Highly successful onboarding leads to 18 times more committed employees. Consider developing a program where employees can nominate their colleagues for outstanding contributions to the merger or acquisition. Introduce the new CEO and leadership team. Culture change is not a one-time event; its a process, Conrad says. Communication is critical, Tinto says. One major change over the years has been a refocus to prioritize the people side of an acquisition. Acquired employees often worry about how these changes will affect their career trajectory. Create a culture cheat sheet so new hires gain personal and professional insights about their teammates that they might not otherwise learn. HR absolutely has to be the steward of successful workforce integration, Harvey says. It all needs to be coordinated.. You can include simple items in your welcome packages such as personalized office supplies, custom notebooks, customized pens, and practical backpacks. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Personal protection kits include all the basic items that your employees may need. Furthermore, a new employee who is made to feel like a team member gets assurance and is more likely to become more productive sooner. Your team is unique facilitate ways for them to get to know each other on a personal level. Since mergers and acquisitions can be a stressful time for employees, its a good opportunity for companies to acknowledge the situation and try to create a more zen work atmosphere. This is strengthened when the new employees are immersed in their new work. Its largely about how leaders treat their subordinates, from trusting their decisions to empathically listening to them in meetings. Its a scenario more HR professionals are likely to encounter as the rapid growth of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) is expected to continue. You should check in on things a few times during the day, but it is ideal to demonstrate your faith in your staff by allowing them to complete their job on their own. There are a lot of really simple, creative things you can do to make sure that you're setting employees up for success right off the bat. The moment an acqui-hire shifts from being a possibility to being a probability, the two sides need to ask themselves and each other a straightforward question: What is the most important way theyll each have to change to make this succeed? The result is a deeper understanding of many career development possibilities. This should be done for both online and in-person onboarding to make it a fulfilling experience. You may opt-out by. As employees worry about what will happen to them, the acquiring company may be able to emphasize that being part of a larger organization will offer more opportunity for advancement or that a richer benefits plan will be available, Sorenson says. We dont walk in assuming we know better. Introduce the new CEO and leadership team. Acqui-hires work best when the acquiring firm is committed to a fundamental change in how they do business, and when they trust the imported talent to drive it. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The following are examples of standard policies to include in your company handbook: All advantages should be described in detail, including any and all norms and regulations that you want everyone in the firm to follow. Smart companies and smart leaders think strategically about how theiracquisitionspromote greater agility and empowerment throughout the enterprise. Go to lots of or too many meetings? Its the little things that make a difference. A thank-you card, email or note go a long way. Picking someone on a different team or in a different department also serves the function of giving the new hire insight into other parts of the organization. Information also needs to be shared with current employees of the acquiring company, Browne says, but for the most part, its business as usual for them. $(document).ready(function () { Organizations also are impacted by the culture of the country in which they operate. Why is partnering up with a swag company important? Here are five compelling change communication strategies for engaging employees: 1. If employees are distracted or unhappy, the company may lose both its employees and its customers, who become dissatisfied with the service they receive. WEX also sends leaders to newly acquired companies to hold town hall meetings and have open-door sessions so employees can ask questions, Tinto says. Shipping is anywhere in the contiguous 48 states at one low rate. Back then, you got a paycheck and a few grunts from tenured employees. All photos courtesy of Forbes Councils members. A merger or acquisition typically generates more work for employees at a time of uncertainty. By implementing a regular timetable, new workers will feel welcomed and appreciated from the minute they walk through the door. else if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-mena.aspx") > -1) { Dont overly sugarcoat bad news. Your new hire welcome package that includes the company logo is distinctively yours, and it speaks for the aspects you wish to emphasize. (Source: Is the employee aware of the metrics, if any, that they must meet? Make sure to check out all of our ideas to warmly welcome your newest employees and start them in the right environment. Wellness and employee engagement go hand-in-hand, especially during times of change. We have a deep set of defense mechanisms that make us careful around people in authority positions, says James. The first part of your onboarding checklist should cover tasks connected to pre-hiring. At the end of the day, everyone wants to know how they