My company just got bought a competitor, should I start looking for a new job?

Skyfire

What a way to start the week.


We had a company wide meeting today, and management said that we are now fully acquired by a competitor. We are a company of about 400 employees and there's only eight of us in the IT department. The company that acquired us is about 560 and their IT department is about 50 (I don't know if that includes devs).


Needless to say that morale is really low around here. Everyone is wondering what is going to happen to their jobs.


I want to be a team player and help our new company, but I don't want to work myself out of a job. I don't want to help them to the point where they don't need me anymore. Now that they've gotten all of the information that they need from me.


To make matters worst, I've only been here for four months. A lot of my jobs in the past have been contract jobs, and I know a lot of employers are scared about hiring someone who moves around a lot. Even though it wasn't my fault that my contracts never went full time and that I've gotten laid off because of budget cuts. Thankfully, I've never been fired before.


So should I start looking for new a job just to be safe?

gespenstern

Chances are you should. There are success stories of people transitioning well to the new company but these are rare.

If the acquiring company has a history online, search what they did to the employees of their previous victims.

If needed, search online on LinkedIn who worked there, compare their work spans there, if needed write messages to them to clarify. If they say "run for your life", you'd better run.

The advantage of jumping off the ship early is you have a flexibility when to do that as usually you have some time, maybe a couple of months. When you are told to leave you don't have such a flexibility.

DatabaseHead

I would from my personal experience.

3 times this has happened too me, all in a different way.

1. Government contracted out their support division for the DoD, 2 years later see ya.....

2. Start up marketing company. Operated for ~4, I was with them for ~18 months. Large competitor bought us and within 4 months later another transition plan was in place. No communications lots of closed door meetings, previously going through something like this I saw the writing on the wall. Took another job with a fortune 25 company, thankfully. Stuck there for ~3 years and then.....

3. A lot of our strategist left and next thing you know we were "consolidating" with a company, management was very clear this was a merger not an acquisition. Funny....... In the business journal it was more transparent than our own very management and guess what, it was an acquisition, just not initially. They looked us straight in the eyes and said we had nothing to worry about.

Sorry not trying to freak you out, but 3 times I have gone through this and every time the chainsaw came out in full force.

Here's the worst part there are no secrets..... If you are applying for a position from a company who just got purchased you lost almost all your leverage. They know you need them more than they need you. I would try to get out in front of this immediately.

JoJoCal19

Get that resume updated and start applying. If the question comes up you can just say that your company has been acquired by a competitor and layoffs are coming and you want to get a jump on things before everyone else is looking.

scaredoftests

I think it all depends. We just got bought (I was there for a week). However, we added experience to their company that they did not have..

cyberguypr

My risk tolerance is very low. If faced with this situation I would start looking right away.

networker050184

My thoughts are exactly the same as cyberguypr. You might need a new job, might now. I'd rather not wait and risk it personally.

Cisco Inferno

not worth the severance package.. you might not even get one and then be stuck without a job.

TechGromit

What do you do at this company? Are the other companies offices across the street or in another state? If they plan to continue operations at your site and they are not local, they are going to need at least some IT staff to handle help desk calls. It just really depends what what your job is, if it's something that you can do from home (remotely) chances are they will eliminate your position, but if it's something like desk side or networking support, someone has to be onsite to address any issues that arise, those jobs should be safe. Of course they could just contract everything out, but with an IT staff of 50, I highly doubt they contract anything out.

clarson

Yes there are lots of data to consider. But, as a generalization a company that is 10 to 1 as far as other employees to it employees has a lot of fat to trim. And, if your skills isn't something they need, your part of that fat. being they are a competitor, they probably need to be near a ratio like the company that you work for (400 to . if the new company is as effiecent as your company, it only needs about 20 it workers. The axe is going to take a big slice.

UncleB

Unless you have a skill that the other companies IT team lack, you are pretty much just dead weight to them - they will start asking you to document things and when that starts you know it won't be long until they either push you out, sack you on a pretext or make you redundant. The first 2 options are cheaper so expect those first and keep yourself squeaky clean in behaviour so there cannot leverage any minor infraction of behaviour.

I've been through this far too many times, often on the management side when we know exactly what is happening but have to thin out the herd to make it more cost effective. An effective approach is to keep the targets isolated from the process, strip their involvement in new developments or anything that gives them a sense of "being a part of the future" and encourage them to leave.

Where time pressure is being applied from above, more marginal approaches are forced on us to take with staff and we are threatened by our own managers (typically board or similar level) with dismissal for failing to deliver their requests.

As managers we can go to HR about this but when I have done this it becomes apparent they are being read the same script and they won't get involved. Even having these discussions with HR is often grounds for being let go at times.

In my opinion I would recommend you focus all your efforts into moving on, upgrading your skills and making sure you have all the info you need before leaving (emails, docs etc you want to save) and get job hunting. Get latest tech certs underway as well to improve your marketability.

Mergers have been good things in some companies, but it sounds like you are about to be absorbed into the BAU processes of the new IT team and anyone who is not completely indispensible will be cut out like unwanted fat.

Good luck though.

Repo Man

Integrations are good experience and I would stick around until you know your potential fate.

scaredoftests

My husband's company was merged THREE times. He is still there. LOL

SteveLavoie

I would start to apply elsewhere. You are not a long-time key player in your company, unless you have a critical skills, you are the first to go.

volfkhat

Is this a Trick question?
:]

You should always be looking for another job.
Always keep improving your skills.
Always keep improving your resume.
Always keep an eye open for bigger opportunities.

Complacency is your primary concern.

Forget about the merger.
Ask yourself:
Are you learning marketable skills at your current job?
Or, are you just staring at a screen all day? (honest question)

If you are learning cool things, then Stay for a bit. Keep learning.
Don't run out the door at the first chance you get; make sure you leave for a good fit.

There's going to be a transition;
It's going to take some time;
They are not gonna CAN everyone this Friday.
Plus, it's good to go through at least 1 takeover/merger/consolidation; that way you can SEE what/how it happens;
and you can recognize the signs for later in your career.

EDIT:
If it becomes apparent that Ownership plans to shutdown/dissolve EVERYTHING.... then forget what i said.
lol

Now,
If you are NOT learning cool things.... then you shouldn't be working there anyway.


with that being said;
if you have a spouse and 3 kids, and No other income, and health insurance concerns, etc... then obviously this plays a factor.
But if you are living at home with mom/dad.... that plays a different factor.

alias454

The company I work for has announced a similar thing. i don't plan on waiting to find out if I am necessary. Granted, I was looking for a job prior to the announcement so it's good timing for me. I wouldn't freak out right away but start looking if you can. Continue learning and building your skillset.