According to a new report from global insurance brokerage and consulting firm Arthur J Gallagher, communications and HR leaders have said that 44% view change fatigue as a key battleground for success in 2025. Gallagher’s 2025 Employee Communications Report drew insights from 2,000 communications and HR leaders across 55 countries, including the UK, between October to November 2024.

“This is the first time that ‘change fatigue’ has featured on this list,” a Gallagher statement said. “Its immediate arrival may be related to another key barrier – a lack of direction from top leaders,” which was cited by 39% of respondents.

The five barriers having the most impact on respondents were lack of time/capacity in their own teams (49%), change fatigue (44%), poor people manager communication (41%), lack of clear direction from the top (39%) and poor leadership communication (38%).

Research for the report found that HR leaders are prioritising initiatives that strengthen engagement within their organisations, with 67% focusing on connecting teams to purpose, strategy and values. Improving manager communication came in second place with 53%, boosting leadership visibility (47%) in third, followed by refreshing internal comms strategy (42%) and finally, enhancing impact measurement (36%).

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