2025 International Employee Communication Impact Study

This study reveals a critical gap in internal communication in different regions around the globe. While overall job satisfaction may appear stable, non-desk employees report alarmingly low satisfaction with the quality of communication they receive. This disconnect undermines everything from employee retention to the effectiveness of change initiatives, crisis response, and leadership messaging.

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• UK report (will follow soon)
• AUS report (will follow soon)
• DACH report (in German, will follow soon)

Table of contents

• Summary and key findings
• Study results
  • Employee experience and comms impact
  • Change communication
  • Crisis communication
  • Leadership communication
• Takeaways for comms professionals and leaders
• Study design

Summary and key findings

A volatile economic environment, ongoing restructuring, workforce reductions, and a polarized society — companies and their employees are facing times of uncertainty. In this climate of volatility, trust becomes essential for organizational survival and success. Effective internal communication is now the foundation upon which that trust is built. 

Unfortunately, many companies worldwide are falling short. While employees may express satisfaction with certain aspects of their employment, such as coworker relationships and time off, our data exposes a deep-seated communication problem: Only 9% of non-desk employees are very satisfied with internal communication, and a significant 38% rate communication quality as “only fair” or “poor.” 

This erosion of trust, fueled by poor communication, poses a serious threat to organizational stability and employee engagement. This is especially true for employees who don’t work at a desk or with a computer — the very people who are often the last to receive important updates.

The 2025 International Employee Communication Impact Study by YouGov and Staffbase offers new insights into how employees in Australia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States experience internal communication in times of change, crisis, and uncertainty. 

Before we dive into the detailed insights, let’s have a look at eight key takeaways from this study: 

1. Non-desk employees are underserved
   • Only 29% of non-desk employees are very (9%) or rather satisfied (20%) with the quality of internal communication.
   • In contrast, 48% of desk-based employees are very (14%) or rather (34%) satisfied with the quality of internal communication.
2. Poor communication drives turnover
   • 63% of employees who are considering leaving their jobs cite poor internal communication as a contributing factor.
3. Trust starts with the immediate supervisor
   • The immediate supervisor is the most-trusted source of information for employees overall. 
   • However, those who use an employee app trust it even more, making it their top-rated channel for trustworthy communication.
4. Connection between clear comms and job satisfaction
   • Clarity in leadership communication and during change tends to have an effect on other areas.
   • When employees report that leadership communication is very clear, they’re three times as happy in their roles compared to the ones who state that communication is not clear at all.
5. An employee app can improve change and crisis comms significantly
   • When used as a primary channel, employee apps are considered most effective for change communication.
   • 68% of employee app users assess their organization’s crisis communication as “excellent” or “good” — compared to an average of 52%.
6. Regional differences in channel adoption
   • Intranet adoption rates (as main source of information) among desk-based employees vary significantly across regions, e.g., Germany with 61% compared to the US at 39% and Switzerland at 31%.
   • SMS adoption for crisis comms also varies significantly, with 17% in Australia, 15% in the US, 13% in Austria, 9% in Switzerland and the UK, and only 3% in Germany.
7. Feedback disparity of desk and non-desk
   • 52% of desk-based employees feel that their feedback is considered (somewhat) during change processes — but only 39% of non-desk employees feel that way.
8. Loneliness at work is a communication issue
   • 10% of employees feel lonely at work either always (2%) or often (8%) — with another 23% who say they sometimes feel lonely.
   • Companies can do better at fostering meaningful connections at work; only 20% of employees feel their employer does a very good job in this area.

For internal communication teams, the findings in this report are both a wake-up call and an opportunity. There’s work to be done — but also a clear path forward.

Introduction to study results

Meet Paul and Sarah.

Paul is a 28-year-old production operator at a manufacturing company in Detroit, Michigan. Sarah, 34 years old, is Paul’s colleague from the finance department.

Overall, Paul and Sarah are happy with many aspects of their jobs. They enjoy the relationships they have with their coworkers and are quite satisfied with the amount of vacation and paid time off they receive. But what really sets them apart in how they view their jobs is the way they think about internal communication.

Sarah appreciates the quality of most of the internal communication she receives and feels that the frequency is just about right. Paul, on the other hand, complains about receiving news and information far too infrequently. He also states that the quality of the content he receives is fair at best and often poor.¹

While our manufacturing company employees, Sarah and Paul, are fictional characters, their stories are based upon real data from the 2025 International Employee Communication Impact Study by Staffbase and YouGov. We’ve collected 3574 responses from employees in Australia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). The main topics covered are employee experience and comms impact, change communication, crisis communication, and leadership communication.