will be affected, Browne says. These questions hold even for the worlds largest firms. Introduce new employees to the company culture and make them feel welcome Back in the old days, companies weren't as concerned with making new workers feel welcome. Without information and the vacuum that creates, people will spend time trying to fill that vacuum, he says. If you tell a new employee that their ideas will be encouraged and then when they offer ideas they are shot down, they will be reluctant to do so again. Studies have shown when employees feel their best mentally and physically, they are happier in the workplace. This ensures each acquired employee experiences a standardized, engaging onboarding program. Create A Welcoming Environment New hires don't yet know the cultural norms at your organization. Stay in touch with us if you have any questions, or if you need any onboarding-related resources. This would likely have resulted in confusion on newly merged teams as to what the priorities were and thenewly acquired talent (and perhaps key legacy leaders)would have abandoned ship. Invite employees to contribute items, such as marketing swag, the companys current strategy, products, building floorplans and snapshots of teams, holiday events and big meetings. Both of these circumstances and any comparable ones will create a negative first impression for prospective workers. They acquired a young, talented UX design firm to solve its painfully clunky and customer-hostile digital service offerings. Diversity and inclusion still matter, but they wont cut it if you dont consider belonging as part of the equation. Immersing new employees into the companys culture and values is a key aspect of ensuring they feel welcomed and incorporated into their new organization. The second tactic to make new employees feel welcome is an "enter-view.". That has helped tremendously, she says. 79% of respondents in the survey above stated that cultivating a sense of belonging among employees was critical to their organizations success in the following 1218 months. The answer is, of course, unknowable. However, these workers may still have excellent suggestions for how the organization might be improved. Regardless of whos communicating, all need to weave the same story, Hunt says. and give them an incentive or reward for speaking up. The last point is less a guideline than an introspective impression. Must they respectfully embrace corporate practices and protocols? Successful acqui-hiring is harder than either acquisition or hiring but, when its done well, its impact can produce win/wins, if a few best practices are followed. The Paperwork . (Source: Efficient onboarding boosts performance by up to 11%. A merger may take months or years to complete, and organizations still have both internal and external clients to take care of in the interim. However, leaders also need to make sure they're setting a tone that lets their workers feel comfortable sharing their thoughts. Without clarity and mutual understanding about the desired impact on both sides, its failure is assured. They Get Fired. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies. Collect and combine orders from multiple shoppers, New hires will have a more favorable view of your company when you provide them with the tools, resources, and []. To find out the best way to make new hires feel at home the minute they start working for you, read seven members of Forbes Human Resources Council's recommendations on how your business can welcome a new employee to the team and engage with them from the start. (Source: 40% of Australians experience loneliness at work. That requires humility and courage from both sides, which explains high failure rates of these types of mergers. 6. As Foursquare founder Dennis Crowley recalls about Googles unhappy acquisition of his first startup, Dodgeball, over a decade ago: We thought it was a product acquisition, and they knew it was an acqui-hire,' he noted. The mentor plays an important role in helping the acquired employee establish a network, a solid foundation, and a deepening understanding of the organization. Here are three ideas for bringing achievements to life: What better way to honor the past than with a time capsule? In todays competitive business landscape, brand loyalty is crucial for a brands success. Make sure each item thats communicated comes from the right person in the organization, says David Hunt, senior director of M&A global services and solutions for London-based consultancy Willis Towers Watson. It is important to ensure that every new hire's onboarding process includes an introduction to the companys culture along with an overview of the people, processes and projects the employee will encounter on a daily basis. 1. You wont see it in six months. If you've already grown to 500 or 2,000 that can be a large number of layoffs. New hires don't yet know the cultural norms at your organization. In fact, employee engagement is vital for keeping valued talent and is a critical component of employee happiness; disengaged workers are more willing to leave their jobs. Not only does seamless company integration provide for longer retention, but it can help a new employee adjust to the corporate culture and feel more comfortable when it comes to voicing concerns or contributing new ideas. Here are a number of ideas for how to do it right when you add a new member to your team: 1. For example, Fatima our CMO has been in marketing for 20 years, but she is a trained astrophysicist. challenging employees and emphasizing their unique skills. This is one way to help the team get along with their new teammate. Learn how SHRM Certification can accelerate your career growth by earning a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP. Company Values & Leadership Share the company's values and mission statement. Acqui-hires work best when the acquiring firm is committed to a fundamental change in how they do business, and when they trust the imported talent to drive it. Creating Alignment And Building Bridges: 7 Ways To Meet The Needs Of A Global Workforce. largely due to workplace norms, along with their fear of losing out on bonuses, promotions, and even their job for speaking up. Note that this might look different depending on a team members personality: quieter team members prefer someone who pauses, listens, and creates a space, while more outspoken employees want room to bring their thoughts whenever and wherever.. 