PR and Comms professionals closely monitor the latest trends in industry and brand comms. Their pulse is constantly on the client’s brand image in the market and in the minds of consumers.
That, after all, is what largely turns the wheels of the industry… in earned, paid, owned and shared spaces, how brand comms engages with the markets and culture determines the outcomes.
In this constant rush, a prominent source of input often gets overlooked …easily. The effect of lack of attention here is that, despite the good efforts on constant monitoring, things could still go “the other way”.
The missing piece? Internal communications of the companies.
The effect of lack of attention here is driven by the ‘general understanding’ that internal comms is driven by HR, and it’s a ‘soft skill after all! ‘
“The 2026 State of Internal Communication” study by Axios HQ changes this passive notion.
It reveals Internal Comms not as a supporting function but as a strategic performance factor that could be assessed at the leadership level of decision making.
The study finds that only 1 in 6 employees feel “fully aligned with company goals”. It also finds “communication issues” resulting in ”twice as many missed deadlines compared to the previous year.” With regard to AI use, it has a profound take, deviating from usual pro-AI adoption praises: It cautions that without internal policy and structure, AI use could result in “more noise, which actively damages organizational alignment!”
As an industry, we listen…and listen.
But are we listening right?
