Our company is set to merge with a competitor in the next year and over the next few months we will be carrying out a review of our internal resources. The two companies are headquartered in different towns, with some duplication in head office functions, and in the reorganisation there will undoubtedly be restructuring and redundancies. Our staff know this and are already feeling insecure: office gossip suggests that many are already looking to move on.

With so many challenges ahead, the last thing we need is a talent drain, but we are unsure what messages to send out to reassure people. On the one hand we want to retain our brightest people to forge the best future for the new organisation, but on the other we cannot promise a future for everybody. To add to this, we have a trade union that is clamouring for information and consultation. What actions can we take to maintain morale and treat people fairly?