ICIndex2025

Contents

02Aboutus

03Contents

04Introduction

06Keyinsights

08Thestoryinnumbers

10Connectionandcareininternalcommunication

20Howtobehuman:whatemployeeswantfromleadercommunication

30Nowhearthis:howwelistenmatters

38Justajob?Howemployeesreallyfeelaboutwork

46Machinelearning:thecaseforclearAIcommunication

54Deep-diveintothedata

Aboutus

InstituteofInternalCommunication

TheInstituteofInternalCommunicationexiststohelporganisationsandpeoplesucceedthroughpromotinginternalcommunicationofthehigheststandards.

We'vebeendrivingstandardsforover75years,bydeveloping

andsupportinginternalcommunicationprofessionalsthroughourqualifications,training,awards,communities,andthoughtleadership.

Werepresentmorethan2,800members:communicationsprofessionalswhoshapeandinfluenceworkplacesforthebetter.

Theyknowpeopleandbusiness.Theycreateconversationsthathelppeopleatworkfeelinformed,connectedandpurposeful,todrive

organisationalperformance.Theyimpacttheworkinglivesofmillions.

Becausehowwecommunicateatworkmatters.#WeMatterAtWork

IpsosKarianandBox

IpsosKarianandBoxisateamofover130employeeexpertsattheheartofIpsos’sglobalnetwork.

We’vebeentrustedadvisorstosomeofthebiggestandbestnamesfornearly20years,helpingtocreateenvironmentswherepeopleandbusinessesthrivebygivingpeopleabettervoiceatwork.

Withvastexpertiseinbothinternalcommunicationandemployee

engagement,wesupportclientswithourtrustedadvisory,cutting-edgeinsightandexpertstorytelling,tohelpthemdriveengagementand

powerperformance.

Ourteamofconsultants,datascientistsandcreativessharesawealth

ofexperienceandoffersend-to-endexpertise.Eachprogramme

weco-createwithourclientsisasuniqueastheorganisationandpeoplewithin.

Together,we’redrivenbyourbeliefthatgivingpeopleavoicetransformsorganisationaloutcomes.

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ICIndex2025

3

ICIndex2025

Introduction

Sincelastyear’sICIndex,somethingshaveremainedunchanged.

Theperennialquestionsaroundhowwedelivermessagestopeopleareaspresentasever.Arewesendingtoomanyemails?Isourintranetanygood?ShouldwebeusingTikToktoshareupdates?Whataboutemployeeswhodon’thaveworkcomputersorphones?Howdowetellthemeverythingweneedthemtoknow?

Allperfectlygoodquestions.Butaretheytherightones?Becausewhilesomethingsarethesame,many,manyothershavechanged.

It’sbeenatumultuoustimeforglobalpoliticsandeconomieswithripplesthataffectorganisationseverywhere,ineveryindustry.Leadershavechangedatorganisations,andingovernments.Jobsarechanging.TheconversationaroundAIhasadvanced.Howweworkischanging.

Wewantedtounderstandhowemployeesrelatetotheirorganisations,aswealltrytomaintainourfootingonshiftingsands.Thisyear’sICIndexdelvesdeeperintothecomplexitiesofthatrelationshipandhowitinformsthewaywecommunicate.

Ouranalysisrevealsthattheverybestinternalcommunicationexperiencesarewhenemployeeshaveameaningfulanddirectconnectionwithleaders.And,crucially,whenleaderslistento,understandandcareaboutemployees–farbeyondmakingsuretheyknowwhattheorganisation’sstrategyis(althoughthat’simportanttoo).

Methodsofcommunicationwillalwaysbeapartofthediscussion,butit’sclearthat

leadersneedtoofferthehumantouch:listenmore,breakdownhierarchicalbarriersandhaverealconversations.Andnotjustbecauseit’sanicethingtodo.Therearetangibleorganisationaloutcomes–higheremployeeadvocacy,engagement,retention.

Thedatashowsthereisstillalongwaytogo,particularlyinlargerorganisations,wherebuildingasenseofcommunityandcreatingconnectionisnaturallymorechallenging.Thisiswhereinternalcommunicatorscanreallymakeadifference.Coachingandsupportingleaders.Challengingseniorteamstobemoreopen,todomorelistening,toseeemployeeperspectivesonorganisationalchange,tobemoretransparentindecision-making.

