By Jabari Zion
by Alex Schnee
If you have been looking to complete a merger or acquisition for your business, then you probably know that you will need to be aware of your employees’ needs and how you can help them through a transition. Not only can it be a big adjustment for you, but it can also mean some major changes for your workers as they navigate new managers, co-workers, and more.
Here’s how you can make sure that your employees are set up for success after a merger or acquisition.
Warn them in advance
Before you end up actually signing the dotted line for your merger or acquisition, you are going to want to chat with your employees and let them know that your company is about to change. This can give them a chance to make preparations, either by making arrangements to find another job, reorganize their systems, and more. It’s much better to give them an idea of what will happen and an idea of what they should expect before something major happens.
Encourage organization
Being organized can greatly benefit employees, since it can allow them to present their work to new managers in a cohesive way. They might benefit from some additional tools like a contract management system, or some other online tools. Before management changes, it might be helpful to have a clear idea of how systems are employed, what can be improved, and more. This can also provide clarity for your workers to they are able to show new managers why they add value to the team and how instrumental they are to your company.
Help them establish their role
If your employees have been unclear about what exactly it is you need to accomplish, then it might be time to help them find what role they might need to fill and which tasks might be important for them to finish. This might mean having them establish KPIs if they haven’t, and ask them if they feel like they need any support as they move from one manager to another. You might warn them that their role could change when they have new management take over, and that they might need to be flexible within those first few months.
Let them know how involved you will be
It’s up to you when it comes to how you want to approach being involved with your business after a merger or acquisition. You might want to have some say in how the business is run or you might want to be able to break free and try something entirely new. If that is the case, then you should let your employees know how involved you plan on being in your business after the deal is done.
In summary
It’s likely that your business is going to go through some major changes during a merger or acquisition, and that can greatly affect how your employees view their jobs. It’s important to help usher them through these changes in order to make your business the best it can be.
