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sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_crime-law"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/crime-law/courts" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Courts</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/property" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Property</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_property" aria-label="Show Property sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_property"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/residential" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Residential</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/commercial-property" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Commercial Property</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/property/interiors" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Interiors</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/food" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Food</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_food" aria-label="Show Food sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_food"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/drink" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Drink</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/recipes" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Recipes</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/food/restaurants" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Restaurants</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/health" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Health</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_health" aria-label="Show Health sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_health"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-family" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Family</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-fitness" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Fitness</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-wellness" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Your Wellness</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/health/your-fitness/get-running" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Get Running</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Life & Style</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_life-style" aria-label="Show Life & Style sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_life-style"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/fashion" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Fashion</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/tags/beauty/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Beauty</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/fine-art-antiques" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Fine Art & Antiques</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/gardening" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Gardening</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/people" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">People</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/life-style/travel" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Travel</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/culture" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Culture</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_culture" aria-label="Show Culture sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_culture"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/art" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Art</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/books" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Books</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/film" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Film</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/music" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Music</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/stage" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Stage</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/culture/tv-radio" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">TV & Radio</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/environment" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Environment</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_environment" aria-label="Show Environment sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_environment"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/environment/climate-crisis" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Climate Crisis</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/technology" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Technology</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_technology" aria-label="Show Technology sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_technology"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/big-tech" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Big Tech</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/consumer-tech" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Consumer Tech</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/data-security" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Data & Security</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/technology/gaming" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Gaming</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/science" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Science</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_science" aria-label="Show Science sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_science"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/science/space" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Space</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/media" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Media</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/abroad" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Abroad</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/obituaries" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Obituaries</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/transport" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Transport</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/motors" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Motors</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_motors" aria-label="Show Motors sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_motors"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/motors/car-reviews/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Car Reviews</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/listen/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Listen</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack b-header-nav-chain__subsection-anchor subsection-anchor " data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="center" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Podcasts</a><button aria-expanded="false" aria-controls="header_sub_section_podcasts" aria-label="Show Podcasts sub sections" class="c-button c-button--medium c-button--default submenu-caret" type="button"><span><svg class="c-icon" width="20" height="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 512 512" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M256 416C247.812 416 239.62 412.875 233.38 406.625L41.38 214.625C28.88 202.125 28.88 181.875 41.38 169.375C53.88 156.875 74.13 156.875 86.63 169.375L256 338.8L425.4 169.4C437.9 156.9 458.15 156.9 470.65 169.4C483.15 181.9 483.15 202.15 470.65 214.65L278.65 406.65C272.4 412.9 264.2 416 256 416Z"></path></svg></span></button></div><div class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-container "><ul class="b-header-nav-chain__subsection-menu" id="header_sub_section_podcasts"><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/in-the-news" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">In the News Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/inside-politics" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Inside Politics Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/the-womens-podcast" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">The Women's Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/inside-business" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Inside Business Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/ross-ocarroll-kelly" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Ross O'Carroll-Kelly</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/the-counter-ruck" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">The Counter Ruck Podcast</a></li><li class="subsection-item" data-testid="nav-chain-subsection-item"><a class="c-link" href="/podcasts/conversations-with-parents" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Conversations with Parents Podcast</a></li></ul></div></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/video" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Video</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><a class="c-link" href="/photography" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1">Photography</a></li><li class="section-item" data-testid="nav-chain-section-item"><div data-testid="nav-chain-section-item-subsection" class="c-stack 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height="182"/></a></div><hr aria-hidden="true"/><div class="c-stack b-numbered-list__item" data-style-direction="horizontal" data-style-justification="start" data-style-alignment="unset" data-style-inline="false" data-style-wrap="nowrap"><p class="c-paragraph">2</p><a class="c-link" href="/business/2024/12/12/irish-house-prices-overvalued-by-10-ersi-warns/"><h2 class="c-heading">Irish house prices overvalued by 10%, increasing risk of a ‘painful correction’, ESRI warns</h2></a><a class="c-link b-numbered-list__item-image" href="/business/2024/12/12/irish-house-prices-overvalued-by-10-ersi-warns/" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1"><img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="" class="c-image" loading="lazy" src="https://www.irishtimes.com/resizer/v2/C5RLKG4O24EBD2KTVHT6ZHN7V4.jpg?smart=true&auth=e797aee46e8a3d1f039636edc5a7787aad5f1ca1a919885d2ec54f0884a7be34&width=274&height=182" 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However, current average life expectancy in Ireland is 82.81 years – more than five years longer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4PTWFJMBQZCAVNIZ7B3VKCEN3E","additional_properties":{"_id":1701190620343},"content":"“We need our pension systems to become fit for purpose and fit for the future, ensuring everyone has a good quality of life in their retirement,” Nicolas Jeanmart, head of personal and general insurance at Insurance Europe, said. “The reality is that, looking at the currently complex landscape, people will have to save more for retirement, but not everyone has enough money to do so.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QFU2YBREBFBEHJFLKHLXUVDPIY","additional_properties":{"_id":1701190620344},"content":"The survey also found that Irish women continue to have dramatically less pension provision in place than men. Just 34 per cent of women said they had either a workplace or personal pension, compared with 61 per cent for men.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3RCHDCV5RJEC3E65RMZJB5ZIXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1701190620345},"content":"Moyagh Murdock, Insurance Ireland chief executive, said the results “highlight that a widening of the gender pension gap is inevitable if we don’t change the conditions around access to pensions for women”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IWIYPSMNQRGQBH27J7OENVYBWI","additional_properties":{"_id":1701190620346},"content":"She said the desire of Irish workers for safety and flexibility pointed to a need for Government to rethink its plans for mandatory workplace pensions – auto-enrolment – which is scheduled to be rolled out next year, particularly what she called “the complex and burdensome approach around a new and costly Central Processing Agency” to oversee the scheme.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JYYZTNEEWBGLTHABEKGDHTZECI","additional_properties":{"_id":1701190620347},"content":"Insurance Ireland says management of auto-enrolment should be run by the private life insurance sector, “one of the most sophisticated life insurance markets in the world”, which was currently being ignored, Ms Murdock claimed.