According to Gallagher’s Employee Communications Report 2025, change fatigue is one of five major barriers to success that HR and communication leaders face.
According to the report which surveyed more than 2,000 professionals in 55 countries, 44 percent of HR managers see change fatigue as one of their biggest challenges for 2025.
According to the NeuroLeadership institute, change fatigue can be “the feeling of frustration, apathy, and resistance among employees who are subjected to frequent and ongoing changes to organisational structures and process”.
It is the first ranking to include change fatigue, which comes in at number two. This may be due to a lack in direction from senior leaders, as 39 percent of respondents identified.
William F. Ziebell is the CEO of Gallagher Benefits & HR Consulting Division. He says that organisations face external pressures which require flexible and agile communications strategies.
Communication and HR leaders are in agreement that change management will be a crucial skill for 2025. Ziebell said that it’s crucial for the C-Suite to set clear directions for the communications teams in order to guide the organization through difficult situations.
Priorities and challenges for HR
HR professionals focus on initiatives to enhance employee engagement. 67 percent of them prioritise efforts to connect team members to the company’s purpose, strategy, and values. The focus is also on improving manager communication (53%) and leadership visibility (47%), highlighting a growing need for transparency from senior leaders.
These priorities face challenges. The most significant barriers to success are low capacity (49%), fatigue from change (44%) and ineffective communication by managers (41%).
The report also highlights a change in attitudes of corporations towards budgets for internal communication. Prior to this year, HR leaders often cited financial constraints as a major obstacle. Budget constraints were not among the top barriers this year and only 12 percent of respondents said that securing more resources was a high priority.
Ziebell said that communications and HR professionals struggle to secure more funding every year. It’s encouraging to see organizations recognize the important role that HR and communications leaders play. However, leaders of companies must make sure that they are both equipped with messages that address fatigue from change and capacity issues.
Carrying the Brunt
The report also looked at the well-being of communication and HR professionals. In 2024 the overall wellbeing stabilized, with only 33 percent of respondents reporting that they had a decline. This is down from 38 percent in the previous year. Staff shortages, tight deadlines and limited budgets were all contributing factors. Other factors included uncertainty and constant change (26%) as well as poor management (23%).
Ziebell said, “In times when organizations are undergoing rapid change, the HR and internal communications departments bear the brunt and the concerns of the workforce.”
The report also found that having a better job or role (23%), getting a new position or role (21%), and receiving strong management support (19%) all had positive impacts on wellbeing.
