Build a Financial Services Firm Where Talent Wants to Stay
In financial services, your people are your competitive advantage. When they're disengaged, looking elsewhere, or burning out, your performance suffers - and so does your bottom line.
At elevatehx, we help financial services firms design employee experiences that reduce turnover, improve engagement, and strengthen culture. No generic perks. Just strategic touchpoints backed by data and co-created with your people.
Employee experience is no longer a 'nice to have' - it's a strategic imperative. Firms that get it right see 30% higher retention and 25% better client satisfaction.
Deloitte's 2024 Banking & Capital Markets Outlook
Why Financial Services Can't Afford to Ignore Employee Experience
Financial services is haemorrhaging talent. PwC's Financial Services CEO Survey 2024 found that 81% of FS leaders cite talent retention as their top workforce concern - yet most firms still rely on outdated approaches to engagement.
The cost? Mercer's 2024 Talent Trends Report shows financial services has a 19% annual turnover rate, with each departure costing firms between £40,000–£75,000when you account for recruitment, onboarding, lost productivity, and client disruption.
The friction points we see repeatedly:
Regulatory pressure and compliance overload: Employees feel like cogs in a machine, not valued contributors
Unclear career paths: Talented analysts and advisors leave because progression feels opaque or blocked
Toxic presenteeism culture: Long hours and "always-on" expectations lead to burnout
Disconnected leadership: Senior teams are removed from the day-to-day realities of frontline and mid-level staff
Perks that miss the mark: Gym memberships and pizza Fridays don't address what your people actually need
You can't guess your way to a better culture. You need insight, data, and a clear roadmap
How elevatehx Helps Financial Services Firms
We don't bring a one-size-fits-all playbook. We listen to your people, map their journey from hire to exit, and co-create solutions that fit your firm's culture, regulatory environment, and commercial goals.
Our 5-Day Sprint Includes:
Step 1: Discovery & Listening
Confidential employee interviews across all levels (frontline, middle office, senior leadership)
Leadership alignment sessions to understand strategic priorities
Optional pulse survey and culture audit
Step 2: Journey Mapping & Analysis
Map every employee touchpoint from recruitment to exit
Identify friction points and "moments that matter"
Benchmark your data against financial services sector norms
Step 3: Co-Creation Workshop
Bring employees and leaders together to design solutions
Prioritise quick wins (high impact, low cost) and strategic initiatives
Build cross-level buy-in for sustainable change
Step 4: Roadmap & Recommendations
Prioritised action plan with ROI analysis
Visual employee journey map
Diagnostic report with cost/impact recommendations
Leadership summary presentation
Investment: from £5,000
Duration: 5 days delivery
Why This Matters: The Business Case
Improving employee experience isn't soft and fluffy - it's hard commercial sense.
The evidence is overwhelming:
Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2024: Engaged employees in financial services are 17% more productive and generate 21% higher profitability
McKinsey's 2024 Global Banking Annual Review: "Banks and financial institutions with strong employee experience see 40% lower attrition and 35% higher employee advocacy"
CIPD's 2024 Employee Outlook Report: 72% of financial services workers say they would leave for a role that better supports work-life balance and career development
EY's 2024 Work Reimagined Survey: Replacing a mid-level financial analyst costs 1.5–2.5x their annual salary
Common Moments That Matter in Financial Services
Every firm is different, but we consistently see these touchpoints make or break the employee experience:
Onboarding: Do new hires feel set up for success, or thrown in the deep end?
First client project: Is there support and mentorship, or sink-or-swim pressure?
Promotion decisions: Are criteria clear and fair, or does it feel like a black box?
Workload management: Can employees flag burnout, or is overwork worn as a badge of honour?
Exit conversations: Are you learning why people leave, or just ticking a box?
We help you identify your moments that matter - and design them intentionally.
What Makes elevatehx Different
We're not a massive consultancy with a cookie-cutter approach. We're Lee and Lawrence - two experienced consultants who understand the pressure, complexity, and pace of financial services.
Our approach:
Fast and focused: 5 days from discovery to roadmap
Employee-led: We listen to your people, not just your leadership team
Commercial mindset: Every recommendation links to measurable business impact
You own the journey: We equip you to implement and sustain change - no endless retainers
Who We Work With
We partner with financial services firms across the UK, including:
Wealth management and private banking
Investment firms and asset managers
Financial advisory and planning practices
Insurance and risk management firms
Fintech and challenger banks
Typical client size: 50–500 employees, though we work with firms of all sizes.
Bigger than 500 employees? We would still love to work with you - contact us for custom proposal and pricing.
Ready to Transform Your Employee Experience?
The war for talent in financial services isn't slowing down. The firms that win are the ones that make work a place people want to be - not just a place they have to be.
FAQs
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Confidential interviews, anonymous surveys, and psychological safety in workshops. We're independent—employees trust us because we're not "management" or HR.
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That's common, especially in financial services. We help both sides understand each other's needs and find compromise. Sustainable change requires buy-in from everyone.
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No. We prioritise quick wins (high impact, low cost) and strategic initiatives (longer-term investments). You control the pace and implementation.
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You own the roadmap and can implement it internally. We're available for ad-hoc support if needed, but there's no ongoing retainer or dependency.
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We sign NDAs and operate with full confidentiality. Our focus is on employee experience, not proprietary business strategy or client data.