[Adrienne Heiskanen]

We’re undergoing a transaction that may take 12-18 months to close from the time it was first announced. The acquirer has announced significant EBITDA improvements they will be making in the non-R&D parts of the business. Employees are resigning in droves given all of the uncertainty. How do you keep basic functions working in this climate?

[DDLAN]

Hi Adrienne,

Thanks – super interesting topic.

I understand from your post that the acquirer has made its intentions public, tho the deal has not closed.

This is a hugely difficult area and one that is not solved via compensation alone (if that is even an option).

Ideally, this uncertainty and the business risk it creates, will have been picked-up on in pre-integration planning sessions, and a plan to mitigate disruption / retain best-performers created.

If this hasn’t happened, I think that the best starting point to solving the issue is often Exec Sponsorship – i.e. getting all affected employees together with a top Exce, and letting them know directly that that Exec cares, wants to figure out a plan, and make things better. It doens’t need to be an Open Q&A in session1, though that does help.

This nearly always buys time for the organisation to make the required chances that stop the issues, or at least slow them.

Hope that helps!

[Author]

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