Don't Neglect Your Workforce During M&A

 

One Size Does Not Fit All
Provided by Willis Towers Watson, a Partner of M&A Leadership Council 

Conventional wisdom holds that employees generally react adversely to the level of change a merger, acquisition or other type of deal may bring. But what isn’t widely understood and sometimes underestimated is the variance in the ways employees view the deal and the ways those beliefs may influence talent retention and engagement – factors that are critical to a transaction’s success.

Willis Towers Watson’s 2016 Global Workforce Study points to the fact that “one size does not fit all” when it comes to the post-M&A employee experience – and that needs have to be customized among specific workforce groups. Our study takes a deeper dive into views of acquirer vs. target employee groups across three regions: North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific.

Talent retention concerns cut across regions

For transactions based on the assumption that the acquired talent needs to remain to support the transition as well as continue in their role to create deal value, talent retention activities should be front and center in early integration planning. This is especially true for acquired employees. According to our research findings, target employees across all three regions are more likely to say they will leave their company in two years than the acquirer’s own employees. 

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