Case Study... A Merger

 

EuRA Communications Consultant Fiona Klomp, interview the CEO’s of the newly merged map group, Isabelle Premont and Anita Meyer to get an insight into the process and outcome of a merger and how they see mobility in Belgium… 

 

So how has the merger been treating you so far? 

"It's been great actually," enthuses Isabelle.  "The response has been incredibly positive, both from our clients and our team, as we are now able to offer more flexibility and a wider range of services.  We have more people and are able to manage a greater number of relocations, which is exactly what we were aiming for." 

"That said, there's a lot of hard work taking place behind the scenes to bring our two teams together as a fluent and cohesive unit. The biggest challenge has been getting used to a different work process.  We're trying to merge two accounting systems, two ways of processing a client file,...  It's not always easy and takes a lot of careful thinking, but our common goals unite us."

"It's been four months since our merger and we spent six months contemplating the merge before it even took place, so we were confident we had everything in place for a seamless transition," Anita admits. "We both thought it would be business as usual, but I have to admit I underestimated how much else is involved in a merger.  As we are - or were, should I say - so different, we have different in-house processes to contend with as well as our own company cultures.  Our differences are what make us so complementary, so really it's a positive thing, but there are things you have to discover about each other as you go along." 

"It's very much a process of trial and error.  We'll have a plan agreed, put it into practice and then find out that it isn't working for us at all.  We keep having to go back to the drawing board.  From processes to IT systems, we're still figuring things out.  Even deciding who does what comes with its own set of challenges.   We'll set out our chess board, putting this person in charge of that, that person in charge of this, thinking they'll really enjoy the work only to find out that they are bored to tears," laughs Anita.  "People management is taking a lot of our time, but we're going to keep at it until everyone is happy."     

No regrets yet then? 

"Size matters," states Isabelle.  "We have to invest in our people, in the technology we use.  Look at essential compliance requirements such as IT systems and data encryption, these are serious costs which you can only carry if you are a larger organisation.  I think we're going to see more and more companies merging in order to be able to keep up with client's standards. It's going to be a major trend in the next few years."

Anita agrees: "As a larger entity you are able to meet so many more needs.  Conscious capitalism is starting to become more and more important to both clients and staff and you have to be able to meet their expectations.  We've been able to introduce sliding hours, working from home, 4/5 contracts and more.  Work is becoming increasingly flexible.  People don't want to work eight hours a day, five days a week anymore.  Quality of life has become much more important than a pay check.  People would much rather work four out of five days and earn a little less money; you have to adapt to this cultural shift.  Everything from introducing a paperless desk to our new electric bikes that allow team members to do a quick shop during their lunch break is geared towards meeting today's expectations."   

"Work-wise we've just  rented an additional floor for our office which we are going to equip with a theatre, a small meeting room and a lunch room.  This second floor is designed to become the social hub of our company," adds Isabelle.  "People are happier, which has an instant impact on performance."

"With staff aged between 26 and 62 we have quite the culture gap to begin with and their expectations and ways of working are completely different. It's not always easy managing such a diverse group, but you have to develop a framework that can carry your overall policy.  Even if the 62 year old and the 26 year old will have their own ideas about this policy, it is possible," says Anita. 

Millennials seem to be a particularly hot topic at the moment... 

"We've been saying for years that relocation is a cyclical business.  Every so many years the goalposts shift.  Today it's the millennials who are making waves in our services.  They're starting to travel for work, overseeing projects and filling skills gaps, just as other generations did before them, but their expectations are different.  They don't need a big house with a huge garden and four bedrooms to house their three children anymore.   They're not staying as long either.  There is no such thing as a job for life anymore. 

Assignments are for a year, or even eight months, and then they're off again." 

"Millennials are much more worldly," adds Isabelle.   "They have a good idea of where they want to live. They have friends there, or know someone, and have often already visited.  They come with a suitcase and not much else.  They'd much prefer a flat share in a furnished property and can often find these online."  

"We were at the MindGate conference in Leuven the other day, which aims to position the Leuven region as a premier destination for multinationals," says Anita.  "They've conducted a number of studies over the past year with some 5000 respondents of all nationalities, which gives it a solid base.  The two greatest concerns to come forward were the happiness of spouse and children.  It used to be that your home was one of the biggest concerns: you needed a house that reflected your hierarchical standing within the organisation, today this priority seems to be completely off the radar." 

"Also, trailing spouses used to be perfectly happy living the expat life," adds Isabelle. "Today they want to continue their careers, which wasn't so much the case five or ten years ago.  Spousal support is one of our strongest services and one that we want to continue developing."

"The main problem is that our legal system hasn't quite followed yet," muses Anita. "In Belgium a spouse is the person that you are married to, but today's expats aren't necessarily married anymore.  They live together, have same sex partners or blended families, but the government doesn't really recognise these partnerships.  Each spouse needs to have their own work permit, independent of the other, because they can't apply for family reunification.  The services are in place, it's just the government that needs to follow now."

Ah, the red tape of Belgium

"I can only really speak for the Benelux," says Isabelle.  "But the Netherlands are much more prepared for this new type of expat.  There are a lot less problems there in getting work permits for partners.  It doesn't make finding a job any easier, but at least the framework is in place.  They've always been ahead of us in that regard. Luxembourg is like Belgium in its archaic view on what constitutes a spouse.”

Is there a role for EuRA or ABRA to be found here? 

"There's less of a place for EuRA in this as there are so many different European countries, each with their own set of rules regarding work and residents permits, but it would be great if ABRA could lobby for better acceptance and legislation for trailing spouses.  They've proven their strength before by convincing a significant number of town halls to open up fast lanes for expat registrations, but then I suppose a lobbyist's work never ends," laughs Anita. 

How do you see services changing? 

"Studies such as the one conducted in Leuven are a great basis of information to share in Europe, but I think the issue is a global one," says Isabelle.  "Whether it's the EU or the US, people are increasingly bringing along partners who want to work too." 

"As well as spousal support, language training and cultural training are becoming increasingly popular with expats," continues Anita.  "It's incredibly difficult finding a job in Belgium without Dutch or French."

"I've only been active in relocation for six years but a lot has changed already and things keep changing faster and faster," admits Isabelle.  "Following the ERC conference I think that our core business of home finding will disappear for a large part, so we need to start updating our service package.  A lot of our communications go via email at the moment, but people don't have time to read their emails anymore, so there are technological challenges an innovations that need exploring today and in years to come."

"It's important to stay abreast of every trend," agrees Anita.  "We're lucky because thanks to Isabelle's work with ABRA and mine with EuRA we get to keep our ears close to the ground and know what is happening when it's happening.  We all need to be alert in our line of business and use what is at our disposal." 

Where do you see yourselves going from here? 

"Quality and service will always be at the heart of what we do," explains Isabelle.  "If your client isn't happy things come to a halt pretty quickly, but I also believe that both HR and RMC's are going to expect even more service and flexibility.  They want a proactive approach, extensive reporting and the most secure of IT systems and although this is important to the future of our business, quality will always be at the heart of it."

"At the end of the day we have to make sure that our expats and their families are happy.  Whichever way you turn it, it will always come down to this," agrees Anita.  "We want expats to be able to get to work as quickly as possible, which means their housing needs to be in place, their spouse is happy and the kids are settled in, the rent is paid and everyone is compliant with local immigration rules." 

 

This article was first published in ABRA’s Relocate Magazine