Mergers and acquisitions is essentially combining two companies into one. The process is a complicated one that takes strategic planning to be successful at the end of the day. One very important factor is the significant impact to overall employee morale.
Bringing two organizations together involves aligning different organizational systems, cultures and styles. There is an inheritance risk to damaging employee engagement that must be considered during the merger or acquisition to minimize the risk of failure during this time.
Here are a few of the most common concerns your employees may have and how to address them:
Fear 1: Increased Stress Around Leadership
Employees are likely to experience stress from the change. In fact, it’s inevitable. However, prolonged stress around whether or not your employees feel they can trust new leadership is avoidable with appropriate and consistent communication.
During the transition, leadership teams from both companies need to be as transparent and accessible as possible for employees. Even more importantly, communicate how the changes will impact employees and their relationships with the new leadership.
Fear 2: Job Loss
Job security is imperative for driving employee engagement and morale. During a merger and acquisition transition, employees may fear not only losing their current position but losing the opportunity to advance their career.
Again, the solution lies in communication. If layoffs are inevitable, don’t mitigate that possibility but stay on top of rumors and misinformation by keeping employees informed about their jobs and the impacts to it. Be prepared to answer questions or provide resources that outline what they can expect.
Fear 3: New Culture
In the past few years, the importance of company culture has become pronounced. As two or more organizations come together, there is bound to be some culture clash. Companies that adopt a proactive stance here are more likely to find success at the end of the day. Companies that enable employees to collaborate and contribute to a new, shared culture rather than enforcing one provides employees with a sense of value rather than imposition.
Mergers and acquisition transitions don’t have to fail. In fact, with the right approach and planning companies can actually thrive and positively impact productivity.
If you are considering a merger or acquisition and want assistance with the process or simply want to understand more about it, contact us today for a FREE consultation.