FAQs from Post-Merger Integration Teams

What are the traits of an effective post-merger integration team leader?

• Effective Integration Team Leadership
• Subject matter expert
• Flexibility and the ability to improvise
• Decisiveness
• Strong interpersonal skills
• A willingness, and ability, to take charge
• A knack for keeping many balls in the air simultaneously
• A keen sense of urgency
• High tolerance for stress and pressure; psychological resilience

How much time should integration leaders dedicate to an integration?

This depends on the size, complexity, extent of the integration, the timeline, and the goals. Given those factors, which can vary a lot from deal to deal, functional leads will usually need to spend 20% to 80% of their time on the integration to be effective.

Will all employees need to sign an updated code of conduct document on Day 1?

Yes, and we will communicate the process to secure these over the First 30 Days

Will things that are "not changing" be clearly communicated?

Yes, the Day 1 materials will emphasize that most legacy policies, practices, brands, etc. will remain in place

Will our emails change on Day 1?

No, legacy emails will stay in place until further notice. There will be an updated active directory so you can look up emails

If I have assigned another business unit (BU) or function to one of my initiatives, what should I do?

• Provide detail in the Issues/Risks/Dependencies field
• Reach out to the appropriate Lead and review the requirements to ensure they have been incorporated into their plan as well

Are there any mandatory deadlines I should use for organizational structuring initiatives?

• Leadership team announcements & communication: Day 1
• Completion of organizational structure and staffing: Target by Day 90

Can I assign 2 people to initiatives?

• You can include 2 names in the "assigned to" box, but you need to confirm who is responsible for plan updates and task completion

I see timing selections for 2Q, 3Q, etc. … are those calendar years or fiscal?

• Calendar. Acquirer and Acquired Co. have different fiscal years and it would be confusing to use them both for the purposes of integration planning

What are we doing with business unit specific websites?

• Day 1: We will provide some announcement verbiage that can be added to the sites (please add this responsibility to your plans to ensure completion) 
• Short Term: No changes. Any website consolidation/leave alone type decisions will be part of the overall marketing and brand strategy discussions and action plans

What HR initiatives will be corporate driven and do not need to be "solved" (only executed) in other plans?

• HR policy & code of conduct communications 
• Employee handbooks: We will use existing until further notice
• Drug testing 
• Benefits & payroll information
• Anything in the HR "corporate policy alignment" bucket (BUs and Functions do not need to define just execute when ready to rollout and/or communicate)

What Finance initiatives will be corporate driven?

• LOA (Limits of Authority): Finance will define specific corporate limits pre-Day 1. All others will be BU driven (just need to communicate & distribute)

Bank accounts & signatories

• Corporate will handle anything they control today, BUs will continue to handle what they control today

Reporting requirements

• Corporate will communicate guidance on reporting requirements and timing. BUs can then coordinate their individual schedules and work processes around these.

Safety Questions: What is changing Day 1?

• Post-incident reporting guidelines will be updated to reflect a new insurance carrier

Will any Safety guidelines change on Day 1?

No, Existing programs will remain in force and the Acquirer "absolutes" will be rolled out by Day 180

Will property & casualty insurance change on Day 1?

Still TBD but expected to change. Finance will confirm details and reporting requirements changes in the coming weeks

What is the difference between blue and green status in Smartsheet?

Green: In progress/on track

Blue: Complete