The successful running of any organisation relies on effective and efficient line manager communication. In autumn 2021, CIPR Inside conducted a deep dive into line manager communication to find out: • Who supports line manager communication and how important it’s considered to be • What line managers need in order to communicate effectively • If effective communication is considered an important leadership skill and business enabler, and whether it is supported as such

1. Effective line manager
communications:
a CIPR Inside study
September 2022 Report

2. Contents
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CIPR Inside Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study
Executive summary
3
Foreword
5
Findings
6
Tips
16
Application
18
Action plan
21

3. Executive
summary
The successful running of any organisation relies on effective and
efficient line manager communication. In autumn 2021, CIPR Inside
conducted a deep dive into line manager communication to find out:
•
Who supports line manager communication and how important
it’s considered to be
•
What line managers need in order to communicate effectively
•
If effective communication is considered an important leadership
skill and business enabler, and whether it is supported as such
Our online survey was completed by 81 internal communications
(IC)professionals, 16 line managers and 13 Human Resources (HR)
professionals. We also carried out one-to-one interviews with eight
line managers to gain a more meaningful understanding.
The research painted a clear picture of the IC and HR approach to
enabling and supporting line manager communications, as well as
the extent to which these skills are valued within organisations.
We hope that the data in this report will spark discussion within and
beyond the IC community to increase organisational engagement
and ultimately improve line manager communications.
CIPR Inside
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Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study

4. Findings
Tone at the top
Support and commitment from the most senior levels are
required to enable effective line manager communications
Match Expectations with Support
As communicators and HR professionals, we have high
expectations of line managers, yet the support they receive is
often inadequate
Engage deeper
Our actions impact how well line managers can do their jobs,
but our approach is often less than engaging
In this report we present a summary of the key findings
with supportive data and we include direct quotes from our
interviewees along with some specific tips that emerged from the
data. We know that IC teams can make improvements when we
pause and reflect, so we added some reflection questions to help
you to think more deeply about the line manager communications
in your organisation.
Thank you from
The CIPR Inside Research Team
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Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study
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5. Foreword
Line managers are often highly trusted by their teams
and their ability to reach and engage with employees is
one of the most effective. During the many lockdowns
due to COVID-19, line managers played a vital role in
connecting and communicating with colleagues who
might otherwise have felt detached and isolated from
the rest of the team.
But are we doing everything we can do to support them?
This isn’t the first time researchers have surveyed our
communication community with the aim of improving the
effectiveness of line manager communication. For a while
now, it has been the nut we can’t seem to crack.
I believe that this research seeks to go further by asking
line managers themselves what they think – and what
support they need to do their job more efficiently and
effectively.
We like to give practical help to our members so this
report shares our findings, together with questions to
help you reflect on line manager communications in your
organisation, and practical tips you can put into practice
right now.
We hope you find it helpful and practical.
Dan Holden, Chair of CIPR Inside
CIPR Inside
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Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study

6. Findings
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Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study
CIPR Inside

7. It starts at the top
The role of senior leadership
in internal communication is
vital. Management sets the
tone, drives priorities and
has the strongest influence
across all levels of the
organisation.
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8. Yet leadership and communication skills rarely
carry the same weight, and both accountability
and clear measures of success are scarce.
Communication skills aren’t universally regarded
as a business enabler – and our findings indicate
that HR professionals have a more positive view
of communication as a business enabler than
IC professionals do.
Ultimately, the importance placed on communication skills training
doesn’t reflect its value as a leadership skill. Despite 73% of
respondents reporting that communication is valued as a leadership
skill, just 15% said training was mandatory for line managers, while
51% said it was voluntary.
We expect our line managers to deliver important messages,
engage with their teams and unite employees behind organisational
change, yet they are set up to fail if we do not prepare them to
be great communicators.
What appears to be
important to senior leaders
gets done. Behaviour matters
and communicative leaders
breed better line manager
communication.
Research participant
We rely on [the] channels we have control
over – intranet and email – even when we
know they’re not as valued or impactful as 1:1
communications would be because we know
our line managers are busy, overwhelmed,
possibly even underskilled…
Research participant
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9. Line managers need support and clarity
from their own managers and senior
leadership team – from onboarding,
training coaching to simply being heard.
Leaders of line managers
need to set the expectation
and accountability.
I think we lack middle
manager support.
Research participant
Support Leaders
of Line Managers
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CIPR Inside Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study

