The media may be obsessed by stories about who does what, to who and when but for organisations the prospect of Brexit is a risk that has to be managed and planned for. This is not just about personalities. Public affairs can play a critical role in the planning that should be taking place.
The prospect of Brexit may appear distant to some but the intervention of Boris Johnson has undoubtedly given the anti-campaigners a boost. If a week is a long time in politics then there is a long way to go before we know whether we are in or out of Europe.
That does not though mean that organisations should simply wait. Of course, Brexit does contain a large element of the unknown. We do not know which parts of the European settlement we might keep as an independent country. We do not know what a future relationship might look like or what the members of the EU might want it to look like. But that only adds to the need to plan now and think about how you might cope under such a scenario.
My colleague, Angus Walker, has discussed some of the practical implications of a withdrawal in a blog post. He describes the ‘transition period’ that would take place in the event of Brexit.
You could sit and wait for the outcome but it is not clear that others in your sector will be adopting that approach. As with many other business decisions, those that are better prepared are more likely to cope as well as utilise potential opportunities. Sitting and waiting might suit some…
Here are five questions you should be asking to help any planning process.
- What is your public position? Organisations will come under pressure to state a preference. It might be that you decide to keep well out of things but if the outcome is critical to your business then you might want to say so. If so, how should you approach this? There could be divergent views across senior management and these should be taken into consideration before any decision on a position is made public. You do not want to give the impression of a divided front. This difficulty is amplified for membership bodies.
- What arrangements might change externally? For instance, which parts of your operations are subject to the influence of Europe? Are there contracts or pricing structures that could change? If projects are being considered now that could be implemented before or after Brexit how are you preparing them?
- What arrangements might change internally? Your obligations to employees could feasibly change but would you have pre and post Brexit arrangements? What are your competitors likely to do? Should you be encouraging your employees to get involved in the current debate? Are there specific internal communications that are needed? Do your employees need reassuring that you are planning for Brexit?
- What costs could be imposed on you? What is the worst case scenario for you under any Brexit terms? The proponents on Brexit would suggest that the chances of such costs are minimal but it is a risk that needs to be mapped and planned.
- Who do you engage with? In the meantime, organisations needs to continue to engage with Governments across the UK and in Brussels as well. Policy-making and development will not be put on hold totally. This could impact on who you are talking to and the critically the messages to be delivered as well.
These are the type of issues that public affairs can help with. There is plenty that needs to happen.
Government is certainly pushing the terms of the deal that the PM has struck as explained here. But just because Government believes in the deal does not the British population will. Are you asking the questions?