Brexit and HR implications

Since 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom has formally ceased its membership of the European Union. A transitional period is now in place until the end of 2020 while longer-term trade and immigration arrangements are worked out.

Although the transition will keep existing provisions around free movement of people and goods as they were before Brexit, this period is finite. Businesses should therefore take appropriate steps to plan for and support their workforce now. Our resources and guidance to help you do this can be found on this dedicated Brexit hub.

New on the hub

What are your people considerations for Brexit?

A summary for people practitioners to find out what actions they need to take for Brexit

Employing overseas workers in the UK

Learn about recruiting overseas workers, the categories of non-UK nationals able to enter and work in the UK, and the legal framework involved

Brexit FAQs for people professionals

Frequently asked questions with answers to guide you in your Brexit planning

Update on UK's post Brexit immigration policy

Resources and guidance to help you

Click on the icons below to see a list of relevant resources.

Brexit workforce considerations

What are your people considerations for Brexit?
We identify six circumstances that may apply to your organisation with respect to your workforce and highlight the actions you may need to take.

Guide: Brexit continuity planning for HR
Guidance to help employers and HR assess and deal with the people-related contingencies.

Guide: Preparing for Brexit through workforce planning
Guidance on workforce planning practice to help your organisation thrive through Brexit.

Research: Brexit - Impact on workforce trends
Our latest data and analysis provide insight on the key workforce issues arising from Brexit.

Post-Brexit immigration policy

Webcast: Preparing for the new post-Brexit immigration policy
View our webcast on what to expect from post-Brexit migration restrictions and what it means for your organisation now. Featuring Ian Robinson, Immigration Law Partner at Fragomen, and Gerwyn Davies, Senior Labour Market Adviser at the CIPD.
(Download a PDF copy of the webcast slides (3MB))

Resources on Brexit, immigration and employment law
Updates and research on Brexit immigration policy as well as Brexit’s potential impact on employment law.

Employing overseas workers in the UK
Learn about recruiting overseas workers, the categories of non-UK nationals able to enter and work in the UK, and the legal framework involved.

Managing and communicating change

Support material: Developing resilience in times of change
In the context of change and uncertainty, it is vital for organisations to support and communicate effectively with their workforce and help build resilience. Use this resource to help you build up resilience on a daily basis.

We've put together a series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) with answers to guide you in your Brexit planning.

Further information from Gov.uk:

CIPD impact on the policy debate

The CIPD has been and will continue to work with Government to ensure any Brexit-related policy decisions meet employer needs. During the Brexit process to date:

We've been involved in meetings with key politicians and government officials, including the Rt Hon Caroline Nokes MP, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP and Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP.
We're a member of the Home Office employers’ advisory group on the post-Brexit immigration policy.
The CIPD and some of the UK’s largest business organisations signed an open letter to the Home Secretary offering help on designing the post-Brexit immigration system.
We were the most quoted organisation (out of 450+ organisations) in the Migration Advisory Committee’s report on a new EU immigration system. The Government largely adopted the report’s recommendations in its immigration White Paper.
We published our report, A practical immigration system for post-Brexit Britain, outlining our key policy recommendations for government ahead of new migration restrictions.

Read the CIPD’s viewpoint on Brexit and future immigration policy for our list of recommended actions for employers and Government.