New Survey Reveals 90% of Companies Regularly Address Political Issues Internally Despite Public Retreat

Research conducted by Shallot Communications shows fundamental changes in how companies communicate with their people post-COVID and amid a second Trump administration

AUSTIN, Texas and CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A survey of 508 internal communications professionals reveals that while many companies have retreated from public political statements, 90% continue to regularly address social and political issues with employees—highlighting a dramatic shift in how organizations manage internal versus external messaging.

In the survey, 44% of respondents said their company "frequently" weighs in on social and political issues and how they affect the business with employees. Another 46% said their companies "occasionally" address these issues internally. Less than 10% said they "rarely" or "never" address social and political issues with their teams.

The research, designed by Shallot Communications with KPSC Consulting and executed by Censuswide, exposes a profession in flux as leaders grapple with competing pressures from distributed workforces, heightened political sensitivities, and evolving employee expectations. The survey reveals organizations maintain active internal dialogue on contentious issues when they impact business operations, representing a fundamental strategic shift: while external political commentary may be optional, internal clarity is not.

"This research backs up what we've observed in our own work: while companies often pick and choose what to say externally, they don't have that luxury internally," Shallot Communications co-founder Tim Granholm said. "When it comes to tariffs or diversity and inclusion, employees expect clarity and consistency. If they don't get it from leadership, they'll fill the vacuum themselves, which can lead to lower levels of trust and hurt business performance."

Key Findings Challenge Conventional Wisdom:

• Generational Leadership Reversed: Gen X internal communications leaders are significantly more likely to address social and political issues (53%) compared to Millennials (40%) and Gen Z (50%).
• Global vs. Domestic Divide: Global companies demonstrate greater comfort addressing political topics internally (52%) versus U.S.-based companies (44%).
• Public Company Paradox: Publicly-traded companies more frequently weigh in on political issues internally (51%) than private companies (43%), despite facing greater external scrutiny.

Post-COVID Transformation Proves Permanent

Every organization surveyed (100%) reports fundamental communication changes since the pandemic, with 48% using more channels to reach employees, 47% communicating more frequently, and 46% reporting better-funded internal communications teams. External agency support is used by 89%of respondents.

"Internal communications is no longer a forgotten stepchild of HR functions. We're finding that companies are prioritizing communicating with their employees – realizing what a critical stakeholder group they are to the business' functioning," Shallot Communications co-founder Teal Pennebaker said. "We weren't surprised to see that COVID had fundamentally changed the internal comms function, but we were surprised that so many internal comms leaders are unclear on what the lasting effects are. So many of our clients invested in this function five years ago and continue to lean on it because they recognize employees are one of their most important audiences."

Check out the full report.

About Shallot Communications

Shallot Communications is a boutique firm that helps organizations and leaders talk persuasively about who they are and what they do. Shallot partners with FORTUNE 500 companies and high-growth organizations to deliver embedded, ongoing support as well as project-based work across internal and external communications.

Media Contact: Cam Smith, Shallot Communications, [email protected], 301-675-8855

SOURCE Shallot Communications