As many as one in three UK workers claim they are kept in the dark and never consulted when a major change occurs in their organisation.
The research by the Talking People consultancy adds weight to the growing evidence that, without extensive communication, worker buy-in and engagement, many organisational change initiatives are simply doomed to failure.
A study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in March found that nearly half of UK businesses were failures at pushing through change, with four out of 10 businesses failing to meet their objectives.
The key, it stressed, was employers being unable to communicate change effectively to their staff.
The Talking People survey also comes just a fortnight after the introduction of new information and consultation laws in the UK, requiring firms employing more than 150 employees to discuss a wide range of issues with staff.
It also found there was a strong appetite for consultation, with 87 per cent of those polled saying they wanted to be informed and consulted.
Just half of employees said they were "sometimes" consulted on major changes.
Employees were more likely to be consulted when working for an organisation with fewer than 150 employees. Employees in Scotland were the least likely always to be consulted (just 12 per cent).
Talking People managing director Tim Roberts said part of the problem was the fact the new information and consultation directive had not yet come across the radar of many business bosses.
"It is, however, worrying they haven't heard of any moves afoot within their companies to do so given the extent of business change currently in the UK," he added.
