Then there's employees' lack of knowledge about what they'll need to have that comfortable retirement. When asked about the last time they tried to determine how much they would need for retirement, 45 percent reported estimating their needs within the last 12 months, but 37 percent of those over 50 said they had never tried. One good thing, though: nearly 41 percent of 18-25-year-olds have begun to think about retirement planning.

There was slight progress since the original assessment on indebtedness levels; almost 77 percent overall, up 4 percent since the last study, said their current debt was manageable. However, of the employees who consistently use credit cards, 62 percent — down 4 percent since February — said they pay the balance in full each month.

Employers concerned about financial stress in the workplace — whether over retirement preparedness or immediate financial needs — should keep in mind the results of a Willis Towers Watson study earlier this year, which found that last year workers reporting that money worries kept them from doing their jobs lost nearly two weeks of productivity because of presenteeism, wherein they reported for work but couldn't focus or perform because of stress.

Other studies on financial stress have revealed similar deleterious effects. A Financial Finesse study found that 60 percent of employees are losing sleep over their financial situations, resulting in a loss of 11.3 days of productivity per year. And a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey found financial stress at its highest level in 5 years.

In addition, the Willis Towers Watson study found that as many as 59 percent of employees feel disengaged at work due to financial stress, and 76 percent of employees believe that they're facing a less comfortable retirement than their parents' generation.