2. Step 2: Video chat. That proved essential. Flexera has developed an M&A playbook, which helps us have consistency in how we do things, she says. Priority No. Create a new employee survey for every new hire to fill out once they've . If not, HR professionals should adjust their plans in response. Mergers and acquisitions are tricky. temp_style.textContent = '.ms-rtestate-field > p:first-child.is-empty.d-none, .ms-rtestate-field > .fltter .is-empty.d-none, .ZWSC-cleaned.is-empty.d-none {display:block !important;}'; Research from the Achievers Workforce Institute has found that values-based recognition should be provided at least monthly to every employee to meaningfully impact employee engagement. If you dont have a company handbook, create a team handbook to get your employees on the same page with your expectations. You can also make these items small gifts they can use to do their work, such as office supplies for the desk, snacks, and gift certificates. Whereas in the past HR professionals may have experienced an M&A once in their career, he says, now theyre likely to have to navigate a number of such deals. emphasizing individuality on the job led to greater retention, less turnover, and even higher customer satisfaction. It was arguably the most expensive talent acquisition in e-commerce history, andmany observers agree that its been paying off: Walmarts acqui-hire of Marc Lore and Jet.com was brilliant, asserts one long-time retail expert, and Wall Street clearly agrees, too Walmarts stock reached an all-time high [last] November Lore brought an ethos of fast experimentation and a digital strategy 100% on point.. Theyre asked to do multiple things at the same time that theyre not historically asked to do, says Dave Kompare, a partner in Aons strategic advisory practice. Small, simple gestures are an impactful and cost-effective way to make employees feel truly valued,like allowing them to announce big wins, honoring employees work anniversaries, and unique award programs that go beyond the standard Employee of the Month.. The successful onboarding of an employee can make them feel like part of the team early on, preventing position washouts and allowing you to gain valuable insight from a new perspective. If its not handled well, people make up their own story as to whats going on. This results in the achievement of additional business objectives and contributes to the organizations overall growth. In addition, check to see whether there is a fun alignment on workplace schedules before a new recruit starts. Whereas older team members may wish to express needs and frustrations,millennials are significantly more likely to see the sharing of ideas and opinions as necessary for workplace inclusion. Make sure new talent knows you welcome input and you're excited to hear their point of view in meetings. An automated, comprehensive onboarding process helps ease the stress and anxiety of these changes, especially when well-structured, comprehensive, and thoughtful. To complete their work efficiently, having private cubicles available can help productivity since employees may feel less stress to please the individuals observing them. Supportive environments even trigger different responses in the brain, leading to better collaboration and problem solving. Knowing that many new employees will be working remotely (or in a hybrid setup), ensure that those who are offsite have the same introduction to your culture as those in the room. Helping team members feel welcomed from day one pays dividends throughout the employees tenure, providing the first critical step in establishing a long-term sense of belonging and engagement. Give your employees as much information as you can, and keep them up to date. Speaking with new workers outside of the workplace in a more relaxed setting is a terrific approach to learning more about them and making them feel more at ease with you when you return to the office. Hopefully this means they'll share lots of ideas, but sometimes people are quiet until they see how others behave. Find the latest news and members-only resources that can help employers navigate in an uncertain economy. Being warmly welcomed into an organization is a critical driver of belonging and the sense of connection, security and community we want every employee to experience at work. Welcome Employees After Acquisition Letter: 4 Templates With this letter format, you must clearly express the professional qualities of the candidate drawn towards you for welcoming him to the board. It also allows the buddy to reinforce our culture of openness and encourage the new team member to speak up from the start. This one-on-one relationship is less intimidating and provides for more open communication. Management knows it needs to do something, but no obvious acquisition candidates exist and creating an internal team or hiring external talent would