Phone anxiety among young professionals: Challenges for the new generation in Banking & Finance
When a major insurer recently announced it was using artificial intelligence to help young employees build their phone skills, some may have seen it as a quirky HR initiative. Yet the project points to a challenge that reaches far beyond the insurance sector.
At Axis Group, specialists in recruiting commercial, advisory and client-facing profiles within Banking, Finance and Insurance, we see this shift play out every day. Within our banking recruitment team, the trend comes up again and again, both among candidates and employers. Young talent communicates more fluently than ever through digital channels, yet often feels less comfortable with direct phone conversations. For commercial roles in particular, this presents an intriguing challenge.
The paradox of a hyperconnected generation
Young professionals have never been more connected to one another. Messaging apps, WhatsApp, Teams, LinkedIn and social media make communication faster and more accessible than ever.
At the same time, employers are noticing that phone conversations are becoming less and less second nature. For many young people, an unexpected call today feels as daunting as an in-person meeting once did for earlier generations.
That's hardly surprising. Much of their social and professional interaction happens asynchronously. A message gives you time to think, shape your response and fix any mistakes. A phone call doesn't allow for that. It demands spontaneous communication, active listening, empathy and the ability to react quickly to the unexpected.
Yet these are exactly the skills that matter most in commercial roles and the same holds true for face-to-face commercial or advisory client contact.
Why the phone still matters in sales
Technology has fundamentally changed the sales process. Prospecting happens through digital channels, CRM systems automate follow-ups, and AI increasingly supports commercial teams.
But when trust needs to be built, personal contact still makes all the difference.
A prospect hesitating about a partnership. A client with a complaint. A candidate weighing a career move. These are moments where a single phone call often achieves more than ten emails.
For banks, insurers and other financial institutions, this is an important reality. Within commercial and advisory roles, the ability to hold a genuinely good conversation remains one of the strongest predictors of success.
The role of a recruitment expert like Axis Group in connecting potential with opportunity
That's exactly why the role of a specialised recruitment partner keeps growing in importance. At Axis Group, we often guide candidates and consultants across multiple opportunities within Banking, Finance and Insurance, which means that, through open conversation, we get a clearer picture of where their comfort zone lies and where their potential for growth sits.
Because we know our clients' roles and company cultures inside out, we can far more precisely assess where a candidate can succeed today and where they can keep developing. That matters in a market where demand for commercial talent keeps rising while the available talent pool keeps shrinking.
This is how we help our clients not just fill commercial vacancies, but also identify potential and build lasting commercial teams.
With 30 years of expertise in the banking and financial sector, Axis Group supports the development of the next generation of commercial talent every day.
How do you attract young commercial talent?
There's a clear opportunity for employers here too. Convincing young talent to take on a commercial or advisory role today takes more than an attractive salary package. A clear growth path and well-defined development opportunities often make the difference.
When candidates understand which skills they'll develop and which career opportunities will follow, they're often willing to step just a little outside their comfort zone.
Not because they already have it all figured out today, but because they believe in where the role can take them tomorrow. Organisations that clearly communicate that growth vision have an edge in the war for talent.
What are we looking for in tomorrow's commercial candidates?
Tomorrow's commercial professional will need to be digitally savvy, able to interpret data and use AI intelligently. But beyond that, human skills will keep making the difference: listening, persuading, communicating with empathy and building trust.
Sometimes, that simply means picking up the phone.
The rise of AI and digital communication is undoubtedly changing the way we work. Yet commercial success still ultimately comes down to human relationships.
Phone anxiety among young people, then, isn't a generational problem, it's a signal of how communication is evolving. Organisations that invest in this don't just build stronger commercial teams; they also become more attractive as employers.
Because the best commercial profiles aren't born with a phone in hand. They're shaped through the right guidance, practice and trust.
That's what we see every day within Axis Group's banking and financial recruitment team. As specialists in recruitment for Banking, Finance and Insurance, we believe commercial talent isn't just about experience, it's above all about potential. Organisations that invest in that potential will be the ones making the difference tomorrow in an increasingly competitive market for financial talent. That's exactly why we continue to support organisations in banking and finance in finding, guiding and developing commercial and advisory talent.