Thank you for taking part.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our Atla Group Culture & Engagement Survey 2026.
We received responses from 92 colleagues from a workforce of 115, representing an overall participation rate of 80%. Of these, 87 colleagues also provided substantive narrative feedback through the survey’s main free-text questions.
This is a very strong level of participation for an employee survey and gives us a substantial evidence base for understanding colleagues’ experiences across Atla Group. More importantly, the response rate and detailed feedback demonstrate a genuine willingness to engage with the process and share views.
Thank you to everyone who contributed, particularly those who took the time to provide detailed and constructive comments. All responses received have been included in the analysis.
The findings have now been reviewed by the Executive Committee and will help inform priorities and areas for further consideration across the Group.
What you told us.
The overall picture is positive, with some clear areas for improvement.
The survey confirmed that colleagues value many aspects of working at Atla Group, particularly:
- our people, supportive teams and positive culture;
- confidence in the leadership and future of the Atla Group;
- flexibility and understanding around personal and family circumstances;
- interesting, varied and challenging work;
- wellbeing support;
- training and professional development;
- opportunities to connect with colleagues; and
- Narrative feedback also highlighted the value colleagues place on autonomy, trust and the freedom to manage their work effectively.
It was particularly encouraging to see strong results across several important areas. For the purposes of this report, “positive feedback” means respondents selecting either “Excellent” or “Good”. These results included:
- 75% confidence in leadership;
- 75% positive feedback on opportunities to connect with colleagues;
- 75% positive feedback on mental wellbeing support;
- 74% positive feedback on our culture and inclusivity;
- 73% positive feedback on interesting work;
- 71% positive feedback on job security;
- 70% confidence in the future of the Atla Group; and
- 70% positive feedback on training.
These are important strengths, and we want to continue protecting and building on the things that colleagues clearly value.
It was also encouraging to see that colleagues identified delivering excellent client service as one of the Group’s highest priorities for the year ahead. This aligns closely with the work currently underway to define what excellent client service looks like across Atla and reinforces the importance of delivering positive outcomes for our clients.
The survey also highlighted several areas where colleagues would like further progress and improvement. The main themes included:
- technology and systems;
- reward, benefits and recognition;
- clearer communication of decisions, strategy and priorities;
- cross-department collaboration;
- consistency across the Group;
- career progression and development pathways; and
- greater visibility of the Group’s overall direction and goals.
These areas are now being considered in more detail.
Not every suggestion will result in an immediate change, and some will require further investigation, investment or discussion. However, all feedback has been captured and will form part of the next stage of the process.
The Priorities and What We Are Doing.
Technology and Systems
Technology and systems was one of the clearest areas identified in the survey and one of the highest priorities for colleagues.
We recognise the impact that technology can have on efficiency, workload and, ultimately, colleagues’ day-to-day experience of working at Atla.
Technology is therefore a major priority for Atla Group. Work is already progressing around our technology infrastructure, including the move to Intune by the end of the year, alongside wider improvements and investment.
We recognise that we are undertaking significant transformational changes across our technology infrastructure. We appreciate that these changes have caused challenges and problems along the way, and we would like to thank colleagues for their patience and understanding as we work through them.
The aim is to move towards a more modern, reliable and effective next-generation technology environment that better supports colleagues and the way we work.
We will continue to communicate progress and provide realistic updates as this work develops.
Reward, Benefits and Recognition
The survey provided useful feedback on salary, benefits and reward.
Salary is reviewed annually and we will continue to ensure that the process includes appropriate market benchmarking.
One important theme from the survey was the desire for greater understanding of how salary and reward decisions are reached. We will therefore look at how we can provide clearer context around the annual review process and the factors considered.
The feedback on pensions, bonuses, annual leave and wider benefits will also form part of the ongoing consideration of our reward and benefits proposition.
We have been actively reviewing our benefits proposition this year and will be communicating updates on this shortly.
Recognition was another important theme.
We have already started introducing gifts to recognise colleagues celebrating professional exam successes and other important milestones.
We also have a “Thanks” function available through People HR, which gives colleagues the opportunity to recognise and thank one another. We would like to encourage greater use of this across the Group and make sure colleagues are aware that it is available.
We already celebrate achievements and milestones at our Town Halls and will continue to build on this, providing regular opportunities to recognise colleagues’ achievements, contributions and important milestones across the Group.
The survey also highlighted the importance of ensuring colleagues feel valued and recognised for the contribution they make to the success of Atla Group. Building on the initiatives already in place, we are exploring additional ways to strengthen recognition across the Group and we will share more information as plans progress.
