In professional services, your people are your biggest asset — and your biggest competitive advantage. You don’t sell widgets, you sell expertise, relationships, and results. When a great solicitor, consultant, or insurance specialist walks out the door, you lose more than headcount. You lose hard-earned client trust, specialist knowledge, and momentum.
That’s why the firms at the top of their game don’t just focus on attracting talent, they focus on keeping it. And one of the most effective ways they do that? They make sure their people feel heard.
We’re not talking about a suggestion box tucked in the kitchen. We mean a genuine culture of employee voice: open, two-way communication backed by the tools and habits that make listening part of everyday business.
Employee voice: More than a buzzword
Employee voice is the bridge between leadership intentions and employee reality. It’s how firms uncover the small frustrations before they become big problems, the ideas that could streamline a process, or the feedback that shapes a better client experience.
When employees feel they can speak up, and that speaking up actually leads to change, engagement rises, turnover drops, and performance soars. In a people-powered sector like professional services, that’s not just good HR practice, it’s a strategic advantage.
How top firms are getting it right
We’ve seen the best results from firms who go beyond an annual engagement survey and bake listening into their culture. Here’s how they do it, and what it looks like in practice:
1. Listening in real time
Annual surveys are a good start, but the most successful firms listen continuously, so they can act while it still matters.
Take TH March Group, a leading insurance broker with six UK branches. They’ve used Hive since 2016 to run targeted surveys during moments of change. For example, when designing their hybrid working policy, they asked employees for input on practicalities and preferences. That feedback shaped a policy employees actually wanted to adopt, reducing friction and improving satisfaction.
They also introduced Open Dawe (their twist on Hive’s “Open Door”) so employees can send confidential feedback directly to the Managing Director, Simon Dawe. See what they did there?
This always-on listening means concerns or ideas don’t have to wait for the next survey cycle, and encourages a culture of listening. The fact that employees can also see that leadership is heavily involved in the process and willing to make changes, can provide a psychologically safe environment for more people in the organisation to speak up, give their thoughts, feelings and opinions, that all work towards creating a better place to work.
“Our Open Dawe initiative where staff can confidentially contact our Managing Director directly, has proved extremely useful and we are seeing increasing engagement with staff making suggestions or asking questions which they may not have had the opportunity to do otherwise.” – Jo Morgan, Regional Director at TH March
The result? A more agile organisation that can adapt policies and processes quickly, keeping employees engaged, less likely to leave, which can have a positive impact on productivity and customer satisfaction — and with a +83pt eNPS, it’s clear that connection is paying off.
“Giving colleagues a voice is key in maintaining engagement and is something we are very proud of at TH March Group. Our low staff turnover as well as length of service is evidence of that. Staff tend to remain with the Company for many years and our clients often comment that the continuity of service that established staff provide gives TH March Group the edge.” – Jo Morgan, Regional Director at TH March
2. Proactive listening drives performance and retention at RWK Goodman
RWK Goodman shows that consistent listening is embedded in their culture, not just a one-off exercise. With a 75% survey response rate and a +33pt eNPS, it’s clear that employees at RWK Goodman feel confident sharing their opinions. This level of engagement reflects a psychologically safe environment, where people know their voice is valued, strengthening commitment, reducing turnover, and supporting consistent high performance across the firm.
Using Hive’s reporting features to gather insights from their survey data like heatmaps and free-text analysis, RWK Goodman can pinpoint areas for improvement while also highlighting organisational strengths.
This combination of qualitative and quantitative insight allows their managers to take targeted action, whether that’s clarifying priorities, adjusting workloads, or enhancing team communication. Hive’s Professional Services experts further support this process by streamlining survey analysis, ensuring insights are reliable, and helping managers implement local action plans quickly.
By acting on these insights, RWK Goodman keeps small issues from escalating into larger problems. Employees feel heard and valued, which strengthens engagement, reduces turnover, and preserves critical organisational knowledge. The result is a workforce that’s not only committed but also able to deliver consistently high performance, creating a clear link between listening, retention, and organisational success.
3. Making feedback part of daily life at Afiniti
Firms that weave feedback into daily routines—not just annual surveys—create a culture where speaking up feels natural.
Afiniti, a consultancy specialising in business transformation, uses Viewpoints, their customised version of Hive Open Door, the always-on listening tool, to bring together surveys, recognition, and feedback opportunities in one place. Branded to match their culture, it feels like a natural extension of the business rather than an external tool, encouraging regular use.
Feedback is gathered not just for engagement scores but to understand team experience during ongoing projects. This allows leadership to act quickly on concerns, offer support where needed, and keep delivery standards high. In one instance, survey data highlighting uncertainty around career progression led to clearer promotion criteria and targeted development opportunities—addressing a potential retention risk before it became a problem.
Senior leaders play an active role in reviewing submissions, reinforcing the message that feedback is valued and acted upon. This approach has helped Afiniti maintain an eNPS of +74pt during periods of high client demand, showing that even under pressure, employees remain engaged and committed to delivering strong results.
And their response rates are consistently at 90%, proof that this isn’t a one-off burst of psychological safety or a reaction to sudden change. At Afiniti, it’s embedded into the way they work. When employees feel safe to speak up, and know their voice leads to action, they’re more engaged, more innovative, and more committed to delivering at their best. In Afiniti’s case, that psychological safety translates into sustained high performance, strong client outcomes, and retention rates that outperform the industry.
“The response to the platform has been overwhelmingly positive. Colleagues appreciated the opportunity to provide feedback and feel heard, whether it’s a small pat on the back, or addressing an important issue. Transparency is key – we openly address everything in front of the company at our bi-weekly all hands calls.
Our response rates are consistently hitting 90%, showing that our team clearly sees value in the surveys. I know people really like Hive.” – Sarah Corsar – Talent Lead, Afiniti
Employee voice as a strategic advantage for professional services
For top-performing professional services firms, employee voice isn’t a side project, it’s a strategic lever for growth, retention, and performance. TH March, RWK Goodman, and Afiniti aren’t just running surveys for the sake of it; they’re embedding listening into everyday operations, acting on what they hear, and measuring the impact.
Across all three, the pattern is clear: consistently capturing employee feedback, acting on it promptly, and creating psychologically safe environments strengthens engagement, reduces turnover, and sustains high performance. Whether it’s shaping hybrid work policies, identifying local improvements, or clarifying career progression, these firms turn insights into action that benefits both people and business outcomes.
The data speaks for itself: eNPS scores well above industry norms, strong survey response rates, and retention that outperforms the competition. But behind the numbers is something even more valuable: a workforce that feels heard, respected, and empowered to contribute to the firm’s success.
In an industry where client trust and delivery quality depend on retaining skilled people, listening well and acting fast can be the difference between meeting targets and exceeding them. The message is clear: listen like it matters, act like it counts, and watch your people, and your business, thrive.
