By: Jennifer McKune

During an acquisition or a merger, it can often feel like everything is out of your control. Changes are happening, decisions are being made, and employees are feeling unsure and unprotected. But what if there is something you can do to provide protection for your organization and employees? The good news is, there is!

The best way to protect your organization and your employees from the unknown is by having sound procedures in place that can help impacted employees land new jobs faster, that can help surviving employees feel better about their lost teammates, and that can ultimately help your organization withstand the impacts of any merger or acquisition. Outplacement services can do exactly that, protect all those that matter.

Consider this:

1. Impacted Employees

With most mergers and acquisitions there will likely be employees that are impacted by losing their jobs. This can be for many reasons such as: the need to reduce headcount due to redundancies or having employees that aren’t in alignment with the new goals and vision. These employees are likely to be feeling hopeless and upset, which is completely natural. However, offering online outplacement services to them can provide them with tools, outplacement resources, and one-on-one time with an expert to land their next job faster. This can eventually reinstate their hope about the future, resulting in a more favorable opinion about their job loss and you, their previous employer.

2. Surviving Employees

The employees that aren’t impacted by losing their jobs are likely to be vulnerable during this time. They likely have friends, teammates, or colleagues that lost their jobs, and they can be left feeling guilty for remaining or even upset for the employees that lost their positions. When outplacement resources are offered and impacted employees are feeling better about the situation because they are receiving help and resources, this can also have a positive impact on the surviving employees.

Get Your Guide: Keeping Remaining Employees Engaged After a Layoff

3. Overall Organization

At the bottom line of every organization are the people. The individuals in your organization need to be taken care of through any event, big or small. The best way to support employees through a merger or acquisition is to include outplacement resources in severance packages, demonstrating that the organization does care about them and wants to see them succeed. This can do a lot for the morale of the impacted employees and the surviving ones. Ultimately, if an organization is taking care of the employees that are both staying and leaving, then you’re also protecting against factors like: legal action, a mass exit of current employees, and poor company reviews.

What other ways do you think online outplacement services can protect your organization through a merger or acquisition? Let us know in the comments!