We Merged...Now What?

Earlier this month, your company, a running equipment designer and manufacturer called Runners Paradise, merged with a smaller clothing design company called ActiveLeak. Your company initiated the buyout because of the excellent design team at ActiveLeak and their brand recognition, specifically for their MP3-integrated running shorts. Runners Paradise has thirty-five employees and ActiveLeak has ten employees. At ActiveLeak, the owner, who often was too busy doing other tasks, handled the HRM roles. As a result, ActiveLeak has no strategic plan, and you are wondering if you should develop a strategic plan, given this change. Here are the things you have accomplished so far:

• Reviewed compensation and adjusted salaries for the sake of fairness. Communicated this to all affected employees.
• Developed job requirements for current and new jobs.
• Had each old and new employee fill out a skills inventory Excel document, which has been merged into a database.

From this point, you are not sure what to do to fully integrate the new organization.

1. Why should you develop an HRM strategic plan?
2. Which components of your HR plan will you have to change?
3. What additional information would you need to create action plan for these changes?