Mergers can be difficult for business owners and managers, especially when working through the financial complexities of turning two businesses or companies into one. However, there’s more than money to consider during a monumental merger and acquisition. You must also consider the impact on people.
With two different company cultures combining into one, possible redundancies, and low morale from uncertainty, productivity can take a hit. You might be able to keep your employees happy and productive through a merger by taking some of the following actions.
Provide Honest and Straightforward Communication
When you’ve enlisted the services of M&A advisory firms to assist with a merger and acquisition, the logistics of the deal are taken care of. With more time on your hands, you can then focus your attention on communicating what’s happening with your business and the one you’re merging with.
As you learn new information, discuss it openly, honestly, and clearly to all affected employees. If their jobs are safe, make that your main topic of conversation. However, if job losses are the reality of your merger, as they sometimes are, deal with them delicately and empathetically.
Identify and Rely On Your Internal Influencers
Internal influencers in companies are individuals who are passionate about a business and share their enthusiasm with others to generate excitement and confidence. Identify those people in your business and use them to your advantage.
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Mergers and acquisitions can be challenging, and not all employees feel excited about working with new employees from another business. If you have a leader in your midst who shows excitement for the changes happening around them, other employees might follow suit.
Offer New Perks
One of the common outcomes of company mergers is exposure to new work styles and processes. For example, your company might not have offered remote work in the past, but the company you’re merging with has policies in place for this to happen seamlessly. Identify all desirable perks employees can now enjoy and highlight these to promote productivity. Previously demoralized employees worried about these significant changes might be happier to work for your company knowing the merger provided them with exciting new benefits and perks.
Create a Detailed M&A Plan
Disorganization, significant changes, and general uncertainty can severely impact workplace productivity. Not only can employees feel uncertain about their roles within the newly formed company, but they might also not be able to access the same workplace resources while new processes are established.
Create a detailed M&A plan to keep disorganization and disruption to a minimum. For example, you might develop a strategy for installing new computer systems to limit downtime, such as utilizing out-of-hours IT companies or letting your employees work from home on a temporary basis. You might also send out informative emails ahead of significant changes, so employees have plenty of time to adjust.
Mergers and acquisitions can be daunting, challenging, and stressful for all involved, including employees. If you’re worried about productivity levels dropping during this trying time, consider taking some of these actions above. Your team might then be happy, productive, and eager to work for a newly formed company.