Welcometoyourguidetokeepingcommunicationrealinunrealtimes.

TheICIndexfindingsshowinternalcommunicatorswheretheyneedtofocustohelporganisationssucceedoverthenextfewyears–buildingcommunity,encouragingconnectionandequippingleaderstohavemeaningfulconversations–whileneverforgettingthat

thisisunderpinnedbyclear,actionablemessages,welltold."

DominicWalters

President,InstituteofInternalCommunication

4

Continuingtoevolveourresearchtogether

We’renowinourthirdyearofworkingtogetherontheICIndex,andwe’rekeentokeepadvancingourapproachandexploringnewareas,whilestillgivingICprofessionalsinsightsthathave

practicalapplications.

We’vecontinuedtoexpandtheresearchandthisyearsurveyedalmost5,000UKemployees*togathertheirviews.

Tohelpusexplorethedataandconsiderhowtotacklethe

challengesposed,wespoketoIoICFellowsfortheirperspectives.Thankyoutoallthattookpartindiscussionsandgavetheirvoicestothereportandourwidercommunicationaboutthisyear’sICIndex.

We’vecontinuedtoexploreareassuchasartificialintelligenceandemployeeactivism,pushingtheconversationtothenextlevelfromlastyear’sreport.

We’renotseeingdramaticshiftsinkeymeasures,suchashowemployeesratetheirorganisation’scommunication.Andtheresultsrevealednosignificantchangesinchannelpreferencesorappetitesformoreinformationonparticulartopics.However,theenvironmentaroundusisconstantlyshifting.

Theinternalcommunicator’srolehasbecomemoreaboutcreatinggenuineunderstandingbetweenemployeesandtheirorganisation,andviceversa.So,naturally,leadersholdtherealkeytothebestinternalcommunication,andourfindingssupportthat.

Wehopethisyear’sreporthelpsyouimpressuponleadersthe

importantparttheyplay,andgivesyoutheevidencetoputrealhumanconnectionattheheartofyourinternalcommunicationstrategies–inwhateverwaysmakemostsenseforyourorganisation.

*Weconductedanonlinesurveywitharepresentativesampleof4,939UKworkersaged18–64between21Marchand4April2025.

ICIndex2025

s

LouiseBreed

ChiefExecutive,IpsosKarianandBoxUK

JenniferSproul

ChiefExecutive,InstituteofInternalCommunication

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Keyinsights

What

wethink

Thisyear’sreportdemonstrateshowcrucialitisfororganisationsnottoremovethehumanityfromcommunicationwithemployees.Weknowpeoplewanttoconnectwithandunderstand

theirleadersand–importantly–theywantleaderstounderstandthem.

Thefollowingpagesarepackedwithdataandinsightstoinformyourstrategiesanddecision-making,buthereareourtopsixtakeawaysthatshowhowcare,connectionandlisteningarethekeytogreatinternalcommunication,andbetterorganisationaloutcomes.

Whatthedatasays

01

Humanconnectionisattheheartofthebestcommunicationexperiences

?Employeeswhoratetheirorganisationtenoutoftenfor

communicationnotonlyhearregularlyfromleaders,butalso

feelleadersunderstandtheirchallengesandareapproachable

andauthentic.

?Morepersonalactivitiesbyleaders–suchaslisteningsessions

andinteractionsonsocialmedia–correlatewithemployees

beingmorelikelytofeeltheirfeedbackiswelcomed.

02

Leadersneed

tobemoreempathetic

?OnlyjustoverhalfofUKemployeesfeelleadersunderstand

thechallengestheyface.Thisdropstolessthanfourinten

foremployeeswhoarenotmanagers.

?EmployeeswhosaytheirCEO’sormostseniorleader’s

communicationfeelscaringorempathetichavehigherlevels

oftrustinthoseleaders.

03

Howorganisations

approachchangemakesabigdifference

?Employeesarelesslikelytosaythatcommunicationsabout

difficultchangesthataffectpeoplearecommunicatedwith

carewhentheyworkinlargerorganisations.

