"Building trust in teams is essential, so that if someone “crosses the line” people have the confidence to call it out. "
The survey, undertaken by the CISI in collaboration with Focal Point Training, received almost 750 responses. 43% of respondents were women and 55% were men.
97% said they were made uncomfortable by banter at some time and 69% said they contributed less in meetings because of banter.
60% said banter resulted in them putting forward fewer ideas, suggesting banter is stifling creativity for financial services professionals.
40% said banter aimed at them affects how they felt about themselves 'often or all of the time' and a third had looked for a new job as a result.
Over 132 people who had been made to feel uncomfortable by banter felt that it had resulted in impacting their ability to speak to their line managers about their mental health.
The findings indicate the difficulty some respondents have felt in having the confidence to 'call banter out'. Less than a third said they would feel comfortable in asking people to stop, with only one in 10 able to do so 'all of the time'.
Of those that find banter uncomfortable, more than one in 10 (11%) feel that way “at least once a day or all of the time”. A quarter who feel uncomfortable about banter feel that way “at least once a week.”
Respondents described examples of banter as 'being rude but saying it as if it is friendly' while others said it can be harmless fun but is often used as an excuse to cover up bullying and single people out.
Additionally, the survey shows that unfortunately HR departments or cultures within financials services businesses are not giving people the confidence to speak up.
Some of the feedback included "HR often make it worse", "I’m not sure what HR actually do; I feel I am at risk of losing my job if I make a fuss", and "A senior manager did not know where to draw the line, but you couldn’t do anything because he was friends with the HR director”.
Stella Chandler, director of Focal Point Training, said: “Banter can bring barriers down in teams but as soon as it crosses the line, barriers go up. This can have a damaging and long-lasting effect on teams and individuals."
Samar Yanni, assistant director and head of membership at the CISI, said: “There is a very fine line to be drawn with banter, as it can play a positive role in creating a sense of camaraderie in teams. However, jokes at someone else’s expense can become uncomfortable and escalate. Managers therefore need to be vigilant and teams, from the top down, must be seen to have zero tolerance of inappropriate banter. Discussions on banter can be undertaken in team meetings, in relation to the link to wellbeing and positive mental health. Building trust in teams is essential, so that if someone “crosses the line” people have the confidence to call it out. It is essential that people can trust that, if a concern is raised, line management will take the right action and that those people will be supported.”
