Macro political and economic changes on a global level have created jitters and uncertainty for many of us and the current situation regarding Brexit is yet another example that has worried many of us, no matter how we actually voted in the referendum.
Many of us are worried about our finances, our jobs and our futures and with uncertainty likely to continue in terms of what our place in the world will be in the future, it is understandable to want to talk about our concerns.
It is worth remembering that the organisations we work in are experienced at dealing with, what can be considered as, ‘micro events’. Examples would be profit warnings, share price shocks or substantial changes to the way the company operates including downsizing.
We generally have confidence that our leaders can manage the situation, put processes in place to adapt to the change and get the organisation back on track. We have seen this particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic and we have all probably got more used to these very different ways of being and working.
Yet when the change is something as fundamental as Brexit, particularly when the result was so unexpected at the time, the effect within our organisations and society at large is likely to be quite significant. The details of what our relationship with the EU and the rest of the world will no doubt take longer to work through, and it is during this time that it can be more helpful to focus on what we do know and plan as much as we can on that basis.
We should be mindful that the workplace is uniquely placed to provide some of the support and reassurance that people need at this time, especially if we are involved in the implementation of new regulations related to Brexit.
