Making the next [best] decision

Expense reduction is one of the top issues for leaders as we approach 2026. One-third of leaders are prioritizing cost-cutting as a [primary] solution to economic pressures. These same leaders mistakenly think they can afford to slash communication budgets and absorb the function elsewhere in the organization. This belief will eventually backfire - spectacularly.

I’ve witnessed it. A lot!

Poor internal comms alone will cost millions annually in lost productivity, errors, and turnover. Bringing in a comms expert/consultant early during big changes like M&A, reorganizations, or software updates isn't an extravagance - it's insurance against those hidden disasters that turn savings into six-figure regrets.

Expense cuts that bite back

Think it’s easy when you choose to trim your corporate comms team to hit a number? The data (Boston Consulting Group) spoils this plan: 86% of workplace failures stem from ineffective communication, and stretched teams deliver 25% less productivity. In 2025, CFOs report only hitting 48% of savings goals, often because overlooked comms gaps lead to missteps like duplicated efforts or compliance slips. We've all seen it. Layoffs hit support functions, and suddenly, your lean operation is bleeding talent, productivity, and cash through confusion.

Change failure: $$ add up

Big changes expose weak spots fast. During an M&A, 64% of deals rack up extra costs from communication breakdowns, like employee panic or stalled integrations. Reorganizations without clear messaging spike turnover - replacing one mid-level employee runs $30,000-$45,000, eroding team momentum. Software rollouts? Healthcare.gov ballooned from $93.7 million to $1.7 billion due to poor planning and communications, with crashes from unaddressed user confusion. When you don’t address the changes, rumors fill the void. We all know what people imagine is [almost] always worse than reality.

Real-world wreckage

• British Airways' 2017 IT meltdown, fueled by IT-management comms failures, cost £80 million in compensation and lost flights - thousands of passengers were left stranded, all because no one synced up.

• Knight Capital lost $440 million in 45 minutes from a software glitch worsened by internal miscommunication - no one grasped the fix fast enough.

• Target's 2013 data breach exposed 40 million customers partly due to siloed IT-security chatter, amplifying the fallout.

These examples, while a bit dated, aren't outliers. Poor comms drains $1.2 trillion yearly across U.S. businesses. (source)

When to cry uncle!

Dial in a pro the moment change is decided (if possible – crisis comms is another article). Bring them in before rumors ignite or productivity tanks. Your internal team is already juggling 2025's overload (too much info to share, change fatigue, new tech, AI overwhelm). Your team needs support so they can avoid burning out, gather honest feedback throughout your organization, and build a network of champions to share information/benefits when change is happening.

Early engagement with comms teams/consultants/freelancers will spot risks, like bandwidth gaps, ensuring leaders have time to focus on the business while comms handles the human side. This will save you from delays, stress, and exits. Skip it, and you'll find yourself walking along a tightrope, with no safety net. When you bring help, changes stick, messaging lands, goals hit, and trust endures.

Your move, leaders! Don't let cost-savings become a punchline.