I will be closing an office of 5 DR in the next 6 weeks and moving the staff to another office about 20 miles away. They are part of a merged firm who we aquired 8 months ago. The good news is that they are keeping their jobs, but the commute may be longer and they have been reisistant to "integrating" so will likely see this as negative.
Any tips on how to break the news and make the move smoother?
BLUF
Hold an in-person meeting with them all.
Just tell them. No candy-coating, no circumlocution. Treat them as adults. The toughest part of being acquired is not knowing what's going to happen next; if you tell them, they'll know. And they'll appreciate your forthrightness.
Be prepared to answer questions about telecommuting, etc.
Then they can decide if the commute is too much for them.
John Hack
PS: they will likely integrate better in the new location.
Thanks
Agree wholeheartedly - thank you for your thoughts.