The Handshake That Can Change Your Life

It starts with a handshake between two executives in a board room and over time can filter down to impact thousands of people. The handshake I’m talking about is over the merging of two companies. I’ve worked through three mergers over the course of my career as a technical communicator. I’ve seen a lot of pain caused by this handshake and conversely, I’ve seen a great deal of opportunity. 

The first merger I worked was when French company Schlumberger bought 50% of American company Dowell from Dow Chemical Company and became Dowell Schlumberger. They were both oilfield service companies with a focus on well stimulation. I was just getting started in my technical communications career during this time. Early on it was decided to move the US operations from Oklahoma where I lived to Texas. All the employees were offered the opportunity to move to Texas or be laid off. I chose the latter, stayed in Oklahoma and was laid off. 

The second merger I was involved in was when the segment of TV Guide I worked in as a Documentation Specialist was purchased by Comcast, it was renamed GuideWorks. Again the affected employees were given the opportunity to relocate or be laid off. This time the move would be from Oklahoma to Denver. I chose to move to Denver with the new company, and I have never regretted that move although at the time it was a disruption and moved me away from my kids.

The most recent merger I’ve been involved with was when US Airways bought American Airlines and retained the name, American Airlines. In this situation, I came on the scene after the merger had been completed. I was hired as contract technical writer to help with the merging of documents between the two companies. I’m still contracting there today; although, over the years my role has evolved as I’ve found new ways to contribute.

While I’m no overall expert on mergers, I have had my share of merger adventures. I can speak from personal experience on how they have impacted me and other employees. With each merger my life was changed for the better. It might not have seemed like it would at the time, it was nonetheless. And I think to be a truly empowered technical communicator it’s important to learn about the woes and the opportunities of mergers in order to prepare for one. The likelihood of participating in one is pretty high. 

In the next few blogs, I cover what can happen during a merger and how to navigate through the disruptions. A technical communicator can make a big difference during all aspects of the transition. And no matter what happens, we can remain empowered to make good decisions for ourselves and others. 

In this article, I cover what to expect. As you can see by my experience, much of what to expect is change and disruption. Lots and lots of change. This comes in the form of possible relocation and/or possible job loss. That’s just part of it, albeit a large part of it. Whether voluntarily or involuntarily being laid off is certainly disruptive but not insurmountable and can present some exciting opportunities. If you choose to stay, you might need to relocate an adventure unto itself. Lastly, there are abundant opportunities for us in a newly formed company, or even when being integrated into a different company. 

We get to make sense out of what can seem to be a lot of nonsense. We get to help with the re-eduction processes and reformation of teams. We get to help with so many things that are going to be critical in the success of the new organization just like we always do, by simplifying the complicated. All the while, navigating through the grief process that comes with the loss of what once was. This is not a small thing. Some of the interesting things that happen during the grieving process just adds to the stress of the move, chaos, new organization, new management and new expectations. Whew! Trust me, it’s a lot to deal with. 

In my experience, the purchasing company has become the new executive branch and they more often than not replaced the seller’s management team with their management team. There’s nothing personal about who gets to stay and who has to go. It’s all a matter of some sort of employee box game the executives play. Sorry to say but everyone gets reduced to a box on an org chart in that game – you, everyone above you and everyone below you. It’s not very motivating to know you are just a box on an org chart but that’s how it is. Learn to be the box they can’t do without.

Another jaw-dropping disruption that can happen is a change in the software you are used working with, the tasks you are expected to perform, and the way in which you perform them. Nothing is off the table. Nothing. Be ready for that. There are no guarantees here, but embracing those changes will help you more than resisting them. Being adaptable and flexible will be viewed as an asset in most cases. And you can be a powerful influence in bringing your team into alignment with the new way of doing business.  

Any new manager (worth their salt) is always looking for the influencers on their team. They are observing whether or not these influencers are using their skills to promote the changes being made or causing resistance to them. Being an agent for change will be the very best tactic for thriving in the new company. Helping others to be the same, will support everyone in having a better work environment moving forward.