How many emails did you delete today without opening? In a world of overflowing inboxes and nonstop notifications, most messages barely register. But when an email comes from someone you know and trust, you’re much more likely to open it. Recognition builds engagement.
That simple truth has big implications for employee communications, especially during change.
Attention starts with the sender
Whether for major transformations or everyday changes, cutting through the noise requires a thoughtful mix of channels, formats, and voices. And one of the most powerful voices is middle managers.
Research shows that managers are among the most trusted messengers in any organization. According to Prosci benchmarking, 58% of employees prefer to hear about changes that directly affect them from their immediate supervisor.
Prepare managers to succeed
Simply asking managers to cascade messages is not a strategy. It’s a missed opportunity. To help managers be effective communicators, organizations should:
- Share information early, before employees see it elsewhere.
- Simplify messaging, so managers fully understand the change.
- Create space for questions, enabling honest, informed dialogue.
- Provide authentic talking points, including what’s still unknown.
- Offer engaging visuals or slides to support team conversations, rather than relying on forwarded emails.
When managers feel confident and informed, they communicate with credibility, which drives trust. The O’Keefe Group knows this from experience. When we partnered with United Rentals on an award-winning campaign focused on mental health, managers played a key role.
OKG designed a training course to give managers the confidence to feel comfortable and have more open discussions with employees about mental health. We also armed managers with communications tools, including a series of tip sheets with information and talking points, and a mental health resource list to ensure they could point employees in the right direction for help.
Measure what really matters
It’s easy to default to open rates, click-throughs, and attendance numbers. But if you want to know whether change is truly landing, look to your managers.
They meet employees where they are: in team meetings, hallway conversations, and one-on-ones. They hear concerns early. They sense resistance before it escalates. And they provide rich, real-time feedback that no survey can replicate.
The bottom line
Middle managers are your most credible messengers, your earliest feedback loop, and your strongest change advocates—often hiding in plain sight. Put them at the center of your channel strategy, and watch engagement rise.
From M&A to AI, The O’Keefe Group helps global organizations navigate change with confidence. If something’s changing in your organization, we’re here to help.