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Dominic Coyle"}},"name":"Dominic Coyle"}]},"description":{"basic":"Only one in three Irish people are happy that their retirement income will prove sufficient"},"display_date":"2023-11-28T16:58:57.871Z","headlines":{"basic":"Workers averse to taking risk in growing pension funds - survey","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"CT6YEKMIXEGO36P543VSUNLAQY","auth":{"1":"447afb2fbf2d1df7d09166b5e5c827de487a1b1fae2053b5cbce432ac0d7f6df"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/CT6YEKMIXEGO36P543VSUNLAQY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Your Money"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/your-money/2023/11/28/workers-averse-to-taking-risk-in-growing-pension-funds-survey/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/your-money","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Your Money"}}}},{"_id":"U7GAFRCFDZFMVMFNE6H47Z3U6E","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":176,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9594807/media/cef9b4654d769d4ab1a31e016b44e0b2_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/27/union-hopes-to-continue-public-sector-pay-talks-at-wrc-this-week/","content_elements":[{"_id":"7EISDAW3EVABPFF4A477JRUQ2E","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219942},"content":"Union representatives said they “hope” to be back at the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/workplace-relations-commission\" target=\"_blank\">Workplace Relations Commission</a> (WRC) later this week for further talks on a new public sector pay deal after an opening three-hour session on Monday in which the two sides set out their positions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5Q2IZ6WQWNGGZNBK5LMTKLJXWA","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219943},"content":"Chairman of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Public Services Committee, Kevin Callinan, said the officials from the Government side had “gone off to consult and we expect that there may be a resumption sometime later in the week”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6RFBD2O77RDDRG3KJJFXCHGDAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219944},"content":"The talks are intended to produce a successor to Building Momentum, the current national public sector pay agreement which initially covered 2021 and 2022 before being extended last year so as to run until the end of next month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N6PNLKOPMFBQ7CA2OIRTHFDVVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219945},"content":"During a face-to-face meeting, he said the two sides had identified their respective priorities. He said the members of the union delegation, which includes <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\" target=\"_blank\">Siptu</a>’s John King, Phil Ní Sheaghdha of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/irish-nurses-and-midwives-organisation\" target=\"_blank\">Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation</a> and John Boyle of the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/into\" target=\"_blank\">Irish National Teachers Organisation</a> (INTO), had reiterated their position that a multiyear deal of the sort Paschal Donohoe has indicated he would like to see, would be impossible if the Government does not agree to repeal remaining financial crisis era legislation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M7L7A3WMXVECTCY5RGKHP2BLCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219946},"content":"“The Minister [for Public Expenditure and Reform] has been making it clear they will want industrial peace and cost certainty. They’ll want stability and affordability,” said Mr Callinan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MASCCUCO7VARFOTAEKQGRHQNWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219947},"content":"“The trick here is to try to get a deal that works for workers and for Government, and we’re absolutely committed to trying to do that. But we’ve been very, very clear today that we’re no longer in an emergency situation. And that it is just simply untenable that we will continue to operate under emergency legislation as we go forward. So the ball is in their court.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ANTPDOLCYJC7JOXYN7WE6EPMKM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219948},"content":"The unions had previously expressed a preference for the issue of the legislation being dealt with in advance of the substantive negotiations but Mr Donohoe said he was happy for it to be dealt with as part of the wider process.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CS5KOZG2JVGAFEELAGZFGLIFPM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219949},"content":"Nevertheless, the Minister said he believed reaching an agreement would be “challenging” and the manner in which this issue is resolved seems set to impact significantly on the rest of the process.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3IRSVSB4KZD7VFPRVRNDE2SCFE","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219950},"content":"“Obviously, we would have preferred if we’ve got a clear statement from the Government side today,” said Mr Callinan, “but we’re prepared to give it some time. Give it a few days in order to see whether they can clarify the issue. I think it’s more ‘hope’ that these talks might resume later in the week. If there’s something concrete to say to us.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"MVNWNFNGA5BFXNAVXMY44DFXDM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701116219951},"content":"The Government side did not comment on the day’s events.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Talks are intended to produce a successor to current national public sector pay agreement"},"display_date":"2023-11-27T21:09:37.041Z","headlines":{"basic":"Union hopes to continue public sector pay talks at WRC this week","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"NIBIHBARVRDDXP36F262R5PYFE","auth":{"1":"b4a02c94908a52a0cffa6487265e78187b5cee7e07bcb3efcd8a24a62e1c1652"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/NIBIHBARVRDDXP36F262R5PYFE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/11/27/union-hopes-to-continue-public-sector-pay-talks-at-wrc-this-week/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"H5UBBWNG5REI3NUDCGRQNEDGOM","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/27/eu-jobs-official-says-consumers-happy-to-pay-more-to-protect-workers-rights/","content_elements":[{"_id":"EOWJPF7ERFA2NOQNMZXNOMGVAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608289},"content":"EU consumers will have to pay higher prices to cover better rights for gig workers but the increases will not kill the industry’s business model, a senior Brussels official has predicted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OUNON5ZI65DJNHMFHYZB7DC4R4","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608290},"content":"Nicolas Schmit, the EU’s commissioner for jobs and social rights, said there is a cost that “has to be paid” in an ongoing effort designed to force groups like Uber and Deliveroo to provide more worker rights.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LFESQ7LOWNAMRKVOMIPW7ONZ3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608291},"content":"The European Parliament, member states and the European Commission are debating a directive that, if passed as drafted, will force ride-sharing and delivery companies to offer more social protections to workers on their platforms.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V24XDTZ37BEX7HHJ6GRF5M3G2Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608292},"content":"EU officials estimate that prices for services such as Uber might increase by 40 per cent as a result. The deliberations are set to enter their last phase by the end of November, according to two people with direct knowledge of the process.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S3G4SRPRBRFSLECOXIEQWUPWVA","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608293},"content":"Mr Schmit said he was confident consumers would accept higher prices if it meant better conditions for gig workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XFWGI2L5WRBZFCLUXGZHQ7A4N4","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608294},"content":"“In an economy, you have consumers and producers of services. Our economy cannot just function on the basis of the advantage of the consumer,” he said. “It has to take into account the interest of the provider of the service. There has to be a balance.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2XM23FFBWBHI5KUGPVPTJSOAWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608295},"content":"Mr Schmit said, “There’s a strong market for these kinds of services and people are ready to bear the cost. There’s this idea you can correct the low price by a tip. This is not normal. If there’s a cost, it has to be paid.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EFCXVN25YVE7RPHCOT735O7BEM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608296},"content":"His comments were partly a response to a warning by Anabel Díaz, head of Uber’s mobility division in Europe, that the directive would force the ride-hailing service to shut down in hundreds of cities across the EU if prices rose by up to 40 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"33MRRW5T55GLNHX6RWVIEJ2BEQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608297},"content":"The commissioner rejected the argument, saying there was “no question that by better protecting the workers, we will kill a model. No. We will adjust a model”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4Z4PH6CGR5GMVIKVNN52G7N2KY","additional_properties":{"_id":1701100713893},"content":"He said Uber’s suggestion reminded him of 19th-century economic history when child labour was being abolished. “It was the argument, we have to shut down a lot of economic activities which was obviously not the case. This is scaremongering used by platforms to threaten legislators.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PA7QTBOFRNFWHAQNO44ILDUU74","additional_properties":{"_id":1701100713894},"content":"“If Uber, or somebody else, thinks that they cannot adapt their model to that, then that’s their problem. I would be astonished if this threat is really real.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LQBZVVETSNFS7PTS6UZ72AB2WI","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608298},"content":"Mr Schmit pointed to a series of court cases around Europe as evidence that a new directive by Brussels was needed to give businesses clarity. After a UK court ruling in 2021, Uber drivers are now designated as “workers” – meaning they are entitled to holidays and sick leave.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7KEQHERVBFAHCO23OEA7VHOCA","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608299},"content":"However, earlier this week, Britain’s supreme court ruled that Deliveroo riders cannot be recognised as workers in an employee relationship or represented by trade unions for collective bargaining, in a landmark decision for the gig economy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F6HZ63M5RNEJPIH6NUE5DF5MRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1701098608300},"content":"“There is no clarity,” said Mr Schmit. “This directive introduces clarity on the issue of the status of platform workers. It doesn’t mean that all platform workers have to be workers or employees. Platform workers can remain self-employed, but real self-employed and not bogus self-employed.” – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Javier Espinoza"}]},"description":{"basic":"Nicolas Schmit argues ensuring better staff conditions at groups like Uber and Deliveroo will not kill gig economy model"},"display_date":"2023-11-27T15:45:23.812Z","headlines":{"basic":"EU jobs official says consumers happy to pay more to protect workers’ rights","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"CJAPX3BPHJ2DIP3SQ5R673MCAY","auth":{"1":"446dd0870a2168ffd36d544ae1da95c030bd2489e80304cd4fb2c1f4b9cdfb9e"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/CJAPX3BPHJ2DIP3SQ5R673MCAY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/27/eu-jobs-official-says-consumers-happy-to-pay-more-to-protect-workers-rights/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"KJVZTXO43FGD5F2HHM4ZG6SARE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":246,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9572071/media/ff2b3124f9ca36b1978b00ebb4965094_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/27/double-dipping-why-managers-worry-that-staff-have-a-second-job-on-the-sly/","content_elements":[{"_id":"24HV4LK2ZVH2JI2FCS5RE4SBUE","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329387},"content":"Thanks to Covid, my normal working day is generally spent at my desk in the office, or at the computer on my kitchen table, or somewhere in between.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TOKYUVZYCRGJNGIACCULIAYF5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329388},"content":"Wherever I am though, I can’t remember ever thinking I could take advantage of this freedom to work remotely to get another full-time job on the sly.