If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that face-to-face connection is irreplaceable, despite our best efforts to create virtual boardrooms (not to mention facilitate quiz nights) via video calls during the darkest days of lockdown.
And while the vast majority of Irish workers have returned to their offices in some hybrid shape or form, lack of connection and disengagement is still plaguing the workplace, and creating a hostile working environment.
That’s according to employee recognition organisation, Workhuman. As part of its recent The Human Workplace Index, the company found that 38% of workers in Ireland feel invisible or under-appreciated at work, and 34% don’t feel recognised for their contributions.
Great divide
This viewpoint is even more pronounced among younger workers who fall into the Gen-Z cohort, with 45% of those aged 24 or under admitting to feeling invisible or under-appreciated, and 43% articulating that they feel like they don’t belong in the workplace.
Stress in the workplace was also found to be a big issue with 47% admitting to feeling stressed at work, 53% struggling to switch off at the end of the day when working from home remotely, and 29% sharing that they felt pressure to compete with colleagues to work long hours.
So, what can managers or those in leadership do to counteract these sentiments and promote a more positive outlook and working environment?
Greater recognition has been found to boost morale and decrease disillusionment as Niamh Graham, SVP of global human experience at Workhuman explains: “As recognition becomes increasingly important to employee wellbeing, now more than ever, it is crucial for businesses to take recognition seriously and embed this into their fabric.
“This is especially important for large businesses, where managers may be overseeing large teams with some employees’ efforts going unnoticed… Employees need to know their worth and this will underpin organisational success into the future.”
New opportunity
However, if you feel like your employer isn’t doing enough to foster more inclusive working conditions or your own hard work continues to go unnoticed, it could be time to weigh up the merits of a new job versus your existing one.
If that is the case, the IFSC Job Board is the perfect place to start your job search. It features thousands of jobs across finance, banking and insurance in companies that are actively hiring, like the three below.
Commercial Finance Manager, Morgan McKinley, Dublin
Morgan McKinley has an excellent opportunity for a Commercial Finance Manager to take full ownership of the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) function while working with the wider business. As such, you will be required to build and support the delivery of monthly forecast cycles, annual budgets and long-term strategic plans, support the month end close process, ensure all risks are identified and captured and drive the working capital agenda to ensure the business understands the varying financial impacts on the business. Applicants will need to be a qualified accountant with five to 10 years’ of experience.
View more information here.
Finance Actuary-Hybrid, Zurich Insurance, Dublin
As a Finance Actuary at Zurich Insurance your main responsibilities will include providing routine actuarial services with minimal supervision by a more experienced actuary and performing more complex actuarial analyses as assigned under the supervision of a more experienced actuary. You will also be tasked with supporting and participating in cross-functional Solvency II and IFRS discussions and effectively managing and developing relationships with senior colleagues within the company. To apply you should have a recognised professional actuarial organisation qualification and at least five years’ experience.
See the full job description here.
Finance Manager - Management Controlling, Allianz Ireland, Dublin
Allianz is recruiting for a Finance Manager to report to the head of management controlling, investments and tax, where you will be responsible for the management of expense controlling, accounting solutions and accounts payable (AP). This is a challenging role with responsibility for the steering of a key business metric, the expense ratio, and will involve working closely with a range of key stakeholders and senior management within and outside the finance function. You will also be required to forecast to ensure overall budget targets are met and any surplus or deficit is identified and reported in a timely manner. The ideal candidate will be ACA or ACCA qualified, with a minimum of five years’ experience, and hasthe ability to demonstrate experience of expense controlling and managing budgets.
You can access more details here.
Continue your search for your next job in finance at the IFSC Job Board.
By Aoibhinn Mc Bride
