Trust in Turbulence: How Strategic Communications (and AI) Support Your People Through Change

We’re living in a moment when turbulence is the norm. Economic fluctuations, political uncertainty, and technological disruption (especially the rise of AI) are reshaping how people experience work and life. We recently partnered with Remesh to conduct online focus groups and dig deeper into how employees are feeling and what organizations can do to support them. The data paints a clear picture: Employees are anxious, and they’re looking to their employers for stability, clarity, and compassion.

The Mood at Work? Unsettled

Working with Remesh in March 2025, we surveyed 254 employees across various industries and job levels. Here’s what we found:

62% of employees said recent events have caused a stronger sense of anxiety and unease.
This anxiety is more pronounced among frontline managers (72%) and non-management employees (65%).
Only 51% believe their organization is effectively supporting their well-being.
Nearly 1 in 4 employees said their employer is communicating ineffectively.

Despite some encouraging macroeconomic indicators, there are still reasons for concern:

Layoffs have surged. U.S. employers announced 275,240 job cuts in March, a 60% increase from February and the third-highest monthly total on record. Federal government workforce reductions, mostly from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), accounted for the majority of these cuts.
Consumer confidence is waning. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index fell by 7.2 points to 92.9 in March, marking its lowest level since January 2021 and the fourth consecutive monthly decline. The Expectations Index, which gauges future outlook, dropped to 65.2, well below the recession threshold of 80.
Markets are experiencing volatility. In March, the S&P 500 declined by 5.75%, and the Nasdaq fell by 8.2%, reflecting investor concerns over new tariffs and a potential economic slowdown.
Inflation signs are mixed. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased by 0.1% in March, bringing the annual rate down to 2.4%. At the same time, short-term inflation expectations have risen to 3.6%, the highest since October 2023, driven by anticipated increases in food and rent prices.

Although certain data points like the cooling CPI suggest stabilization, employees continue to grapple with the emotional and financial impacts of ongoing disruptions. It’s crucial for leaders to acknowledge these challenges and respond with empathy, transparency, and action.

For you, the question is: How can you support your teams during these uncertain times? And how quickly can you do it?

What Your People Are Asking For

Results from our study made it clear that while people don’t expect perfection, they do expect support. The most-endorsed requests included:

Better communication and transparency
More mental health and well-being resources
Clear acknowledgement of political and social stressors
Supportive leadership and job security
Increased compensation and flexibility

One respondent captured the sentiment well: “If my organization acknowledged what’s happening politically and stood in solidarity with those of us most impacted, I’d feel more secure.” (77% agreement)

Across the board, from hospitals to manufacturing to tech, employees shared similar frustrations. They want more information, more reassurance, and more visible action. Yet only 47% of health care employees and 42% in education felt effectively supported by their organizations.

The Role of Communication and the Opportunity for AI

We believe internal communication is one of the most powerful tools leaders have. Whether you’re communicating about benefits and rewards or policies and processes, how you talk to your people matters. Your communications shape your people’s perceptions, build and maintain trust, and enhance engagement. When communication is done well, it can transform fear into focus. When it’s missing or muddled, the expectation gap feeds disengagement and turnover.

But here’s where things get exciting. AI is opening up new ways to listen, learn, and lead.

You can enhance the human connection at scale by using AI to respond faster and smarter to your people's needs.

Faster feedback loops. Using tools like Remesh and other AI-powered platforms, organizations can gather real-time insights. This enables faster response times, earlier alignment, and a deeper understanding of what’s really going on before issues show up in turnover or disengagement.
Personalized messaging at scale.
AI can help tailor messages by audience quickly, ensuring that frontline employees hear what matters most to them in the most critical moments. It can also help craft messages for senior leaders that are aligned with their roles. Think segmented campaigns, automated nudges, and role-based communication streams.
Insight-driven content strategy. By analyzing large volumes of open-ended responses and behavioral data, AI can present meaningful themes and tone with ease. This frees up HR and internal comms teams to focus on what matters and avoid misalignment.
More consistent manager enablement. AI can support people managers by helping to generate timely, personalized talking points and resources so that managers are prepared to have consistent, confident, human conversations across the organization.

Internal Communications as a Business Driver

We’ve long believed that internal communications is business-critical. This has never been more evident than now. Especially in times of disruption, internal communications is not just about disseminating information; it’s about creating and maintaining a culture of trust, resilience, and connection.

It helps to think of communications holistically. Your people do this naturally. Other than “from work,” they don’t assign categories to the communications they receive from your organization. Knowing this makes it easy to combine strategy, behavioral insights, and creative execution. Whether you’re navigating layoffs, rolling out new AI tools, strengthening your employer brand, or rebuilding trust after disruption, make sure your people feel seen, heard, and supported every step of the way.

Benefits communications are part of the internal communication ecosystem. When we take a step back and look at internal communications as a whole, you have many opportunities to make a bigger impact and better serve your people. Aligning internal communications allows you to:

Develop unified leadership and employee communications strategies.
Craft messaging frameworks that tie together culture, benefits, and business strategy.
Implement digital-first tools and campaigns to reach dispersed or distracted workforces.
Enhance the benefits experience through a shared commitment to elevating internal communications as a strategic, human-centered discipline.

How Reframing the Experience Helps

The vision of providing reassurance to your people isn’t theoretical. In the face of uncertainty, organizations must establish and maintain trust every day. To do this, ensure your internal communications:

Look at the big picture and provide empathetic, strategic messages that acknowledge reality while building hope.
Help leaders and managers communicate more effectively with their teams through playbooks, message maps, and conversation guides.
Are accessible to all through multi-channel, multi-touch campaigns that connect benefits, culture, and business goals.
Integrate AI to gather insights, streamline processes, and personalize employee experiences, where it makes sense.
Tailor messages to audience segment, industry, region, and role because one-size-fits-none.

Whether your workforce is anxious about job security, uncertain about AI, or overwhelmed by the sheer pace of change, you can make a difference when you show up with clarity and confidence.

Lead with Compassion and Action

Employees are telling us exactly what they need. They want to be seen, receive honest, consistent communication, and know that their work matters and their employer has their backs.

We’re proud to work with organizations that value their people. If you want to learn more, we’d love to talk.