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YSSKEDJRZ5E4ZIZVBT3D3ZKOQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329389},"content":"Now I have, thanks to a conversation I had last week with Anthony Klotz, the American academic who coined the Great Resignation phrase during the pandemic and is now at University College London’s school of management.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TJ32JWMRYJHDNEFDPPURRAJ7NU","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329390},"content":"He told me that when he had been speaking to large audiences of managers over the past six months, one of the most common concerns they raised was about remote workers secretly taking on a second job. “It is one of the main three questions that comes up,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CCP7GYEVN5CJTP3EBJXSN5GGEQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"PP3ERHWI3RCOBNIZQ2TT4UU47A"},"content":"Is working from home as productive as it’s cracked up to be?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JWAMSSNJEVHSJBHK5MBSD4PDTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329391},"content":"The managers weren’t talking about part-time side hustles, or a bit of brief moonlighting, or the back-breaking multiple jobs that poorly paid workers are forced to take on.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MFUF4KPDANHDBGP6RNFKTLJS6A","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329392},"content":"They were worried that remote workers had craftily taken on another full-time, white collar, salaried job – on top of the one they were already being paid to do.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SCWDSKJPTFGFJCS35ATNLRZW7I","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329393},"content":"Klotz is just a sample of one but there is evidence the executives he was talking to are far from alone.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YXGXH5PJOVDX3GGFDRZNYPORR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329394},"content":"A sizeable 16 per cent of chief human resources officers at large companies told the Gallup polling and consulting firm a few months ago that their executive team believed remote employees might secretly work for multiple companies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J6IITUCR7JGQVPXTPSWVDJFGBE","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329395},"content":"It is probably no surprise then that 50 per cent of the HR bosses said their business had punitive policies for workers who flouted hybrid rules – a big jump from the 16 per cent who said this in September 2022.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UXZQJUK7PJDARAVSRVGU4W7ECM","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329396},"content":"I understand why executives might harbour these fears, especially if they lack systems enabling managers to have a good idea of what staff are doing and how well they’re doing it, no matter where they work. As Klotz says, the worry about multiple job-jugglers probably reflects a larger concern about how invisible remote workers spend their time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"72432C2EJFDSRPISXJDEAGPYM4","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329397},"content":"I can also see why employees savaged by endless lay-offs such as those in the US tech sector might find the safety of two jobs appealing, despite the stress involved. A website called Overemployed was started by such a person in 2021 to help other two-timers “give the man, aka Corporate America, the middle finger for always trying to screw the little people over”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CSHBIXCJJVEDDDUL2KQSOXLHVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329398},"content":"But I was surprised to see research published by the consultancy McKinsey in September showing that 5 per cent of the workforce in a typical organisation was engaged in the “growing phenomenon” of double-dipping.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KMHQSPDPTFDJTEXGEVAVMT6V3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329399},"content":"McKinsey described what it called “polyworkers” as full-time salaried employees holding two or more jobs simultaneously, probably in secret, and often when working remotely.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LTTEQHILMVERZFHBNUMRS66QYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329400},"content":"Even 5 per cent sounds high to me, but that is because my one job takes up more than enough time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XLPHR3CORRB6TDAMSSK5ETVNK4","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329401},"content":"Also I am not a software engineer. The only two-timing case I have personally heard about concerned a man in that job at a small start-up who was sacked as soon as his bosses discovered what he was doing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NWWSMAYNBFCH5P5GVNNRMCDIPA","additional_properties":{"_id":"6QILX3EGINA43N3A4TQMZLQYZU"},"content":"Most Irish workers and employers believe remote working ‘will hurt careers’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"XBU6MMHKQZHGJEHUZ6UAJPSPCA","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329402},"content":"He might have been inspired by Bryan Roque, another software engineer who lost his job at Amazon early in the pandemic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ICYXG3SUPVFLDJQAZLK5JHWCNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329403},"content":"Roque then managed to acquire three jobs at IBM, Meta and Tinder, he told the Business Insider news site recently, which put him on track to earn more than $820,000 (€749,000) a year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RQCGF6O6PNA63HSG3NIDUK4AIU","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329404},"content":"But the stress of long hours and keeping each employer secret from the others took its toll, especially after Meta asked him to go into the office for a couple of days a week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GMLS7G6C5FEKJA7LC4JWBMIKHU","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329405},"content":"If he couldn’t book a room to make private IBM and Tinder calls, he had to have nerve-jangling conversations in Meta’s open-plan office that could have easily been overheard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZGUWFRKYMFDLROS5DSV7DQXJJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329406},"content":"He ended up ditching all three jobs and taking a solitary new one, which I find instructive.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ABNIRIBAFFBG5KGKGL6CCEFWKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1701007329407},"content":"If someone with Roque’s steely nerves could not hack this extreme form of moonlighting, for close to $1 million, there may not be too many others like him. And even if there are, they may not last nearly as long as a lot of managers fear. –Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Pilita Clark"}},"name":"Pilita Clark"}]},"description":{"basic":"There is growing concern that remote workers are offering their services elsewhere"},"display_date":"2023-11-27T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Double dipping’: why managers worry that staff have a second job on the sly","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4QU6DWX3QVBLNBFW3VKGOUCCKE","auth":{"1":"7d04b38872bbdbfee3b0d6bec0b3ae20c87081f19ff6e82114b783d5ac50d68b"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4QU6DWX3QVBLNBFW3VKGOUCCKE.jpeg"}},"subtype":"columnist","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/27/double-dipping-why-managers-worry-that-staff-have-a-second-job-on-the-sly/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"WQNROBEOYFBQXFZGT6JNFMBCVE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":326,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9529873/media/e042175ebecfdd82f54f15fdefef42b5_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/26/with-my-surname-everyone-assumed-i-was-german-and-fluent-in-the-language-i-hadnt-a-word/","content_elements":[{"_id":"OE77E4EZ4FF6HBI3GR6E57LL3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938659},"content":"From the time he was a child, Steven Stein loved cars. So, when the time came to choose a career, he didn’t have to think twice. It had to be something to do with cars and the automotive technology course at what was then DIT Bolton Street looked like a good place to start.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MZIFOZMKJVBLVJEEHXCY4FIYUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938660},"content":"In the past, those graduating from the course tended to gravitate towards the retail motor trade or they joined an importer. Stein chose the second route and his first job was with the then Irish importers for Volkswagen, Motors Distributors.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4WUKFBZUKNCXXIO6HR2G2HTSOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938661},"content":"Motors Distributors favoured developing its talent in-house, and employees were expected to work their way up the ranks in the hope of landing a senior role with one of the brands. In late 2008, however, this all changed dramatically when VW took over responsibility for its Irish operations from Motors Distributors.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OZZCUBR3FVB45EOL47RE2WPHGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938662},"content":"For career-minded individuals such as Stein, the transfer of power was positive. The company’s new boss was from corporate headquarters, meaning there was a good chance that young, high-performing individuals would get noticed by the parent company – something less likely to have happened under Irish control.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7EMM3WTELJGQNCMKNRATDOVEYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938663},"content":"Stein was area manager for Skoda at the time and part of the team responsible for the marque’s growing success in Ireland on the back of a strong line-up of new models.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CI624YIP3ZDX3MKHSB57JE7WIQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938664},"content":"In 2012 he got his first big opportunity to shine under the new regime when he became regional manager for Audi. Within three years he was promoted to head of after-sales and it was this move that was to prove the catalyst for what has since become an international career within the VW group culminating in his most recent move to Spain as global director digital business for Seat’s high-performance Cupra brand.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AT3OO6NK7NEQNCP3FRJKA3CAYI","additional_properties":{"_id":"AMTYU6RUZNADNIAO3TUXKX3RRA"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"VDH6WQCXBZCHPLGZAXGFIOAP6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938665},"content":"“Being head of after-sales for a market means you’re in on all the planning meetings at HQ and you get good exposure for what you’re doing,” he says. “I had taken on extra responsibilities in areas such as digitalisation, connected car and ecommerce for the brand in Ireland and that brought me into contact with many different departments in Germany.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IPLW3WUCEFCN5P72UJNM3XD55M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938666},"content":"“I seized the challenges the role offered, and Ireland began to make a name for itself within Audi for breaking new ground. For example, we were the first Audi market to have online service booking with prepayment, and this got noticed in Germany,” says Stein.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QP47CVHIXJCPBENU2S7BF5W2UY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938667},"content":"“To be part of the global motor industry means having experience in right-hand drive markets and/or at headquarters. In 2018 I got offered two jobs at pretty much the same time, one in the UK, one in Germany. I took the HQ job because it was the stepping stone into the global market.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NXOZ4TELWJDULPBLTACKSQEB34","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938668},"content":"“The job was head of after-sales digitalisation for Audi, and I moved to Munich in 2018. I was chosen for the job because they wanted to put a more business-orientated person into the role rather than a tech person. The only slight drawback was that, with my surname, everyone assumed I was German and fluent in the language, and I hadn’t a word at the time.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CPU4OA5BEZCTVNBEIQTPGZBZT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938669},"content":"Stein immersed himself in his new job, taking on added responsibilities, and in 2021 the hard work paid off when he was promoted to a more senior management cadre within the company as director of digital services, new business development and support.