Welcoming Employees Gained Via Acquisition (Insider Comms From XBox)

The authority on mixternal communications

Typically the Insider Comms I share have a negative tone: layoff notes, dealing with boycotts or consumer backlash, a C-suite exec stepping down, more layoffs, etc.

Every once in a while an uplifting exec comms comes my way and that’s the case today.

To mark the occasion of Microsoft completing its acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard, Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s CEO of Gaming and head of Xbox, sent a note to all staff at both companies welcoming Activision Blizzard employees to the team.

• Rewind: In January 2022 Spencer and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella both sent emails to all employees (🔒) about the deal.

• It wasn’t always rainbows: Contrast this note with blazing memos (🔒) from Activision Blizzard in 2021 addressing sexual harassment and workplace misconduct.

• On the positive side: Pair the celebratory memo below with Sony Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman’s brief and punchy company-wide email (🔒) applauding employees’ hard work in pulling off a pandemic success.

What I appreciate about Spencer’s seven-paragraph memo:

• The opening line. Seven words, six of which are just one syllable. It sets the tone and embraces the company’s mission of bringing joy through gaming. It might be the best opener in the entire Insider Comms series (🔒).

• Context setting. Paragraph two pleases me to no end because it provides background information. Too often communicators forget that many employees are new to your company. What’s more, the employees may be geographically dispersed so that company news has varying degrees of impact. You can’t expect everyone to always be “caught up,” so try to set the scene as often and as quickly as possible.

• Excitement. Spencer uses strong words like “empower,” “creativity,” and others to inform Microsoft and Activision Blizzard employees about what to expect now and in the coming months.

• Addressing an unknown. Activision Blizzard employees want to know if their leadership has a role to play at their new company. Spencer provides the answer.

• Strong closure. Who is Spencer’s exec comms right hand? The closing line to the memo is just as strong and optimistic as the opener. 👏

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Here’s the simple but effective memo to Microsoft and Activision Blizzard employees: