Benefits help employees integrate at Emagine

International IT and business engineering consultancy Emagine has grown rapidly on the back of acquisitions, making 11 such transactions in five years across markets including the Nordics, Germany, France, Portugal, the UK and Ireland.

Ensuring there is an alignment in terms of organisational culture is factored in a very early stage, when the business is assessing potential targets, says Martin Hartley, group chief commercial officer. “We look at whether [it] treats [its] employees in the right way, and whether the culture and working environment is happy and successful,” he says.

Once a deal has gone through, benefits play an important role in helping to integrate new employees. As a Nordic business, Emagine has always offered its staff a generous provision, which means it is generally the case that any new employee joining the business will receive a better package than they had in place previously. “I can’t think of a case where we’ve had to harmonise down,” says Hartley.

One cultural element that is particularly important is an emphasis on family, and the benefits package is designed to support this. Female employees receive maternity pay for the full 39 weeks, with the same provision for adoption cover, while fathers can take three months’ paternity leave. “We also offer compassionate leave,” says Hartley. “Previously that was just for immediate family but that’s not how life is so we extended that to be grandparents, children and cousins.”

Other benefits are also designed to help bring employees together, which can be a challenge during a time of change. The organisation hosts a quarterly charity day where it undertakes tasks for the local community, such as charity walks, litter picking or helping out at a food bank.

Hartley’s advice to any organisation going through an M&A is to plan thoroughly and communicate well with employees. “Everyone wants it to be successful, but you’ve just got to be clear, articulate and have a plan,” he says.