Internal comms teams have always faced a big challenge: how do you keep frontline teams informed, involved, and confident in what they’re doing? The latest IC Index 2025, a survey of nearly 5,000 UK workers, shines a light on just how wide the communication gap still is. And it matters. The data points to serious disconnects between senior leaders and the people who work closest to customers.
Let’s look at the key stats from the IC Index 2025, focusing on operational comms and the frontline.
Organisations need better-prepared managers and more inclusive channels to make sure everyone, especially those without regular digital access, feels informed, involved, and heard.
Leaders need to listen more to their frontline
The clearest message from the IC Index is that people want to feel understood by their leaders. But for many, that’s not the case. Just over half of UK employees think their leaders really get the challenges they face. That drops to fewer than four in ten among non-managerial staff.
These are the people who deal with customers, solve on-the-spot problems, and keep everything moving. But they’re the ones least likely to feel understood by those at the top. And that gap matters. When people believe their CEO communicates with empathy, they’re much more likely to trust them.
So why is that gap so big? There’s a perception divide. Around three in five managers think senior leaders understand employees’ challenges. But a similar number of non-managers disagree. Leaders might think they’re in touch, but people on the frontline feel otherwise.
That means we need more than just more communication. We need better communication. Leaders should step out of the corporate bubble and into more genuine, two-way conversations. It’s not about broadcasting updates from a distance. It’s about creating space for real dialogue.
If you work in operational communications, the takeaway is clear: coach leaders to listen well and show they care. Simple things like listening sessions or informal visits can make a big difference. The data shows that when leaders take part in more personal activities, like open Q&As or joining staff platforms, people feel more able to speak up.
If you want frontline teams to trust leadership and feel confident in their roles, start with something simple. Help leaders understand what the frontline really needs.
Big organisations face a frontline communication gap
It’s not just roles that influence communication quality. The size of the organisation plays a major part too. The IC Index finds that the bigger the company, the wider the communication gap for frontline employees. In organisations with more than 10,000 people, only about four in ten employees agree that leaders understand the challenges they face. By contrast, in mid-sized organisations with 500 to 999 employees, roughly seven in ten say their leaders understand them. That’s a dramatic drop in perceived leadership empathy.
Larger workplaces naturally make it harder for leaders to be visible and in tune with staff on the ground. Layers of hierarchy, geographic spread, and sheer scale can leave frontline people feeling like leadership is distant. As the report notes, leaders in large firms can seem more removed from day-to-day experiences and struggle to cut through the noise of the big machine.
A similar pattern shows up in how change is communicated. Seventy-one percent of employees in smaller organisations feel that difficult changes are communicated with care, compared to just 45 percent in the largest ones. In a big company, a major change such as a restructuring or new policy may be announced via impersonal memos or passed through multiple layers, losing the human touch. The data shows many frontline workers in large organisations experience change communication as cold or formal. This has real consequences. Among employees who feel changes are handled with empathy, 83 percent say they feel valued by their organisation. That drops to just 32 percent among those who don’t.
In short, a lack of empathy in communication directly affects whether people feel valued or disconnected.
Why do these gaps loom so large in big organisations? Often it’s the frontline, deskless employees who fall through the cracks. The IC Index identifies a group labelled “deeply disconnected,” making up around 26 percent of UK employees. These workers rarely hear from their CEO or senior leaders and have overwhelmingly negative views of leadership communication. They are also the most likely to be in roles where they don’t have regular access to a computer.
In other words, many are frontline operatives, store and warehouse staff, and field service workers. These are people who don’t sit at a desk with Outlook and Teams open all day.
Another 13 percent of employees fall into the “seeking more” group. These are often people in large organisations and non-managerial roles. They want to be informed. They are the most likely to say they’ve completed a feedback survey recently. But they depend on internal comms channels or word of mouth for news and hear far less from senior leaders directly. They too are more likely to work away from a computer or company device.
Together, these segments suggest that roughly four in ten employees in the UK may be on the edges of their organisation’s internal communications. They are disproportionately frontline and deskless staff in large organisations. They’re not unreachable, but reaching them takes more effort and a shift in mindset.
The old question from the IC Index report still rings true: “What about employees who don’t have work computers or phones? How do we tell them everything we need them to know?”
For large employers especially, answering that question is now urgent. It means using channels beyond email and intranet, tailoring messages to cut through the noise, and making leaders more visible and approachable to the people on the ground.
Managers are the linchpin
Amid these challenges, one fact stands out: a well-equipped line manager can transform frontline communication. Direct managers are consistently one of the most trusted and relied upon sources of information for employees. A good manager can turn corporate messages into local action, spot confusion or concern early, and pass questions or insights back to leadership. In this way, managers become the crucial link between the C-suite and the frontline. But if that link is weak, the whole system suffers.
