A disengaged workforce spells trouble for a company of any size. To combat this, effective leadership plays a distinct role in getting employees on board with an organisation’s vision and nurturing high levels of employee engagement. However, according to London-based internal communications agency, Gatehouse, the biggest challenge facing internal communicators, and wider organisation success, is poor line manager communication skills.

In its ninth iteration, the State of the Sector 2017 report, offers insight into current trends shaping the IC and employee engagement landscape. According to its research, 52% of respondents cited poor line manager communication as the largest obstacle to success, however this sees a slight decrease from 2016 (59%). This was closely followed by 49% naming outdated technology infrastructure as an impediment to meeting organizational goals.

Of internal communication practitioners, 94% say line managers are visible to their teams, yet their communication abilities are lacking, with only a quarter reporting that they consider them good communicators. In the same vein, only a third of line managers hold meetings once a week, indicating that there is progress to be made in cultivating double-sided dialogue, and creating an employee culture that leads to optimal performance.   

Despite the concerns of inefficient leadership, only 37% of internal communication practitioners reported they would be prioritizing it over the next 12 months. Unsurprisingly, 69% said that communicating organisational strategy, values and purpose would take precedence, as internal communicators begin to focus on the more strategic aspects of the profession. While most internal communicators have developed dedicated channels and tactics specifically targeting management, Gatehouse thinks there is still more work to be done to effectively tackle the issue.