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Maslow Before Metrics: Why Your Upskilling Programs Are Failing

Maslow Before Metrics: Why Your Upskilling Programs Are Failing

Benefits
Business
Human Resources

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Kayling Gaver is the COO and co-founder of Tapcheck, an earned wage access platform that helps employees access their earned wages between paychecks. Prior to Tapcheck, she spent years in HR technology and payroll, processing hundreds of thousands of paychecks and seeing firsthand the financial stress that impacts hourly workers.

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I just got back from Gartner HR in Orlando, and HR leaders are wrestling with a critical question: How do we prepare our teams for what's sure to be a seismic shift in their work lives?

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Companies are investing heavily in upskilling programs, but many employees aren't engaging. And here's what I've learned: it's not a motivation problem. It's a capacity problem.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Upskilling

AI dominated every conversation at Gartner. And for good reason. AI is becoming a foundational component of how work gets done. We’ve answered the question of if AI will disrupt the status quo, now it’s about by how much.

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This means intense reskilling isn't optional anymore. It's here.

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But here's where it gets tricky: workforce reductions mean many of us are operating with a smaller talent bench. Every employee matters more. Organizational resilience now depends on having a workforce that can maintain pace and adapt through wave after wave of technological change.

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So, we're all talking about upskilling and reskilling. It's the race every organization is running. But here's the uncomfortable truth I shared at Gartner: a lot of employees can't even make it to the starting line.

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Why? Financial stress.

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Right now, 38% of employees have already tapped their retirement savings just to cover everyday expenses or debt. Long-term planning has taken a back seat to daily survival. And if you think this is just a Gen Z problem, think again. While 46% of Gen Z has already raided their retirement accounts (showing intense short-term pressure early in their careers), mid and late-career workers aren't far behind.

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And they're not using that money for fun or Burning Man. They're using it for groceries and gas.

The Hidden Cognitive Barrier

Here's something we don't talk about enough: debt stress has been proven to impair memory, attention, and problem-solving. You know, the exact skills your employees need to learn AI-powered tools, adapt to new workflows, and stay resilient through constant change.

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Employees dealing with problem debt are 3.5 times more likely to face mental health issues. When you're worried about keeping the lights on, your brain doesn't have the bandwidth to think about how to use the new AI tools your company just rolled out.

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This is where Maslow's hierarchy comes in. If your employees are worried about rent, groceries, or whether they can afford gas to get to work—they're stuck at the bottom of the pyramid.

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Your training programs? Those live in the higher levels. People can't climb there if their base needs aren't met.

What Financial Stress Actually Looks Like at Work

Employees don't always walk into your office waving a red flag saying, "I'm financially stressed." More often, it shows up as performance issues, like:

  • More mistakes and slower problem-solving
  • Disengagement in training programs
  • Higher absenteeism and quiet quitting
  • That brilliant, motivated employee who's suddenly distracted and missing training sessions

I think about this a lot because I've been on both sides of this equation. Back when Ron and I were running our real estate company, we had employees who would quit on a Wednesday just to get their paycheck pulled forward for an emergency. They didn't need much—sometimes just $50 to get through until Friday's payday.

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That experience shaped everything about how we built Tapcheck. We weren't solving a fintech problem. We were solving a real human problem we'd seen firsthand.

From Perk to Performance Infrastructure

Financial wellness programs are often treated like perks, something nice to put on a benefits page. But what if we saw them as performance infrastructure?

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This is where solutions like earned wage access (EWA) change the equation. When employees have flexibility between paychecks, they can handle life's curveballs without falling into emergency debt or raiding their 401(k). They have control, which reduces anxiety, which frees up cognitive space.

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Think of it as clearing mental bandwidth. More than just reducing stress, you're unlocking capacity for learning, creativity, and growth.

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What we've found with most employees is they actually love the payday feeling. That moment of "I made it to payday." People really feel proud of that. But when life pops up and something happens, a $50 or $60 shortfall creates enormous stress. Having access to earned wages isn't about encouraging poor budgeting. It's about removing the panic when unexpected expenses hit.

Changing the Order of Operations

When you evaluate workforce readiness, start with stability. Ask yourself: are my people safe enough, steady enough, supported enough to actually engage in learning? To adapt when AI changes their role for the third time this year? To stay resilient when the next wave of transformation hits?

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This isn’t about lowering standards or making excuses. It’s about being realistic about human cognition and what it takes for people to perform at their best. With smaller teams and bigger expectations, you need every employee operating at full capacity.

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The employees who will succeed in an AI-driven workplace aren’t just the ones with the best technical skills. They’re the ones who have enough stability to keep learning, keep adapting, keep moving forward. Financial wellness isn’t separate from workforce resilience—it’s the foundation of it.

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Upskilling isn’t a race to the top of the hierarchy. It starts at the base.

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Maslow before metrics—because performance starts with stability.

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Author photo

Kayling Gaver

Co-Founder and COO, Tapcheck

Kayling is the co-founder and COO of Tapcheck, where she brings 15+ years of experience in payroll and HR to her mission of empowering workers through earned wage access.

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See how Tapcheck stacks up

Select a competitor. Tap any row to see the details.