The IC Index shows that many managers may be overestimating how effective they are when it comes to communication. While 90% of managers believe they have the right communication skills, and 77% feel supported with information, that confidence doesn’t always match frontline experience. There’s a gap between perception and reality. Managers and their teams often see the communication climate very differently. For example, managers are 25 percentage points more likely than non-managers to believe senior leaders understand employees’ challenges. That means managers might think their messages are landing, while staff feel unheard.
Part of this disconnect comes down to how communication is defined. Managers often think of it as sharing updates or setting direction. But employees value something else: listening and responding. Just 15% of managers see “acting on feedback” as one of their top responsibilities. Yet 23% of employees say that’s exactly what they want most from their manager. That’s a big gap. What frontline staff are really saying is: “I want my manager to hear me and do something with what I say.” If that’s not happening, it’s not just a missed opportunity. It’s a failure of trust.
The good news is this gap can be closed. It’s a training and mindset challenge. Managers, especially those new to the role, need to know that communication isn’t just about updates. It’s about closing the loop. Listening well, responding thoughtfully, and following up. That’s what builds connection.
This is where internal comms teams can really make a difference. We’re in a unique position to support managers and help them grow. That means giving them more than just talking points. We need to offer them the “how,” not just the “what.”
Think practical tools like briefing packs that explain a change and prompt discussion. Peer forums where managers can swap ideas and advice. Training on listening and building feedback loops. Even quick reference guides or templates can help.
The IC Index is clear. When managers feel confident, supported, and well resourced, everyone benefits. But if they don’t, they’ll default to pushing messages out and moving on. In 2025 and beyond, supporting managers to become better communicators is no longer optional. It’s essential.
Reaching everyone with practical, inclusive communication
What steps can organisations take, starting today, to close these gaps? The 2025 IC Index ultimately reinforces a few practical priorities for internal comms and operational leaders committed to reaching all employees:
- Make leadership communications more human and two way: Create opportunities for frontline staff to hear from and speak to senior leaders. Whether through town halls, site visits, or interactive video Q&As, encourage leaders to listen and show empathy. When employees see that leaders understand their day-to-day reality, engagement soars. Remember that only 40% of employees in the largest firms feel understood by leaders, so humanising those leadership messages is critical.
- Use the right channels for non-desk teams: Don’t rely on a cascade of emails or an intranet post to reach a store cashier or a factory technician. Meet frontline folks where they are. This could mean mobile push notifications, digital signage on the shop floor, or an easy-to-use mobile app for company news. The goal is to ensure no one says, “I never heard about that update,” simply because they don’t sit at a computer. This also takes pressure off overstretched managers who might otherwise have to forward every email.
- Empower and educate managers as communicators: Treat communication as a core competency for frontline managers. Provide briefings ahead of major announcements so managers aren’t caught off guard by their teams’ questions. Offer workshops or coaching on listening skills and how to handle feedback. Make it clear that part of a manager’s job is not just hitting targets, but also building understanding and trust in their team. When managers practice open communication, sharing the “why” behind decisions and looping back on employee input, it directly improves engagement. As the IC Index highlights, organisations that both welcome feedback and show how they act on it enjoy very high employee advocacy.
In implementing these steps, having the right tools can make a big difference. Modern internal communications platforms are evolving to address exactly this frontline gap. For instance, Ocasta’s internal comms hub is a practical solution for operational communication. It delivers targeted updates straight to frontline employees’ mobile devices and provides an easy way for managers to distribute information and gather feedback. With such a hub, a head office communicator can send a critical update to every store or site instantly, while also sending managers a “heads-up” briefing with FAQs to help them discuss the update with their teams. The result is a more consistent, inclusive flow of information. Headquarters can reach all staff directly, and managers are supported rather than bypassed. It’s the kind of approach that can help keep communication real in unreal times, to quote the IC Index introduction.
The IC Index 2025 data delivers a clear mandate for internal comms and operational leaders. We need to double down on care, connection and listening in our communication strategies. That means getting the technology and tactics in place to reach every last employee, from the corporate office to the shop floor, and building the skills in our leaders and managers to truly engage with empathy. The payoff for these efforts is evident in the numbers: higher trust, stronger engagement, and employees who feel valued and heard. In an era of labour shortages and organisational change, those outcomes aren’t just “nice to have.” They are what will differentiate the organisations where people choose to stay and give their best. The frontline can no longer be an afterthought in internal communication. By focusing on inclusive communication and well-supported managers, we can bridge the gap and ensure no employee is left behind.