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CDV3NRUSR5HZRHBSK3ZB3BFFHU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938670},"content":"Some might have sat back and enjoyed the ride, but Stein has a basic rule that has served him well in his career to date. “It’s called ‘three plus two’, by which I mean that you should do a leadership role for three years but not for longer than five,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZVFYL7E4WVHRXH6MNI4XSFKDVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"WDBRS7OYONFFLCNUP6V2EEUJ4A"},"content":"Seat’s all-electric Cupra: An arguably prettier, cheaper Volkswagen ID-3","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"5E4D2QNLINFKDACMLFL2HCQSNY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938671},"content":"“If you stay for three years then you’re there long enough to be accountable for the decisions you make, whereas after five you can become too set in your ways and decision making. In a big corporation, it’s easy to make decisions that make you look good on PowerPoint and then to change jobs within 12-18 months, which means that, if your decisions have a negative impact, you’re already in the next role and can escape them. That’s not good for the organisation or for your team.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"HGFA3X4CTNE5PLD3JH4VIZYDMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938672},"content":"Stein was due to reach his “three plus two” years with Audi earlier this year and, true to form, he had begun thinking about his next move. As it turned out, it was to be a big one involving a new country and a new brand.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5ZNZ6IZYYNFULMYBSWVQSNBYXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938673},"content":"“One of my previous managers had moved to Seat, and he contacted me at the end of last year with an offer to head the complete digital business at Cupra, based in Barcelona,” says Stein. “This was a really attractive proposition as, up to then, I had been responsible for aspects of Audi’s digital business, not all of it, and I had always felt we could do so much more if we took a more holistic approach.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"NNZMQ2X4NBGNNI7KOANJCVDBGY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938674},"content":"Stein moved to Spain in July with his wife and young son and says there is probably one more big move to go before he starts thinking seriously about his long-term future.","type":"text"},{"_id":"44GOVDBYLFGZHBAFS7GHB6KFKM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700669938675},"content":"“These kinds of big moves are highly pressurised because you work very long hours, and that’s tough on your family,” he says. “However, the next five to seven years are going to be transformative for the automotive industry and I’m quite keen to stick around for that.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Olive Keogh"}},"name":"Olive Keogh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Wild Geese: Steven Stein, Barcelona"},"display_date":"2023-11-26T05:30:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘With my surname, everyone assumed I was German and fluent in the language. I hadn’t a word’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"PYJTWCU6F5AWNK5XCSTSHJ4ZKA","auth":{"1":"0f212329bed76a98638c7aa666ac2ae902bbe9f3700c2a29649bf12e4fdb4361"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/PYJTWCU6F5AWNK5XCSTSHJ4ZKA.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature-smaller","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Motors"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Abroad"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/26/with-my-surname-everyone-assumed-i-was-german-and-fluent-in-the-language-i-hadnt-a-word/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"JQEDW642EZCC5EVVP4GWUQRUYQ","additional_properties":{},"canonical_url":"/your-money/2023/11/24/redundancy-what-payments-and-support-are-you-entitled-to-when-you-lose-your-job/","content_elements":[{"_id":"QUXUSIZRUFEPZKVOIAW4QALUVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1666784309870},"content":"Welcome again to our weekly On The Money newsletter on personal finance. We’ve been doing this a year now and the interest thousands of readers have shown and the questions they have sent our way has been gratifying endorsement that there’s huge interest in the area. We hope you continue to enjoy the newsletter and welcome any suggestions you may have of areas that we might look at. Get in touch at onthemoney@irishtimes.com.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WOFHEUL3CJD6TLGGLSR6R4CTGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700749471712},"content":"This week, we’re going to take a look at redundancy. A slowing economy over the past year has meant job losses are appearing in the headlines more frequently. The <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/tech-lay-offs\" target=\"_blank\">technology sector </a>has taken a beating but so too have other areas, not least the media, where <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/rte-pay-controversy/\" target=\"_blank\">RTÉ</a> are looking to lose as many as one in five of their current staff, albeit over a number of years. The story is the same in many other sectors.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WOFHEUL3CJD6TLGGLSR6R4CTGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700749471712},"content":"The first question on everyone’s lips, especially in the event of voluntary redundancy schemes is how many weeks of my pay will I get per year of service, but just as important is an understanding of how that money will be taxed, or not, and what happens next?","type":"text"},{"_id":"COMW5JZKIJBBBD6Z6CO2YQSLXE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462803},"content":"The first thing is to check whether you are entitled to redundancy: this can be an issue, especially among younger workers and in the tech sector where there can be a lot of moving between companies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ERTE3DNNQNC53LDGKFP27RK444","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462804},"content":"To qualify for a minimum redundancy payment – you’ll have heard it called statutory redundancy – you need to have been working for the employer for a continuous stretch of two years in a fully insurance employment – i.e paying PRSI – and be over 16 years of age (which you’d hope to be if you’ve been working for two years).","type":"text"},{"_id":"CPAFRRGK75DQVMYLZ2UUBZLEOA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462805},"content":"That “continuous employment” does include periods when you are not at work because of maternity or other for of parental leave, holiday, illness or strike, or where your employment was transferred to a new owner with agreement to respect your employment rights.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LOEVYI5YWNCQDM7FI2LCI6PEHY","additional_properties":{},"content":"How much money do I get for statutory redundancy?","type":"header"},{"_id":"CBQZTGC4WNCKDLWHN35MSRTZ5Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462806},"content":"In terms of how much this amounts to, it is two weeks’ pay for every year of service plus one week’s pay. However, it is important to note, especially for those on anything but basic earnings – anyone over €31,200 a year – that the maximum weekly pay taken into account under statutory redundancy pay is €600.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7SI2D76CRBEOTKFNDCFUCAHYWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462807},"content":"That’s not far ahead of the minimum wage and fractionally above what is called the living wage: it is certainly well below average earnings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M4IC5P77VBHI5KIZA5UHYXWK5I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462808},"content":"So, if you had started working for the company back in January 2020, had been earning €50,000 (or €961.53 a week) and were let go this month, you would receive €5,208 in statutory redundancy pay. That’s the weekly max of €600 times 3.84 months (they use fractional years of service) times two plus another one week at €600.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NGU2ZNHNCBDWDHDWEE2PM5BPOQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462809},"content":"If the employer cannot pay because the company has collapsed, they contact the Department of Social Protection which will then pay you.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UFK43GG6VRG2DBA2SRLLOBGMWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462810},"content":"As you can see, it’s hardly a life-changing sum of money though it is tax free.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LOEVYI5YWNCQDM7FI2LCI6PEHY","additional_properties":{},"content":"How much money do I get for voluntary redundancy?","type":"header"},{"_id":"RZQTZL42YNFCLBZZMFT62D7GRY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462811},"content":"In cases of voluntary redundancy, where the employer is looking to reduce headcount, they will naturally have to offer more than statutory redundancy if they want to secure volunteers. This is called a top-up payment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OXT6Z4ITKNFMHFG4MIPGJ4IPNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462812},"content":"You’ll have heard talk of RTÉ considering up to eight weeks’ pay per year of service (including the statutory) up to a maximum lump sum equivalent to two years’ pay, although Minister for Public Enterprise and Reform, <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/paschal-donohoe\" target=\"_blank\">Paschal Donohoe</a> indicated they might be constrained to the public sector norm of six weeks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RI7DKGHNBNDX5NCKG2IRKMJCHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462813},"content":"That would very much be at the upper end of things these days. In the private sector, it depends on the individual company and any contractual agreements but it will generally be closer to four weeks’ per year of service (including the statutory) up to that limit of two years’ pay.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RUU3ITCOLZF4ND524IVGKB254Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462814},"content":"With the top ups, there is no €600 limit on the weekly pay that is taken into account. Instead it is your current gross pay – your normal weekly pay plus any regular overtime you might do and any benefit in kind you receive. If, like most people, you are paid monthly, you divided that monthly figure by 4.33 to get the correct weekly number.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KAJCNLREFVCBRHKJ66NRWDQXGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462815},"content":"Where the pay varies – especially for those on commission-based payment – an average over the year is taken and you work back from that.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XGKZLSZDK5HSLM65SURQMN7BRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462816},"content":"When sorting out your “reckonable service”, it is important to note that although periods on strike or over 26 weeks of illness will count in determining whether you have reached the minimum two-year period of continuous employment, they will not count in measuring reckonable service for the purposes of calculating entitlement for actual redundancy payments.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IGAVXFNDKFC7ZAJ2LSPB2PWT2A","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462817},"content":"So going back to our worker on €50,000 who joined the business back in January 2020 and is being let go now, let’s say he is working for a company that is offering four weeks’ pay per year of service, including statutory pay. They will get statutory redundancy of €5,208 as calculated above and a top up of €7,384.55 (961.53 times 3.84 times two), bringing their total redundancy payment to €12,592.58.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AZP4YZ27NBC7PJ5RQS4CTDPC5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248478},"content":"Are redundancy payments tax free? ","type":"header"},{"_id":"SMAGXOXEQRBXZOD2QZDJ2SR2YU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462818},"content":"Anything above statutory is not exempt from tax but there is a degree of tax relief available. There are three ways of measuring this relief and you are entitled to whichever one works best for you.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GYDWWRY2BZDRHJLKOK3CCEBLAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462819},"content":"<b>The Basic Exemption: </b>This is €10,160 plus €765 for each complete year of service. Time worked on a job share or part-time is counted, but a career break is not. This is over and above any sum for statutory redundancy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S62A4CSSO5DXDHHDJ7WQVJ4FEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462820},"content":"<b>The Increased Exemption: </b>You can get up to an additional €10,000 in an increased exemption if you have not received a tax free lump sum in the last 10 years and you are not getting a lump sum from your pension – either now or in the future. If you are in a pension, the exemption would be lowered by the same amount as any tax free lump sum you stand to get from the pension.