Third of UK employees think Brexit will negatively impact their current employment. Mid-management are the most uncertain about how Brexit could affect their current employment. Contributor Mark Scanlon, Chief Executive Officer – Personal Group.

With just over a year to go until the UK leaves the European Union (29^th March 2019), and almost a year since the invocation of Article 50, survey findings from new research which show that 32 percent of UK employees predict that Brexit will negatively impact their current employment.

The research, which surveyed more than 1,100 UK employees*, revealed that team leaders and managers are the most uncertain about their employment post Brexit, with 42 percent admitting they are unsure about how Brexit will affect their current employment. Interestingly, men are more optimistic than women about Brexit’s impact, with twice as many men expecting Brexit to have a positive impact on their employment versus women (3.5 percent versus 1.6 percent).

Other findings include: 38 percent of respondents are unsure how Brexit will affect their current employment. A mere 2 percent felt that Brexit would have a positive impact on their current employment. Nearly a third (28 percent) believe that Brexit would have no affect on their current employment. Over half (51.6 percent) of company owners and directors believe Brexit will have no effect at all on their current employment.

The over 50s are the least phased by the potential impact on their employment, with 36 percent expecting Brexit to not affect their current employment at all. 30-49-year olds were they most cynical age group about the impact of Brexit, with more employee’s in this age group expecting Brexit to have a negative impact than amongst the over 50’s or the 18-29 year olds.

Of all job levels, senior managers and department heads were the most optimistic about Brexit. Although it was still only 7 percent of them who expected Brexit to have a positive impact on their current employment which is not particularly encouraging. Mark Scanlon, Chief Executive Officer at Personal Group commented: “The UK’s departure from the EU continues to cause uncertainty for many UK employees, with many not knowing what it means for them or their current role. This fear can quickly lead to a loss of productivity and a reduction in workplace happiness. Employers will need to be more resourceful to keep their staff happy and engaged.

“Regular communication and careful listening is the key here; employers can use pulse surveys and push notifications to monitor employee sentiment, reassure staff, encourage dialogue and ultimately, maintain employee engagement in the workplace. Employee engagement must be on every manager’s agenda, now more than ever.”

*1173 UK employees surveyed via social media between the 7^th-23^rd February 2018