Internal Comms Has a Seat at the Table, but 92% Still Can’t Prove ROI, New Global Report Finds

Internal Comms Has a Seat at the Table, but 92% Still Can’t Prove ROI, New Global Report Finds

Despite executive support and budgets, comms leaders struggle to show impact

• 92% of internal communications professionals say they can’t prove ROI
• 46% say their metrics don’t resonate with leadership
• Just 36% report "very high" employee engagement with internal communications

CORK, Ireland – October 7, 2025 – Despite unprecedented executive support and growing budgets, 92% of internal communications leaders admit they struggle to prove the ROI of their work, according to a new global study from Workvivo by Zoom. The survey of more than 5,200 global internal communications professionals lays bare the difficulty IC faces demonstrating value.

That credibility gap comes at a cost. With 84% of IC professionals reporting they have sufficient budget and 78% saying they’re viewed as strategic by the C-suite, the inability to show ROI risks wasted investment, declining engagement, and loss of influence, just as internal comms gains a seat at the table.

“Internal comms is more visible and better resourced than ever, but most teams still cannot prove their impact,” said Steven Buck, Principal People Scientist at Workvivo. “Executives already believe in its strategic importance, yet the majority of communication professionals cannot show ROI. That disconnect is not sustainable. The only way forward is to link communication directly to key business outcomes like retention, productivity, and trust. When comms leaders do this, they will secure long-term credibility and expand their influence across the business.”

Why Measurement Fails

The report identified three primary barriers to proving impact:

• Metrics that don’t resonate: 46% of IC leaders say their reporting fails to resonate with executives, in part because vanity metrics like opens and clicks fall short of proving real business impact.
• Poor tools and data: One in three lack confidence in their ability to capture the right insights.
• Engagement challenges: Only 36% report “very high” levels of engagement with internal comms.

Hybrid Organizations Pull Ahead

The data also shows that hybrid and frontline organizations outperform desk-based ones in both engagement and ROI perception. Thirty-eight percent of hybrid organizations rate engagement with IC as “very high,” compared to just 22% of desk-based companies. Hybrid teams are also more likely to have sufficient budgets, stronger executive trust, and effective tools, suggesting that organizations investing in frontline and dispersed workers are setting a higher bar for comms impact.

Closing the Gap

The report calls for a reset in how IC professionals prove their value. Recommendations include aligning internal communications metrics directly to business outcomes such as retention, productivity, and trust; combining qualitative insights like employee testimonials with quantitative data; and consolidating fragmented tools into unified platforms that enable real-time measurement.

To review the full findings and learn how organizations can demonstrate the ROI of internal comms, download the Measuring What Matters in Internal Comms report here.

About Workvivo by Zoom

Workvivo is an employee experience platform that simplifies communication and increases engagement by empowering employees to be heard and helping everyone feel included, no matter where they work.

The platform unifies employee communications, engagement, intranet, and measurement features into one modern employee app that captures the heartbeat of the organization and brings its culture to life.

Founded in 2017, Workvivo has seen momentous growth, which led to its acquisition by Zoom in 2023. Workvivo powers the employee experience at companies all over the world across all industries, including Amazon, Motherson, White Castle, Bupa, and Ryanair. For more information, visit www.workvivo.com.

Survey Methodology

The ROI of Internal Comms Report is based on a survey of 5,257 internal communications professionals, conducted by Workvivo by Zoom in partnership with research firm TrendCandy in May 2025. For the purposes of this survey, internal communications professionals are defined as individuals working in as working in Human Resources, Internal Communications, and Employee Communications. Respondents represent organizations across North America, South America, EMEA, and APAC, spanning key industries including Manufacturing, Healthcare, Financial Services, and Food & Beverage, and Retail.