Employee experience and comms impact

Quality of internal communications

Looking at all 3574 responses from a wide range of industries, our research shows that employees are satisfied with some of the most important aspects of work. The top three on a list of 14 possible responses are:

• Relationships with coworkers: 76% (“rather satisfied” or “very much satisfied”)
• Vacation and paid time off policies: 71%
• Support from supervisors: 59%

The lowest satisfaction scores are:

• Amount of internal corporate communications: 43%
• Quality of internal corporate communications: 42%
• Access to mentoring and coaching: 40%
• Opportunities for advancement: 38%

And the data shows a further decline for non-desk workers: 20% are “rather satisfied” and only 9% are “very much satisfied” with the quality of internal communication. The lowest ratings come from the UK: Only 21% of non-desk employees in the UK are “very satisfied” or “rather satisfied” — 41% are “rather not” or “not satisfied at all.”

When asked more specifically — “Overall, how do you rate the quality of news and information you get from your employer?” — the results show further concern: Only 38% of employees consider it “excellent” or “very good” compared to 28% who say it’s “only fair” or “poor.” And again, the numbers are worse for non-desk workers: only 28% rate it as “excellent” or “very good,” while 38% say it’s “only fair” or “poor.”

Channel usage, preference, and trust

When asked, “Where do you get most of your news and information about your company or employer?” the top global response was “Email or memo from management” (51%), followed by “My immediate supervisor” (47%).

For IC professionals, this question offers especially relevant insights — particularly about which communications tools employees rely on most. Here’s what the numbers show:

• Intranet: 39%
• Company newsletters: 22%
• Employee app: 15%
• Digital screens: 5%
• SMS: 4%

Intranet adoption rates among desk-based employees vary significantly across regions. Germany leads the way with 61% adoption, followed by Australia (49%) and the UK (45%). In contrast, adoption is notably lower in the US (39%), Austria (32%), and Switzerland (31%). 

When employees were asked which channels they prefer for receiving company news and information, the responses followed a similar ranking to the actual sources they currently use. What stands out more, however, are the trust scores for those same channels. 

The immediate supervisor is the most-trusted source of information for employees — 57% trust them “a great deal.” The company intranet (51%), email or memos from management (50%), company newsletters (44%), and employee apps (41%) are other sources that receive “a great deal” of trust from employees. 

Among those who use an employee app as one of their main information sources, it’s also the most-trusted channel. It ranks number one with 60%, followed by supervisors (54%) and email or memos from management (51%). 

In contrast, external sources are trusted far less when it comes to employer-related information. Newspapers, TV or radio, and social media all receive a low trust score of 20% — and 31% of employees say they don’t trust social media at all.

The impact of good (and poor) comms

We asked employees who are actively thinking about changing jobs: “To what extent do the following factors contribute to your likelihood of leaving your current job?”

Salary is the top reason for turnover: 51% consider it a major factor, and another 25% say it’s a minor one. “Opportunities for advancement” and “Support from / relationship with your supervisor” follow — but “Poor internal communication” also stands out. 33% say it’s a major factor, and 30% cite it as a minor one contributing to their likelihood of leaving their job. For Germany, these numbers are even higher: 41% say poor communication is a major factor, and 29% name it a minor factor.

It’s worth noting that poor communication is a much more common driver of employee turnover than factors like paid time off, personal safety concerns, or the company’s stance on social issues.

It even appears that it is implicitly an even stronger driver than the respondents themselves estimate. When we cross the answers regarding the likelihood of staying at their job with their assessment of the quality of communication, we see the following:

• Of the employees who rate the communication as “Excellent,” 76% say they are “very likely” to stay with their company, and 14% are “somewhat likely.”
• Of the employees who rate the communication as “Poor,” only 20% say they are “very likely” to stay with their company, and 13% are “somewhat likely.”

Corporate internal communication doesn’t just influence turnover. More than 60% of employees say it has some or a great impact on:

• Their overall productivity at work (63%)
• Their motivation to do their best work (67%)
• Their understanding of the company’s vision and mission (65%)

The loneliness epidemic

The loneliness epidemic describes a global trend, beginning in the 2010s, of more people experiencing feelings of isolation. We wanted to understand how often employees feel lonely at work — and whether they believe their workplace fosters meaningful social connections. 

The results show that 10% of employees feel lonely at work either always (2%) or often (8%) — with another 23% who say they sometimes feel lonely. In other areas of our survey, such as communication quality, non-desk workers often report greater disadvantages. Interestingly, when it comes to loneliness in the workplace, the results are fairly similar for desk-based and non-desk employees. In fact, the numbers look better for non-desk workers: 43% say they never feel lonely at work, compared to just 32% of their desk-based colleagues.

