Workers feel they are in the dark on impact of Brexit, says survey

Only a minority of UK employees have been kept informed about the ramifications of Brexit in the workplace, according to KPMG research.

In a survey of 4,000 workers commissioned by the professional services firm, 38 per cent of employees said bosses had explained the implications of Brexit at work, while only 39 per cent said their employer was adequately prepared.

The sector in which workers felt least prepared was healthcare, which averaged 33 per cent across both metrics. Professional services came out on top, scoring 48 per cent and 51 per cent respectively.

James Stewart, head of Brexit at KPMG, called the lack of communication “worrying”, leaving workers “less well prepared to anticipate and back the changes that may be needed to position companies for growth”.

Meanwhile, nearly half of EU nationals involved in the survey said their employer had not explained what Brexit might mean for their organisation, despite this group being a “particular flight risk”, according to Punam Birly, employment and immigration partner at KPMG.

“Now is the time to be talking to all your workforce, dispelling myths and explaining the support on offer,” she said.

Theresa May has secured a draft Brexit deal with the EU but faces an uphill battle to get it through parliament if EU member states approve it at a meeting this week.

Labour has said it will not vote for any deal the Prime Minister secures, while pro-Brexit MPs have sounded the alarm over the fact that the deal does not allow the UK to quit a temporary customs union with the bloc unilaterally.

The news follows repeated warnings from UK companies that continued uncertainty over Brexit would put their businesses at risk. Yesterday, an IHS Markit survey found business morale was at its lowest since the aftermath of the financial crisis.