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When companies merge, it can lead to a chaotic work environment.  The recent announcement that Miller (OTC: SBMRY) and Coors (NYSE: TAP) will be merging has the media buzzing - but I'm sure there's even more buzz among the employees.

The big question that crosses an employee's mind is:  Am I going to keep my job?

When there is a huge merger like this, it affects employee morale - thus leading to poor service.  For those employees that are given a pink slip, they could care less about helping customers.  They have bigger fish to fry, like finding a new job and having the money to make the mortgage payment. 

When Macy's was buying out Robinson's-May, there were rumors flying around everywhere - especially among the customer service reps.  I happened to be working for Macy's during this time.  We had weekly meetings so that the managers could keep us updated on what was going on, a.k.a. "rumor control".

 

I think the most important thing a company can do during a merger is to keep the lines of communication open and to give enough notice to those employees that will have to be laid off.  A nice severance package will always help too. 

I didn't last long enough at Macy's to see what happened when the company finalized the takeover of Robinson's-May -- there was just too much drama in my department with people being transferred and moved around.  Not to mention the added work load we had to get rid of stuff and make room for Robinson's-May inventory. 

Have you ever experienced a merger?  How did it affect how you dealt with customers? 

Read more about the Miller and Coors merger over at CNNMoney.com