How to Get 12 Skilled Workers Excited About Their Employer's Takeover on Day 1? Through inclusive Post-Merger Integration!
- Jakob Hysek
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Imagine you arrive at work one morning and find out two things:
Your long-time boss is retiring, and your company has just been acquired by a larger company.
It was precisely this highly emotional situation that the 12 skilled workers of Gebhardt Dach und mehr GmbH found themselves in at the beginning of 2026.
M&A (in the skilled trades) is all about building relationships.
When a small craft business is acquired by a larger firm specializing in industrial flat roofs, such as Schlosser Dachbau, two very different worlds collide. How do you alleviate employees’ & workers' fears about their future and turn skepticism into a sense of optimism?
Felix, the owner and managing director of Schlosser Dachbau, chose a radical but ingenious approach:
An inclusive and transparent integration workshop on day 1. Here is the story of an extraordinary day that illustrates what successful post-merger integration in the skilled trades can look like today:
8:00 a.m.: Stale coffee? Not a chance. An emotional cold start.
When the 12 craftsmen entered the workshop room that morning, the atmosphere was tense. They didn’t know why they were being asked to come to a competitor’s facility.
Nervousness and skepticism hung in the air. The session addressed this skepticism with openness. Right at the start, the “story of integration” was presented using a so-called 3-P slide: Purpose, Picture & Plan.
The message was crystal clear:
Schlosser Dachbau plans to expand regionally with Gebhardt GmbH and use the location as a strong satellite facility.
The most important factor in this?
The 12 skilled workers on site. They are at the heart of this acquisition. The team will stay together.
Afterward, initial questions were addressed over coffee and a tour of the new facility at Schlosser Dachbau. There was no beating around the bush; the situation was addressed directly, and the reasons behind it were explained.
9:00 a.m.: “What Makes Us Strong?” – Giving Their Identity a Face
Once the initial surprise had sunk in, it was time to get down to business. The team identified and listed its core strengths:
strong team spirit
high flexibility and genuine ability to improvise on the job site
outstanding quality of work, when feasible
Felix made it crystal clear: these very skills are “non-negotiable success factors” that must be preserved at all costs. The goal wasn’t to steamroll their operations, but to integrate the new team along with its strengths.
10:00 a.m.: The Moment of Truth – Surfacing the Real Problems in Everyday Work Life
Together, we created a “high-level end-to-end process map” that visualizes all events, steps, tasks, and responsibilities involved in a typical project. The workers were then asked to use green and red dots to rate what their day-to-day work actually looks like.
The result was clear. A sea of red dots appeared under the following topics:
Construction Site- and Project Planning
Material Procurement & Commissioning
Construction Site Logistics
What often leads to frustration at the start of many workshops turned out to be the big “aha” moment of the day here.
It is precisely in these areas—professional logistics behind the scenes and a strong project planning & purchasing department—that Schlosser Dachbau’s (process) strengths lie.
11:45 a.m.: A huge sense of relief – structure as a breakthrough
The tide finally turned during the subsequent development of target processes and quick wins.
Instead of fearing the new “structure,” the 12 craftsmen saw it as an opportunity to significantly lighten their workload. The team is keen to preserve its family-like culture but is eager to establish a structured team hierarchy. Initial measures were decided via dot voting:
Going forward, there will be a clear division of roles, with dedicated project and construction management.
Tasks, responsibilities, and administrative duties that used to rob the skilled workers of their valuable time and patience on the construction site are now handled by a professional support team working behind the scenes.
3:00 p.m.: Rules of the Game, Milestones, and a Surprising Conclusion
After analyzing specific situations of conflict in the afternoon, creating a mini RACI matrix (Who decides what?), and finalizing the integration roadmap for the next 1 to 3 months, the closing session began at 3:45 p.m.
The final “flash feedback ” revealed an emotional turnaround. Whereas fear and reserve had prevailed that morning, relief, enthusiasm, and even a touch of surprise now took hold. None of the 12 skilled workers had ever experienced such training or such a high level of appreciation on their first day in their careers.
The team went home not only with a clear plan of action, but above all with the feeling that:
Someone has been listening to us here. Someone here doesn't want to change us, but to have our backs.
Post-Merger Integration Done Right: Practical Takeaways:
M&A in the skilled trades rarely fails because of numbers, data, or facts—but rather because of culture and a lack of communication. Schlosser Dachbau has shown how to put the human factor front and center from the very first moment:
When you take the concerns of the workforce seriously and view organizational structures not as tools for control but as a way to support and ease the burden on the men and women on the construction site, a takeover becomes a true success story.
About Me
After more than ten years in the international software and start-up world, I know the pressure to perform in modern careers.
As a systemic coach and reserve soldier, I know how important clear communication, accountability, and trust are for teams to function effectively.
That's why I support teams in skilled trades, construction, and industry to improve their collaboration, resolve conflicts, and rekindle motivation—in a pragmatic, human way and with a passion for development.
Are you ready for the next step?
Whether it is a conflict in your team, a lack of motivation or communication issues. The first step for change is always a conversation. So let's have one:
We will address your questions in a 15-minute conversation and determine whether and how we can work together.
I look forward to getting to know you!
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