Research commissioned by Perkbox, Europe’s fastest growing employee experience platform, has revealed that three quarters of employees say their company has no Brexit strategy in place.
With only 21 days until Britain potentially leaves the EU without a deal, only a meagre 17% of employees say their company has a Brexit strategy that has been communicated. What’s more, with 29% of employees being told that it’s business as usual – are over a quarter of businesses simply in denial that Brexit will happen at all?
The research, which polled 1,000 employed UK adults, also found that when asked if Brexit would have a negative impact on their company’s performance, 38% of respondents agreed it would and that they were concerned about this. 24% said they didn’t believe Brexit would have a negative impact on company performance but they were still concerned, while one in five said they were not concerned about the potential negative impact.
Interestingly, despite this, opinions are divided on whether Brexit will result in a labour shortage across the country. 46% of employees believe this will be the case, while 54% believe there will be no labour shortage and it will be business as usual for recruiters looking to attract talent.
To find out the perspective of graduates looking for jobs, Perkbox also partnered with TalentPool to get more insight on this topic. Through polling 870 graduate job candidates, it found out how likely they are to consider opportunities outside the UK. Given recent events, 40% of respondents said they would be interested in looking for job opportunities abroad. A strong indication of just how much the Brexit uncertainty is being felt, even amongst our youngest generations.
Saurav Chopra, CEO of Perkbox says: “Regardless of what happens on the 31st of October, it’s clear that Brexit and it’s uncertainty are adding complexities to UK business, as our research clearly shows. However, organisations have an opportunity now to get on the front foot by taking the initiative to make planning a priority, and ensuring that their businesses have the resources they need to successfully negotiate the coming changes.”
Andrew Lavelle, Managing Director of TalentPool says: “With the Brexit deadline fast approaching, it’s interesting to see that graduates are exploring their options outside of the UK when it comes to finding a job after leaving university. Whilst there’s a definite air of uncertainty surrounding the 31st October, at this stage it’s simply too early to tell what impact Brexit will have on the graduate labour market. Whilst graduate job seekers may understandably be concerned about how it will impact their future careers, they shouldn’t let this uncertainty prevent or delay them from applying for jobs abroad at this moment.”
