Communicating during an acquisition

With January 2024 already marked by scores of layoffs across industries and sectors ranging from tech and media to retail, it’s clear that this will be a year when reinforcing the fundamentals of change communications is essential.

During Ragan’s Employee Communications Conference last April, we were fortunate enough to catch a session with U.S. Bank VP of Corporate Communications Erik Battenburg, who shared his tips for communicating and navigating change during an acquisition.

Here’s what we learned:

A deal was announced in Sept. ’21—U.S. Bancorp would acquire MUFG Union Bank, pledging to retain all frontline employees in the process. Battenburg and his team anticipated questions from a company where most people had never been at a company that had been bought before. They knew they wouldn’t be able to answer all questions initially, as details need to be worked through and information can’t always be forthcoming.