CollectivNews
Welcome to a monthly round-up of information relevant
to comms professionals and everyone interested in the fractional model.
October 2025
One Year In — What I’m Learning About Fractional
By Brian Besanceney
Around this time last year, fresh off leaving my most recent corporate job, I got a call from Jane Randel telling me about an exciting new project she was working on with other senior leaders to bring the fractional executive leadership model to our profession.
My first reaction was: “Sounds interesting. But what’s fractional?”
As she explained the concept, I realized I’d seen this model before with senior leaders in other professions. At one previous professional stop, for example, we had a very experienced former CMO working alongside our in-house CMO as more of a consigliere than a consultant. I just didn’t have a word to describe it – much like the George Washington skit with Nate Bargatze on Saturday Night Live (“We will have no word for that”).
Fast forward a year, and I’m now working with two great organizations fractionally while also partnering with Jane and the CommsCollectiv team to expand awareness of this model in communications and corporate affairs.
So what have I learned?
- Unlike traditional consulting, I very much feel like a full fledged member of the team. I have organizational email addresses and join team meetings and client engagements as an “insider” rather than an outsider. And my bandwidth isn’t limited to a particular project or issue – fractional executives can “run to the fire” when a new issue or opportunity pops up.
- I assumed the primary hiring client for fractional CCOs would be CHROs. Wrong! Forward-thinking CCOs who want an additional set of experienced eyes to help solve business challenges have been our primary clients. And rather than seeing fractional execs as competitors, agencies are interested in adding them to their teams to bolster client credibility with senior level in-house expertise.
- There’s a tremendous amount of interest from our professional community in this way of working. More than 200 senior professionals from a wide range of industries are part of the CommsCollectiv talent pool, plus all the professionals who are working fractionally on an independent basis. Some are bridging between full time roles, others have transitioned out of full time work but want to remain engaged, and others prefer this way of working – but most in our profession instantly “get it” when they learn about fractional.
- The most surprising limiting factor beyond awareness of the model? Corporate procurement processes, which seem to be engineered in a lab to defeat organizational nimbleness and agility.
More and more organizations are finding themselves in need of senior level corporate affairs and communications expertise. It’s exciting to be on the leading edge of this model taking root as we raise awareness in the marketplace!
Brian is a partner in CommsCollectiv
When Flexibility Disappears, Talent Follows
This TIME analysis by Alana Semuels released this August reveals that more than 200,000 women have left the U.S. workforce this year alone, not because they’ve lost ambition, but because they’ve lost options.
As companies double down on return-to-office mandates, many of the professionals who fueled post-pandemic growth are stepping away, disillusioned by the erosion of flexibility that once allowed them to balance career and caregiving. It’s a striking reversal of progress, and a signal that rigid work structures are no longer sustainable in a modern economy.
Yet this exodus is not simply a story of departure; it’s a story of reinvention. Many of these women aren’t leaving work behind; they’re leaving outdated systems behind. They’re launching consultancies, joining fractional networks, and reshaping what leadership and contribution look like on their own terms. For forward-thinking companies, this isn’t a crisis, it’s an opening. Fractional hiring offers a path to recapture top-tier talent without demanding conformity to a five-day commute, redefining the relationship between employer and expert in the process.
The message for leaders is clear: talent will not wait for companies to catch up. The women leaving traditional roles today are the same professionals who could be leading transformations tomorrow, if only the structure of work allowed it.
As the TIME article makes plain, the old model of employment is colliding with modern realities of life, caregiving, and autonomy. Fractional hiring isn’t a fringe experiment; it’s how forward-thinking organizations are staying competitive in a labor market that values choice as much as compensation.
Companies that embrace this model will not only regain access to exceptional talent, they’ll send a powerful message that work can evolve without losing humanity.
Burnout Isn’t Just a Business Problem and Communicators May Be the Answer
We’ve all heard the word “burnout” so often it almost feels like background noise. But here’s the thing: it’s not just a buzzword. The World Health Organization now classifies burnout as a workplace phenomenon, and Harvard Business Review has published multiple pieces showing it’s not about employees being “weak” or “bad at self-care.” It’s about how organizations are run.
Jennifer Moss, in her HBR article “Burnout Is About Your Workplace, Not Your People,” makes the point bluntly: you can’t yoga your way out of burnout. It’s not solved by resilience workshops or telling people to “unplug.” Burnout happens when employees face unclear priorities, constant demands, and a lack of meaningful connection to their work.
And here’s where communications leaders come in.
Why Burnout Is a Communications Issue
Think about the root causes:
— Too much noise. Endless emails, Slack pings, and meetings leave people drained.
— Mixed messages. Leaders say one thing in a town hall and another in an email, leaving employees to guess what really matters.
— Lack of purpose. When work feels like a to‑do list with no bigger story, motivation tanks.
These are all communications problems. And they’re fixable.
Three Ways Communications Pros Can Help
1. Cut the Noise: Rob Cross and colleagues, in HBR’s “What’s Fueling Burnout in Your Organization?,” found that “collaboration overload” is a huge driver of stress. Senior communicators can audit internal channels, streamline updates, and set norms around when and how to respond. The result? Fewer interruptions, more focus, and less exhaustion.
2. Coach Leaders to Be Human: Employees don’t expect perfection from leaders, but they do expect honesty and empathy. Communications professionals can help executives strike the right tone, acknowledging challenges without sounding scripted and reinforcing priorities without overwhelming people. A well‑crafted message from the top can make the difference between employees feeling supported or feeling dismissed.
3. Bring Back the “Why”: Burnout thrives when work feels meaningless. Communications leaders are storytellers at heart. They can connect the dots between daily tasks and the company’s bigger mission. Sharing stories of impact, celebrating wins, and reminding people why their work matters can reignite energy and pride.
A Reminder for Communicators
Experienced communicators already know all of this. They know the power of clarity, empathy, and purpose. But the question we need to ask ourselves is: do we know it so well that we’ve forgotten the importance of the steady drumbeat? The truth is, even the most obvious messages need to be repeated, reinforced, and refreshed. Employees don’t absorb culture from a single memo or town hall. It’s the consistent cadence of communication that shapes how people feel day to day. And if communicators aren’t intentional about keeping that rhythm alive, burnout can creep back in through the cracks.
The Bottom Line
Burnout isn’t going away. Hybrid work, RTO mandates, constant digital connection, and economic uncertainty mean employees are under more pressure than ever. But companies aren’t powerless. By treating burnout as a communications challenge and bringing in the right expertise to address it, leaders can create clarity, empathy, and purpose.
When communication improves, so does culture. And when culture improves, so does performance.
📢 Got 10 Minutes? We’ve Got a New Podcast
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🎙️ Coming this Wednesday: Nancy Elder, veteran communicator and former CCO across airlines, toys, and baseball. She talks candidly about AI, leadership, why fractional talent is exactly what teams need now, and how to stay calm when the stakes are high.
Ten minutes. Big ideas. Real talk.
Our network of more than 200 seasoned and vetted senior communications leaders offers an experienced, flexible, and cost-effective alternative to traditional hiring.
Follow us on LinkedIn and please invite others to sign up at info@commscollectiv.com.