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JFL2RVNYRFHUBHE22PHA2NTK6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462821},"content":"<b>The Increase for Standard Capital Superannuation Benefit: </b>This is a formula which is generally relevant for people generally benefits people who have longer service or are on higher pay. It takes the average of your annual earnings over the most recent three years in the job – or all your time in that company if it is less than three years. You multiply this figure by your years of service, divide the outcome by 15 and then subtract any lump sum pension payment received.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6WKTVTPBABG3LBBRFETUC7RYU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462822},"content":"In our example, the basic exemption is higher than the amount our redundant worker on €50,000 would receive for his service since January 2020 over the statutory redundancy sum – €7,384.55 – so they do not pay any tax on their redundancy and do not have to look at the two other ways of crunching the numbers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R6GVDH44KBGP7OVK6OLPGBERSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462823},"content":"But if they had worked for the company for over 23 years – since January 2000 – they would be in line for a top-up payment of €84,922.33 and total redundancy pay of €90,130.33.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LHXJH2G345B6VO2I6LYSH7DEXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462824},"content":"That top-up is clearly well in excess of the allowance under the basic exemption: €10,000 + (€765 * 23) = €25,595.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IGHYM4UZHBH4RH7RKS4J775SJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462825},"content":"Assuming you qualify for the increased exemption because you have not had any tax free lump sum in the past decade nor any entitlement to one from your pension, you would get tax relief of €35,595. However, most people would be in line for a pension lump sum – or they should be.","type":"text"},{"_id":"47JRXFVLAVCWHGNLZSXTOBLABU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462826},"content":"Turning then to the Standard Capital Superannuation Benefit, you take his average salary over the past three years (let’s assume it has been a steady €50,000 though most people would have seen pay rises which would affect the figure), multiply it by the years of service and divide it by 15, giving you a sum of €79,466, assuming you have not had a pension lump sum. This would be the best option for our worker with long service, leaving them with a tax bill on just €5,455 and change.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O4ZARLKFEBG3LOPMKOSZGUWM3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700818462827},"content":"Where tax is payable, the money will be included as income in the year it is paid and taxed at whatever rate would apply to income at that level. You will also pay universal social charge – but not PRSI.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CTEEFQQH2FBE3NXJIL3KZR7CRM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248489},"content":"Revenue should be able to tell the employer what relief you have on the lump sum but, if they don’t, you’ll get credit only for the basic exemption and will have to claim any balance due back from Revenue.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G5DISN7KDRH6BKGICB4W6HTIHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248490},"content":"Can I get social welfare payments after redundancy? ","type":"header"},{"_id":"DFZENBPKORDJVOWVTY2XV4SQH4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248491},"content":"The other thing to remember is that you will be entitled to Jobseeker’s Benefit if you do find yourself out of work and have a PRSI record.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4JWDSBW5GJFBRKYAWPPETRI7GU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248492},"content":"If you are under the age of 55, there could be a gap of between one and nine weeks before you can claim Jobseeker’s Benefit depending on how much you received in redundancy. So if you got between €50,000 and €55,000, the gap is one week. It rises by one week for every additional €5,000 in redundancy until you get to nine weeks for those receiving more than €90,000 in redundancy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4MCGEJQDXBHODNSDVBLOJMQSQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248493},"content":"If your redundancy is less than €50,000, you can receive Jobseeker’s immediately.","type":"text"},{"_id":"J2K4HH5IXRBSXKLEHCHKM3SQKI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248494},"content":"To qualify, you need to be unemployed as you clearly will be in this situation. There is wriggle room, allowing you to work three days a week while still claiming if you do find alternative work after being cut from your job but we’ll leave that to one side for the minute.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJJUPBJ4HRFRJBJB6QJ3FBJC3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248495},"content":"Otherwise, you need to be available for work and actively seeking out employment. After that, it is down to your PRSI record.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z6356T7XXBEF5L2FK5CBK5PT5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248496},"content":"For most of us in PAYE employment – Class A PRSI – you need at least two years of contributions, 104 weekly payments since you started work. The same applies for people paying PRSI under class H (the Defence Forces) or P.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FUTWXAISEBH7XNLJ5GBUHCCTRM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248497},"content":"For those who are self-employed – PRSI Class S – you need a minimum of 156 weekly stamps.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BP6R5H66WRGF5J3LFN5IG4TTGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248498},"content":"Leaving the self-employed aside for a minute, other applicants need at least 39 of those PRSI weeks to be in what is called the “relevant tax year”. This is a Revenue construct that always bends my brain. We would all assume the relevant tax year to be the year you are claiming, but no, it’s not. It is in fact two years before that.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KIWUYOJWGZCENAMQ2FEF7YUUUA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248499},"content":"So, if you are applying for unemployment benefit after being made redundant this year, the relevant year is 2021.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4U265TAI6BGUNA22SM72L5MXP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248500},"content":"Of the 39 required stamps, at least 13 must have been fully paid contributions, not credited ones.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W7RDI64VB5BHJFYPZ6BMQD7THU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248501},"content":"Social Protection goes a long way to cover all eventualities so even if you cannot meet that standard, you will still qualify if you have 26 PRSI stamps in the relevant year and another 26 in the year before that.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7M75NDEIFBDABKHN2XSF4HV5OY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248502},"content":"And if you don’t meet the 13 paid stamp threshold in the relevant tax year, you can get across the line if you had 13 paid stamps in any of the current tax year, the last complete tax year, or even in the two tax years before the relevant tax year. So for our example of someone being made redundant this month, you would meet this mark if you had 13 paid PRSI stamps in any year from 2019 to 2023.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5KL3PCMGDFEVPGEE7XIOAQHUIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700830248503},"content":"Jobseeker’s Benefit is paid for up to nine months for those who have more than 260 PRSI stamps – five years of PRSI – and for six months for those with fewer PRSI payments. After that, you can apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance but that is means tested.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YLKU5OFOMNG55EERTBTRRJBTMA","additional_properties":{"_id":"P2A6BHNBIRDJPHUVTHXQXZM7TM"},"content":"You can contact us at <a href=\"mailto:OnTheMoney@irishtimes.com\">OnTheMoney@irishtimes.com</a> with personal finance questions you would like to see us address. If you missed last week’s newsletter, you can read it <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2023/11/17/five-tips-to-help-irish-consumers-take-control-of-their-shopping-bills/\" target=\"_blank\">here</a>.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Dominic Coyle"}},"name":"Dominic Coyle"}]},"description":{"basic":"On The Money: Knowing how your payoff will be taxed and your rights to other support are important in a position few plan to find themselves in"},"display_date":"2023-11-24T13:13:36.062Z","headlines":{"basic":"Redundancy: What payments and support are you entitled to when you lose your job?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"},"basic":{"display":true,"text":"On The Money Newsletter"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SRKG736HUBH7FM6UCG7UR52YQQ","auth":{"1":"e53798010598b0b61a9d03e408ecb37ea3d1ad65f6bf7aff5a0bcef586cf46c7"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SRKG736HUBH7FM6UCG7UR52YQQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"editors-note","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Your Money"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/your-money/2023/11/24/redundancy-what-payments-and-support-are-you-entitled-to-when-you-lose-your-job/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/your-money","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Your Money"}}}},{"_id":"3OUB576PQ5D6RNL4X7MH7D74WE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":311,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9529328/media/ec3a2879692bc752dadb666dfdc302c4_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/24/why-do-office-recycling-bins-turn-us-into-monsters/","content_elements":[{"_id":"GGJTQ5ANRJCNZNFJ2TL7VFB5CI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484184},"content":"Most of the time, I know that my colleagues are smart, dedicated, collaborative people. Then occasionally I catch a glimpse inside the office recycling bins and I think: who are these monsters?","type":"text"},{"_id":"N2TVW7ASIJBW7IEZ5DDIMOWECU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484185},"content":"Why would anyone throw a half-eaten apple in the paper recycling? Who thinks a coffee cup counts as food waste? What must their homes look like?","type":"text"},{"_id":"6HKWWABIUBD7XNJBFDBKPROYJU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484186},"content":"Anecdotal evidence, accumulated over my career, suggests that professional people are terrible at basic recycling in the office. Or, to put it kindly, they aren’t quite good enough. If you put just, say, two banana skins or a half-finished soup carton in a paper recycling bin, the whole sack may well be deemed contaminated – and incinerated. In recycling, as in crypto, a few bad apples spoil the whole barrel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVSBJZ2KT5FOVIZWSQRMXI3PCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484187},"content":"So why can all these intelligent office workers not follow basic instructions? A senior colleague confesses to me that he only recently learnt to wash out baked beans tins at home. Another member of staff says apologetically: “I do try quite hard, but I get confused by coffee cups.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EC3AC65OZJBQJDEKZGUNCDFD44","additional_properties":{"_id":"WP6I3P3WLRBRZK3PKJSLPK74HE"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"5F6JYQ3LG5AO7JK64EARSSCL4I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484188},"content":"The act of recycling is sufficiently annoying that UK prime minister Rishi Sunak promised to scrap “proposals for households to have seven bins” as part of his recent political relaunch (although such proposals did not seem to exist, and promising to scrap them has not reversed his dire poll ratings).","type":"text"},{"_id":"7IHTDGB6PVDBFMUILZVZVOBCV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484189},"content":"But there are psychological reasons why it is particularly annoying in the office. We might do something time-consuming at home simply because we believe it’s the right thing to do. But we’re less likely to do that at work, where we’re used to being paid for our efforts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IQOSAQM6SFBR3DYUCP36SCSQNE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700731337321},"content":"This is why no one waters the office pot plant or puts their cup in the office dishwasher. “At home, there’s more time, there’s more space,” says Simon Futcher, commercial business development director at waste company Veolia UK.