The global economy is estimated to be losing $10 trillion a year1. This loss isn’t from market volatility, supply chain disruptions, or geopolitical instability. It comes from employees who have quietly become disengaged from their work.
This figure reframes employee engagement from an internal comms and HR concern into one of the most significant challenges facing businesses. Internal communicators know that employees are one of an organization’s most critical stakeholders. Yet, all too often, internal communications are viewed as a message-delivery mechanism rather than a strategic driver.
According to Cerys Thompson, Managing Director at CT Communications, 2026 needs to be the year this changes. Successful organizations will pivot their internal communications from message delivery into the primary driver of clarity, connection, and business strategy between leadership and employees.
Bridging the Capacity Gap
For internal communications teams to build trust and connection with their audience, capacity is key. Unfortunately, as organizations grow, internal communication capacity drops. According to the Gallagher State of the Sector survey, as workforces grow past 500 employees, internal communication capacity drops by 72 per cent.
“This leads to burnout, less segmentation and effectiveness, and potential for trust erosion,” said Chris Lee, Vice President, Communication Consulting Practice, at Gallagher.
In these situations, where small internal communications teams are struggling to support their organizations, advocating for a more strategic role that will build trust and reverse the decline in engagement is a daunting task.
“When communicators are involved earlier, they can help leaders anticipate reactions, address concerns and design communication that truly supports people and guides them toward a successful business outcome,” said Thompson.
Instead of just defending budgets, internal communications leaders need a seat at the table where the decisions are made.
Empowering Communicators to Succeed
While senior communicators are focused on strategy, managers across the organization need to be supported to change internal communication and engagement from transactional to transformational.
“It’s worth noting the key role that people managers play in creating great employee experiences,” said Lee.
According to Lee, communications teams in 2026 will need to support and collaborate with these managers to develop communications strategies and tactics that grow communication from long-form e-mails to channels that can “appeal to the human behind the employee.”
It is this human connection, and not new tools, that is the future of internal communications. In this environment, communicators who will thrive are those that can bring the focus back to the core purpose of internal communications: helping people connect and share meaningful stories that motivate them to move forward together.
“Employees, customers and communities are looking for something more human – clear communication, genuine storytelling and leaders who communicate with authenticity rather than simply pushing out updates,” said Thompson.
To reverse the $10 trillion loss to the global economy, communicators need their seat at the table and the freedom to implement authentic strategies that connect leadership priorities to the people making up the workforces charged to implement them.
Sources:
- https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx?utm_source=state_of_the_global_workplace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sogw_report_launch_april_1a_04082026&utm_term=information&utm_content=download_report_cta_1
- https://www.ajg.com/employeeexperience/state-of-the-sector/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=+GBS_2026_Global_EC_State-of-the-Sector-Employee-Communications-Report-Search-CSEM&utm_term=AG-5-Sector-Report-S-CSEM&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23626244596&gbraid=0AAAAA9oomBVDH8fBSHYgh7lwajnySTzEm&gclid=CjwKCAjw5NvPBhAoEiwA_2egfs987yN4JFhGDmqTBXIt-PSRmCC6CXJ-1CXXYRQKa6P0ZrQ9tENbEhoC_u4QAvD_BwE
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AI was used to summarize primary interviews and other original source materials used by the human author as well as ideation and proofing before final publication review.
