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What is the best way to communicate this type of news to a large organization, and why?$$

Communicating $$potential$$ bad news to a large ground of people in the workplace is something that should be well thought out and should take two things into consideration: honesty, and not divulging too much information than what is known and factual. In this example, a hybrid town$-$hall meeting that invites the entire affected workforce to disseminate the information would be the best way to communicate. This way, there is opportunity for maximum attendance, and to address quick, common, questions and concerns that may arise.

Who should the communication come from an why?

This message$/$announcement should be delivered by the most senior person balanced by the most tenure with the company alongside tenure with current workforce, accompanied by an HR professional, preferably with a high rank within the current company. The reason for this selection is because the employees facing potentially bad news want someone who they are familiar with and $[$hopefully$]$ trustworthy in order to promote the most understanding with uncomfortable news, as staff will need crucial time to process, react and possibly grieve $($Schwartzberg$,$ n$.$d$.).$ Additionally, an HR professional can provide backup support and lubrication in the event of tough questions, and to safeguard the company from possible communication mistakes when delivering the news.

What are the most important things to consider when initially communicating this news to the rest of the organization?

The most important things to consider are not to provide any information as concrete if it has not yet been solidified, and to reassure employees that no decisions have been made in certainty so that worries and rumors do not spiral over the near future. It$$s important to ne thoughtful and caring without sugar coating the news $($Gallo$,2015)$ because it$$s an important mix between touching human emotions while delivering facts at the same time.

What other information should you have $($other than what was provided above$)$ before you communicate to the organization, and why?$$

I think in this scenario a timeline would be most important, followed by any ongoing time$/$process$/$personnel studies the companies are conducting to support to dissuade possible future decisions. This helps to support the idea that the organizations are putting forth the energy to make the best possible decision for all of those involved, as well as communicate that no decisions have yet been made and are considering multiple data points when making an informed decision.

Draft what you would recommend be said to the employees $($it can be right in the discussion area as opposed to a separate document$),$ and after you have drafted the communication, explain why you included what you did in the communication. Keep in mind that if you state the communication should be face$-$to$-$face, this can be a transcript. If you state the communication should be in a written format, you can provide an example of the written format of the communication.$$

$$As many of you know, our company X plans to merge in the near future with company Y in the very near future. At this time, we anticipate that there will be organizational restructuring needed in order to support the facilitation of integration between the two organizations, keeping both the business and the workforce into full consideration and priority. In the nature of restructuring within any organization, the possibility of potential layoffs is a very real possibility, but at this time, upper management is not pursuing, supporting, or considering this option as a leading factor during the merger. While mid$-$level and upper$-$level management considers the recent interviews and surveys results noting suffering within the organization, we are doing everything within our power to not only combat this trend, but use it as a leading factor in the future possible merger. At this time, we want to encourage employees to route them questions through their respective chain of command, their HR representatives, and our FAQ portal online to address any current questions and concerns. I will now open the floor for questions$.$