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MXBWMGFQYNCLRIXMFMAFVMICFE","additional_properties":{"_id":"2TRTXR57AJDNXDXJBS2YVCRBGU"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"WLXPCYXQWZDINKT75KYYXNJ2F4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484190},"content":"Another aspect is control. At home, we set the rules. “You’ve got that ownership of your bin,” says Adam Herriott of the Waste and Resources Action Programme, a charity. You also get the blame when it goes wrong. At work, “the recycling gods won’t know it was me”, says one colleague. In one survey, laboratory workers estimated they recycled two-thirds of their rubbish at home, but only one-third at work (or when on holiday).","type":"text"},{"_id":"AURVYMVVVBEGXDHMFGJVIQGBEM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484191},"content":"Facilities teams try to simplify things, streamlining the number of bins, pinning up posters with clear instructions, broadcasting encouraging messages. But the world is against them. Disposable coffee cups look like they should be recycled, but most are a mix of plastic and paper, which is hard to separate. Mostly, they should go in the main waste bin. Tissues look like they should go in the paper bin, but the paper fibres have been recycled so often that they can’t be recycled again.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YPRKPZDEK5G45EX6SB6MQSJD7M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484192},"content":"It would be easier to sort these products out before they get to consumers. England banned plastic straws and coffee stirrers in 2020, and earlier this month banned plastic cutlery and polystyrene cups. Many office canteens have eliminated all disposable cups.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FGHV2KLAFVEKPFVWVXX5IIE4A4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700731337325},"content":"“In an absolute utopia, nothing would be single-use and there wouldn’t be any packaging, full stop,” says Herriott. “But that’s not going to be possible.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OG7LTEKH4FEJHOZBOMTXM3BMAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484193},"content":"Futcher says that, on average, offices have gone from recycling about 10 per cent of their waste two decades ago, to about 45 per cent today. When I found the man responsible for recycling at Financial Times HQ, he brought me surprising news: the FT is relatively good at it. At last count, we recycled 82 per cent of our waste.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GESILTXACNDBNE6AZOFU6TWRWY","additional_properties":{"_id":"SXDXMIPHSJBSJIST5AYBV7IA2U"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"5KCJ24UYNFBUZL7DRC2PGDW33I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484194},"content":"Companies have a financial incentive to promote recycling. The FT’s waste collector charges four times more for each kilo of general waste than for a kilo of separate food waste. But individual office workers do not get paid for putting a Coke can in the right bin.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4SZ5TMGXEFCHFAU46TMDRIRSHA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585484195},"content":"Environmental experts point out that recycling is less important than other sustainability measures. Because the recycling process involves waste and energy, it is less effective than using less stuff (but more effective than not recycling).","type":"text"},{"_id":"KR2US2TJIVFMFFBYI3BKXGZ6XY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700731337329},"content":"It may even be counterproductive. In his book <i>Wasteland</i>, journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis cites a study in the Journal of Consumer Psychology which found that participants used twice as much paper in an office task when a recycling bin was present than if one wasn’t. In other words, a belief in recycling may make us carefree. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"R5NFWH6LY5FKXLQU33KCK6TJO4","additional_properties":{},"content":"There may be one upside to realising how bad recycling is in the office: we might produce less waste in the first place. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Henry Mance"}]},"description":{"basic":"There are psychological reasons why people fail to use recycling receptacles properly at work"},"display_date":"2023-11-24T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Why do office recycling bins turn us into monsters?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"4VK7LUX2SNHTZEOPX2MBDCOGYI","auth":{"1":"66e835e448c96c1a09f509448c1998f83dbcbd19cda3c74d03d4dfee1d57f8c7"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/4VK7LUX2SNHTZEOPX2MBDCOGYI.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/24/why-do-office-recycling-bins-turn-us-into-monsters/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"YKZZTUXK7VFVTHF4RXOB5M4XGE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":341,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9516269/media/471b190b27ed29228fc9f5e99496b768_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/24/is-it-any-of-your-employers-business-who-you-are-friends-with-at-work/","content_elements":[{"_id":"4VY36E3DGVAKZHZTUQ6Q2CBHA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117103},"content":"How would you classify your relationship with your colleague? ITV posed that question when updating its policy on workplace relationships last month. The broadcaster asked staff to declare not just romantic and family relationships but platonic ones too: flatmates, close relationships or friendships.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WSV2YDPTHBFQZI2WXPPXZ6TN6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117104},"content":"Some commentators were aghast, decrying it as a ban on work friends, conjuring a white-collar dystopia in which colleagues furtively slide messages on slips of paper under their desks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VTTEQXKROZBOHNASOZEH3O6ZVI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117105},"content":"A zero-friendship policy would be bad for business. More than half the workers polled by the US Society for Human Resource Management this year had a colleague they called a close friend. Work friends improve engagement and productivity. Since the pandemic, friendship, according to Gallup, has become increasingly important to workers. A best friend, the polling company says, increases “employees’ likelihood to recommend their workplace” as well as “their overall satisfaction with their workplace”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q5BSAIV4CRH4PI4LE3Q22M3FJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700650346620},"content":"Navigating the hybrid workplace is all the better with a friend, a more compelling incentive to lure commuters into the office than a free sandwich or a meeting – and someone to surreptitiously message while Zooming.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WHJPX6VGCRDLDI3MVLVEUJQCZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117106},"content":"However, this is not a ban on friendship but an attempt to make ties between workers more transparent. ITV is looking into safeguarding procedures in the wake of presenter Phillip Schofield’s departure after lying about an “unwise, but not illegal” affair with a younger colleague.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YNJ644SDDRFH7JRVM4MIKKQHPQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"W7UAHB7MIZD6LMQWJJDU3WTU7M"},"content":"The sadness you feel when your best friend at the office leaves","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"HV4JP3VKGJH5FO3DPPN76BFUTI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117107},"content":"Sarah Henchoz, an employment partner at law firm Allen & Overy, says policies on friendships are not widespread, though it is “pretty standard to require employees to disclose conflicts of interest they may have in relation to, for example, new hires”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AABNF24ZXVDQRCOJN4SZK4TSRQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700650346623},"content":"Procurement is another such area. Failing to declare such relationships can lead to distrust – the UK government has been tarnished by accusations of chumocracy in awarding contracts during the pandemic in an opaque tendering process.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PDD4GEZ5ZNDXPM62YB2VUS2RHA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117108},"content":"Public sector organisations, including the NHS, universities and councils ask for disclosure of friendships within teams. Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation Trust’s policy says: “If you are closely related to another employee or have a close personal relationship with another employee who you directly/regularly work with, you must make sure your manager knows. If the person you are related to or that you have a close personal relationship with is your manager then you need to approach their manager.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"V2BZPPAK7NDYJIHG2BMT6IP5SY","additional_properties":{"_id":"PBZAYARV2BGITKYXWA2THZRKSY"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"KQPMJADHKVDVHFJTQPU7X65F5U","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117109},"content":"One challenge is the haziness around work friendships. The NHS trust says: “Employees are expected to exercise judgment in determining whether or not a friendship has developed to such an extent that it can be described as a close personal relationship.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"HI4BQRC4LREXFO4WTXWINDIKKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117110},"content":"But where is the line? A drink outside of work? A holiday? A godparent to your work bestie’s child? What if you fall out with your friend: do you update management? You might see yourself as an acquaintance to a colleague whereas they see themselves as more.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BNO4TTJWMFEQPHWJBNMUIENQJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700650346627},"content":"If anything social media has made the lines fuzzier. “We’ve got used to people having 600 friendships on Facebook,” says David D’Souza, membership director at the CIPD. “That’s different to having 600 people you can call in the night.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7R7BIYWQRVGDHFSB7BEM6OPMMU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Policies on workplace romances are clearer. Some employers ask staff to disclose them, others ban them between senior executives and subordinates. Meta has a code of conduct for dating, allowing co-workers to ask each other out but not a second time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HXNZTTVUWZHI5MPMDO6ZJ6Y2HE","additional_properties":{"_id":"NEIHMOWRYJEQZKXF2Q6OU7NMUE"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"SBE6QUJLCBH4LO7EYCZCEDYDHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117113},"content":"Pam Loch, founder of Loch Associates Group, an employment law firm and consultancy, says disclosure policies are designed to diminish favourable treatment “by changing line management or putting other steps in place to change or remove that level of influence”. It also potentially helps guard against retaliation should the couple split.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2M2AHRMUAFFYHIDRFGVZE4FZ4A","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117114},"content":"In recent years, non-disclosure has triggered the departure of business leaders, including Bernard Looney from oil company BP, Jeff Zucker from CNN, the news network, and Steve Easterbrook at McDonald’s fast food restaurants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XT2MUSWGVJGNPA32CUWYEQBNEM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117115},"content":"There is some overlap with friendship, particularly when it comes to preferential treatment, says Nancy Rothbard, professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, who has researched the dark side of workplace friends. While support from friends is important, she says, reciprocating it might prove “distracting”. It can be hard to give “tough feedback to a friend”. Friendship at work can also lead to perceptions of preferential treatment. “Work friendships can be seen as cliques,” leading to feelings of exclusion, which is demotivating.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MZZHH4W3XFBLBAY4NY7VZWQL2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117116},"content":"“It is a problem but it won’t be solved with a list,” says D’Souza. Potentially, organisations end up with a volume of information that gives the illusion of control.