Zsófia Logemann-Molnár, Clinical and Health Psychologist and Founder of Minder, discusses why mental health should be at the top of the agenda during a merger and how a clinical health psychologist can assist in easing the transition for employees.
Constant changes, fusion, moving to a different location, using new systems, meeting new colleagues, merging two different corporate cultures; these are just some of the challenges organisations face during a merger. The stresses and strains on employees when merging two separate businesses, are not to be underestimated.
With mental health in the workplace currently such a hot topic, many leaders and HR experts are rightly putting it front and centre as part of their social governance. Always important, but never more so than during a period of drastic corporate transformation, such as a merger, organisations should look at the benefits of working with mental health psychologists to ensure the resilience of their workforce.
A mergers impact on employees’ mental health
So, what happens exactly regarding the mental state of employees during a merger and what are effective strategies used by a mental health psychologist?
Mergers can significantly impact employee well-being, often causing heightened anxiety and uncertainty about job security and future roles. The cause behind this is that the integration of different corporate cultures can lead to stress and conflicts among employees, as they adjust to new ways of working and interacting. Changes in management and leadership styles during a merger can disrupt established routines and trust, contributing to employee apprehension. Additionally, the increased workload and pressure to perform during the transition period can result in burnout and reduced morale. The fear of redundancy and potential layoffs can also create a pervasive sense of instability, affecting overall mental health and job satisfaction.
We often find that organisations that go through a merger have an exceptionally valuable team of experts and dedicated leaders. However, despite their best efforts, they need more fuel to overcome challenges and a heavy workload created by the significant changes occurring throughout the business. This is where good mental health practice comes in.
Positive mental health can be viewed as a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her potential, copes with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to the workplace community. One of management’s top priorities should be promoting a mentally healthy workplace as the key to keeping colleagues productive and reaching financial goals.
Employees need concrete stress-management tools to stay productive and time to recharge their batteries, so they are open for collaboration and able to create new ideas and solutions where needed. Effective psychoeducation for employees makes a resilient, thriving workforce.
Providing support during the merger
HR leaders should have a comprehensive approach to creating and maintaining a mentally healthy workplace by targeting multiple levels of a business including systems, policies, processes, culture, and leadership. Not least because this is beneficial for the workforce, but because in Hungary, monitoring psychological health and safety risks is a legislative requirement. Since 2008, the Laws of Occupational Health and Safety declare that the assessment of psychosocial risk is the employer’s responsibility and needs to be performed every two years.
Creating a supportive environment where employees feel safe to voice their concerns without fear of stigma or repercussions is necessary. As such, a positive attitude toward mental health programmes in the workplace needs to prevail. This can be achieved by organising a Mental Health Programme Kick-Off meeting for all employees, including HR experts and board members/CEO also attend. It can be very motivating for employees to participate in a health programme where they can see leaders taking responsibility and showing their caring attitude towards colleagues.
All development starts with asking: Where are we? What would we like to change?
Stress assessment tools involve the collection of informative data about various aspects of the employees’ well-being, making it possible to identify possible causes of stress and burn-out, providing a basis for future fitting interventions.
As a next step, based on all the information received, a mental health plan can be developed that includes the applicable approaches to enhance the mental health of employees and involves suggestions to change certain policies, and processes to create a mentally healthy workplace.
Practical tools to enhance employee mental health
There are several recommended ways in which an employer can boost their employees’ mental health. Firstly, organise focus groups, workshops, and seminars to use psychoeducation to empower employees with stress management resilience-building skills.
Secondly, take advantage of e-learning systems to provide employees with the exact exercises and knowledge (coping skills, techniques for emotional regulation etc.) that they need to build resilience.
Thirdly, train leaders on how to manage change effectively and how to support their teams during the transition. Also, train managers to recognise signs of mental health issues and to support their teams appropriately, for example with Mental Health First Aid Training.
Fourthly, if needed, provide access to individual counselling services.
And finally, conduct regular one-on-one meetings between employees and managers to discuss workload and stress levels.
Tactics to prevent workforce burnout
During a merger, employees may experience increased workloads, extended hours, and heightened pressure to perform, leading to burnout. Leaders have a few options available to them keep employees’ mental health from deteriorating all the time. They should be closely monitoring employee workloads and ensure tasks are distributed evenly so that employees are not overburdened. They should also promote policies which support work-life balance, such as flexible working hours and remote work options. And lastly, it’s important to encourage employees to take regular breaks and use their vacation time to rest and recharge.
Support after a merger
The period following a merger can be emotionally draining for employees as they adjust to new structures, roles, places, and colleagues. Supporting recovery helps maintain long-term productivity and morale. To assist employees during this transition, it is beneficial to allow them time to recover from the intense emotional strain of the merger process, possibly through additional leave or reduced hours. Providing ongoing support and check-ins ensures employees are adjusting well to the changes. Whilst organising team-building activities can help rebuild trust and camaraderie among employees, post-merger.
To continuously enhance mental health, it is important to regularly update employees about merger progress and plans to reduce uncertainty and anxiety. Engaging employees in the merger process by seeking their input and feedback helps them feel valued and reduces resistance to change. Additionally, acknowledging and rewarding employees for their hard work and adaptability during the merger boosts morale and motivation. By focusing on these strategies, leaders and HR can help mitigate the stresses associated with mergers and maintain the overall well-being of employees.
Measuring success
To provide concrete proof of the importance of setting up a structured and scientifically proven mental health programme, its effectiveness can be measured using assessment tools which are normally offered at the start. At the end (usually after a year) leaders can calculate the ROI of the programme to share with shareholders, investors, and the wider workforce as appropriate.
Creating a mentally healthy work environment even during and after mergers is doable. Companies that take the mental health of their employees seriously, building it into their business and HR strategy have a competitive advantage which can ultimately be measured by profit.
In era when employee mental health is so important, can you afford not to take it seriously?
About Zsófia Logemann-Molnár
As a health- and organisational psychologist and the founder of Minder Mental Health Program, Zsófia has been supporting national and small and middle-size international companies for the last 10+ years. She has substantial experience working in the Netherlands and Hungary after graduating from Utrecht University. Her approach is based on scientific methods and focuses on reducing turnover by using psychoeducation and supporting companies during transitions such as mergers and extensions.
Her way of working can be defined by her proactive, open-minded, and very structured approach while making everyone around her feel included and respected.
Zsófia Logemann-Molnár
Founder of Minder Mental Health Program