Communication, Strategy and Priorities
A clear message from the survey was that colleagues would like greater context around decisions and a better understanding of why decisions are made, what they mean and what happens next. The feedback also highlighted the importance of ensuring colleagues can share views, ask questions and understand how feedback is considered across the Group.
We have recently developed a new Internal Communications Process, which has been shared with the MDs and the Leadership Team.
The aim is to improve the planning and coordination of internal communications across the Group and ensure that important information, strategic priorities and key business decisions are communicated clearly and appropriately.
This is not an additional approval process for business decisions. Decisions will continue to be made by the appropriate people and teams. The process is designed to help ensure that, where appropriate, communications provide greater clarity around:
- what is happening;
- why a decision or change is being made;
- how it supports our wider strategy and priorities;
- who it affects;
- the practical impact; and
- what happens next.
We hope this will help provide greater context around decision-making, improve understanding of our strategic priorities and strengthen communication across the Group.
Alongside these improvements, we will continue to promote a culture where colleagues feel comfortable speaking up, sharing ideas and raising concerns. Existing channels, including Town Hall Q&A sessions, Incogneato and discussions with managers and leaders, remain available and we will continue to review how these channels support meaningful dialogue and feedback across the Group.
Cross-Department Collaboration
The feedback around cross-department collaboration was particularly valuable and, in many ways, reassuring.
While colleagues told us there is more work to do to improve knowledge sharing and understanding between departments, the feedback also demonstrates a clear desire to work more closely together.
Colleagues want to better understand what other teams do, share knowledge and expertise and work more effectively across the Group. This reflects the One Group approach we are working towards and is a positive indication that colleagues want to build stronger connections and collaborate more effectively.
We are therefore looking at ways to strengthen cross-department training, learning and information sharing.
This will help colleagues gain a better understanding of the expertise and services across Atla Group and support stronger collaboration between teams.
This is a priority for the Group, and we will provide further updates as this work progresses.
Consistency Across the Group
Flexibility is one of the things colleagues value most and we want to continue protecting it.
At the same time, the survey highlighted some concerns around consistency of experience across different teams, including the application of policies and management practices.
We are continuing to introduce and strengthen Group-wide policies and processes where appropriate. However, consistency is not achieved through policies alone. We also recognise the importance of supporting managers and leaders through training, guidance and shared expectations to help ensure colleagues receive a consistent experience across the Group.
We are continuing to introduce and strengthen Group-wide policies and processes where appropriate. The aim is to provide a clearer and more consistent approach to managing and supporting our teams, while retaining the flexibility and personal approach that colleagues value.
Career Progression and Development Pathways
The survey confirmed that colleagues value the support available for training and professional development, while some would like greater clarity around career progression and potential pathways within the Group. Several colleagues highlighted a desire for clearer career pathways, greater visibility of progression opportunities and a better understanding of how development can translate into future career growth.
Career progression and pathways are high on the agenda. Formal arrangements currently vary across departments and we are working towards a Group-wide structure to provide greater consistency and clarity around potential development and career opportunities.
We will provide further information as this develops.
We will also continue to consider the feedback around mentoring, practical training, cross-department learning and management development.
Group Direction
While confidence in leadership and the future of Atla Group was positive, some colleagues said they would like greater visibility of the Group’s overall direction and priorities.
Looking ahead, we will continue to build on our vision and translate it into clear priorities and goals. As we move into 2027, we will take stock of where we are, consider what achieving our vision looks like in practice and identify the key steps and milestones that will help us get there.
This will provide greater clarity around what we are collectively working towards and give us a shared basis for reviewing and refreshing our priorities as we move forward.
What Happens Next?
The next stage is to develop the findings into a clear and proportionate action plan, agreeing the priorities that should be taken forward and determining the most appropriate actions, owners and support required to deliver meaningful improvements across the Group.
This will include:
- identifying priority actions;
- determining where further investigation is needed;
- considering cost, resource and practical implications;
- identifying the appropriate owners; and
- communicating progress and next steps.
Some feedback relates to Group-wide priorities, while other points may be specific to a service line, location or area of the business. Not every suggestion will result in a change, but all feedback has been retained and considered.
We are committed to providing further updates as priorities are agreed and work progresses.
Thank You.
The survey has confirmed that there is a great deal that colleagues value about working at Atla Group. It has also given us valuable insight into where we can improve.
Our focus now is to protect the strengths that make Atla Group a positive place to work – particularly our people, culture, flexibility, support and confidence in leadership – while continuing to improve the systems, communication, consistency and ways of working that support our colleagues and help us deliver excellent service to our clients.
Thank you again to everyone who took part.
Your feedback has been heard, and it will help shape Atla Group’s priorities going forward. We will continue to keep you updated as this work progresses.
With best wishes,
