By: Josh Sandberg Today I read an article that Apple was trimming 200 employees from the Beats team to streamline overlapping functions. Job cuts will be in human resources, finance, and other areas where there is overlap with current Apple employees. That made me think about the Zimmer/Biomet acquisition that is taking place in our industry as well as the amount of times I have read articles of Zimmer’s commitment that all employees, on both sides, will be safe. I thought it was necessary to again throw up the caution flag to anyone that is currently working at Zimmer, but even more so if you work at Biomet. Apple is widely considered the most advanced technology company in the world. They have more money than the government and if they are going to layoff 200 people because of redundancies created from a much smaller acquisition than Zimmer/Biomet, you can be assured Zimmer will take similar action. Here is the interesting spin from Apple: Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr’s explanation: “We’re excited to have the Beats team join Apple, and we have extended job offers to every Beats employee. Because of some overlap in our operations, some offers are for a limited period and we’ll work hard during this time to find as many of these Beats employees as we can another permanent job within Apple.” It seems like just a few weeks ago Apple CEO, Tim Cook, was giving the corporate lines about how excited he is to have the Beats team join the Apple team to make a stronger entity. But now that the deal is closing tomorrow, we get word of 200 layoffs. Hmmmmm. So what’s the point? I want to encourage those who might otherwise take the words they hear as truth to be objective. Look at all the facts surrounding the acquisition and prepare themselves for the inevitable. You may personally escape the layoff, but you might not. Just don’t fall for the story. If nothing else, just so that you are not disillusioned by the fall out. Josh Sandberg has been recruiting specifically in the musculoskeletal industry since 2004. Throughout this time, he has been able to have a positive impact on his client’s businesses. With an educational background in Business Management, Josh is adept to discern which people will be the best fit for the company he is searching for by understanding how candidates will incorporate with the company’s culture and operational nuances. His experience as an executive in a start-up business has granted him the ability to understand what is takes to thrive in a hands–on environment, where desire and dedication are paramount for success.
It is pretty simple. Any rep or manager that wants to keep their job at either Zimmer or 3i better not be in the bottom 25%.
Speak with anyone who has lived through many mergers at any company.Don't ask anyone who has been at Biomet for may years with minimal work experience. Sometimes someone at the "bottom" percent to plan has a high dollar territory and often someone at the top has a low volume territory. What if it's a senior well-liked person having a tough year? Look at the reps who know how to deal with (being nice here) senior management. They'll stay if it's up to Biomet. If an outside company is deciding they will look at all variables.
