Employees suffer in connection with mergers: “NO ONE has shown any interest in who I am”

The survey shows that mergers have a negative impact on employee well-being. More than one in three employees working at merged companies is unhappy; a sentiment that is also reflected in the many open-ended responses provided by some of the approximately 9,000 participating members. 

“There’s a lot of uncertainty because of the merger, and the fact that we don’t know whether we’re coming or going is affecting team spirit badly.” Many people feel anxious and stressed, and this also undermines their well-being. “We need to be told what’s going to happen,” notes an employee. 

Another employee comments:  

"Everything is highly uncertain at the moment, and it's terrible not to know whether you have a job going forward or not. Unless you're fired quickly, it'll be some tough years to get through." 

“Everyone feels watched” 

When comparing employee well-being to previous levels, it is clear that there has been a significant decline in the merged companies since the last time the survey was conducted in 2024. 

“In general, everyone on my team feels like they’re being watched, several have stomachaches, and the team which previously had a very high level of well-being has changed into a team that doesn’t dare speak up and is more unhappy because we're afraid of losing our jobs,” is one of the answers. 

Many wish for even more transparency of the merger process. 
“It’s a bit of an uphill battle when we aren't given the information we need for talking to customers.” For example, we aren’t told of colleagues that leave – we have to find out through the grapevine,” writes an employee.

“I fully understand why people are fleeing” 

In addition, the well-being survey shows that a merger challenges employees' trust in the company. This is particularly true for the smallest merger companies involved in a merger as 62 per cent report that their trust is negatively affected. The open-ended responses reflect this too. 

“Right now, I don't trust the process, and far too many things happen randomly. We have to seek out opportunities through ‘someone who knows someone’ rather than management showing an interest in keeping us on. I fully understand why people are fleeing; I’m considering it too,” writes a respondent. 

And this respondent is not the only one thinking about their future at the company. In fact, 38 per cent of employees at the smallest merging companies are considering finding a new job. The open-ended responses also include examples of members who have already accepted the consequences and quit their jobs. 

“I quit my job because I couldn’t stand it anymore. I’m currently looking for work,” is one of the comments.