Why People Managers Matter Most in Change Communications

Change is hard. Nobody likes to change. Change is inevitable. The only constant is change.

We’ve all heard these cliches …and the thing about cliches is that they’re grounded in truth. While change is a given, effectively communicating change and maintaining positive employee engagement is paramount to successful transformation. But what is the best approach to communicating change? The short answer: clarity + credibility + repetition + relevance. But the real key is making change feel understood, believable, and actionable for each individual employee. How do you do that?

People Managers.

According to Padilla’s latest C-suite Perspectives Study™, leaders are operating in a constant state of disruption, where “uncertainty has become the norm.” This directly supports the idea that change communication must clearly explain why change is happening.

While there’s no magic solution to communicating change, organizations frequently rely on people managers as primary communication channels, and the data largely supports both the effectiveness and the risks of this approach.

On the positive side, managers are often the most trusted and influential source of information for employees.  According to Gallup’s 2025 Workplace Report, only about one in three employees strongly trust senior leadership, but, trust in direct managers is consistently higher due to proximity and day-to-day interaction. This matters because trust drives receptivity: employees are more likely to believe and act on information delivered by someone they know. In practice, this reliance is already widespread. According to a recent study by Sci-Tech Today on Communication In the Workplace, 84% of employees report depending on their manager for communication at some point, and 81% of organizations use manager-led meetings as a primary communication method. These figures suggest that, intentionally or not, managers already function as a central communication channel.  

But they need to function with intention.  

Managers also play a critical role in translating strategy into action. Company-wide communications content is often high-level, and employees want to understand what the changes mean for their specific roles. Managers bridge this gap by contextualizing messages, which is essential given that, according to the Sci-Tech Today study, well-informed employees are up to 77% more productive, and 85% say regular updates improve their motivation. Considering that employees spend so much of their work week communicating, the ability to interpret and personalize information is just as important as delivering it.

The impact of managers extends beyond communication into measurable business outcomes. Gallup’s 2025 Workplace Report also shows managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement, making them one of the most influential factors in performance. Higher engagement is linked to 23% greater profitability, 51% lower turnover, and 68% higher well-being. Conversely, poor communication has significant costs, and companies lose billions annually due to miscommunication. This underscores that manager-led communication is not just a cultural preference but a business imperative.

However, there are important limitations. One of the biggest challenges is inconsistency. Not all managers are equally skilled communicators, and not all have formal management training. As a result, messages can vary widely across teams, leading to confusion or misalignment. Managers may unintentionally filter or distort information based on their own understanding or comfort level, particularly when communicating difficult topics. Managers are also often asked to communicate decisions when they've had little to no input or involvement. And sometimes they may not even agree with the messaging.

Manager capacity is another concern. Managers today oversee three times as many direct reports as they did in 2017, while also juggling coaching, performance management, and administrative responsibilities. At the same time, manager engagement has declined, which can further reduce their effectiveness as communicators. When managers are overloaded or disengaged, the quality of communication often suffers.

As a result, many organizations are adopting a hybrid model. Leaders communicate directly to ensure consistency and transparency, while managers reinforce and personalize messages within their teams. People managers are a high-impact but high-variance channel – one that delivers strong results when supported but creates risk when left unevenly developed.

Bottom line

People managers are one of your most important channels for change communications. The key to communicating change isn’t just delivering information. It’s about driving understanding and belief, which leads to engagement. That happens when managers are equipped and motivated to deliver the right message at the right time in the right way, and when:

• The “why” is clear.

• The impact is personal.

• The messengers are trusted.

• The message is repeated, especially since managers interact with employees more often than senior leaders and are therefore in the best position to reinforce.

• And people feel heard, not managed.

Engagement transforms change from something that “happens to employees” into something they help shape. When people see the purpose, understand their role, and feel heard, they can shift from resisting change to championing it.