Setting comms goals and shaping the narrative 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.