I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING

Divorce, bereavement, moving house. To this list of things that push employees stress levels to the limit, they should perhaps add taking part in an M&A transaction. Though they hear plenty of talk about how taxing buying a company (or being acquired) is for the senior leadership team and the finance department, the toll on HR is often overlooked -- and it's time they understood their vital role in the process a bit better, for all their sakes. Among the uncertainty, weird things start happening to the system. Tasks that once seemed easy become difficult. People behave in strange ways. HR will be going through its own changes while trying to help others cope. More than ever, you need to make sure your team's resilience, coaching and resourcing is taken care of, and lines of responsibility are dearly understood.