éist Staff Culture Survey

The 2023 survey focused on exploring bank staff’s views on a range of issues which lie at the heart of banking culture. We appreciate that some aspects of culture will be unique to different member banks however there are also industrywide cultural themes that are pivotal to a healthy culture. The analysis and reporting allows us to measure and track cultural progress across the sector over recent years. We have conducted three focused bank staff culture surveys to date and have been working with Ipsos Karian and Box since 2021 using their globally-recognised methodology.

This year’s results reflect the views of more than 10,000 bank staff across all levels and roles, and point to continued positive cultural progress across a number of key cultural indicators, in particular in relation to delivering for the customer in the right way. 86% of bank staff consider their bank does business ethically, which is further underpinned by 76% of staff reporting that there is no conflict between their organisation’s stated values and how business is conducted – often referred to as the ‘say/do gap’. Confidence in the sector is a vital element to rebuilding trust, and being able to rely on an organisation acting as it says it does is a cornerstone of that trust.

These results also highlight some areas for improvement and where continued focus is required. While levels of psychological safety are strong, there has been a slight fall back (-3 points) in relation to formal speaking up and whistleblowing since 2021, which highlights how difficult an area this is to get right, and why it is important for the sector to continue to build on the progress made over recent years.

Accountability is another area for the sector to focus on, such as providing greater clarity for role-holders and empowering staff to make decisions quickly, which will ultimately benefit the customer. Watch the short animation of the key findings here.