These numbers highlight the urgent need for companies to foster more meaningful connections at work. According to our research, only 20% of employees feel their employer does a very good job in this area — and 24% say “not really” or “not at all.”

And communication is key here. Employees who rate the quality of internal comms as “excellent” or “very good” are less lonely at work than those who rate the quality of internal comms to be “only fair” or “poor.”

Change communication

Level of information and awareness

Do employees feel informed about change initiatives? Are they satisfied with the clarity of communication? And what channels do they find most effective?

The charts above illustrate the dilemma of change communication: 23% of employees feel well-informed and 35% “somewhat” well-informed about the reasons behind recent company changes. On the other hand, 39% feel “not really” or “not at all” informed. Comparing the numbers for different workplace descriptions, we see that the numbers for non-desk employees are worse (45% “not really” or “not at all” informed) than those of desk-based employees (36%). 

And as we can see in the following chart, there are some regional differences as well. While Australia (55%), the UK (51%), and the US (52%) share similar ratings, numbers for DACH are higher — with 65% of employees who feel well-informed about changes.

Being well-informed about change doesn’t just affect how people understand the change itself — it also connects to overall job satisfaction and trust. Our study implies a strong connection: 88% of employees who feel very well informed about changes are very or somewhat happy with their job — compared to only 36% who say they’re “not at all” informed.

This connection extends to internal sources of information as well. The better informed employees are, the more they tend to trust their supervisors, the intranet, the employee app, and other internal channels.

This could help explain why many employees feel poorly informed about organizational changes: 27% report being (very) dissatisfied with how clearly those changes are communicated.

Most effective channels for change communication

One in four employees (24%) reports almost always or often feeling excluded from the communication around important organizational changes. With a set of strong internal channels in place, companies could reduce the risk of disengagement across their workforce. 

So, which channels do employees find most effective for change-related communication in their company?

The results closely mirror those for trust in information sources. Once again, immediate supervisors, email or memos from management, and the company intranet make up the top three channels. 

It’s important to remember that not every company offers all of the internal communication channels on the list — except for management, supervisors, and coworkers. So let’s take a closer look.

Take employee apps, for example: 56% of those who name an employee app as one of their main sources of information also say that this is the most effective channel for change communication. 

This group also finds it easier to find change-related information: 52% of employee app users find it somewhat or very easy — compared to 43% for those without an app as their main source of information.

Employee feedback

Many companies include phrases like “We value the opinions of our employees” or “The voice of our staff matters” in their corporate values.

But how do employees actually feel about that? We asked: “Do you feel employee feedback is considered during change management processes?” 

The answers are fairly evenly split across “Yes” and “Somewhat” on the one hand and “Rarely” and “No” on the other. 

What stands out most is the workplace comparison:

• Desk-based employees
  • Yes: 19%
  • Somewhat, but not consistently: 33%
  • Rarely, it is only considered occasionally: 27%
  • No, it is never considered: 18%
• Non-desk employees
  • Yes: 12%
  • Somewhat, but not consistently: 26%
  • Rarely, it is only considered occasionally: 26%
  • No, it is never considered: 28%

Crisis communication

Quality of crisis communication

Crises can take many forms — from natural disasters to financial instability to data breaches or other disruptions to business operations. Regardless of the cause, they pose real challenges  for management, employees, and communications teams.

Still, the responses we see lean much more positive than negative. 52% rate their organization’s crisis communication as “excellent” or “good” — and only 16% rate it as “poor” or “very poor.” 

We can also see significant differences between industries when it comes to the overall rating of crisis comms. A few examples:

• Educational Services:
  • 54% “Excellent/Good”
  • 16% “Very poor/Poor”
• Healthcare and Social Assistance:
  • 51% “Excellent/Good”
  • 15% “Very poor/Poor”
• Logistics, Transportation, Warehousing:
  • 44% “Excellent/Good”
  • 25% “Very poor/Poor”
• Manufacturing:
  • 47% “Excellent/Good”
  • 15% “Very poor/Poor”
• Finance and Insurance:
  • 73% “Excellent/Good”
  • 8% “Very poor/Poor”
• Information:
  • 69% “Excellent/Good”
  • 8% “Very poor/Poor”

For non-desk workers in logistics, we see alarming results: 34% rate the crisis comms quality as “poor” or “very poor” and only 30% rate the quality as “good” or “excellent.”

