Culture and communication are key to building trust in today’s ever-changing workplace
Guaranteed Irish Professional Services Forum 2024: Emerging trends in the future of work
The annual Guaranteed Irish Professional Services Forum took place today, where an enriching panel of industry leaders engaged with broadcaster and journalist Sarah Carey. Individuals from across various sectors such as HR, Tech and Legal discussed the future of the workplace, agility, and the need to work consistently on communication within a team, whether remotely or in person.
Guests enjoyed a networking breakfast and a panel discussion, where Peter Cosgrove, Managing Director of Futurewise spoke about remote versus onsite working, saying: ‘I am an advocate of hybrid working, and of making use of socialising opportunities when in the office. My advice to new starters is to get into the office and meet executives to learn better and quicker. Post Covid-19 policies are not working in practice, as senior executives come to the office for the most part, and there is a lack of clarification for juniors. Building trust is key. Employees like to have fun at the office and positive experiences lend to stronger relationships within a team.’
Adam Coleman, CEO of HRLocker, who owns and operates a fully remote business also delivered an address, where he discussed the importance of trust in the workplace, saying: ‘Trusting in your people, and in your company values is paramount, and trust is what Guaranteed Irish is all about. We base our company on the principles of trust and truth, and our objective is to make life and work easier for both employers and employees. Selection of roles should be based on the job and on the person – then you can look at the remote or hybrid working versus office scenarios, and make it work for your business. The CEO sets the definition of culture, but employees decide on what good company culture looks like.’
Coming from varied professional backgrounds, panellists on the day included Crystel Robbins Rynne, COO of HRLocker, who when discussing the right to request remote working, said: ‘There is a right to request remote working, but employers still need to look at their own needs. Employers should engage with employees and decide collaboratively. Working and being creative online is a normal for 25% of the population, this percentage is growing and so we need to meet in the middle.’
Meanwhile, Alan Hickey, McCann FitzGerald LLP spoke from a legal perspective about hybrid working, saying: ‘It is important that employers are acting fairly and reasonably when handling a remote working request. Employers need to be flexible, but should always look back at the contract - was the employee promised a certain remote working arrangement previously or is it post pandemic fallout? It is also important to be familiar with the code of practice on remote working and to get advice.’
Finally, Miriam Magner Flynn, CEO of Career Decisions shared her expert knowledge on the importance of effective communication within the workplace, saying: ‘Engaging the hearts and minds of employees is key to creating happy and high performing people. Successful leaders need to understand themselves, their personality, and motivated skills, and this will help them to understand others and motivate their team whether managing them in person or remotely.’
For more information on upcoming Guaranteed Irish events, click here