Category
Tapcheck
DailyPay

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tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
DailyPay DailyPay operates a payroll intercept model: before any paycheck reaches an employee, DailyPay takes control of the full payroll disbursement. They hold the employee's earned wages, distribute the advance amount they've already issued, and release the remainder to the employee.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck's real-time payroll integration allows us to calculate earned wages with precision, including tax withholdings and deductions, which is why we can confidently offer employees up to 70% of net pay.
DailyPay DailyPay can offer up to 70%, but because their system doesn't calculate withholdings with the same precision, they often configure employers at 50% to hedge against overpayment risk.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck has no limit on transfers per day or per pay period, so employees access their earned wages as many times as needed.
DailyPay DailyPay limits employees to 5 transfers per day. For employees with multiple smaller financial needs across a week, this daily cap can limit how they use the benefit.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck works with any bank account, debit card, or the Tapcheck Mastercard. No direct deposit requirement and no new account needed, including for unbanked workers.
DailyPay DailyPay requires employees to have direct deposit set up to enroll, per DailyPay's own FAQ. In hospitality and QSR, 15-25% of the workforce may not have direct deposit configured, creating a meaningful enrollment barrier for the employees EWA is designed to serve.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with 300+ payroll and timekeeping integrations, including particular depth in mid-market and healthcare systems (Viventium, Infor, Dayforce (Ceridian), iSolved, and Paycor) where DailyPay's coverage is thin or unconfirmed.
DailyPay DailyPay claims 180+ HCM, payroll, and time management integrations, but depth is thinner in the mid-market systems where Tapcheck is strongest.
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sources
  1. DailyPay — "How DailyPay Works" and FAQ (intercept model, direct deposit requirement). dailypay.com/faq‍
  2. DailyPay — Integration count (180+). dailypay.com/integrations
  3. DailyPay — Transfer limit (5 per day). DailyPay Manager's Guide
  4. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
Category
Tapcheck
PayActiv

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
PayActivPayActiv also uses a payroll-deduction model. However, rather than using actual payroll withholdings data, PayActiv estimates net pay as 80-90% of gross depending on the employer configuration. This estimation approach introduces overpayment risk.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck calculates access against net pay, the employee's actual take-home after taxes, up to 70% per pay period.
PayActivPayActiv estimates the accessible balance as 50% of estimated net pay, where net is approximated as 80-90% of gross rather than calculated from actual payroll data. Using their own example: an employee with $500 in gross earned wages would have an accessible balance of $225. Because the net figure is an estimate, the advance may not reflect actual take-home pay.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck offers unlimited transfers within the pay period.
PayActivPayActiv caps total EWA transfers at $500 per pay period. A single unexpected car repair can easily exceed that ceiling, leaving employees unable to access any remaining earned wages for the rest of the pay period.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with approximately 300 integrations, including particular depth in Infor, Viventium, iSolved, Dayforce/Ceridian, and vertical-specific healthcare, staffing, and senior living systems where PayActiv's coverage is limited.
PayActivPayActiv is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner and integrates with Paychex, Paycor, UKG, and SAP SuccessFactors. Strong across major enterprise payroll platforms. Mid-market and vertical-specific system depth is less documented.
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sources
  1. PayActiv — Estimated net pay methodology (80–90% of gross). payactiv.com/trust-center/compliance-handbook
  2. PayActiv — Access calculation (50% of estimated net). payactiv.com/get-started
  3. PayActiv — Transfer cap ($500 per pay period). payactiv.com/blog
  4. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
  5. PayActiv — Integrations (ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner). payactiv.com/partnerships
Category
Tapcheck
Rain

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
RainRain uses a payroll-deduction model and fronts funds from its balance sheet, repaid at the end of the pay period. Rain calculates access on gross pay, before taxes and withholdings, which creates overpayment exposure when hours or deductions change. Employers are responsible for reconciling differences manually.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck calculates access against net pay, the employee's actual take-home after taxes, up to 70% per pay period.
RainRain calculates access against gross earned wages, before taxes and withholdings are applied. This creates real overpayment risk: when hours change, deductions vary, or an employee is terminated mid-period, the amount advanced can exceed what's actually owed on a net basis.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with approximately 300 integrations, including Infor, Viventium, iSolved, Dayforce/Ceridian, and vertical-specific healthcare and staffing systems where Rain's depth is thinner in mid-market.
RainRain integrates with Workday (Built on Workday, July 2025), Paylocity, ADP, UKG, Paychex, Fourth, Deputy, and Harri. Strong major-enterprise coverage, but less comprehensive in mid-market and vertical-specific systems.
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sources
  1. Rain — 50% of gross pay calculation. rainapp.com/ewa-provider-guide
  2. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
  3. Rain — Payroll integrations. rainapp.com/integrations
Category
Tapcheck
ZayZoon

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is payroll native. Advances settle as a line-item payroll deduction with automatic reconciliation built into the payroll run. It's visible on the pay stub and in the employer's payroll register. The paycheck is never intercepted or routed through a third party.
ZayZoon ZayZoon uses a payroll-deduction model, fronts funds from its balance sheet, and calculates access against net earned wages. However, access is capped at $1,000 per pay period regardless of what an employee has earned.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck calculates access against net pay, the employee's actual take-home after taxes, up to 70% per pay period.
ZayZoon ZayZoon calculates access at 50% of net earned wages, but applies a hard cap of $1,000 per pay period. For most full-time employees, the dollar cap is hit before the 50% ceiling.

Zero IT required. We configure everything from your existing data feeds — you enable data sharing through your platform settings and that's it. Most partners launch this way, in days, with no engineering resources.

tapcheckTapcheck is an ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner with approximately 300 direct API integrations across major enterprise payroll and HCM systems including ADP, Workday, UKG, Infor, Viventium, iSolved, and Dayforce, plus vertical-specific systems in healthcare and staffing.
ZayZoon ZayZoon has 160+ integrations, primarily through SMB payroll bureaus, PEOs, and platforms like Swipeclock and Payentry. Effective for SMB distribution, but less relevant for enterprise buyers needing direct API connections with major HCM platforms.
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sources
  1. ZayZoon — 50% of net pay, $1,000/period cap, integration count. zayzoon.com/go/paytime_payroll
  2. Tapcheck — 300+ payroll integrations, ADP Marketplace Platinum Partner. tapcheck.com/marketplace
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