I always get really excited about the publishing of Gallagher State of the Sector/Employee Experience. Last year, I have to admit that the results fell a little flat for me and I questioned whether it would continue to be my go-to report on the State of Internal Communication. I’m happy to report that they have more than made up for it this year yet the results are concerning. 

Here is my high level summary of key points: 

The Readiness Reality – This year’s report introduces a powerful concept: The Readiness Gap. The space between what organizations are facing AND what Internal Communication Professionals are structurally prepared to handle. And that gap is widening.

Strategic Stagnation – We want strategy. We don’t operationalize it. The report tells us that 73% aspire to operate as strategic partners but only 18% say they actually are.

Volume vs. Value – We’re all victims of more messaging, less meaning. When we’re surround by multiple changes and everything is being communicated at higher volume…burnout rises, trust erode and information overload spikes. We need to remember that communication is not about amplification, it’s about alignment. If we cannot prioritize, how to we expect employee to do so?

Burnout & Bottlenecks – In this age of AI, top risks are not technical, they are human. They include audience burnout, budget constraints, line manager effectiveness, and information overload. We keep asking managers to cascade clarity without equipping them to carry it.

Foundational Fragility – Most Internal Communication teams lack core strategic infrastructure: No formal change communications approach; no robust personas; no channel framework; no 

Workforce Whiplash – Communications teams are small and and getting smaller relative to complexity. As organizations grow beyond 500 employees, communications capacity drops dramatically while risk increases.

AI Ambition vs. AI Ability – Three quarters of teams remain in early AI experimentation. Only 36% feel AI ready and that rises to 61% when governance exists.

The Maturity Multiplier – The report’s most important finding? Strategic maturity is the greatest predictor of readiness. When strategy is codified and socialize. risk decreases, measurement improves, engagement rises, and influence increases. Functions with living strategy are 3.5x more likely to report increased engagement.

The Big Shift – The future of Internal Communication is not about publishing more, owning more channels, or experimenting with more tools

It’s about: Clarity. Capability. Credibility.

The teams that thrive are not louder. Instead they are more disciplined. They are not reactive service desks. Instead they strategic consultancies. They are not broadcasters, they are builders

My Take: This report confirms what many of us already feel: Internal Communication Professionals are carrying more risk than ever before. The question isn’t whether change will slow down. It won’t. The question is whether we will professionalize fast enough to match it. Because readiness isn’t about predicting the future, it’s about building the strategic muscle to withstand it. And that’s where our influence truly begins.

I encourage you to take the time to read the report in its entirety.