Between inflation and economic instability, Americans have depleted most of what they had in their savings accounts. More than half of all Americans now live paycheck to paycheck and most adults — 57% — cannot afford a $1,000 emergency expense, a Bankrate survey from earlier this year found. Meanwhile, experts say having a cash reserve is key and can prevent workers from turning to high-interest credit cards or taking hardship withdrawals from their retirement accounts. To address the savings crisis, a growing number of employers are stepping in. Already, Delta Air Lines, Starbucks, Best Buy and Levi’s, among others, have introduced some type of emergency-savings benefit, many as a result of the new retirement legislation in Secure 2.0 — a law enacted in December that focuses on improving retirement security by making it easier for workers to build and access emergency cash. “The legislation has definitely started more conversations,” said Katie Taylor, vice president of planning and engagement at Fidelity Investments. “The ability for an employer to help their employees to feel they have solutions in place to manage their overall finances is really important,” Taylor said. Under Delta’s emergency savings program, which is available to all employees below the director level, workers receive $750 directly deposited into a Fidelity account after completing one financial coaching session. The airline will then match up to $250 of an employee’s contributions made with payroll deductions to that account for a total of $1,000. “Financial literacy is the civil rights issue of this generation,” said John Hope Bryant, chairman and CEO of Operation Hope, a nonprofit that worked in partnership with Delta and Fidelity Investments. “It’s as important as the right to vote,” he said. “It’s the lifeblood to being able to operate a dignified life.”<br/>