The best crisis comms channels

Employees who identified one of the following channels as their main sources of crisis comms reported significantly higher satisfaction than the average of 52% who rated it “excellent” or “good”:

• Digital screens: 72%
• Company newsletters: 70%
• Employee app: 68%
• Company intranet: 65%

The data is clear: Modern internal communications technology can help improve crisis communication. Yet only 12% of employees currently receive updates via employee app, placing it 7th among all communication channels. Here’s how each channel ranks:

1. Email or memos from management: 47%
2. My immediate supervisor: 44%
3. Company intranet: 28%
4. Co-workers: 23%
5. Workplace collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams): 15%
6. The internet: 13%
7. Employee app: 12%
8. Company newsletters: 12%
9. SMS: 10%
10. Message boards or bulletin boards: 9%
11. Television or radio: 8%
12. Social media (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn): 8%
13. Newspapers: 5%
14. Digital screens: 3%
15. Don’t know/No answer: 9%

SMS adoption stands out: While 17% of employees in Australia receive crisis communications via SMS, usage in other countries is lower — but still notable. In the US, 15% of respondents said they use SMS, followed by Austria at 13%, Switzerland and the UK at 9%, and only 3% in Germany.

Younger employees also rely more on social media during a crisis. Among those aged 18 to 34, 15% reported using social media for updates. That number is notably higher than the overall average of 8%. 

We also asked participants about the frequency of crisis updates, where gaps exist, and whether they feel supported during a crisis.

• Frequency is rated quite well: 51% say “Just the right frequency.”
• 36% have sometimes, frequently, or always experienced communication gaps during past crises.
• One in two (49%) feel very or somewhat supported by their organization during a crisis. This number is lower for non-desk workers (38%) and significantly higher for those who receive crisis comms via digital screens (71%), company newsletters (67%), or employee apps (63%).

Nine percent of all participants couldn’t answer or didn’t know how they typically receive updates during a crisis. And only 12% from this group feel very or somewhat supported by their organization. 

This tells us two things:

1. Implementing a multi-channel approach will improve employees’ crisis comms experience.
2. Organizations need to improve how they inform staff about where to find crisis updates.

Leadership communication

Communication skills

Previous sections highlighted that immediate supervisors and management updates are key means of communication. But what about the quality? We asked:

“How would you rate your manager’s communication skills overall?” and ”How well does your manager keep your team informed about updates from leadership?”

As the chart above shows, managers and immediate supervisors are rated positively across all regions surveyed. Managers in the following countries received the highest scores:

• United States: 30% “excellent” and 36% “good”
• Austria: 30% “excellent” and 34% “good” 
• Australia: 23% “excellent” and 43% “good”

German managers received the lowest scores with only 16% “excellent” and 39% “good.”

But we also notice a workplace gap here: Non-desk employees feel less well informed by their managers (48% “Well” or “Very well”) than their desk-based colleagues (65%). Considering the numbers for our American manufacturing employees Paul and Sarah, we see how this gap can become a severe threat to a united, aligned workforce in a specific industry or company:

Clarity about vision and strategy

Every organization wants their employees to understand the bigger picture — the company’s vision and strategy. But communicating that effectively remains one of the biggest challenges of internal communicators and leadership teams. Clear messaging is essential to making that vision resonate. 

We’ve asked 3574 employees across all regions: “How clear is leadership communication about organizational vision and strategy?” Here are the results:

• Very clear, the vision and strategy are easy to understand: 20%
• Somewhat clear, there are minor ambiguities: 36%
• Neutral, neither clear nor unclear: 21%
• Somewhat unclear, the vision and strategy are difficult to follow: 12%
• Very unclear, the vision and strategy are not communicated effectively: 7%

Even if we see a good number of positive responses, there are connections to other areas of this study that deserve our attention.

First, we see a strong connection between clear leadership communication and overall job satisfaction: Among employees who say leadership communication about the organization’s vision and strategy is “very clear,” 89% report being very or somewhat happy in their jobs. That’s significantly higher than the overall average of 67% — and dramatically higher than the 25% of employees who say communication is “very unclear” and still report being happy at work.

Second, clarity seems to be a strong indicator for the overall quality of internal communications: 78% of those who say “the vision and strategy are easy to understand” rate the overall quality of internal communication as “excellent” or “very good.” In contrast, only 3% of those who feel the vision and strategy are not communicated effectively give such high ratings.

Considering the central role of senior leadership in conveying corporate values, vision, and strategy, it’s all the more concerning that 12% of non-desk employees say they never receive communication from senior leadership. In the UK this number is even higher with 21%.

