Feeling hungover from yet another merger or reorganisation?

Do you feel a bit ‘hungover’ lately?

I’m not referring to the occasional headache after a night out with friends. I’m talking about feeling ‘hungover’ after yet another Merger & Acquisition (M&A) at your workplace.

It’s a sensation I’ve experienced at times in my career, and it’s a topic I frequently discuss with the professionals I coach.

It’s not that we don’t understand the potential value of M&As; they can be effective ways to expand into new markets or business opportunities. However, studies (Dr. Tripti Vijaywargia, Global Journal Of Commerce & Management Perspective, 2016) show that a significant number of failed M&As can be attributed to disregarded human resource concerns.

From my own experience and what I’ve learned from other professionals, this ‘hangover’ often is caused by poor communication from leadership to employees. When top-down communication is minimal or non-existent, it takes a toll on employee motivation.

What I often hear is, “I feel like a leaf blowing in the wind.” Employees no longer have a sense of direction and feel lost. They need to understand where the organisation they work for is heading.

The lack of direction is concerning because employees aren’t sure if their contributions are adding value to the organisation. Therefore, they often feel a lack of purpose in what they’re doing. Another concern, particularly in the current economic environment, is how M&As might affect job security. Employees become increasingly anxious about job loss when they feel they’re being kept in the dark.

How to improve top-down communication

But how can leaders improve top-down communication amid a challenging M&A when many aspects of it are highly confidential?

Below, I’ve expanded on some ideas that professionals raised during our coaching sessions:

1. Determine what can be shared and when.
2. Communicate regularly and in a timely manner. Most employees long for monthly updates.
3. Be creative when defining communication channels. Receiving an impersonal email from the CEO seems frustrating for many. How about sharing video content and using interactive technology tools such as instant messaging apps to facilitate communication between management and employees, especially in remote or distributed teams?
4. Understand the reality of your employees and their challenges. What are their current job challenges? Where would they like to see their business area in the next 5 years, and their own career? What are their main concerns about how M&As will impact their jobs and why?
5. Get regular feedback. Receive feedback on how satisfied employees are with the communication they’ve received, what they feel about recent changes, what went well, and what could be improved. This way, you can contribute to employees feeling heard and understood by their leadership, rather than their message going in one ear and out the other.
6. Take employees’ concerns seriously. Address major concerns identified by setting up inclusive workshops to brainstorm ideas on how challenges could be overcome.
7. Make employees feel included. Involve employees in your M&A journey by giving them opportunities to contribute to success whenever possible. Allow them to be responsible and lead projects around change management within your organisation.
8. Lead by example: Be an authentic leader, showing up amid change as you are, and always prioritise honesty and transparency.
9. Train your leaders to be better communicators.