Workforce transactions and M&A

What EY can do for you

People Risk and Cost Assessment

The workforce represents the biggest cost and greatest risk in the execution of M&A. In fact, 67% of the executives surveyed for the latest EY Capital Confidence Barometer cite talent acquisition as a strategic driver for a merger or acquisition. This makes the integration and operation of the workforce following a transaction paramount to its success and, ultimately, to business performance.

Additionally, the financial risks associated with M&A can be huge — for example, those relating to pension plans, the employee cost base and further potential costs, such as remuneration and benefits.

However, managed in a proactive way, with guidance from and in cooperation with the HR function, the new workforce (blending the incumbent with the new, contingent with permanent) can work in new and exciting ways.

We can help you to address your organization’s people issues during divestitures, acquisitions and joint ventures, and to keep key talent engaged and up-to-date within the new organization, resulting in a more productive and dynamic workforce.

Day-One Readiness and Post-Deal Planning

We can help you with due diligence across the company, providing support across finance, IT, operations, tax and HR functions.

We work with you throughout the transaction to transfer knowledge on an ongoing basis, supporting post-deal integration and strategic planning.

Post-Deal Integration

We can help you identify and set up the organizational structures you need to deliver deal objectives, supporting a smoother transition from transaction to post-deal integration and a quicker return to business as usual.

Restructure Target Operating Model

Following M&A, organizations need to restructure their talent operating models. Doing so enables them to build a consistent and coordinated view of their new business, creating a clear plan of how the organization will operate to effectively deliver its strategy.

We can help your organization design and deliver its target operating model, incorporating functional, organizational, technology and governance aspects. The EY approach helps organizations to create a cost-effective model, with a focus on risk and performance measures, and to generate near real-time workforce insights that can support incremental changes on an ongoing basis.