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7BP4MQPLFA3BCBUPILUURFY3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1700642117117},"content":"It often seems to me that the best test of friendship is when you leave. It’s easy enough to be matey when in need of an ally to let off steam. Much harder when you no longer bond over shared bureaucracy or the irritating habits and terrible decisions of a colleague. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emma Jacobs"}},"name":"Emma Jacobs"}]},"description":{"basic":"Some organisations are asking for disclosure of platonic as well as romantic workplace relationships"},"display_date":"2023-11-24T05:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Is it any of your employer’s business who you are friends with at work?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"E6RPRD3CNFCQLNADAC4D23SUJU","auth":{"1":"8d99b6300bac7bdc38e33077c57c6025e0f829e79eee216b4c1610351110c6ab"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/E6RPRD3CNFCQLNADAC4D23SUJU"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/24/is-it-any-of-your-employers-business-who-you-are-friends-with-at-work/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"CORP2QJKRJFMXJZEBJQGJI5IRE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":146,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9533718/media/4687540883f80f8ec25a7c67d4a38841_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/23/public-sector-pay-talks-set-to-start-on-monday/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ESAK6XNP3RGV7KOBC67HZPZOKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205182},"content":"Talks on a new public sector pay agreement are set to begin at the start of next week after the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/workplace-relations-commission/\" target=\"_blank\">Workplace Relations Commission</a> issued an invitation to both sides to attend for discussion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OVMWDM6DBVAWVDFLJTCYM2QT3E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205183},"content":"Government officials and public sector union representatives will be attempting to negotiate a successor deal to Building Momentum, which was initially intended to cover 2021 and 2022 before being extended to also cover this year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVOKYWF7XVGLBIIZUVC44ZM2PQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205184},"content":"In total, it provided for pay increases of 9.5 per cent to the bulk of the State’s 385,000 public and civil servants, although lower-paid workers received up to 12.5 per cent more over the course of the agreement which expires on December 31st.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7JAABDJXZBCOJNHI6L6KULTZUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700748455370},"content":"Inflation during the three years to come total around twice that 9.5 per cent figure, but there were other measures in the deal that benefited the workers involved. The Government also points to the range of cost-of-living supports provided to all households in recent budgets.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LNFOAHHLPBGY3B6GML5BP7A4XE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205185},"content":"Both sides have said they want a new deal, with Minister for Public Expenditure <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/paschal-donohoe/\" target=\"_blank\">Paschal Donohoe</a> suggesting his preference is for one that would extend over two or more years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GMF44TNPAFGIDF5FACIPRI7TVA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700748455372},"content":"The public sector unions have said the prospect of such a multi-year deal has been made more remote by the Minister’s unwillingness to address their desire to see the repeal of remaining crisis-era financial legislation, which they feel gives the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/department-of-public-expenditure-and-reform/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Public Expenditure and Reform</a> a veto on deals negotiated to address issues outside of the scope of the national agreements.","type":"text"},{"_id":"76MMIZDKYJAPDELURTJO6FCKTQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205186},"content":"Mr Donohoe has said he is happy to see the issue discussed as part of the wider talks process.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4U5SVEBMKNFDLEE3ED6VYAP2JM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205187},"content":"Senior officials from the department will represent the Government in the initial phases of the negotiations, with prominent political figures only likely to become involved as a deal comes into view.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z7WIGEUZYFG4VLRYIMIZVPLJSI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205188},"content":"Kevin Callinan of Fórsa, Siptu’s John King, Phil Ní Sheaghdha of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and John Boyle of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation will represent the unions at the talks, which will begin at 2pm on Monday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EOJA4J6YY5D5RLWSCFJUFZE7FU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700745205189},"content":"The two sides have suggested they hope an agreement can be reached within a matter of weeks, ideally before Christmas, after which balloting by the 19 unions with affected members would likely stretch into the new year.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Both sides want new deal with Donohoe indicating preference for one that would extend over two or more years"},"display_date":"2023-11-23T14:32:55.298Z","headlines":{"basic":"Public sector pay talks set to start on Monday","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"RY7MWBCTV5DEJNRDSJCOUFVFTI","auth":{"1":"947762ddf826f460ebd5f024ea01f964ddb5b69d2dc7d54af9c9e27ae861a34c"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/RY7MWBCTV5DEJNRDSJCOUFVFTI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/11/23/public-sector-pay-talks-set-to-start-on-monday/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"4BADQ6DNW5BIZJU4RBAZTVA77I","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":335,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9508886/media/20c6097cd196b330bcba4c3a572b0793_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/23/ageism-in-the-workplace-is-proving-costly-for-business/","content_elements":[{"_id":"PZXQHV4XTZAZHAWEXZGETYBCOU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141151},"content":"The last few years have brought huge changes to the world of work. Working from home and greater flexibility around when and where people do their jobs have transformed working life in a largely positive way. Yet when it comes to certain assumptions about work, nothing has changed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IAL22QSOJVBH7KJRGWGFMK5GVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141152},"content":"Top of the list is the notion that performance and productivity are related to age and that once someone hits a certain tally, their brain turns to mush. In fact, there’s a mountain of evidence to suggest otherwise. For instance, research from the British Medical Association shows that only 5 per cent of people over the age of 65 show signs of cognitive impairment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U2AJ5HXCDVBHFFXBJ5BN7MUCCY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141153},"content":"That said, ageism persists in a classic clash between assumption and reality, and those doing the hiring and firing need to wise up.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FWGWSLA3KBBT7L2EQ67QEOA5DI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141154},"content":"Skills and experience count. So too do better retention rates among older staff who are not driven by the same career imperatives as younger people. And yes, older workers are perfectly capable of learning new things and adapting to change.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S4WOMCR4WNDQBLM52PEYYNZJHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141155},"content":"It’s also worth noting that age should not be a barrier to starting a business. Entrepreneurs over 40 are more likely to succeed than younger ones because they have better-developed life skills and don’t feel the same pressure to succeed fast to prove themselves.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VNJE7RBEPNBI7PHRNQUKJ5TR7E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141156},"content":"But if we’re really getting down and dirty about age, anyone born after 1993 should be worried as, “for most people, raw mental horsepower declines after the age of 30”, note HR expert Josh Bersin and psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic writing in the Harvard Business Review.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V33WG4DUWJEJLAXAXY6MS3FMGY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141157},"content":"The good news for those of us who last saw the number 30 on a bus is that “knowledge and expertise – the main predictors of job performance – keep increasing even beyond the age of 80”, the authors say.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WKQYOODZW5DH5J2R6CNB3VL6SQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141158},"content":"“There is also ample evidence to assume that traits like drive and curiosity are catalysts for new skill acquisition, even during late adulthood. When it comes to learning new things, there is just no age limit, and the more intellectually engaged people remain when they are older, the more they will contribute to the labour market.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LR5SEVFOR5CNFCX6WZGLEGTOLU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141159},"content":"Colette Dicker works for multinational pharmaceuticals company, Takeda, which employs roughly 1,000 people across multiple sites in Ireland. Dicker has been with the company for 19 years and had spent most of that time in packaging before a lab apprenticeship programme advertised by her employer caught her attention.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7635UBLC5VD4DHONRL45AYX2SY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141160},"content":"Dicker hadn’t been to college before and, as she was on the wrong side of 40, she didn’t think she would be accepted onto the programme. In fact, Takeda HR site lead Catherine Lane is very keen to support older workers interested in a career change or pivot and Dicker was interviewed and offered a place on the course. She subsequently spent three years at TU Dublin to earn a degree and now works as a quality control analyst in the Takeda lab (with a commensurate rise in salary) while also acting as a mentor to colleagues currently on the apprenticeship.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QYE6DVMJ4RACJFFLYHSCDM7PV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141161},"content":"“For us, the apprenticeship was an opportunity to tap into the diversity outside the graduate space,” Lane says. “There’s certainly an attraction to “learn while you earn” and it’s an opportunity for mature workers who didn’t go to third-level or didn’t finish their course for some reason to advance their careers and earning power within the company.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AYZY3ERDTVACJP4GUVJ2GTLSD4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141162},"content":"“We encourage people to move within Takeda and around 22 per cent of our hires are internal which is quite high.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OUAJKYHV3RBZFETHRUTRZPRMYQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141163},"content":"Those on the apprenticeship course spend two days a week in college and three days at work. Lane says this means they integrate into their new role quickly and are more job-ready than graduates coming in from outside.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZLQVZN6VGRBOFL6BQINWEW2NSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141164},"content":"The apprenticeship programme kicked off in 2018 with the first cohort graduating in 2021. Takeda has put eight employees through the programme so far and seven are still with the company, something Lane sees as a big plus given the difficulties experienced in retaining staff, with young graduates in particular, wanting to move on to gain experience.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GKWKMY63U5ELNAQKP3FKVZ3Z4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141165},"content":"“It’s important to have stability but that’s easier said than done in a sector where we’re all fighting for the same people,” she says adding that one of the other ways Takeda tries to maintain continuity is by flagging what skills are required for different roles within the business in an effort to encourage employees to think about upskilling and maybe changing job.