Change

The Right Way to M&A

During times of uncertainty, high-performing employees are often tempted to jump ship. Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t happen.

By Ashley Keating

If you’ve ever been part of a merger or acquisition, you know it’s an uncomfortable place to be—and that there’s a high risk of losing good employees along the way if it’s not done well. However, individual managers can help make sure that doesn’t happen. 

If managers keep engagement high during the M&A process, the threats of the process actually will fuel higher engagement, ensuring your high-potential and high-performing employees not only stay at your organization, but reach an even higher level. So says a recent study in Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

Managers can begin to foster engagement as soon as they’re informed of impending changes. Also, cultivate a positive outlook toward any changes proactively and early on. 

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Kaltiainen, Janne, et al. “Spiraling Work Engagement and Change Appraisals: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study during Organizational Change.” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 2019, doi:10.1037/ocp0000163