Two-thirds of UK businesses plan to increase workplace and employee investment in 2027

Spending on the physical workplace is expected to rise, with 64 percent of respondents planning to increase investment in offices and facilities. Employee experience is also a priority, with 65 percent anticipating higher spending on team social events and engagement activities, while 62 percent expect to invest more in employee benefits and wellbeing.

Recruitment remains a significant area of planned expenditure, with 64 percent expecting to increase hiring investment. Meanwhile, 62 percent anticipate greater spending on technology and artificial intelligence, 65 percent on new products and services and 63 percent on expansion into new markets. The findings suggest that businesses are preparing to invest in their workplaces and people alongside technology and commercial growth, although the figures reflect the expectations of finance leaders rather than confirmed spending commitments.

The positive outlook comes despite continuing concerns about the challenges facing organisations. Almost half of respondents identified changing regulation and attracting or retaining finance talent as significant issues for 2027, both cited by 48 percent. Cybersecurity and data risks, along with access to finance and capital, were each identified by 47 percent.

The research also points to the growing influence of finance leaders on wider organisational strategy. More than two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) said they were significantly involved in business transformation decisions, although 60 percent believed other business leaders underestimated the complexity of financial decision-making. More than half (53 percent) reported often or always making major business decisions using incomplete, conflicting or inconclusive information, while 61 percent said they placed as much or more emphasis on professional judgement as on financial data.

Søren Westh-Lønning, CFO of Pleo, said: “Any CFO knows that good financial leadership isn’t just about having the right numbers. Some of the most important decisions a CFO makes are the ones where the data alone can’t prescribe the direction the business should take. “So much of finance is about knowing what to question, where to look and when to act. Having a clearer picture of what’s happening across the business makes it easier to focus on the bigger questions, rather than getting lost in the detail.”

Almost all respondents (98.5 percent) claimed to have identified something in their organisation’s financial data that other business leaders had overlooked, resulting in a major business decision being changed. The survey also found that 63 percent of finance chiefs had become more confident about taking calculated business risks, suggesting that expectations of increased investment are accompanied by a greater willingness to pursue organisational change.