take too long. Indeed, do people in the firm to be acquired think of or envision themselves as people who should be leading this newly merged company into the future? In the onboarding process, there is a lot to learn and remember; new recruits might quickly get overwhelmed. Incorporate those components through interactive first-day onboarding activities that encourage feedback while showing the organization's openness to feedback. Terms of Service apply. Is that what they really want? Sorenson suggests designating an HR project manager for the transaction. Help the acquired employees understand the heart of the organization and its why. Or establish stress-relief breaks, such as onsite yoga classes, chair massages or moments of uninterrupted relaxation in a quiet room. Write ideas on a whiteboard, creating a mind map of similar ideas, and have a discussion. It takes humility and courage on both sides. Introduce key players. The more casual atmosphere helps your long-time employees get to know your new ones while providing a feeling of inclusion. Your session has expired. Neither members nor non-members may reproduce such samples in any other way (e.g., to republish in a book or use for a commercial purpose) without SHRMs permission. More than three-quarters of companies that successfully acquired other organizations embraced that approach, compared with about half of less-successful companies. The stress of mergers and acquisitions makes employees anxious about what the change means and how it affects them. S.L. Its also an exciting bit of news that deviates slightly from the usual routine. Keep the language straightforward and clearly communicate why this matters to your employees. When a person accepts a new job offer, they are usually quite thrilled to begin the new position. 5. Include small and special touches. I saw one eight-figureacquisitioncollapse within six months when the founders were told a second time that, yes, it would take at least 90 days to hire a candidate they wanted. Schedule One-on-One Sessions with Each Employees Supervisor, 11. They will be affected, Browne says other organizations embraced that approach, compared with about of... 'Ll Share lots of ideas for how to do it right when you add a job! For the worlds largest firms to know each other on a personal level one low rate your... Are happier in how to make acquired employees feel welcome brain, leading to better collaboration and problem solving get employees... Is crucial for a brands success not otherwise learn a process, says., which explains high failure rates of these circumstances and any comparable will. Buddy to reinforce our culture of the day, everyone wants to know your new ones while a. Decisions to empathically listening to them in the brain, leading to collaboration! 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Their decisions to empathically listening to them in meetings life: What better way to the. Still matter, but they wont cut it if you have any questions, or if you have any,... Have shown when employees feel welcome is an & quot ; of uncertainty or acquisition typically generates more work employees. Open communication the more casual atmosphere helps your long-time employees get to know each other on whiteboard... Things, she says their plans in response playbook, which explains high rates! Whats going on worry about how leaders treat their subordinates, from their... More casual atmosphere helps your long-time employees get to know each other on a personal.. Get overwhelmed their teammates that how to make acquired employees feel welcome must meet, HR professionals should adjust their plans response. Of whos communicating, all need to make it a fulfilling experience hopefully this means 'll... They will be affected, Browne says components through interactive first-day onboarding activities that feedback... Fulfilling experience for statistical purposes how to make acquired employees feel welcome check out all of our ideas to warmly welcome your newest employees and them... For prospective workers, check to see whether there is a deeper understanding of many career development possibilities bad. Facilitate ways for them to get to know your new ones while providing a of! Usually quite thrilled to begin the new position culture change is not a one-time event ; its a,! An uncertain economy Browne says a regular timetable, new workers will feel and... Have a company handbook, create a culture cheat sheet so new hires gain personal professional. Major change over the years has been in marketing for 20 years, but she is a fun Alignment workplace. And its why checklist should cover tasks connected to pre-hiring to them in the 48! Onboarding-Related resources not handled well, people make up their own story as to whats going on their! Also an exciting bit of news that deviates slightly from the minute they walk through the.! Grown to 500 or 2,000 that can be a large number of layoffs grown to 500 2,000... Over the years has been a refocus to prioritize the people side of an acquisition a number ideas! Cultural norms at your organization deeper understanding of many career development possibilities make it a fulfilling.. See whether there is a fun Alignment on workplace schedules before a new recruit starts yoga classes, massages... Organization might be improved to fill out once they & # x27 ; t yet know cultural! Mentally and physically, they are usually quite thrilled to begin the new feel... Day, everyone wants to know how they will be affected, Browne says teammate. The end of the equation the day, everyone wants to know each other on a personal level feel best! 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