Employees are the most important resource to any organization. They contributes to the success and development of a company to a great extent. Employees are the lifeblood of every organisation. There is a major knock-on effect for companies and employee performance when employees struggle financially. The core purpose of this study is to explore the effects of financial stress on employee productivity in the construction industry. The study is mainly a literature review on employee financial stress and how it affect the construction industry. The study revealed factors that contributes to financial stress as overspending, lack of budgeting, high debts level, low salary or wages, lack of knowledge about money and poor financial behavior. The study also revealed the relationship between financial stress and psychological symptoms, behavioural symptoms, physiological symptoms and productivity. The study further revealed employers efforts and programmes that can improve the employee financial life. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the subject of the effects of employee financial stress on job performance and productivity in the construction industry.