?Employeeswhodofeelthatthiskindofchangeiscommunicated

withcarearemorelikelytofeelvaluedandbeadvocates.

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04

Feedbackandactionremainsachallenge

formanyorganisations

Weconductedanonlinesurveywitharepresentativesampleof4,939UKworkersaged18–64between21Marchand

4April2025.Thepercentagesinthereporthavebeenrebased

toexcludepeoplewhoanswered"Idon'tknow",sothetotalnumberofrespondentstoeachindividualquestionisindicatedonthechart(n=).

Whilethepanelsurveycaptureddataongender,ethnicityandotherprotectedcharacteristics,wedonotreportonalloftheseduetolowresponsenumbers.

Throughoutthereport,werefertothefollowinggroupings,definedasbelow:

?Positive:thosewhoselected"Stronglyagree"or"Agree"

?Neutral:thosewhoselected"Neitheragreenordisagree"

?Negative:thosewhoselected"Disagree"or"Stronglydisagree"

?Whiletherehasbeenasmallupliftinemployeesfeelingtheir

organisationisgoodatshowinghowcolleaguefeedbackisused

tohelpinformdecisionsandaction,itisstillanareaforimprovement.

?Employeeswhoworkfororganisationsthatdo‘closetheloop’

–bothwelcomingfeedbackandshowinghowitisused–haveveryhighadvocacylevels.

05

ClarityaboutAIuseiskeytoemployeesfeeling

morecomfortablewithit

?Manyemployeesarestillworriedabouttheimpactsofgenerative

artificialintelligence(genAI)andarenotcomfortablewithitbeing

usedtodevelopcommunications.

?Whenanorganisationhasbeenclearabouttheirapproachtousing

genAIresponsibly,employeesaremorelikelytobecomfortable

withitbeingused.

06

Employeesinsmallerorganisationsaremorepositiveoverall

?Thoseworkingfororganisationsthathavebetween500and

999employeesonaveragescoremorepositivelythanlargerorganisationsacrossawiderangeoftopics.

?Theyappeartobebetteratcommunicatingchangewithcare,

welcomingandactingonfeedbackandprovidingclarityonhowgen

AIisused.Leadercommunicationsarealsoperceivedmorepositively

andtheyarefelttobetterunderstandemployeechallenges.

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Thestoryinnumbers

iieiIt

Connectionandcareininternalcommunication

ICIndex2025

Whatmakesa10/10ICexperience?

Overall,UKemployeesfeelbroadlythesameabouthowwelltheirorganisationcommunicatescomparedto2024.

Astrikingfindinginlastyear’sICIndexwasthe39ptdifferenceinengagementbetweengoodinternalcommunicationandexcellent.

Engagementwheninternalcommunicationisseenasexcellent

73%

34%

Engagementwheninternalcommunicationisseenasgood39ptgap

Thisyearwewantedtogofurtherandunderstandwhatmakesthebestinternalcommunicationexperience.Howcanorganisationsmovethedialoverthenext12months,so2026scoresarehigher?

Withjust13%*ofUKemployeesratingtheirorganisation’sinternal

communicationas10outof10,there’sclearlyamagicrecipethatnotmanyarecurrentlyfollowing.Andluckily,thankstoourresearch,it’snotasecret.

It’snotablehowmanyoftheseingredients

relatedirectlytoleaders.

Noneareaboutchannelsororganisationalstrategy.That’snottosaythosethings

aren’timportant–they’recrucialfoundations.Butitseemstomake

ittotheverytop,tobe10outof10,

it’smoreabouthumanconnection–

makingtheefforttospeakregularly,genuinelylistening,showingempathy.

Inotherwords,tobethebest,youhavetokeepitreal.

