Over half (55%) of attendees surveyed at recent Employment Law events held by regional law firm Prettys stated they were still undecided on whether it would be better for their businesses to remain in or leave the EU.
During the event hosted by the regional law firm, attendees were asked, from a business perspective, whether it would be of greater benefit to vote in or out in the upcoming referendum.
The survey revealed that 40% of attendees, believed that their business would benefit from remaining in the EU while only 6% felt it would be beneficial to leave.
Commenting on the results, Matthew Cole, head of employment law at Prettys said, “With less than two months to go until the referendum, it is telling that employers are still undecided about how the EU vote may affect their business.”
“EU law has made a significant impact on the UK’s employment legislation and as yet, no indication about any possible changes to these laws have been made, leaving businesses unable to make informed decisions on whether a vote to remain or leave the EU would be better for their business and workforce.”
The UK’s employment landscape has been shaped by EU laws including rights to holiday pay, disability rights, religious, sexual or age discrimination, rights for working parents and the fair treatment of part-time workers.
There is also uncertainty on how businesses would be affected by restrictions around the free movement of people and possible implications on applying for working visas.
The survey was carried out at Prettys’ Business Academy events held at Chelmsford and Ipswich and is part of an ongoing programme of networking, seminars and legal briefings run by Prettys throughout the year.