EU Staff and Brexit: five questions for every business

Since the referendum result, businesses of all sizes are considering how they continue to staff their UK operations, including both current EU employees and potential new hires from the EU. On 30 March, the EU Settlement Scheme opened to all EU nationals living in the UK. Whilst Brexit holds many uncertainties, the EU Settlement Scheme is fixed in UK law and is a basis for immediate practical action, whether we leave the EU with a deal or not.

Produced in collaboration with Deloitte, this guide is for UK employers in any sector – from multinationals to SMEs – who want to understand best practice and the role they could play in communicating information and supporting their staff. It is structured around answering five key questions which every businesses who employs someone from the EU should consider asking themselves:

1. What rights do our EU staff have?
2. What will our EU staff have to do to stay in the UK?
3. How should we help EU staff understand their situation?
4. Should we actively support EU staff through the EU Settlement Scheme process?
5. What are our legal obligations

*Since the publications of this report, the Brexit deadline was extended to 31 January 2020.