12

*643employeesselected10(Excellent)whenaskedHowwouldyouratehowyourorganisationcommunicateswithyouoverall?onascaleof0(Verypoor)to10(Excellent)

ICIndex2025

Other

employees

45%

Employees

Gap

whorateIC

at10/10

+48pts

Feelthatleadersunderstandthechallengesemployeesface

93%

Feeltheirorganisationisgoodatshowinghowcolleaguefeedbackisusedtohelpinformdecisionsandactions

93%

+46pts47%

HearfromtheirCEO/mostseniorleaderatleasteveryfewweeks72%+29pts44%

Hearfromtheirdepartmental/seniorleadereveryfewdays50%+27pts22%

+27pts30%

58%

ReceivecommunicationsaboutbusinessprioritiesfromtheirCEO/mostseniorleader

71%

Feelthevolumeofcommunicationisjustright88%+17pts

DescribecommunicationsfromtheCEO/mostseniorleaderinthefollowingways:

24%

Openlytellsitasitis45%+20pts

Inspiring30%+20pts10%

Clear40%+15pts24%

Authentic30%+15pts16%

Approachable33%+14pts19%

Base:Arepresentativequotasampleof4,939UKworkersaged18–64intheUKweresurveyedbetween21Marchand4April2025.

Percentageshavebeenrebasedtoexclude“Idon’tknow”responses.13

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Whatthedatasays

Just51%ofUKemployeesfeelleadersintheirorganisationunderstandthechallengesemployeesface,upslightlyfromlastyear(+2pts).Almostthreeintendisagreeandjustoveroneinfiverespondneutrally.

Employeeswhoworkinsmallerorganisationsof500–999peoplearethemostpositive–sevenintensaythatleadersunderstandemployeechallenges.Thisdropstoaroundhalfofemployees(52%)inorganisations

ofbetween1,000and9,999people.

Thosewhoworkinlargeorganisationsof10,000ormorearetheleastpositive,withonlyfourintenagreeing.

Managersare25ptsmorelikelythannon-managerstofeelleadersunderstandemployeechallenges.Withinmanagementrolesscoresvarybyseniority:

seniorleadersaremostpositive(84%),followed

bymiddlemanagers(62%)andfirst-linemanagers(57%).

What

51%

Positive+2pts

vs.2024

52%51%

wethink

Positivity(%)

40%

●

Experiencingempatheticleadership–whereemployeesfeelleadersunderstandthe

500–9991,000–4,9995,000–9,99910,000

ormore

challengestheyface–isakeyfactorinthebestinternalcommunicationexperiences(p.12–13)andanessentialthingtogetright.

Organisationsize

n=

1,782

1,050

1,068

951

Partlyit’saboutconfidenceandtrust.Leadersmakedecisionsthatimpactpeople’sworkinglives–forbetterorworse.Ifemployeesdon’tfeelthoseleadersunderstandtheirchallenges,howcantheytrustthemtomaketherightdecisions,orbeconfidentintheoutcomes?

Therearenumerouschallengestoimprovingthis

Managersmorelikelytothinkleadersareempathetic

Leadersinmyorganisationunderstandthechallengesemployeesface

64%

Bylevelofmanagement

understanding,notleastofwhichisorganisationsize.Leaderscanseemtobe(oractuallyare)moreremovedfromtheday-to-dayexperiencesoftheiremployeesinlargeorganisations,andmayalsostruggletoreachpeopleorcutthroughthenoiseofthebigmachine.

Positivity(%)

84%

Seniorleadersn=518

62%

Thisiswhereinternalcommunicatorscanmakearealdifference,helpingleadersconnectinmorepersonalways(seep.36–37).Wecansharetheirreflectionsfromtheseactivitiesacrosstheorganisation,showingemployeesthatleadersdotaketimetolistenand

Middlemanagersn=359

First-linemanagersn=1,409

understandtheirissues.

There’salsoaquestionofperception.Around

57%

threeinfivemanagersbelievethatleadersintheir

organisationunderstandthechallengesemployeesface;butasimilarproportionofnon-managersbelievetheopposite.Thereisclearlyadisconnect–but

onwhichside?Whoneedstolistentowhom,andcouldbetterleadercommunicationhelpshiftthings?

Leadersmustalsorespondwelltoemployees’challenges.Forexample,dotheylistenandworkwithteamstosolveanyproblemsemployeesurveyshighlight?Action

39%

ManagersNon-managers

isoftenlouderthaneventhemostwell-craftedwordsandemployeesmayonlyfeelleadersunderstandtheirchallengesiftheyshowthey’rewillingtoaddressthem.

