Nihat Arkan, COE, thebigwordNihat Arkan, global CEO of Leeds-based language translation, interpretation and localisation specialist thebigword, is investing thousands to ensure his non-British staff can stay in the UK post-Brexit.
What services does thebigword offer?
We offer several different language-services. We provide translation and outsourcing services in 256 languages. We are a global company based in Leeds, but with offices also in Europe, Asia and North America.
When did you first realise that Brexit was going to have an impact on thebigword?
We have around 600 direct employees and of these 12 to 15% are not UK citizens. And then we have a vast freelance linguist network and around 35 to 40% of these people are not UK citizens. Over the last few months, about 5% of our UK-based staff have left, specifically as a result of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. So to encourage our other non-British staff to stay with us we have created a very specific programme for them. We will be paying all the expenses required for them to be able to stay here and we have also established a department specifically to help them with the application process.
This has been a big investment for us and it’s coming out of our profits, but we agreed with our shareholders and our management that it was something we needed to do to mitigate the risks of Brexit.
And to protect our freelance linguist network, which is quite substantial, we are now working with our local MP and various associations like the Association of Translation Companies to make sure that the linguist job is protected within the Brexit decision. That would allow our linguist network to travel freely without a visa and other time and cost implications. So we are working to protect our whole family!
Aside from the staffing issues, are their any other changes you are making to your business to prepare for Brexit?
We have set aside a substantial amount to hedge against currency fluctuations because we pay many of our non-UK-based freelancers in their own currency and we also use many non-UK-based technology companies who need paying in US dollars, Japanese Yen and Euros. So the pound going down has a very negative impact on our business and it is something we have to protect against.
Subscribe to
Sign up now for all these Brexit business tools
NO DEAL BREXIT
ACTION PLAN
The No Deal Brexit Action Plan maps out the time available and the time required to undertake the processes to prepare your business for a No Deal Brexit.
Your business will need to modify or completely change procedures to prepare for Brexit. Brexlists help you take a rigorous and structured approach to your preparations:
- The Executive Summary Brexlist Brexit checklist, as its name implies, highlights the key issues
- The Business Functions Brexlist Brexit checklist maps onto the key business functions in a company
- The Directory Brexlist Brexit checklist maps onto the topic headings in our Brexit Directory
highlight what needs to be done, and by when, to ensure that all parts of your supply chain are prepared for Brexit:
- Identify the key questions for your business
- Share key learnings with your business partners
- Identify the key challenges and opportunities
- Highlight key internal and external priorities
BREXIT
DIRECTORY
The Brexit Directory is an extensive database of information and links organised by business function to help you find the information your business needs to know.