The digital age has transformed financial services. From mobile banking and digital wallets to robo-advisors, neobanks, and beyond, change is accelerating. Yet in an era of increasing automation and remote interactions, an unexpected multiplier is emerging: human connection.

In customer experience, human relationships remain irreplaceable for coaching and emotional support. In technology, human guidance directs innovation and ensures organisations get the most out of the tools they use. But foundationally, it’s the strength of interpersonal bonds within and across teams that is the critical differentiator.

Connection is table stakes for a healthy, engaged workforce where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to perform their best. Connected teams drive resilience, fuel innovation, and empower firms to lead.

Workplace connections are eroding

In offices across the world, a silent epidemic is spreading. Behind the screens and beneath the surface of daily transactions, people are experiencing profound disconnection from their colleagues, their work, and their sense of purpose.

Globally, one in five employees experience workplace loneliness, affecting professionals at every level. The costs are more severe than we’ve been willing to acknowledge. When workplace connections fray, we see more than just decreased engagement – we see rising anxiety, burnout, and depression. Teams fragment. Innovation stalls. Knowledge that took years to build walks out the door.

A systemic challenge

In financial services, consumer trust begins to erode, as disconnected employees struggle to maintain the relationships that used to be the heart of the industry. This isn’t just affecting a few individuals – it’s a systemic challenge touching everyone from junior analysts to senior executives.

While technology keeps us superficially linked, true connection – the kind that builds resilience and carries organisations through challenging times – is becoming increasingly rare. The question isn’t whether your organisation is experiencing this disconnection, but rather how deeply it runs and what price you’re already paying for it.

The risk is accelerating

The erosion of workplace connection isn’t a gradual trend – it’s accelerating. Financial organisations that don’t prioritise rebuilding connection now face compounding risks: top talent increasingly cites ‘lack of belonging’ as their primary reason for departure, client relationships suffer as turnover and fragmentation affect service consistency, innovation slows as cross-functional collaboration breaks down, and competitive advantage wanes as more agile, connected organisations capture market share.

Development and disruption

The financial services industry is built on a foundation of trust, expertise and, increasingly, complex data-driven insights. Delivering on its mission – from safeguarding assets to powering economies and helping individuals achieve their financial goals – requires more than technical skill. It demands a connected, collaborative workforce that can adapt to complex challenges.

Today, the sector faces deeply entrenched issues that make cultivating a connected culture more critical than ever:

• Workforce volatility: recent talent shifts have created organisational whiplash, with high turnover and changing hiring patterns
• Skills-based imperative: many leaders are prioritising the creation of skills-based organisations, where abilities and drive are valued over traditional qualifications
• Management bottleneck: over a third of leaders see management readiness as a key obstacle to successful skills-based transformations – with weaknesses in upskilling, coaching, and facilitating internal mobility
• Tech-driven talent shift: digital technologies are changing talent profiles. Financial organisations increasingly need cross-functional professionals who combine financial knowledge with technical expertise in areas like data analytics and AI
• Culture clash: tensions arise from the push-pull between traditional office norms and the demand for flexible work. While many in the financial services workforce have access to hybrid or remote schedules, a significant proportion say they wouldn’t accept a job without this flexibility
• Regulatory conflict: global financial organisations face conflicting regulatory requirements, particularly around equity and ESG

These converging pressures aren’t just reshaping the industry – they’re actively dissolving the connective tissue that once held organisations together. With each restructuring, digital transformation, and shift in work models, connection points are being severed faster than they’re being rebuilt.

The result: institutional knowledge walks out the door, silos deepen, and innovation stagnates precisely when adaptability is most critical. Amidst these challenges, human connection can become the pivot point. While technological innovation and financial acumen remain vital, it’s the strength of human bonds that will determine which organisations can navigate uncertainty and thrive in an increasingly complex future.

When people connect, business thrives

True organisational strength is built on relationships. Resilience, innovation, and even client satisfaction depend on how well people feel seen, heard, valued, and supported – not only by leaders, but by the colleagues working alongside them each day.

Yet for many professionals in the sector, connection remains elusive. One third (33%) of financial services professionals report feeling like outsiders at work, and nearly a fifth (18%) do not consider their workplace a community. Still, the longing for something more is clear: nearly 80% report a strong desire to belong.

This isn’t just about warmth or camaraderie. The power of authentic workplace connection reverberates through every area of business performance:

• Greater execution: employees who feel a sense of connection and belonging at work are nearly twice as likely to go ‘above and beyond’ for their organisation
• Reduced burnout: employees with strong social support at work are far less likely to experience burnout
• Higher engagement: strong workplace connections are linked to greater engagement and job success, as well as improved outcomes in profitability, safety, and retention
• Increased profitability: firms with high employee engagement see significantly higher profitability
• Better client outcomes: employee connection is a key driver of customer satisfaction

But connection doesn’t happen by chance – especially during times of change or in high-pressure industries. It requires intention, strategy, and the right conditions for new habits to take hold.

To put it simply, organisations that prioritise connection are organisations that thrive. Connection isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s the edge that sets industry leaders apart.