10. Our findings indicate that HR
professionals consider line
manager communication to be
a high priority, while internal
communications (IC) managers
ranked it as moderate priority.
Expectations are high,
yet priority is moderate
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11. One in five respondents said HR and internal communications
don’t collaborate:
We need more connection with HR and LD
in particular .
Research participant
While IC, HR and learning and development (LD) have historically
worked independently, respondents identified a need to work
more closely:
IC needs to be part of LD strategy and HR
strategy, as well as overall corporate strategy .
Research participant
Our research found that 56% of IC professionals don’t have access
to data – such as demographic information – that could inform their
communications approach. Greater collaboration between teams
could help to address this gap.
HR and IC professionals broadly agreed on the communication
tasks they expect their line managers to carry out:
• Forward updates and cascades (94%)
• Reinforce organisational values and behaviours (93%)
• Initiate conversations in their teams (90%)
• Listen to employees (90%)
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12. Prioritise and Collaborate
Line managers are required to listen to and communicate
valuable information from the frontline to senior leadership,
yet they’re more than a channel for distributing information.
They must enable two-way conversation between employees
and the organisations they work for, as well as amplifying
the voices of their team.
The lowest-ranked task expected of line managers was
‘Share and discuss feedback with leadership’ (71%). This
was reflected in the interviews with line managers:
We have little to no support. When
a message comes out, it’s usually just
one line asking us to discuss it with the
team and to get back if there are any
questions.
Research participant
Our findings show that communicators and HR professionals
have high expectations of line managers, yet the support
they receive is often inadequate. This leads us to our third
theme.
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13. Managers need more
engaging support and
listening
Line managers are bombarded with communication
from a range of channels – from emails and intranet
to briefings and interviews. Demands on their time
combine with the vast volume of communication to
create feelings of overwhelm and little support:
One of the biggest challenges is the volume. I know
what the big messages are, but there are lots and lots
of things that people have to know and do, and I have
to prioritise that .
Research participant
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14. Engaging with line managers:
37% of respondents use weekly single-topic emails to engage
with line managers and 35% use the intranet daily. Face-to-face
briefings rank as the most effective way of engaging with managers
(72%) yet they tend only to take place monthly. Despite the intranet
being rated the least effective channel, 60% have no plans to
change their usage habits and, while 49% of respondents plan
to use briefings more regularly, 32% plan to use them the same
amount.
More than a channel:
Line managers play a vital role in translating messages
appropriately – adjusting not only for the functions of
their team, but for levels of experience and individual
understanding. Respondents don’t see themselves as a
channel, rather as translators, funnels, collaborators and
conductors: “I think it’s just remembering that leaders are
human and respond in a human way”.
What we send and how we send it matters:
Sending it out in formats that work.
We send videos, emails, slide packs.
And what is the right format for what we
need them to do with that message?
Research participant
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15. Listen
Our actions impact how well line managers can
do their jobs, but our approach is often less than
engaging. We must support our line managers by
listening to them, engaging with them, and providing
more opportunities to share and discuss feedback.
We can help line managers by:
•
Sharing best practice examples and a framework
for what good looks like
•
Giving them regular feedback
•
Supporting them to deal with difficult conversations and
presenting
•
Supporting hybrid environments
•
Providing content that’s easy to translate and share
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CIPR Inside Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study

