I was interested to read about another instance of communication problems in an organisational merger (‘Cheshire Council merger causes ‘chaos’ for staff’, Personneltoday.com, 1 April).
Far too often, communication with the people involved in such change is left to the last minute, or seen as secondary concern, when effective engagement must be one of the primary issues to consider.
Every new organisation needs to help its employees understand what change means to them, and to communicate effectively with those they deal with – right from the start. Without this, how can the organisation proclaim a ‘new dawn’ with the clarity and credibility that it desires?
In communication terms, ‘day one’ is much earlier than the merger date itself. As the saying goes, there’s no second chance to make a first impression.
Paul Sweetman, director, Fishburn Hedges
