A majority of employers still don’t have a formal strategy for communicating workplace change, despite identifying it as their most urgent internal communications need, according to a new report by Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
The report, based on insights from more than 1,300 human resources and communications professionals across 40 countries, found 83 per cent of respondents believe information overload is a growing issue in workplaces. At the same time, 61 per cent of organizations said they have no formal approach to communicating change, even though change management ranks as the most valued communications skill among HR and internal communications teams.
Read: Connect to employees through the clutter with short, digital communications
The report also highlighted a gap between expectations placed on communications teams and the resources available to them. Nearly 69 per cent of all organizations have fewer than six people working in communications roles.
Budget limitations are also common. One in five organizations has less than US$20,000 allocated to internal communications and a third report having no internal communications budget at all.
The report also examined the role of employee value propositions. While many employers identify EVPs as a priority, only 15 per cent said they have an active, widely communicated EVP, while 37 per cent reported having none in place.
Desk-based organizations were three-times more likely to have a well-understood EVP than primarily frontline workplaces, with in-person town halls identified as the most effective communication tool for frontline employees.
Read: How are personalized communications connecting with employees?
The report also found many organizations are still in the early stages of integrating artificial intelligence into internal communications. Nearly 63 per cent said they’re experimenting with AI and 75 per cent described their AI maturity as ad hoc or limited to discussions, while just five per cent reported optimized integration.