How UK Employers Can Support Staff in the Face of Brexit
October 18, 2016
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By: Charlotte Wills
The consequences of Britain voting to leave the European Union have been and will continue to be far reaching, be they financial, economical or political. An immediate question is the impact of Brexit on individuals and what UK employers are doing to reassure European families working in the UK with concerns about what Brexit means for them. Fragomen's 'Helping business prepare for Brexit' survey report, which was published recently, found that only 26% of businesses currently have an immigration plan in place for Brexit. The majority of those are starting with efforts to reassure their employees and guide them on their options until Article 50 is invoked and formal negotiations start.
Accessibility to Answers
The status of EU citizens is often covered in the media, how this translates into the lives of employees is not always clear.
The secondary goal for many clients, where feasible, has been to ensure support is tailored to the needs of their workers; that often varies between the size of the workforce and how widespread they are in terms of location. For some, this may extend as far as covering initial consultations, whilst some clients go further, supporting relevant applications their employees decide to progress with, with the aim that any applications lodged are successful in the first instance and minimising the chances of delay.
Beyond the UK borders
It’s easy to forget that Brexit concerns affect not only those EU nationals living and working in the UK, but also British nationals on assignment in Continental Europe. Again, whilst any impact will largely depend on the direction of formal negations, it is that opportunity to join a forum and voice concerns or ask questions that provide comfort. Harder to host a roadshow for employees abroad, some clients opt for conference calls or video link sessions with their international employees with support from Fragomen’s local lawyers across the Continent, providing the same opportunity and perhaps even consolidating their status as European citizens in the relevant host country.
The biggest learning – keep communicating with your employees. For now, at least, that can be one of the fundamentals in supporting them through these uncertain times.
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