UK firms are not ready for a Brexit vote next week, according to 80 per cent of change experts
UK businesses are insufficiently prepared for next week's referendum result, according to eight out of 10 change management experts.
In a survey of 400 interim managers brought in to help firms manage change, 80 per cent said that UK businesses were not ready for the Brexit vote.
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The research, conducted for recruitment specialist Interim Partners, found that many business plans were being hampered.
“Most people are not doing much to prepare. There will be a new way of dealing with EU countries if we come out of the EU.
“I think that the trade opportunities will still be there but it will be on a different basis. Companies need to understand how it might change so that they can be prepared,” one interim manager said.
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This came despite predictions from change experts of increased travel, legal and import costs, as well as a slump in the value of sterling, while they also suggest firms should better hedge investments and form a more developed communications strategy to bolster existing relationships.
“Interim managers are specialists in change management, and are often brought into businesses to help them navigate periods of transformation and uncertainty,” says Steve Rutherford, managing partner of Interim Partners.
“As such, they are ideally-placed to help businesses negotiate the potential economic pitfalls of a UK exit from Europe.”