Why Business Leaders Are Saying ‘Don’t Wait’ with EWA

Why business leaders are saying 'don't wait' with EWA

Earned wage access has become a must-have benefit for hourly-wage Americans, and increasingly, it's small and medium-sized businesses leading the way in offering it. 83% of workers want on-demand access to pay, and 81% are willing to leave a job to find a benefits package that includes it.

And it's not for trivial reasons – roughly two-thirds of Americans were living paycheck-to-paycheck in early 2026, according to PYMNTS Intelligence. Missed payments, late fees, and credit card debt loom over household budgets. Financial stress is a serious concern amongst American workers, and for small and medium business owners, that stress shows up directly in absenteeism, turnover, and lost productivity.

Earned wage access isn't a panacea. It can't solve financial problems overnight, nor will it suddenly triple your team's productivity. But for small and medium businesses competing against national chains for hourly talent, it's a low-effort, high-impact way to instill trust in your employees that they can take control of payday as they need it, without adding a line item to a tight budget.

Plus, even modest retention gains from an EWA offering can turn into thousands of dollars saved for the business. For a small business running on lean staff and lean margins, that kind of retention math changes the calculus fast. Explore below how these business leaders, from single-location shops to multi-unit franchise groups, have used EWA to improve their employee experience and found bottom-line gains at the other end.

Jiffy Lube franchise sees results with EWA

While it might not immediately spring to mind, auto technicians are one of the highest-churning employee segments in the country. Almost half of service techs will change jobs or leave the industry in a given year.

A Jiffy Lube franchise saw an opportunity to step in. Independent auto shops and small franchise groups like this one often can't out-spend national chains on wages, but they can out-compete them on flexibility. By offering EWA, they brought a benefit that was no-cost to the business while providing some economic stability for their staff. That helped metrics downstream, like retention, productivity, and engagement.

Taco Bell helps local employees with payday control

Fast-food is where millions of Americans get their start. 3.8 million Americans worked as fast food and counter workers as of May 2024, and many – if not most – will leave in short order.

Taco Bell franchises aren't immune to the industry trends. But Cathy Remedies, the Director of Operations for an 11-location franchisor, saw EWA as a way to differentiate their hiring package and entice their team to stick around, even just for a bit. Small and medium-sized franchise groups like this one often face the same staffing headwinds as national brands, without the same budget to solve them.

Skilled nursing leader sees EWA need across incomes

Senior living and home health care are among the highest-turnover sectors of the healthcare industry. Workers are often just starting in the industry, building hours for a credential, or working a second job.

Vered Healthcare is a senior living facility in Florida and in a constant battle with staffing agencies to entice and hire employees. This kind of story is common among small and medium senior care providers who compete for talent against much larger networks and staffing agencies. To keep up with agencies that offer daily payroll or to differentiate from those that don't, the team at Vered sought to add EWA to their mix.

Planet Fitness leaders found 'easy EWA' with Tapcheck

Gyms are a particularly challenging place to staff. Many are open 24 hours a day, and each requires dozens of people with varied skill sets to keep it moving. Trainers, front desk staff, cleaners, maintenance – it takes a mini army.

And similar to other industries, many of these staff live paycheck-to-paycheck. On-demand access to pay gave the Gym Management Services team, a Planet Fitness franchise, a secret weapon in the employee engagement and retention game. For small and medium business owners running a single location or a handful of franchises, staffing gaps hit differently than at a national chain — there's no bench of reserve staff to lean on. But the best part? Adding this high-impact benefit was no cost and no sweat.

Business leaders throughout the country and across industries, from small business owners to multi-location franchise groups, are finding that EWA is an easy, impactful way to foster financial stability and flexibility in their staff.

By providing on-demand access to pay, they're empowering their teams to get gas, pay bills, buy groceries – taking control of payday.