“There are plenty of red flags that the UK is facing a major labour shortage challenge, from the declining number of EU workers coming to Britain, through to employers finding it harder to fill vacancies. With little government reassurance, companies must prepare for all eventualities, including an exodus of EU workers. Staffing is firmly in the spotlight, so the pressure falls onto HR leaders to find solutions during this period of uncertainty and economic upheaval. Nobody wants to lose valued employees, so it’s time to start taking steps to address this now.
“The first step to ensuring your business will not fall into the widening labour gap is to know how your organisation could be affected and have a contingency plan to offset any negative impact. One of the great drivers of these decisions will be your workforce data. Organisations must review their recruitment and retention strategies and assess whether current processes are working to both the business and employees’ satisfaction. There must be a further emphasis on training and succession planning programmes to allow employee growth to happen from within.
“Ultimately it comes down to your people, and whether they feel their employer is prepared to navigate any Brexit-related upheaval. Employees must feel supported, secure and able to unleash their talent. That mind-set will help UK businesses retain a motivated workforce through any external disturbances.”