DealReady People™: Specialist Project Service
People due diligence and integration support
for M&A and restructures.
For acquirers, founders going through deals, and PE-backed businesses managing integration or restructure. This is a specialist project service: not a retainer product.
Financial due diligence finds the numbers. People due diligence finds the problems. Most acquirers skip the second one and pay for it after the deal closes. Lucy handles this from pre-deal risk through to post-deal integration.
The six people risks that derail deals
Most of these are invisible until after completion. By then they belong to you.
Undisclosed employment liabilities
Informal pay arrangements, verbal agreements and undocumented practices all become your liabilities the moment the deal completes.
Key person flight risk
The people the business actually runs on may not stay. Without early identification and a proper retention plan, you can lose them before integration even begins.
TUPE mismanagement
TUPE is complex and unforgiving. Misstep the consultation or misclassify a transfer and you inherit a queue of tribunal claims.
Culture collision
Two businesses with different management styles, values and expectations will clash. Without a managed integration plan, you lose the very people you paid for.
Restructure delay
Post-deal restructures drag when there is no clear process in place. Uncertainty spreads quickly. Good people leave before you have decided who you want to keep.
Non-compliant inherited contracts
Many SME targets have contracts that would not survive proper scrutiny. You inherit the exposure unless you identify it during due diligence.
What we do at each stage
Before the deal closes
- People due diligence: culture, contracts, liabilities
- Hidden cost identification (holiday accrual, tribunal risk, informal agreements)
- TUPE applicability assessment
- Key person dependency mapping
- Org structure comparison and gap analysis
- People risk summary for deal team / board
After the deal closes
- TUPE transfer management and communications
- Redundancy and restructure process design
- New contract and handbook rollout
- Culture integration planning
- Manager briefing and change comms support
- HR policy harmonisation across entities
Quick risk pre-check
Answer these four questions. If any apply, you need people advisory before you proceed.
❓ Are you acquiring a business with existing staff?
→ TUPE almost certainly applies. Get specialist advice before heads of terms are signed.
❓ Is the target business founder-led with informal practices?
→ High risk of undocumented agreements and verbal commitments. People due diligence is essential.
❓ Will roles be duplicated post-deal?
→ Redundancy risk. A clear process needs to be designed before day one, not after.
❓ Are you bringing two distinct cultures together?
→ Integration planning is non-negotiable. Your day one communications strategy can make or break the whole thing.
In a deal or planning one?
The right time to bring in people advisory is before heads of terms are signed. If you are already past that point, the second best time is right now.