Productivity Excellence
According to ActivTrak’s 2025 State of the Workplace Report, the financial services industry ranks1 third across all sectors in daily productive time at 6 hrs 32 mins, trailing only logistics and insurance. That is 15 mins above the cross-industry average — showing how employees in this sector are adapting successfully to evolving workplace demands.
This is especially notable given the industry’s consistently long workdays paired high productivity efficiency. Financial services has the second-longest average workday at 9 hrs 7 mins, 23 mins longer than the cross-industry average. Yet it maintains 95% productivity efficiency, ranking third across industries and holding steady year-over-year (+1%).
Professionals in this sector rank fifth in productive session time, averaging 25 mins 35 secs — slightly above average and a 16% increase, reflecting significant gains in workflow efficiency.
Focus vs. Collaboration
While financial services excels in productivity, focus remains an area for improvement. The industry logs 4 hrs 1 min of daily focused time, 10 mins below average and ranking 15th across sectors. Focused session time has also declined, with financial services ranking 19th at 12 mins 5 secs.
Meanwhile, collaboration is on the rise. Financial services professionals spend 49 mins per day on collaborative activities, 11 mins longer than the cross-industry average reflecting a 35% improvement. This may reflect a growing emphasis on team-based work and cross-functional coordination.
Employee Well-Being
The financial services industry continues to make meaningful progress in employee well-being, with 74% of workers maintaining healthy work patterns — 4% higher than the cross-industry average.
The industry has also reduced burnout risk, with only 7% of employees at risk — a 30% drop since 2023. While still 2% above the cross-industry average and the third-highest across sectors, the downward trend reflects important progress in balancing workload demands.
Underutilization and disengagement risk are also trending downward compared to 2023, potentially indicating more efficient workload distribution across teams.
Weekend Work Patterns
Nine percent of financial services employees work on weekends2 — the highest percentage across all industries, and nearly double the cross-industry average of 5%. Time spent varies by schedule:
- Saturday only: 4 hrs 16 mins
- Sunday only: 4 hrs 27 mins
- Saturday and Sunday: 4 hrs 32 mins
Those who work both days log slightly more time than single-day weekend workers (by 5–16 mins), highlighting the industry’s ongoing intensity and 24/7 demands — particularly in roles like investment banking.
The investment banking industry, long renowned for its potential to generate immense wealth and prestige, has come under scrutiny for its grueling work culture. (Source: Forbes)
Technology Adoption Trends
Currently, 62% of financial services employees use AI tools — a 114% increase. Daily usage averages 9 mins 36 secs — slightly below the cross-industry average. This moderate adoption presents an opportunity for broader integration as AI use continues to rise across sectors.
To succeed with AI tools at a large scale, financial services companies will need to maintain a dialogue with regulators and develop deeper expertise at the intersection of regulation, data security and privacy. That will entail more deliberate governance around regulatory compliance, task assignments and individual roles. (Source: Bain & Company)
Contextualizing Industry Performance
The broader cross-industry workplace trends from the report provide valuable context:
- The average workday is 36 mins (7%) shorter while being 2% more productive
- 70% of employees maintain healthy work patterns — the highest level in three years
- Remote-only workers show the highest daily productivity (+29 mins) vs. other worker types
- AI users show longer workdays (+8 mins), more collaboration time (+17 mins) but less focus time (-27 mins)
Financial services presents a unique contrast to these trends. While many industries embrace shorter workdays, this sector maintains longer hours with above-average productivity. Strong session efficiency and increased collaboration suggest workflows are adapting to meet new demands — but below-average focus time may challenge tasks that require sustained analysis and precision.
Looking Ahead
As the financial services industry navigates regulatory shifts, competitive disruption and rapid technological transformation, sustaining productivity while protecting employee well-being will remain critical. Organizations that preserve focused work time while embracing collaborative practices and responsibly scaling AI will be best positioned for innovation and growth.
Learn more about workplace productivity trends in ActivTrak’s 2025 State of the Workplace report.
Notes: 1Dataset: N=774 companies with 23+ industries represented. Unless noted, all findings represent year-over-year comparisons between 2022 and 2024. 2Dataset: N=613 companies, comprising 45,439 employees of which 2,159 employees (4.8%) are weekend workers.
