The Grow Remote Advisory Panel, supported by Enterprise Ireland, will be a collaboration between leaders from business, non-profits and the public.
Grow Remote, a social enterprise that advocates for better remote working options in Ireland, has launched a new remote work advisory panel.
After the mass shift to remote working over the past year and the Government’s recent commitments to facilitate long-term remote working and invest in a network of hubs across the country, the aim of the panel is to build on this momentum to help make Ireland “a world leader in remote working”.
The panel will be made up of leaders from Irish companies that have experience with remote working, as well as the public and non-profit sectors. Grow Remote, which is supported by Enterprise Ireland, said that this “collaborative and cross-sectoral approach” is necessary to “realise the full potential of remote work for people, for profit and for the planet”.
While Grow Remote recruited its first employee just six months ago, it has been promoting more flexible work options for a number of years and now has more than 60 local remote working chapters across Ireland. These chapters help local communities secure remote employment and roll out the remote work training programmes Grow Remote has developed in partnership with the Laois-Offaly Education and Training Board, IDA Ireland and Solas.
Some of the companies Grow Remote has partnered with include Shopify, HubSpot, Glofox and Ebay.
It hopes to have a team of at least 10 people by the end of this year, facilitated by the €500,000 in funding it received from Enterprise Ireland last year.
Grow Remote co-founder Tracy Keogh said the panel will help the social enterprise with its mission to “bridge the gap between remote employers and the communities and talent who are searching for them”.
“This group of advisors will ensure that we stay focused on the needs of employers while remaining driven by the impact of that on our communities,” she said.
Leaders on the advisory panel include Axonista CEO Claire McHugh, Zyte CEO Shane Evans, The Wheel’s Deirdre Garvey, and Dr Andrew Forde from the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Mark Christal, divisional manager for regions and entrepreneurship at Enterprise Ireland, added that his team is committed to implementing a remote working action plan while increasing the number of co-working spaces as part of the agency’s Powering the Regions strategy.
“As companies increase digital adoption, Grow Remote will facilitate people to take advantage of new ways of working,” Christal said.
