In Careers this week, we looked at how companies can prepare for new ways of working, from hybrid teams to four-day weeks.
When Covid-19 restrictions ease, many believe we’ll be adopting a hybrid working model – with some team members in the office and others remaining at home, or with everyone on more flexible schedules. Abodoo CEO and co-founder Vanessa Tierney, for example, believes that “we will never go back to the commuting society we once were”.
I spoke to her about her experiences of remote working over the past 10 years and how she is managing during the current situation with two small children at home.
Tierney was just one of the people featured in Careers this week. I also spoke to Chris Huff, the chief strategy officer at Kofax, about how remote and hybrid workforces can harness automation. He shared six steps he recommends remote teams take if they want to incorporate automation, including rethinking digital transformation and tackling operation disruptions.
Hays’ Micki Frankland, meanwhile, shared her advice about delivering training to remote and hybrid teams. According to Frankland, the benefits of virtual training include flexibility and cost savings, but there are also challenges to contend with, such as holding people’s attention and understanding the technology you’re using.
If your employment situation has changed during this time, the employment and benefits team at William Fry has created an infographic outlining the main things you need to know about the Government’s income support measures, including details about the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme and the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
William Fry also talked to us about the topic of face coverings in the workplace. Now that many companies are planning their return to the office, it’s important to stay informed of Government guidelines around face masks for employees and what employers can do to prepare. Read the team’s insights here.
Many of us are working remotely right now, but what about volunteering remotely? I spoke to Accenture’s corporate citizenship lead, Tara Vance, about her experiences leading virtual volunteering initiatives.
In addition to my conversation with Vance, eight different companies in the Silicon Republic community told us about how they’ve adapted their corporate social responsibility programmes while employees are working from home. Companies including Liberty IT, Dropbox and Workhuman shared their experiences, from charity donations to virtual community events.
Looking at another aspect of the future of work, I spoke to 3D Issue’s Paul McNulty about the Donegal company’s transition to a four-day work week. McNulty explained his motivations for making the change and the hurdles he came up against.
Before Covid-19 restrictions began, we also visited Citi’s Innovation Lab in Dublin. Speaking to three of its employees, we learned about the culture at the company, the opportunities for graduates and experienced hires, and what it’s like work with emerging technologies such as blockchain. Watch our video here.
Finally, in jobs news, some announcements were made in the south-east region this week. SSE Renewables said it will be hiring for 80 new full-time workers to staff its Arklow Harbour windfarm base. And in Kilkenny, US healthcare provider UPMC will hire up to 60 people over the next three years at its new technology centre. The company will be recruiting for network, systems and security engineers, security and privacy analysts, and further roles in IT management.
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