What is Viva Glint’s approach to gathering employee feedback after going through an M&A?

I am a Senior People Science Consultant at Viva Glint and have supported many organizations in monitoring the impact of M&A on their employees.

We find that the core issues relevant to employees going through an M&A are actually quite similar to those things employees care about normally – with some factors heightened during M&A, like belonging, communication, inclusion, and confidence in the future. Organizations that conduct regular (e.g., quarterly) engagement surveys with Viva Glint are typically well-positioned already to track these core issues with their current survey design.  We use this feedback to track engagement over time, identify areas in the employee experience that are particularly impacted by M&A, and identify groups that may be struggling with the change. 

Sometimes, we may rotate in a few new items that are particularly relevant to the employee experience post-M&A.  That’s the beauty of brief, regular surveys – we can be agile and easily make adjustments based upon what is most relevant to the organization at the time. 

Certain M&A situations may warrant a deep dive into employees’ reactions to the change – particularly soon after the M&A happens.  Viva Glint has a curated set of items for an M&A-focused survey to gather more targeted feedback related to the change. 

What have your challenges been with promoting engagement after an M&A?  What has worked well for you to support employees through this type of change?