16. Tips
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17. The following tips and best practice examples
inspired by our research findings will help you to
prioritise and improve internal communications
within your organisation.
Be a role model
Demonstrate the power of great communication to senior leaders.
Bring examples from your organisation or industry to show what
good looks like, and commit to developing communication skills
among your leadership through coaching and training.
Prioritise partnership
Work with HR and LD to develop communication training that’s
easy to access, useful and relevant, rather than taking an off-
the-shelf, one-size-fits-all approach. Clarify responsibility for line
manager communications, and work to align HR and IC to deliver
the positive outcomes the organisation needs. Consistent support
helps to build trust and to prove you recognise and value the
important contribution line manager communication makes to your
organisation.
Become a trusted advisor
Be visible as a communication professional by joining line manager
calls, supporting line managers by providing guidance, and being
a trusted adviser they can come to when they need help. Get clear
on strategy, and provide context for communications across the
organisation.
Set goals and measure progress
Keep track of the messaging and communications demands placed
upon your line managers to help avoid overwhelm. Be prepared to
push back to the wider business when there are demands for more
communications. Set goals and measure progress.
Keep it simple and engaging
Simple, clear and accessible content helps line managers translate
and share updates within their team. Provide more opportunities
to ask questions, especially when expecting your line managers to
lead deeper conversations. They are an important audience, not a
channel.
Provide training and support
Pass on the tips of our trade, providing bite-sized and practical
advice on how and when to use these skills. Provide dedicated time
for coaching and training, including peer communities and one-to-
one support. Above all, treat line managers as humans and help
them to communicate in a human and empathetic way.
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CIPR Inside Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study

18. Application
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Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study
CIPR Inside

19. CIPR Inside
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Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study
It’s easy to read a report like this and feel
inspired. Implementing changes within your
organisation takes time and effort. Below are
some questions designed to help you reflect
on and discuss what you’ve read with your
internal teams, HR and LD partners, and
senior management team.
These prompts – and the conversations
they inspire – will help you understand the
challenge of line manager communication
in your organisation – and take actions that
make a difference.
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20. 1 Why do we need effective line manager communication?
Get clear on the difference line manager communication can make
to your organisation, understanding their impact will help us to
better understand how it enables us to achieve our organisational
goals and strategies.
2 Who is in the conversation?
Are we discussing and aligning the approach to line manager
communication with our HR partners, LD, senior leadership and
communication professionals? Who do we need to include that is
missing from the conversation?
3 What is the tone at the top?
What is the leadership culture within our organisation? What help
do our middle managers need? These are the managers of line
managers? What will it take to reset and improve the tone from
the top?
4
What does it feel like to be a line manager in your
organisation?
Yes we can measure rigorously, but we can also sense check by
asking line managers how they’re feeling. Quality conversations
can help us to establish what more we can do to help them feel
supported.
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What does effective support look like for your line
managers?
Do they need more support? What does that look like? Would
they benefit from coaching and training? How can we improve the
content, context and format? Does the support they get help them
to actually communicate more effectively?
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What are the quick wins?
What actions can we implement right away to improve the current
situation? Could we develop simple skill guides, top tips, bitesize
reference materials?
Reflection questions
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21. Action plan
Now
Quick wins we can do now
Next
Medium-term explorations and
changes we can begin to implement
Then
Deeper issues and projects to take
on for the long-term
How will you put your reflections into action?
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22. Thank you
Volunteers are the best!
A special thank you to the team who worked voluntarily to pull this research
together. IC teams were all under strain in the last two years and this was the
period that this team worked purely for the purpose and motivation to give
the CIPR members some valuable insights. Every person here demonstrated
resilience and care for each other at all times on top of busy life and work
commitments.
The Research Team:
Friedel Grant
Fiona Hatton Chart.PR, MCIPR
Binu Jacob MCIPR, Accredited PR Practitioner
Katie Marlow Chart.PR, FCIPR
Chaya Mistry MCIPR
Becky Paul FCIPR, Accredited PR Practitioner
CIPR Inside
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Effective line manager communications: a CIPR Inside study

23. CIPR Inside
+44 (0)20 7631 6900
@ciprinside
cipr.co.uk/inside