Positivity(%)

Leadersinsmallerorganisationsarefelttobetterunderstandemployeechallenges

Leadersinmyorganisationunderstandthechallengesemployeesfacen=4,851

Doleadersunderstandemployees’challenges?

Key:PositiveNeutralNegative

Byorganisationsize

70%

n=

2,565

2,286

)

Base:Arepresentativequotasampleof4,939UKworkersaged18–64intheUKweresurveyedbetween21Marchand4April2025.

14

Percentageshavebeenrebasedtoexclude“Idon’tknow”responses.15

ICIndex2025ICIndex2025

Changingtimesdemandcarefulcommunication

Whatthe

datasays

Alittleoverhalf(56%)ofemployeesfeelthatdifficultchangesaffectingpeople(suchasrestructuresorredundancies)arecommunicatedwithcareintheir

organisation.

Organisationsizeisafactor.71%ofemployees

insmallerorganisations(500–999people)feelchangeiscommunicatedwithcare,comparedto45%inlargerorganisations(of10,000ormoreemployees).

Carefulchangecommunicationaffectshowvalued

employeesfeel.83%ofthosewhofeeldifficultchangesarecommunicatedwithcareintheirorganisationsfeelvalued,comparedto32%ofthosewhodon’t.

There’sasimilarconnectiontoadvocacy.Employeeswhoarepositiveaboutchangebeingcommunicatedwithcareare47ptsmorelikelytorecommendtheiremployerasagreatplacetowork.

What

wethink

Changeisabusinessprocessbutalso

ahumanone.Gettingitrightdemands

payingattentiontoregulations,policiesandlawsonthebusinessside,andquestions,concerns,andemotionsonthehumanside.

Internalcommunicatorscanhelporganisations

communicatechangewithcarebymakingsureit’s

atwo-wayprocess.Thoughtfulmessagingandlogisticsareessential,asismakingsurepeoplefeelheardandincluded.

We’reuniquelyplacedtohelp.Wecanshapechangemessagesandanticipatepeople’squestionsand

reactions–becausewe’vereadallthecommentsfromtheemployeesurveys,managedQ&Asessions,keptaneyeoninternalsocialmediaandhaveanetworkwhowilltelluswhatpeoplereallythinkandfeel.

Thisisn’tjusttherightthingtodo,it’salsoaboutmanagingrisk.Whenpeoplefeelleftoutorpoorlyinformed,morequestionsandissuesarelikelytofollow.Whenchangeisdonewell,wecanseehowitprotectstrust,andkeyorganisationaloutcomes.

Fellows’pointofview

OurFellowsemphasisehowimportant

itisforICprofessionalstokeepbringing

theemployeevoiceintotheconversation.Thecolleaguesandleadersdrivingthechangemaybelaser-focusedontheprocessand

outcome,butweneedtoensurethehumanaspectisconstantlyconsidered.Thisisevenmoreimportantinthecurrentcontext,whenpeoplemayalreadyfeelunsettledbymultipleglobalcrisesoutsideofwork.

Understandably,thefocusisoftenonthedaythechangeisannounced,butit’svitaltoalsoplanwellbeyondthat.Particularlycommunicationwiththerestoftheorganisation.Wetendtodoareallygoodjoboflookingafterthepeopleimpactedbychange,butinmyexperience,theonlookerscanactuallyreactmorestrongly.Havingaplantoguideeveryone

throughthechangeisessentialandcangoalongwaytoprotectingengagementandreputation."

PaulDiggins

FormerheadofICatSantanderandIoICBoardMember

16

Employeesofsmallerorganisationsmorelikely

tosaychangeiscommunicatedwithcare

n=4,539

Difficultchangesaffectingpeople(suchasrestructuresorredundancies)arecommunicatedwithcareinmyorganisation

Key:PositiveNeutralNegative

Byorganisationsize

71%

56%

Positive

Positivity(%)

57%57%

45%

500–9991,000–4,9995,000–9,99910,000

ormore

Organisationsize

n=

1,627

1,026

885

1,001

Employeesaremorelikelytofeelvaluedandrecommendtheiremployerifchangeiscommunicatedwithcare

Key:Positiveperceptionsofcareinchangecommunication*(n=2,529)

Notpositiveperceptionsofcareinchangecommunication*(n=2,010)

Positivity(%)

Ifeelvaluedbymyorganisation

83%

32%

51ptgap

Iwouldrecommendmyemployerasagreatplacetowork

84%

37%

47ptgap

*Fullquestion:Difficultchangesaffectingpeople(suchasrestructuresorredundancies)arecommunicatedwithcareinmyorganisation.