On the contrary, employees who receive communication from senior leadership weekly or more are nearly twice as happy (77%) with their job or position as those who never receive any communication from senior leadership (41%). Yes, there is always a risk of information overload, and communicators should always be mindful of the frequency of internal communication. But the survey results make it clear: it’s better for senior leaders to communicate regularly than to stay silent.

When it comes to the themes and messages of leadership communications, companies should be especially mindful of employee concerns. One in four employees (26%) respond to the question “How well do leadership communications address employee concerns?” with either “Poorly, concerns are rarely addressed” or “Not at all, concerns are ignored.” For non-desk employees, this number is significantly higher than the total sample: 34%.

Takeaways for comms professionals and leaders

by David Maffei, SVP & General Manager, North America, Staffbase

Communicate more than less. But measure impact, not just output

Don’t just communicate more; measure the impact of your communication. Clicks and views are not enough. Utilize metrics such as employee satisfaction, behavioral changes, and the influence on key business objectives to demonstrate the ROI of your communication efforts.

Improve leadership clarity to cut through the noise, especially during change

Employees are overwhelmed by information overload, but this can be combated by creating a clear and unified communication strategy. Encourage leaders to communicate early, clearly, and consistently during times of organizational change. Delivering the right content to the right employee is crucial for capturing attention and preventing burnout. 

Train and empower immediate supervisors as communication champions

Equip supervisors with communication training, talking points, and toolkits for key announcements or changes. Ensure they understand their role in building trust and maintaining open lines of communication.

Combat workplace loneliness through connection-driven communication

Go beyond superficial wellness programs by creating a communication culture that supports and involves employees. Equip managers with the tools to lead their teams effectively, and ensure that all employees, especially non-desk workers, feel valued and heard. This is essential for combating burnout and building an engaged workforce. Loneliness is a growing issue tied to poor internal communication, but meaningful connections can reduce isolation and increase employee well-being.

Prioritize non-desk employees in your communication strategy

Pay special attention to non-desk employees, as this target group is often underserved with information. Audit your current internal communication channels and assess whether non-desk employees are being reached effectively and regularly. Invest in mobile-friendly platforms like employee apps and create content tailored for frontline workers’ needs and schedules.

Reimagine your crisis communication

Evaluate all channels you have been using for crisis communication. Ask different target groups among your workforce which channels they find most effective. Our data shows that a mix of modern tools — like digital signage, employee apps, newsletters, and intranets — is well-perceived by employees in order to improve their experience. These tools enable you to deliver targeted messages, increase reach, and gather valuable data on the impact of your communication. This data is crucial for measuring success and continuously optimizing your strategy.

Study design

For the 2025 International Employee Communication Impact Study, we’ve collected 3574 responses from employees in Australia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The survey is based on online interviews with members of the YouGov Panel and was conducted between February 12 and 21, 2025. 

Responses by country:

• Australia: 518
• Austria: 216
• Germany: 1067
• Switzerland: 200
• United Kingdom: 529
• United States: 1044

It includes responses from a wide range of industries, with a special focus on:

• Educational services
• Healthcare and social assistance 
• Logistics, transportation, and warehousing 
• Manufacturing
• Public administration
• Retail trade

Participants represent all age groups. 82% work full time and 18% part-time. Most participants work for an organization with more than 1000 employees; one in four (27%) works for a company with more than 50,000 employees. 

Looking at how people work, 51% of the respondents work exclusively or mainly on their computer (“desk-based employees”), 26% work “mostly without” or “not at all” with a computer (“non-desk workers”), and 23% work equally on and off a computer. 

Imprint

A study by Staffbase and YouGov.

Editors: Philipp Scherber, Robert Grover

Design: Kseniia Loos, Alyson von Massow, Janet Levrel

Publisher:
Staffbase SE
Annaberger Straße 73
09111 Chemnitz
Germany

Research:
YouGov Deutschland GmbH
Tunisstraße 19–23
50667 Köln
Germany

Press contact:
Melanie Bochmann
Senior Director of Communications
Email: melanie.bochmann@staffbase.com

Andrea Holland
Communications, North America
Email: andrea.holland@staffbase.com

1. Note: Paul and Sarah serve as examples of the potentially significant divides between deskbased and non-desk employees within a company or industry. These are relatively small sample sizes which – unlike the other data in this study – are not representative: n Paul, i.e., US, manufacturing, non-desk = 29, n Sarah, i.e., US, manufacturing, desk-based = 60. ↩︎