It’s safe to say pandemic-induced remote working was initially a hit with Irish workers.
According to data compiled by the CSO, 85% of those who had never worked remotely prior to Covid-19 restrictions said that they wished to continue working from home when restrictions were no longer in place.
However, three years on, 60% of Irish workers now believe working remotely will have a negative long term impact on their career progression.
Proximity bias
That’s according to Unispace which found that 80% of employers view remote working in a negative light, which is why 83% of them have mandated a return to the office in some capacity.
And a whopping 80% of decision-makers have stated that pay rises, bonuses and promotions will be limited for those who don’t return to the office.
Despite this, 57% of Irish workers are reluctant to give up remote working for a variety of reasons. Bad wifi tops the list, with 70% citing it as their main reason for not returning to the office.
This is followed by not being able to work efficiently due to distractions (55%) and lack of privacy (32%).
"If employees are happy to miss out on progression opportunities and pay rises in order to work outside of the office more regularly, it does suggest that change is needed beyond mandated returns, and Irish employers will need to put in considerable work to design more appealing spaces in the coming years with the needs of their employees' front of mind,” offers Lawrence Mohiuddine, CEO, EMEA at Unispace.
However, for younger workers in particular, not getting face time with more senior members of staff can have a detrimental effect, both to career progression and their ability to learn on the job.
A US study found that 95% of executives are more conscious of the input made by team members working in the office versus those who work remotely.
Bridging the gap
So what can Irish workers who want to work remotely do to ensure their employer recognises and values their contribution and crucially, doesn’t pass them by when promotions or pay rises are on the table?
Adopting a hybrid working model where employees work from the office two to three days per week and spend the rest of the working week at home can offer the best of both worlds.
Similarly, using your time in office differently and keeping all brainstorming or collaborative activities for in office days can be hugely beneficial and more productive in the long run.
However if your employer is backtracking on its commitment to facilitating a hybrid working model or is flat out refusing to let you work from home, it could be time for a new opportunity in a new company.
If that is the case the IFSC Job Board is the ideal place to begin your search as it features thousands of hybrid roles, like the three below.
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Tax Management Consulting - Tax Technology Senior Manager/Director, Deloitte
Deloitte is looking for an innovative and ambitious tax solution Director to lead, promote, design, develop and implement systems and analytics that meet tax business needs, and ensure clients’ can keep pace with the changing tax and legal landscape. Your role will entail leading projects and teams of highly qualified tax technology professionals and being the lead contact for clients. You will be working on projects in gathering requirements (both tax/legal and business), analysing supply-chains and business processes to assess the required functional specifications, evaluating the current tax systems landscape and proposed future state in order to identify gaps and improvement areas, and oversee the development and management of junior team members. See more information here.
Senior Payroll Specialist- Hybrid, Morgan McKinley, Dublin
Working as part of the finance team, the Senior Payroll Specialist will take full ownership of the payroll function and process IRL, EMEA and UK payroll with payroll providers for up to 250 employees. In this role you will be tasked with checking and reviewing payroll data for accuracy, ensuring deadlines are adhered to, assisting in reconciling monthly payroll accounts and preparing necessary journal entries and assisting in budgeting and projections of payroll for the various entities. You will also be responsible for the processing and reconciliation of employee pension payments and processing and reconciliation of employee Health Care BIK and payment to health care providers. See the full job description here.
Actuarial Trainee (Hybrid), Zurich Insurance, Dublin
Zurich Life Assurance Plc is looking to expand its actuarial team and is hiring an Actuarial Trainee. he successful applicant will have the opportunity to rotate and work in all of the company’s key areas and study for the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries exams. Your main responsibilities will include modelling, providing business insights, statistical and data analysis, providing IT solutions, capital management, forecasting, pricing and risk management. You will also need to stay on top of the insurance industry’s trends, directions and major issues. You can access more details about this role here.
- For thousands more opportunities in finance, visit the IFSC Job Board today.
By Aoibhinn Mc Bride