Base:Arepresentativequotasampleof4,939UKworkersaged18–64intheUKweresurveyedbetween21Marchand4April2025.

Percentageshavebeenrebasedtoexclude“Idon’tknow”responses.17

ICIndex2025

What'syourrelationship

statuswithyouremployer?

OuranalysisshowsthatthelevelofconnectionthatUKemployeesfeelwiththeirorganisationandleadersfallsintofourmaingroups.

n=666

Onthewhole,Iquitelikework.

Myjobmostlygivesmetheopportunity

todointerestingandchallengingworkand

mostdaysIfeelmotivatedtogiveitmybest.Butthebiggestmissingpieceformeisourleaders…Ijustdon’ttrustthem!Theydon’tseemtogetwhat’shappeningontheground,andthestrategythey’veoutlineddoesn’tfeelclearorlikeit’stherightone.Ihearfrom

myCEO,buttheyjustsoundscripted."

13%

Seekingmore

?Mostlikelygrouptohearbusinessupdates

fromaninternalcommunicationchannel.

?Lesslikelythanthosewhoare'Readytolevel

up'or'Happilyhere'tohearaboutbusiness

prioritiesfromtheirseniorleadersorCEO.

?Mostlikelytosaythey’vecompleted

anemployeesurveyinthelast12months.

?Morelikelytoworkinthepublicsector,

andanorganisationofover10,000people

inanon-managerialrole.

?Morelikelytoworkawayfromacomputer,

comparedtoothergroups,except'Deeply

disconnected'.

Levelofconnection

We'vegiventhesegroupsnamesthatreflecttheirlevelofconnection,shownthepercentageofemployeeswhofallintothese'types'andcreatedanillustrativequotetobringtheirviewpointstolife.Whatcanwelearnfromthesegroupsabouthowwecanboosttheirexperienceatworkthroughcommunication?

Whenitcomestotheleaders

inmyorganisation,it'slikethey're

onanotherplanet.Mymanagerisok,buteveryoneabovethem…it'sliketheyhavenoideawhatwehavetodealwith.Notonlydotheygivenoclarityaroundwherewe'regoingasanorganisation,theydon'tseemremotelyinterestedinhearingmypointofview.TheonlythingIcansayisthat

myjobisvaguelyinteresting.IdoubtI'llbehereforthatlongthough."

n=1,291

%

26

Deeplydisconnected

?Mostlikelytosaytheyrarelyhearfromtheir

CEOorseniorleadershipteam.

?Nearlythreetimesaslikelyastheaverage

employeetodescribetheirCEO'scommunication

styleasnotcommunicatingopenly.

?7in10wordschosentodescribetheirCEO’s

communicationsstylearenegative.

?Oldestaverageage,andisfoundequally

inprivateandpublicsectororganisations.

?Mostlikelytobeinarolewheretheyaren’t

frequentlyconnectedtoacomputer.

Levelofconnection

18

n=867

It’snotallrosyatwork,butIhavetosaythebestthingaboutmyworkisthepeople.Ican’tsayIam100%boughtintoour

organisation’sstrategy,butIdoreallytrusttheCEOandtheleadershipteam.Itrust

themasmuchasItrustmymanager!Therearesomeareasforimprovementthough–theycoulddomoretodemonstratethattheyunderstandthechallengesofthewiderbusinessandthatthey’relisteningtoandactingonourfeedback."

18%

Readytolevelup

?Twiceaslikelyasthosewhoare'Seekingmore'

toprovidefeedbackviaQ&Awithleaders.

?Morelikelytobeamanagerandwork

inasmallerorganisation,comparedtoother

groups,exceptthosewhoare'Happilyhere'.

?MostlikelytosaytheirCEO’scommunication

styleisdowntoearth.

?Overa