With Brexit looming and the implications for workers and employers still uncertain, businesses are increasingly concerned about how to best prepare recruitment functions and Human Resources teams to handle the possible impacts.
A recent survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) revealed that 44 per cent of employers reported greater difficulty recruiting during 2018, with 34 per cent reporting challenges in retaining staff from the EU. There are some estimates, the report also suggests, that Brexit has caused as much as a 95 per cent decline in the number of EU workers choosing to join the UK workforce
Our step by step checklist will help to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible for employers and current staff, as well as future new recruits.
For Existing Employees:
- Identify any EU nationals on your workforce who are based in the UK.
- This information can be sourced by Human Resources. Please ensure that all information is securely stored and complies with GDPR regulations.
- Acquaint yourself with the EU Settlement Scheme, which enables EU, EEA (including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and Swiss citizens to apply to continue living in the UK after 30 June 2021. The Government has also produced a toolkit for employers to guide you through the process.
- Communicate these changes to current staff and take steps to ensure that they understand the impact both for themselves and for the organisation as a whole. This might take the form of a one to one session with those affected, or a group session where all the information is disseminated to the whole department or company. Make sure that employees have a clear point of contact for any queries and are aware of where to find the relevant literature on the subject.
- Consider implementing internal measurement gauges to help identify potential problem areas and subsequent trends resulting from Brexit. These could include aspects such as an employee feedback system or tracking of the company turnover. Work out a strategy to overcome potential impacts and proactively work towards having these steps implemented before the Brexit deadline.
- Think about a comprehensive review and enhancement of your company’s wellbeing offering, aiming to create a package that provides both physical and emotional support, given the heightened levels of stress and uncertainty that may be inflicted during the Brexit implementation.
- Review the current and potential future skill gaps that could require a new hire and instead look to which existing employees could upskill to fill the gaps. By investing in training and developing existing staff, you may be able to offset potential talent shortages post-Brexit.
For Future Hiring:
- Evaluate your existing hiring roadmap, identifying any roles that you will hypothetically need to hire for which may be affected by Brexit. Find out if there is an existing talent pool in the UK for these roles.
- Take time over job adverts, making them standout, compliant and of a high standard. Think about not only appealing to future employees through the role but also through the company itself. Get feedback from recent hires to find out what they did and didn’t like about the process and what attracted them to the company initially.
Our specialist team can help to navigate through the, often, unclear implications of Brexit, especially when hiring. Read our guide to Hiring Strategies After Brexit for further information and don’t forget to check out our Top 5 Workplace Trends for 2020.
You can also get in touch with one of our recruitment specialists at hello@v-hr.com.
