Ragan Research: In-person comms channels resurgent

Mike Prokopeak is director of learning and Council content.

The heyday of virtual meetings appears to be in the rearview for many communications teams.

According to data from Ragan’s 2025 Communications Benchmark Report, virtual meetings continue to lose ground as effective internal communications channels as teams increasingly refocus on face-to-face meetings.

The Communications Benchmark Report, now in its seventh year, is a signature research project conducted for members of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council. The global survey of more than 900 communicators provides in-depth analysis of the evolving communications landscape.

The full Communications Benchmark Report is available to members of Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council. Non-members can download the executive summary.

Over the past year, the perceived effectiveness of virtual company meetings has dropped more than a quarter, from a 2022 high of 56% to just 30%. This shift coincides with a waning emphasis on remote and deskless work. Only one in five communicators expect a greater focus on engaging remote and deskless workers in the next three years, down significantly from last year.

The data suggests a push towards more traditional, in-person channels. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to widespread adoption of full-time office-based work. Hybrid work remains resilient.

Fully remote retreats, hybrid remains resilient

According to the benchmark survey, communicators are significantly less likely this year to anticipate an increased focus on communicating with remote and deskless workers than in 2024. The number of communicators that said they expect a greater focus on remote and deskless workers is down 9%, from 28% in 2024 to 19% in 2025.

Data from other surveys backs up the waning emphasis on remote work. According to the 2024 Ragan/HarrisX Survey of CEOs and communications leaders, leaders from all company sizes are increasingly leaning towards working in person. (Note: CLC members have exclusive access to the full report in the Member Resource Library.)

Smaller organizations saw the sharpest drop in remote work and highest rise in-person working compared to 2023. Overall, more than 4 in 10 leaders are working mostly in person across the board.

But that doesn’t translate to a full return to the office. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of leaders believe their organization should use a hybrid working model, compared to 25% who believe they should work in person full time.

Further data indicates that hybrid work is predominant at large organizations. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of leaders at large companies and more than half (58%) at medium-sized organizations report hybrid work arrangements.

In-person comms channels on the rise

While many companies retain a hybrid work environment, the loud call from prominent companies like Amazon, AT&T and JPMorgan Chase as well as U.S. government agencies for a return to the office full time is clearly evident in the data.

Face-to-face meetings grew by 7 points year over year, and virtual company/team meetings or events slipped five percentage points to 30%. Despite that slip, virtual meetings are still perceived as effective channels by 30% of communicators, but it’s worth noting that number was as high as 50% just two years ago.

The benchmark data indicates a clear, but not overwhelming, shift from virtual communications methods to more in-person communications.

As labor market dynamics continue their shift in favor of employers after years of employee-friendly conditions, some bosses are likely to keep up the pressure to return to in-office and in-person work, even if it does retain some hybrid characteristics.

That appears to be what communicators are betting on. All of which makes having a clear hybrid work policy aligned to business strategy fundamental to navigating the evolution of work.