Sharp Consultancy's Salary Survey 2025/26:

Inclusive Cultures Don’t Happen by Accident — They’re Built Intentionally

Following International Women's Day, many organisations reflect on progress.But for finance leaders and hiring managers, the more important question is this: What does inclusion mean in practice — and how does it affect performance? Because this isn’t just a culture conversation. It’s a capability conversation. Inclusion Impacts Talent Attraction The best finance professionals — at every level — have options. They are looking for: Transparent progression pathways Visible meritocracy Leadership that values contribution over presence Environments where performance is recognised fairly If an organisation’s culture unintentionally favours “proximity” — those closest to decision-makers — it narrows its own talent pipeline. And in a market where specialist skills are already in short supply, that’s a commercial risk. Meritocracy Must Be Visible Many businesses describe themselves as meritocratic. But candidates assess that through lived signals: Who is in senior leadership? Who is promoted internally? How are flexible working arrangements handled? How openly are development opportunities discussed? In accountancy and finance particularly — where progression paths are structured and performance is measurable — fairness needs to be both real and visible. High performers want clarity, standards and consistency. Leadership Behaviour Shapes Retention Inclusive leadership isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about everyday behaviours: Who is invited into strategic discussions Who is given stretch projects Who is credited publicly Who is sponsored, not just mentored Retention in finance teams is rarely lost because of salary alone. It’s often influenced by visibility, opportunity and recognition. Businesses that understand this tend to build stronger, more stable finance functions. The Commercial Case for Inclusion Diverse and inclusive teams bring broader perspectives to: Risk assessment Strategic planning Commercial analysis Operational improvement For CFOs and Finance Directors, inclusion isn’t a compliance issue. It’s about building balanced teams capable of better decision-making. The organisations that approach inclusion intentionally — rather than reactively — are often the ones that outperform in the long term. Beyond Awareness Days International Women’s Day creates valuable momentum every year:But sustained progress comes from: Clear promotion criteria Transparent hiring processes Conscious leadership development Ongoing cultural accountability In today’s hiring market, an inclusive culture isn’t just about employer branding — it influences who joins, who stays and how teams perform.

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In last year’s commentary I said that a ‘degree of normality’ had returned to the economy and solid GDP growth had finally ‘rid us of the word recession’.

Before I chastise myself horribly, I suspect I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t have forecast what a difference two changes in governments could make (UK first and US second).

The former immediately created a change in business sentiment which changes to the tax regime further dampened. The word recession reappeared. The latter led to worldwide economic flux for reasons we are all now very familiar with – tariffs anyone?

Lee Sweeney, Executive Director at Sharp Consultancy standing in the Sharp Consultancy office in Leeds in-front of our word wall.

What does this mean for employment? Employers don’t like uncertainty because it is errr, so uncertain. Some hiring is by necessity, but some is investment; the former continues and the latter reduces.

The market is however not ‘dead’. We’ve seen ‘dead’ before (think credit crunch and early Covid). We believe that the market has remained surprisingly resilient. I believe that is because businesses have suffered enough shocks over recent years to have become more resilient. Whether I’m right or wrong, the jobs market (for accountants at least) is somewhere between OK and reasonably good. If you have skills, experience and sensible expectations you are very likely to find what you are looking for in relatively short order.

"If you have skills, experience and sensible expectations you are very likely to find what you are looking for in relatively short order."

Looking through the employer’s lens, good accounting professionals can be found – but they’re not ‘ten-a-penny’. As I discussed in last year’s commentary, employers continue to try and force the issue on increased office-based working and generally (though our survey suggests this is beginning to soften), employees continue to resist. I think we’re still a year or two away from some kind of equilibrium. Salary increases have flattened but job seekers haven’t fully embraced that yet (though again one of our salary survey questions suggests it is softening) and so there is still a need for a degree of generosity to entice potential employees – there is enough choice for them to wait a little longer for the next opportunity if your package isn’t quite attractive enough.

It appears that private equity firms still have funds to invest and lenders still have appetite to lend and so, perhaps slightly counter intuitively, the deals market still seems to be moving at a reasonable pace with optimism for a better year ahead.

I like to conclude by turning to my crystal ball and predicting the future. Last year I utterly failed (though as mentioned above, I can perhaps be forgiven). The resilience of the economy (recession didn’t happen) and the employment market gives me hope – economic disaster aside caused by tariffs or some other huge shock, I suspect job seekers and employers will see a reasonably good jobs market. There is definitely some uncertainty in the year to come, but there is a very strong desire in the business community to find a way through or around whatever lies ahead (and experience from shocks gone by to steer a safe course), so the odds of a stable year outweigh the odds of a poor one.

Download the full Salary Survey here!

​In last year’s commentary I said that a ‘degree of normality’ had returned to the economy and solid GDP growth had finally ‘rid us of the word recession’.

"If you have skills, experience and sensible expectations you are very likely to find what you are looking for in relatively short order."

In last year’s commentary I said that a ‘degree of normality’ had returned to the economy and solid GDP growth had finally ‘rid us of the word recession’.