Throughout this acquisition, I experienced several key learning moments that significantly shaped my development as an entry-level employee. These experiences not only enhanced my skills but also provided valuable insights into navigating the complexities of a transformative workplace and acquisition.
University discussions and advice about the job market often mislead entry-level workers into believing that job security is a given. Educational institutions tend to build expectations of stable and secure employment post-graduation, emphasising long-term career growth within companies. However, the real world frequently diverges from these expectations. The acquisition of Accelo serves as a blatant example of this disconnect. Despite being qualifies with skills and knowledge for a role, employees can face sudden job loss, redundancies, and significant changes in their work environment due to surprising organisational transformation. This experience at Accelo has highlighted the blatant reality that job security is far from guaranteed, and flexibility and resilience are essential traits for navigating today's unpredictable job market.
Converging with the University’s education on business-related social media, LinkedIn acts as an additional education system, with connections, experiences, and posts allowing entry-level workers such as myself to gain insight into different industries, roles, and situations. By engaging in debates and conversations, professionals share selective sense-making of past and present experiences, making LinkedIn a valuable platform for understanding the complexities of the job market (Wenger et al., 2002). This can make expectations more realistic, as entry-level workers can connect with others, empathise with their experiences, and gain a more nuanced understanding of issues such as layoffs and acquisitions.
Reflecting on the events that occurred during Accelo's acquisition, I have come to value the importance of transparency and empathy in the workplace. Research by Slack shows that over 80% of workers want a better understanding of how decisions are made and 87% of job seekers say they look for transparency in a future workplace. Transparency promotes trust and clarity, reducing the anxiety and uncertainty that accompanies significant organisational changes such as mergers and acquisitions. This experience at Accelo highlighted these values for me, emphasising how crucial they are for maintaining a stable and enthused workforce.
During the acquisition at Accelo, I took steps to alleviate the impact on myself and my colleagues. I initiated systems to assist better communication, such as regular team meetings and feedback sessions. Additionally, I made efforts to communicate directly with the new managers, seeking to bridge the communication gap and advocate for clearer, more consistent updates. These actions were aimed at cultivating a more open environment among the changes, emphasising the importance of staying connected and informed. Through these efforts, I learned firsthand how critical transparency is to maintaining morale and reducing turnover in times of organisational upheaval.
As a result of the acquisition, I was tasked with some incredible projects beyond my typical KPIs as an entry-level designer. The most notable of these was the redesign of Accelo’s website, logo, and brand. While the website redesign had been discussed long before the acquisition, the push for a higher profit margin and moving upstream in the market brought these tasks to the front of mind.
Now, a bit over six months into my role at Accelo, these projects are coming to a close, yielding excellent outcomes and providing me with a valuable case study for my portfolio. However, I recently realised that these completed projects represent the peak of what I can achieve as a marketing graphic designer at Accelo. While I can still work on smaller tasks like marketing collateral and internal templates, there isn't much upward trajectory in this role unless I transition into product UI/UX design. This realisation was disheartening, and I discussed it with my manager, setting bigger goals to learn and explore new things in both design and marketing. Consequently, I was given opportunities to try my hand at product design, but I also discovered that product UX/UI lacked the flexibility and creativity I desired.
Despite the realisation that this job might not suffice as a long-term position or career, it has led me to explore other avenues of design beyond marketing and product. The major projects revealed my passion for website design and creating cohesive design systems. Additionally, the rebrand allowed me to express my creativity in a corporate setting and solidified my interest in branding and motion design.
