Over 60 per cent of companies have no formal change communication strategy, according to a new report from insurance company Gallagher.
This comes despite the fact that 57 per cent of respondents rated change management comms as the top ranked comms skill.
William F. Ziebell, global CEO of Gallagher's benefits and HR consulting division, said: “In a fluid business and technological environment, change communication, EVPs and AI tools are high on organisations’ agendas. However, many companies do not have a clear plan for how to deliver on these priorities across the workforce.”
The global report, which polled over 1,300 comms and HR professionals across 40 countries between September and November 2025, also found that the pressure on internal comms is growing.
As many as 69 per cent of firms have fewer than six people in a comms role, regardless of whether the company has 500 employees or 50,000.
This resourcing pressure is compounded by budget constraints. The report discovered that one in five companies have less than $20,000 (£14,860) allocated for internal comms, while one in three have no budget for internal comms at all.
The report stated: “Against a backdrop of limited investment in tools, training and measurement, internal comms teams are stretched while being asked to deliver more. As change becomes constant rather than occasional, under-resourced teams face an unsustainable challenge.”
It also found that as “internal teams come under more pressure, organisations are sending more messages to employees”. Moreover, 83 per cent of respondents believe information overload is a growing problem.
This approach is counterproductive as “in high-volume communication environments, employees feel overwhelmed”. Increasing change communications from a ‘medium’ to a ‘high’ volume, the report found, can see a 30 per cent rise in leader trust risk and a 24 per cent increase in burnout risk.
“Without a structured approach, internal teams are increasing their volume, but if every message carries a sense of urgency, employees begin to tune out rather than listen closer. Ultimately, effective communication relies on giving internal comms and HR teams the resources to deliver the right message at the right time,” added Ziebell.
On AI, 63 per cent of teams stated they were still in an experimentation phase with AI adoption, with only 5 per cent reporting optimised integration. Furthermore, 5 per cent describe their AI maturity as ad hoc or “discussion only”.