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Mergers and acquisitions present an opportunity for employers to clarify and preserve the aspects of culture that drive their success, and ditch those that don't, but the people side of deals is too often overlooked, an advisor says.

PwC Australia deals people leader Sasha Lawrence tells HR Daily that while a huge spike in M&A activity over the last couple of years has started to taper off, there are already signs it will pick up again.

The level of involvement an HR function has throughout the process will depend on how mature and respected the function is, Lawrence says. Ideally, the head of HR will have a seat at the leadership table and exercise considerable influence throughout the process.

HR can play an important role in drawing attention to compliance issues that others might not be across, especially given the many industrial relations and regulatory changes Australia's undergone in recent years, but the function can also find ways to add value to the new entity...