Pictured L to R Derek McKay Adare Human Resource Management, Roslyn O Shaughnessy BD Medical, Robert Murrary President Drogheda & District Chamber.
Following the recent lifting of Government restrictions, including the directive to work remotely, many businesses are implementing their plans to return to the workplace. To support with this transition, Drogheda & District Chamber, in partnership with Adare Human Resource Management, delivered its first in-person event since the beginning of Covid-19 at The Mill Enterprise Centre in Drogheda. The event, which had restricted attendance and a number of safety measures, focused on the impacts of the pandemic on the changing ways of work, including remote and hybrid working as well as a renewed focus on employee engagement and supporting the development of company culture.
The event provided a great opportunity to bring the experienced HR practitioners from local businesses together to share experiences and learnings from the past two years and how the future of HR and work are evolving.
Attendees heard from a panel of contributors, including Robert Murray, President of Drogheda & District Chamber and Head of Marketing at First Citizen Finance, Derek McKay of Adare Human Resource Management and Roslyn O’Shaughnessy, Human Resources Manager at BD who spoke about how the employment landscape has changed and how this has affected their businesses and the strategic decision-making in relation to people management.
Pictured L to R Michelle Mc Donagh Adare Human Resource Management, Eimear Fortune Flogas, Stephen Mc Donnell M1 Skillnet, Robert Murrary Drogheda & District Chamber President
Robert Murray noted that Drogheda & District is a developing area with a lot of initiatives in motion to support the development and expansion of the region to make it an attractive place to live and work. “There are more opportunities now for people to stay living in Drogheda and work further afield either fully remote or hybrid. That is a real bonus for businesses in the region as it means are more likely to spend locally”.
He added: “For members who are based in the region, it is important that we provide them with the advice and guidance to help them navigate new ways of working. The past two years have been unprecedented but with the lifting of restrictions, many businesses will be keen to get back to normal. But that sense of normality has changed, particularly in the eyes of employees. Their expectations have shifted away from the work life balance conversations towards designing work now to integrate with well-being and life with remote and hybrid working. The pandemic has shown that remote working does work and businesses who embrace it long term, alongside flexibility will reap the rewards of attracting and retaining talent while driving productivity and growth”.
Derek McKay of Adare Human Resource Management commented: “The event provided some great insights from speakers and attendees who shared their experiences around the impact, effectiveness, challenges and opportunities arising from newer ways of working. It was also very encouraging to hear about some of the new and exciting initiatives that businesses have been introducing to improve employee engagement, health, safety and well-being, which are crucially important following a stressful and uncertain two years”.
This is the first of a series of events planned over the coming months aimed specifically at issues affecting HR and people management. More information can be found on www.droghedachamber.ie.