Brexit brought chaos to one of our factories, and I’m worried the underlying problems haven’t gone away. We have several Polish and Slovakian workers on one of our sites, and there were comments made by a couple of British supervisors in the days after the EU vote that nearly ended in a fight. Those involved were given written warnings but I’m told the European staff are keeping themselves to themselves and the atmosphere is terrible. I don’t want to lose staff or for this to continue – apart from anything else, we have only ever hired Europeans because it is so hard to find Brits to do this work.
Many weeks may have passed since the EU referendum, but sadly we’re still hearing about this type of reaction. It seems incredible that a democratic decision can lead to such rancour and bitterness, but Brexit has certainly brought out the worst in some people.
One of my clients had a similar situation to yours, when someone put a sign on a door that read: ‘Go home if you’re Polish.’ What we advised them to do is what I’d also urge you to do – get your entire staff together and tell them, with the help of the most senior manager on the site, that such behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We haven’t thrown away decency and civility in the workplace just because of Brexit, and neither have European workers stopped making a significant contribution to our businesses.
Remind your workforce how important everyone is to the collective cause, and that nothing has changed (or will change for the foreseeable future) as a result of the vote.
Follow it up by speaking to managers and asking them to be vigilant. Given that – alarmingly – it was supervisors who were responsible for the initial incident in your factory, you may need to reiterate what acceptable behaviour looks like and what could happen to those who fall short of your standards. It isn’t something you should need to mention, but sometimes laying down the law is the only way to draw a line under an escalating problem.
Make sure you go to the factory in question and speak to managers and employees to understand what’s really going on. Many EU nationals in the UK are feeling insecure and unwanted at the moment, and productivity is likely to be suffering. This isn’t a situation you can manage from afar – it calls for visible HR involvement on the ground.
Reluctant HR newbie is all the help I’ve got
I am head of HR at a recruitment consultancy and have needed help for some time, as the business is growing fast. The CEO’s response has been to encourage the office manager to take on additional HR responsibilities. She is very capable but doesn’t seem keen and has no interest in becoming qualified or pursuing an HR career. She says she already has enough to do and doesn’t want to do anything that impinges on her home life. How can I persuade the CEO this isn’t the right route?
You say your office manager isn’t keen. But who would be keen when they’ve effectively been told they have to take on a lot of extra work, with little or no support? Secretly, she might relish the opportunity to move upwards, but it doesn’t sound as though it’s been presented in a particularly appetising way.
Why not look at what you can take off her plate to ensure her new responsibilities aren’t a burden? And if now isn’t the right time to study for formal qualifications, perhaps you could offer coaching or mentoring that would give her support and additional knowledge. This could be more valuable to her career in the long run.
Most of all, it sounds like you need to take a look at everyone’s job and responsibilities. A spot of job design (or redesign) would ensure everyone has an appropriate role and the right sort of support, rather than just placing the burden to change on one individual. Over time, I expect that she – and the business – will see your new arrangement as a positive.