Mergers and acquisitions are on the rise in almost every industry. In January, global activity in the pharmaceutical industry totaled $56 billion; More than double the total at the same time a few years ago, according to the Financial Times, and that’s just a look at one industry.
Amidst the many changes taking place in organizations, the human resources department faces a major challenge, which is talent management. Employees come and go, departments change, new roles are created, and so much needs to be dealt with internally, but how does an organization keep things running smoothly with so much change happening?
Regardless of the answer, there is a lot to deal with externally; After the emergence of mergers and acquisitions activity, the brand of your employer will be affected, the future of the company may seem unstable, and professional people are not sure what the changes mean for the organization and employees, and layoffs will negatively affect the organization as a whole.
So how do you get your employer’s brand back on track? How do you show people looking for work what matters to you? Here are some ways:
Update information:
After the merger and acquisition activity, things will change. The company may have a new name that reflects merged parts, new divisions, or changed missions, visions, and values.
61% of North American employees surveyed by Achievers said they don’t know their company’s mission, and job seekers need to have a clear idea of the company’s culture, what the brand stands for, and what It is kind of work they can be expected to do.
Job seekers want to know what it’s like to work at a company when they view your website, and among people looking for work in the United States (US) surveyed by CareerBuilder, 42% said they visit job pages to find and apply for jobs, and the information available has the greatest impact on their decision to apply to jobs.
If your website is not updated with accurate information after mergers and acquisitions, how will job seekers know what the mission of the company is and if they want to work there?
After the merger and acquisition activity, the mission, vision, values, and culture of the company may change; For this reason, update the job website, social media pages, job postings, and other employer branding tools. This is to communicate these changes to job seekers.
You want them to have an accurate idea of what your company represents and what it’s like to work there. In addition, job seekers should know that the employer is the supervisor of changes and handles transitions with ease.
Clarifying company culture:
A company’s website and job postings can easily be changed to reflect changes in the company’s mission and vision following merger and acquisition activity, but changes in the company culture are more difficult to explain.
A LinkedIn survey of more than 10,000 professionals who changed jobs found that 49% of respondents said that the biggest obstacle in their job search is not knowing what it is like to work in an organization. After mergers and acquisitions, the organization’s image may become more blurry.
Explain your culture through social media, post photos of company events on Facebook, celebrate team accomplishments on Twitter, upload videos of office tours to YouTube, and if available Changes, point to them, and show what makes the culture unique, and what job seekers should expect from the work environment.
Allowing employees to speak for themselves:
Mergers and acquisitions will get a bad rap when it comes to managing talent, but from another perspective, people looking for a job might think that employees are upset and worried that their jobs are at risk, especially after layoffs and employees leaving the company in search of new jobs.
A CareerArc study of job seekers and HR professionals found that 38% of former or laid-off employees share negative employer reviews online.
Not only that; As 54% of those surveyed who were fired at least once in their careers reported that layoffs or termination of contract negatively affected their perception of the employer, so these negative reviews and perceptions can affect people looking for work. This prompts them to rethink working with institutions after basic merger and acquisition activities.
Combat these negative opinions with brand ambassadors, identify a few current employees to share their views on the workplace, promote open positions on social media, and share employee feedback on social media and the company website. allow employees to speak for themselves; There is no better way to calm the anxieties job seekers may feel after mergers and acquisitions.
Answering questions:
Even after updating information, sharing photos, and using brand ambassadors, job seekers will still have questions about changes in the company and work environment.
So answer these questions face to face, in comments on Facebook, or in tweets and conversations on Twitter, answer all questions at once, and share them on your job site and social platforms.
