place, to help individuals and society become the best that they can be.

Employer as Partner

You, the employer, are our primary partner in establishing this second foundational base.

A business and its employees exist in a symbiotic relationship.   While employer and employees are individuals, together they create a new organism that relies on each other and in turn, produces something that others need to fulfill their own lives.

Employers who value their employees’ security not only ensure their own success, but create a virtuous cycle by improving the lives of their employees.  In turn, retention, engagement, productivity, and loyalty improve.  Job hunters will hear that the business is a good place to work, which enhances recruitment efforts.

Security is Taken for Granted

However, because security is so fundamental, it is regrettably taken for granted.  We tend to believe most people are secure, and those who aren’t only include the indigent or mentally ill. 

Yet more than eighty million hourly workers lack any real security.

In modern society, “security” is largely tied to money.  Without income, usually obtained through a job, people do not have security.  Even with a job and the associated income, many workers’ security hangs by a thread.  If they lose that job, or they get laid off, their security evaporates. 

Even a sudden or unexpected expense may jeopardize their security.  When an unfortunate incident occurs, such as an unexpected medical procedure or a car breakdown, that expense must be covered.  The traditional route is to borrow funds in order to pay the expense and maintain security.  Unfortunately, most forms of short-term small dollar debt are expensive, which results in kicking the can down the road.  It may temporarily provide security but in reality, it’s akin to handing an anchor to a drowning person.

You Can Make The Difference

As an employer, you have given your employees the opportunity to not only make a difference in their lives, but make the difference in their lives.  Financial security does not simply appear.  It is built block-by-block. 

The PayActiv app provides that first block.  Those blocks become a foundation.  That foundation becomes the solid footing upon which your employees can continue their journey as human beings.

Security is PayActiv’s mission, and by working with us, it has become your mission as well.  We are honored that you chose us to help your employees build a foundation that will last the rest of their lives.