Research published by Aldermore has found three in five UK SMEs have no succession planning in place.
The Aldermore Future Attitudes reportfound that over three fifths (61%) of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – equating to 3.4m UK firms with fewer than 250 employees – have no clear plan in place to ensure that their businesses do not suffer when key staff leave.
Go deeper with GlobalData
This is despite the survey of over a thousand senior business decision-makers at UK SMEs revealing that more than one in seven (15%) believe the biggest threat to their business is the departure of a senior executive.
More than one in six (17%) are worried about a whole team leaving; this figure increases even further to over a quarter (27%) of medium-sized businesses – those with between 50 and 249 employees – that are concerned about multiple leavers.
When asked about succession plans, only one in ten (10%) SMEs surveyed felt they could survive without one on the basis that none of their staff members were indispensable or would be difficult to replace. Moreover, a further one in six (16%) SMEs have no defined succession plan in place because they are not expecting any key employees to depart in the short-term.
Of the two in five (39%) SMEs that have a succession plan in place, nearly half (47%) said this includes ensuring employees view their long-term future at the company and providing training to widen employees’ capabilities beyond their current roles. Over two in five (42%) of those SMEs with a succession plan already have individuals in mind to take on the pivotal and specialist roles in the business if other employees leave or step down.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataCarl D’Ammassa, group managing director, business finance at Aldermore, said: “It is concerning to find that the majority of SMEs do not have any succession plans in place despite being conscious of the adverse consequences that may result should crucial employees leave the business.
“When faced with the day-to-day demands of running their company, business owners can easily push succession planning down their list of priorities. However, good employees are hard to find so for SMEs putting in place a strategy to deal with the departure of key individuals is imperative, particularly since the departure of a key employee has the potential to hit smaller firms with fewer employees hardest.”
