CU South chief executive Andrew Leys told the Otago Daily Times it was important for the credit union to connect with workers where they worked.
"The board has given us the green light and are getting right behind us. We are in the process of hiring a business development officer for Dunedin to engage with employers.
"The point of the programme is to help employees manage their finances more efficiently and not stress about their finances."
With the stress of financial management easing, employees would become more productive at work, Mr Leys said.
It was important to make it easy for people to pay day-to-day bills and stay out of debt.
Before becoming chief executive of CU South, Mr Leys was head of the Southland Credit Union, which used a money coaching service for members.
He regarded it the credit union's "best kept secret", as staff members helped turn around the finances of its members.
Recently, he returned to Invercargill to visit the branch and heard that one young man had only one more payment to make to clear the $50,000 debt he had when he was taken under the wing of a money coach.
The young man had decided to turn his loan payment into a savings plan, as he wanted to eventually own a home.
That sort of success story was common with the money coaches, Mr Leys said.
The merger meant it was possible to roll out the service throughout the South Island, where there were CU South branches.
"We think we have proof to go to employers and say we can make it better for their employees through a money coaching service. It is like a personal trainer at the gym, except we are personally training you about financial management."
Last year was pivotal for the credit union as it again focused on its core functions, Mr Leys said.
Being a member-owned organisation made it important the credit union did not lose sight of what made it important to members.
It was easy to lose sight of the goals when were chasing the competition.
"We realised our only purpose was helping individuals and families in our communities to become financially stronger - full stop."
An example of that was the growth in the CU South Christmas club accounts, which were 30% ahead in March compared with March last year.
That was not a world stopper but it did show members were saving for Christmas, rather than waiting until December, loading it on a credit card and trying to tidy it up later, he said.
Finance Minister Bill English had spoken a lot about people saving to pay down debt and the credit union was actively supporting that policy. Members were also saving for their future spending and the Christmas club was a small part of that, Mr Leys said.
Mr English told the Otago Daily Times he was in regular contact with credit unions and was familiar with their progress.
"They are an important supplement to the mainstream banking system and it's good to see them getting ahead.
"Any initiative that helps to encourage savings is to be welcomed and it's good to see the credit union describing a real change in New Zealanders' attitudes towards saving," he said.
Mr Leys said CU South was showing steady growth in the South Island, although the earthquake in Christchurch had closed the city's only branch.
Another branch was due to open in the Hornby Mall next month and the Palms branch was due to reopen later this year.
