When embarking upon a significant change, such as a merger or acquisition, having actionable employee feedback data could be incredibly valuable. Consider how even messaging might be influenced if you knew that the #1 key driver of engagement is feeling valued. What might you do differently, during integration and reorganization, if you knew that relationships with supervisors are particularly weak in the sales department of the company you’re acquiring?
While some organizations delay the collection of employee feedback data during times of change, having data in hand provides the edge you need to support decisive action. In addition to having actionable data, simply asking employees for feedback indicates your interest in them and in turn increases employee engagement by as much as 5%.
Ultimately, every organization is unique. Knowing attitudes in the areas of employee satisfaction and engagement can be powerful. Read on to learn more about how to use employee surveys to support mergers and acquisitions.
Establish a Benchmark
When the products, services and customers of two organizations have great alignment, as is usually the case in a great merger or acquisition, it does not necessarily follow that the workplace cultures will be alike. Measure employee attitudes in areas such as culture, communications, training and development. The earlier you are able to do this, the easier it will be to identify differences between two cultures, areas of need, and opportunities to leverage strengths.
Prioritize Changes
Employee surveys not only identify strengths and weaknesses by workgroup, but also enable us to action plan and communicate by workgroup, assigning clear priorities as well as accountabilities.
Be sure to collect employee feedback data in the areas of planning, culture, communications, and relationships with supervisors. Using this information, leaders will know how to communicate about upcoming changes to the organization. Begin to build trust with new workgroups by emphasizing transparency and high quality, top-down messaging.
Maximize Human Capital
Reorganization is almost always needed in a merger and is oftentimes needed in acquisitions as well. Use the information collected to determine where strong leadership is needed, which areas could benefit from training, and where the highest (and lowest) levels of engagement exist.
When you collect actionable data, you’ll know more than what needs your attention. You’ll also know how to communicate with workgroups about changes. You’ll understand what matters to the collective group. Use that to be great. Organizations with high levels of employee satisfaction and engagement have more satisfied customers, fewer staffing issues, and they even outperform on the S&P Index.1
Learn More
It’s powerful to know what your employees think. Watch this FREE 30-minute webinar “How to Launch the Perfect Employee Survey” to get answers to questions like: Are we ready for an employee survey? What are the most common survey goals? When is the best time to conduct a survey? Should we work a survey vendor or do the work internally? What’s the average price of an employee survey?
1 Crowley, M. (2013). “The Proof Is In the Profits: America’s Happiest Companies Make More Money.” Found at https://www.fastcompany.com/3006150/proof-profits-americas-happiest-companies-also-fare-best-financially
