How to Prepare to Train Your Employees During a Merger or Acquisition

Your organization is in the midst of a merger or acquisition. You are under the wire to ensure that all employees buy into the new culture, learn all the new processes, policies and procedures, and provide exceptional service to a clientele who is completely oblivious to all the changes occurring behind the scenes. How do you ensure that employee buy-in and productivity is swift and efficient? How do you on-board new employees into your new norms at the same time? And how do you do this all quickly, efficiently, and without too much disruption to the day to day operations of the business?

In this fast-paced global economic climate, mergers and acquisitions don't allow for adjustment periods. However, a finely-tuned training program can alleviate some of the stress of the conversation and integration of processes associated with mergers and acquisitions. Just like any other training program, there are several considerations to take into account during the training design phase.

When preparing to train your employees during a merger or acquisition, ask yourself the following questions:

Who are you training? Your audience will be unique to your particular situation. All employees will likely need some form of training, though you will have multiple audiences learning varied processes simultaneously. If the organization spans a vast geography, unique language, cultural, logistics and learning points also need to be considered, especially in the areas of branding and process streamlining.

What will you train? Deciding what to train is as simple as analyzing the planning process for the merger or acquisition itself. Employees will need to be trained on all processes, values and policies that have been replaced or newly added, that affect them. They will need to be instructed on how not to do things 'the old way' as much as they need to be taught how to do things 'the new way,' and why it is important to change.