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Are Your Staff Suffering From Brexit Blues?

In theory around 50% of your workforce should be ecstatic at the moment while the other half will be down in the dumps, however it probably doesn’t seem like that as the uncertainty and shock of the Brexit decision kicks in.

The news and social media are full of articles about what might happen and what should happen, but little is being said about how employers can ease the nerves and worries of their staff at this difficult time, so here are 4 easy to follow tips.

Tip 1 – Communicate, Communicate and Communicate Again

Whether your company will be impacted by the Brexit vote or not, your staff will probably believe it must in some way adversely affect the success of their employer and in turn their job security and prospects.

So, send out weekly communications on this topic via a variety of media. Take the opportunity to add an update onto any presentations, team forums or staff events, even if the message is simply “that nothing has changed since last week’s message.” This is important as in a stressful environment where a threat looms, people look for information from any source and think “just because the senior managers told us three weeks ago that Brexit will not impact our jobs, does not mean that something has not changed since then.”

If there will be an impact, keep communicating how the impact will be assessed, and reacted to. What is the plan and how is the plan proceeding?

Tip 2 - Assess Their Level Of Engagement

On the day the Brexit Vote was announced, we were in London presenting the results of an online employee engagement survey for a company consisting of British, French and Belgium nationals.

The mood was sombre and managers were relieved that they conducted the survey before the result, but in fact now is the ideal time. While there is little you can do to influence the political environment, you can influence many other factors that are impacting your staff’s level of motivation and engagement.

An anonymous online employee engagement survey and follow up focus groups are an ideal method of assessing the current mood and setting actions for the future. To see samples of the surveys we use with clients go to http://www.protostar-uk.com/employee- surveys.html

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Tip 3 - Increase Management Visibility

Nothing says “there’s a problem” more than seeing managers huddled in meeting after meeting. Of course those could be meetings about positive topics and major new orders but the perception will often be that the managers are circling the wagons and an announcement is looming. So “get back to the floor” and be ready to take questions and look for opportunities to identify things that would improve issues that concern your staff, however minor they might seem.

Tip 4 – Announce Future Plans and Events

People look for signs of confidence in the future and if they see events being cancelled, travel being restricted and recruitment being put on hold, it will exacerbate any feelings of despair. So if those actions are necessary, ensure that it’s seen as a proactive response to ensure that jobs are not impacted. If however they are not essential changes, see if they can be postponed, as ideally staff should be seeing decisions that reinforce the message that the future is bright.

For more help and advice on responding to the Brexit vote or assessing and improving levels of staff engagement, using an online employee survey, contact our Managing Director Michael Coates. Michael@protostar-uk.com or call 0191 38655455.

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This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Protostar Leadership Development Ltd .