Research digested: Employee Communications Report 2026 (Global Edition), Gallagher
About this research
Foe this research, Gallagher surveyed more than 1,300 communications and HR professionals across 40 countries. The US accounted for 51% of respondents and the UK & Europe 36%. The survey took place between September and November 2025.
Key findings
The top five risks to respondents achieving their communications objectives are:
- Manager effectiveness (87%)
- Information overload (83%)
- Audience burnout (81%)
- Budget constraints (76%)
- Decision exclusion (75%)
A wide strategic gap persists
- 73% of organisations aim for a strategic communications model, but only 18% say they have achieved it
- Only 27% say their strategy is well understood by stakeholders (p.19)
Most organisations believe they are strategic, but the report shows a clear execution gap -particularly in embedding and socialising strategy across the business.
Change is the top priority – but capability is missing
- 61% have no formal change communications approach
Change is now “business as usual,” yet most organisations lack structured approaches – leaving them exposed in high-change environments.
Communication overload is driving burnout and risk
- Enterprise organisations report a +30 point increase in audience burnout vs. small organisations
- 93% of enterprise respondents report significant impact from information overload
The report frames “noise” as a structural problem: more communication is actively undermining engagement, trust, and effectiveness.
Personalisation and audience understanding are weak
- Only 18% are satisfied with their ability to personalise content
- 77% do not regularly use audience profiling techniques
Despite recognising the need for relevance, most organisations lack the tools or practices to tailor communication effectively.
Managers are critical – but under-supported
- 87% say manager capability is a significant risk
- Only 21% provide manager toolkits
Managers represent a key communications channel, but organisations are not equipping them to perform this role consistently.
EVP and foundational strategy assets are missing
- Only 15% have an active, socialised Employee Value Proposition (EVP), while 37% have none
- Over 50% lack several core strategic communication assets
Core building blocks of communication strategy are absent in many organisations, limiting consistency and impact.
AI adoption is immature and uneven
- 75% remain in early-stage or ad hoc AI experimentation
- Only 36% feel AI-ready, rising to 61% where governance exists
AI capability is less about tools and more about governance – without structure, adoption stalls at basic use cases.
What to act on
Organisations should prioritise closing the gap between strategic intent and execution. With 73% aiming to be strategic but only 18% achieving it, the immediate action is to codify, simplify, and actively socialise communication strategies so they are understood and used across the business. This matters because the report shows that understanding strategy directly improves performance and reduces risk.
At the same time, organisations need to address communication overload as a structural issue, not a content problem. With burnout risk rising by 16% in organisations with high volumes of communications and enterprise organisations facing significantly higher overload, the focus should shift to reducing unnecessary communication, improving targeting and strengthening governance over channels and messaging volume.
There is also a clear need to invest in foundational capabilities, particularly audience understanding and manager enablement. With only 18% satisfied with personalisation and 77% not using profiling techniques, organisations should build segmentation and targeting into their communication infrastructure. In parallel, given that 87% see manager capability as a risk but only 21% provide toolkits, equipping managers must be treated as a core strategic priority.
Read the report https://www.ajg.com/employeeexperience/state-of-the-sector/
