How to Adjust to Your Company Merger
Mergers produce major anxiety amongst workers. Redundancies are inevitable, creating insecurity and competition amongst team members. Though mergers may benefit the organization’s profitability, the benefits only transfer to those who survive and thrive with the merger or negotiate their exit into a better job elsewhere.
To benefit from a merger, MindTools explains the importance of creating a contingency plan, relationship building, proving value, and change advocacy. By following these steps, employees create a path to success and avoid becoming unemployed for the long term.
Contingency Planning
As soon as management announces a merger, employees should create a contingency plan. The company creates contingency plans for itself before the merger is complete, and workers need to do the same for themselves. The first step consists of updating their resumes and expanding networking contacts. Employees should ask themselves, who can help me find a job?
Updating a resume creates a natural process for exploring other career options. Often, workers see additional opportunities they may have never considered. It’s also a good time to take a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. The SWOT analysis helps identify a jobseeker’s opportunities and areas that need improvement. If savings are in short supply, now is the time to boost them. Savings provide security and flexibility.
Relationship Building
Good relations with team members often means the difference between growing with an organization and a pink slip. Time after time, it just goes to show that it’s not what you know, but who you know. When working with new and previous team members, always practice the following:
- Get to know new people
- Avoid “us” vs. “them”
- Collaborate and remain open to new methods
- Consider the team in decision making
- Be tactful
Proving Value
The bottom line in layoff decisions often comes down to who provides the most value to the new organization. This requires an adjustment. Value may be defined differently after the merger.
Skills must transfer to the new organization. By creating a skills “success log”, employees keep their relevant skills at the top of their minds. Note new skills and recognition, and be prepared to prove them.
Volunteer for merger-specific tasks, and get to know the people responsible for making decisions regarding redundancy. Be on the lookout for opportunities to solve problems. Nothing proves value like solving a merger-related issue.
Always remain visible. Keep up quality work, and make sure it gets recognized.
Change Advocacy
Those who champion the change grow with it. By advocating for the merger and its benefits, employees become valuable. Those who resist change show themselves as ill-suited, so stay away from any negativity. Also, look for ways to help the merger go smoother and to bring down any barriers to the new company’s success.
Mergers are a scary time, but by following these steps, employees set themselves up for success. Increased profitability means higher rewards for those who stay, so remain positive. It’s always smart to have a back-up plan, but hopefully with these suggestions, there won’t be a need to put it into use.
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