Following the Brexit referendum there is some disquiet and
anxiety in the working world of the UK. Some employees from EU countries are
worried about whether they will be able to remain in their jobs here and some
even feel unwelcome. The wave of hate crime in the streets has reinforced that
feeling.
What Employers Can Do
Of course it could easily translate into the workplace.
Employers need to be on the lookout for any harassment or unfair treatment as
they have a duty to protect their staff members from it in compliance with
discrimination legislation. It’s worth considering whether your employees need
a reminder of your policies to keep to these rules.
If you have recruited from across the EU to fill job needs
that couldn’t be filled locally, you may be concerned about the future too. Now
is the time to start thinking about how you can manage without them by
attracting more local people, perhaps by setting up apprenticeships and
training schemes. Always remember, though, that you may not currently
discriminate on the basis of nationality when recruiting new personnel.
Meanwhile you might look at ways to help your EU staff
protect their status. If they have been here for over five years, they may be
eligible to apply for naturalisation, and become a British national, or try for
indefinite leave to remain. All the relevant information and documentation is
available on the Immigration Direct website.
What Might or Might not Change
Any changes will not happen overnight. Those that might
change include the ones introduced by recent EU case law, since the European
Court of Justice will not have any power in the UK once we leave the EU.
Currently these are the calculation of holiday pay to include the elements of overtime
and commission, and accruing holiday pay while on sick leave. The 48 hour limit
on the working week is an EU Directive that has not proved popular in the UK,
as are the relatively new Agency Worker Regulations, so it’s also possible that
they may be changed in time.
Employees may be happy to note that no changes are expected
to holiday entitlement, since the UK currently allows 5.6 weeks per year, while
the European entitlement is only 4 weeks. Family friendly rights and flexible
working is another popular element of employment law that is unlikely to
change. The Equality Act 2010 is expected to remain intact as well.
Communicating with your Personnel
You should, of course, reassure staff that there will be no
immediate changes. Devising a way of updating them as new information becomes
available will be crucial. However you do it, you should never include
speculation or opinion, especially political. You do need to act immediately
whenever some new development hits the news and social media.
The fastest way will be available to a business with an
intranet which can have a page devoted to these developments. Notice boards can
set them out as well, or you could have regular meetings. Your local bookkeepers may be able to suggest various other ways of cascading the
information swiftly through the organisation.
