When a company is in the middle of a merger or acquisition, it can feel like chaos has taken over the workplace. With so much going on and so many factors up in the air, communication is more important than ever during this time.
1. Stop Hearsay Before it Spreads
When big things are happening within the company, rumors will spread quickly. Take initiative and begin having conversations with your team as early as possible. Being open and honest will help to alleviate any feelings of stress and worry that employees might feel. Even if you don’t have answers for all of the questions employees might ask, starting the conversation will help to build trust throughout the company.
2. Give Staff the Opportunity to Provide Feedback
Along with answering questions, it’s important to be open to feedback from employees at every level of the organization. Mergers and acquisitions can easily cause chaos and confusion throughout any organization. It can be easy to overlook how the changes are affecting specific departments and areas of the office. No one knows those areas better than the employees that are working in them. Be open to ideas, concerns, and solutions offered by staff. A great way to gain feedback from your employees can be through small micro-polls. This is an efficient, simple and quick way to get real answers without going through the hassle of creating an in-depth survey.
3. Ensure That Everyone Is On The Same Page
It’s normal for each person in a group to have their own unique ideas of how problems should be solved and decisions should be handled. While differences in opinion can often lead to great conversations and new ideas, this is a time when everyone should be working together for the greater good of the company. Once you have a plan in place, be sure that everyone is on board to avoid confusion and larger issues that will have to be dealt with later.
4. Create Connections
As you work through the merger or acquisition, you’ll be combining two groups that are most likely strangers and having them to jump into work projects together right away. Expecting that to go smoothly right away is unrealistic. It’s important to create connections between the two organizations throughout the process. With an effective internal communications campaign, you can make introductions, get departments together, and facilitate discussions so everyone is on the same page.
5. Establish Company Culture
As the two groups are coming together, it is also important you are working toward creating one, cohesive unit. In the end, you will be one company of people working together to reach common goals and objectives. You might be teaching new employees about the processes, routines, and customs of your current company, or it might be time to develop an entirely new company culture together.
By keeping all members of the team involved in conversations, problems can be more easily resolved and missteps can be avoided. When preparing for mergers and acquisitions, be sure to make internal communications part of your plan.