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IIUQXPZPQBDMTJLYY4H6C7BTXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141166},"content":"Dicker says the return to education was a culture shock initially but she and a Takeda colleague quickly settled into the routine.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3O5IRVOXGFD4FOIKRIRBKPYKA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141167},"content":"“It took a bit of time to get used to doing maths and science again but the pharma side of the course was easier because of my work experience. By the end of the first term, you are well into the swing of things at college and in the lab and you’re quickly accepted there because you’ve come from within the company,” Dicker says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DAFVLJ6T45H7FDQSLI76DGWHCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700585141168},"content":"“I would recommend others to seize opportunities when they come their way. Go for it, take it on, do what you can for yourself,” she adds. “I felt it was a super achievement for me and something I never really thought I would do in my life. I was encouraged big time at home with my family and by Takeda. It was amazing that people were so keen to see us succeed.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Olive Keogh"}},"name":"Olive Keogh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Skills and experience count as do better retention rates among older staff freed from the career imperatives of younger colleagues"},"display_date":"2023-11-23T10:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Ageism in the workplace is proving costly for business","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"KPUFEEITMNFQTDPTGXBFMQIZVU","auth":{"1":"5f51d6da0345e0c4cc96742c31af33aef67493a6ed6c4240c96725e36ca26c10"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/KPUFEEITMNFQTDPTGXBFMQIZVU.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Education"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/23/ageism-in-the-workplace-is-proving-costly-for-business/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"DRWSM5OHX5AYPHPMJGH3A4VSYI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":472,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9416656/media/176e3917040e53aa19273e451baf3751_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/your-wellness/2023/11/23/work-addiction-it-becomes-a-defence-mechanism-that-gets-hard-wired-over-time-and-goes-against-us-as-it-progresses/","content_elements":[{"_id":"7LIIUURFYNBH7L6UC5PGXEKZZE","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197653},"content":"Surviving in a society that is preoccupied with hustle culture, continuous output and building successful careers has amplified an excessive need to work, often beyond our limits.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QY5WWUT4MNDRLCSTJPFLEAE7PQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"UU5UTT4Y4NB5VGP35U2NIPJV7U"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"XHWFKEL3ZRBCZNHFRTR4RJYN5M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700044275834},"content":"It is not a new behavioural addiction, having first been clinically considered in the early 20th century. However, the more it is researched, the greater understanding we have about how and why it occurs and how to treat it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OP5N4TEI7BFU3KF2PTE2WD6GWI","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197654},"content":"Work is widely perceived to be a productive and positive activity, with the short-term behaviours of a workaholic often considered to be beneficial as self-driven, motivated actions increase productivity and self-esteem. But the long-term effects are questionable and will outweigh any positives, as it affects health and personal lives.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X47ABWZ35NBFFJ2FOM7A453ZWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700044275836},"content":"Work addiction is not operationally defined in the same way as workaholism. More research is needed in the area, yet it is currently understood that the enjoyment one derives from being a workaholic in whatever instance is not explicitly comparable to the transition from finding pleasure in one’s work to the compulsion and loss of control associated with addiction.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JGIOVC4P4FB73GIGYBZQYIKQ4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700211045517},"content":"“In our world focusing on achievement, understanding work addiction asks for a deeper exploration than merely recognising long hours at the desk,” says Mary McHugh, psychotherapist and founder of <a href=\"http://www.counsellingonline.ie/\">Irish Online Counselling</a>. “Many people are not drawn into overworking out of pure ambition but out of escapism. The seeds of work addiction are sown early in our lifespan out of a primal need to get things right, to be validated and praised. It becomes a defence mechanism that gets hard-wired over time and goes against us as it progresses within us.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"F756JDZ4WFAQXA2HURY72IKQSI","additional_properties":{"_id":"VNUZGHA7XFBW5OIBENZ4SZLOHQ"},"content":"Divorce, depression and burnout: the price paid for working excessively long hours","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"CIL3RKXBRFHJXPBVTEJC7BG67M","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197656},"content":"Work addiction doesn’t simply happen, but can evolve over time as personality traits develop and change, and underlying psychological needs are amplified. The concept of overworking is often instilled in us as we develop our understanding and work ethics from our most formative of years. For instance, study addiction has been recognised as a precursor to or an early sign of work addiction.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7OLPFCPYVDBPHWX55NP4D7TOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197657},"content":"“Our behaviours as a work addict often mirror behaviours that were once coping strategies for us as a child,” says McHugh. “Early signs can include a compulsive need to prove oneself and get recognised for it, like that of a child seeking praise and validation from a caregiver.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AA2TABISSFFD5EPLVOQEJ6VFOE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700044275840},"content":"“Overworking to fill emotional voids left by unmet childhood needs, reminiscent of a child finding ways to cope with their needs not met unconditionally. Or an inability to disengage from work, like how a child might over-immerse in play to escape and avoid distressing realities or situations.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WZ3J7WRQ5ZBUXFRF7UHBQORRK4","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197658},"content":"However, the contributing factors of work addiction go beyond personality traits and also include the structural characteristics of the work and the workplace environment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UQGENPT5Y5EX7NWCEXZHEXYNLE","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197659},"content":"“Put simply, to be healthy we need to have balance: equal measures of work, sleep and play,” says McHugh. “We have a 24-hour day so it’s very easy to see how we are in regards health in our life. Demands in today’s culture and lifestyle put us under immense pressure and push us from the equilibrium and can throw us temporarily off-kilter. However, when we fill our life up with work, it becomes an addiction, and we use it as an escape from engaging in life and relationships.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6U63LEH43JGH3AP4Z3IRYYELQ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700044275843},"content":"“This can be detrimental and have massive reverberating effects on our families and social circles. It can be an unconscious coping mechanism to avoid, sooth an underlying stress within the person. It can also be generational in that: this is the only way that I know how to be.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"UN7KX7QT35DHXCBXR4LIAGJGQQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700211045525},"content":"As with any addiction, the symptoms and signs of work addiction are varied, but can include poor physical health, including cardiovascular issues and a weakened immune system. Physical symptoms such as sleep and stomach issues, headaches, itches and body twitches along with body stiffness and sexual dysfunction can occur.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HWZHSWD3FJDEHAOUL6DUQNLPEI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700044275845},"content":"Behavioural changes can include irritability, agitation, anxiety, OCD, feelings of guilt, loneliness, detachment, burnout and an inability to concentrate or discuss family issues. A person may have a preoccupation with work or conversations tend to always be about or come back to work. Additionally, events may be missed due to work, and they may neglect their personal life.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LD6P53C7XZCAPCFXQ6C6AC3FGU","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197661},"content":"“It can be very subtle to begin with,” says McHugh, who says that a person with work addiction may believe they are putting their full focus into work, but become blinded to the life issues that occur around them, using it as a way of coping when the pressure of life builds. “A person immerses themselves further in work, fulfilling a need within them that keeps everything else at a distance. However, a person may slip deeper into addiction by using it as an escape from all the underlying issues that are the root of the addiction.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GF5SH63CIVE2BJ5HBEDQV2RZUA","additional_properties":{"_id":"T26GVNAD2FA43FCDDOJZWGG5NY"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"E6Z42TLQQJHD3M72QPUYUQJJME","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197662},"content":"Measuring work addiction is not straightforward. While it has similarities to other behavioural addictions, it is fundamentally different as it typically requires a person to continue the activity for possibly eight-plus hours a day with positive benefits such as financial security, professional development, self-satisfaction and achievement, feeling valued, and creating and building relationships. Recognising a work addiction requires observing the differences between healthy working habits and behaviours and addictive, compulsive behaviours.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OIQKA2EZH5D5NN6UKWBGLAX6UI","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197663},"content":"McHugh advises that the first step in dealing with a work addiction is to recognise that there is a problem. “This stage of awareness may only happen when the body is firing very strong messages to the brain that all is not okay,” she says. “If we are lucky enough to catch what the body is saying and we are willing to take action, the results are very promising.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2XDXGPBHXZC2DPIKFZUTVDE7QA","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197664},"content":"A person struggling with an urge to work that is affecting their health and wellbeing can find safe and protective environments to learn about their addiction, the process of recovery and find suitable treatment options by discussing the issue with a GP or counsellor that may include making lifestyle changes, balancing life activities, avoiding stressors and triggers and understanding potential underlying causes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4YOV4TBEGZH5BD42PKFLCNMYC4","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197665},"content":"“With the help of a counsellor, you can explore ‘the why’ of your work addiction,” says McHugh, “navigate to the roots of where it may have begun and build a relationship with yourself where you become more present to the triggers that shut you out from you and into work. Mindfulness is an excellent tool, as it is evidence-based to help change the pathways in the brain so that the taut muscle of your work addiction becomes weakened and the muscle for wellness and ease becomes stronger, making that over time your default muscle. Group work and programmes specific for work addiction are very helpful and enable you to see that you are not alone, and that for all of us is such a relief.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BYBMREYDHBBXRERV3Q352SEQEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1695375197666},"content":"Work addiction comes with many misconceptions. The proud identification of being a work addict counters the very real complications for a person suffering with addiction. It is a legitimate mental health condition that has been known to damage a person’s health, relationships and ability to function. But help is available to develop a way further away from the habits and routines of overworking. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"A7VHFONDFZHI7IZSPUXH2JHYV4","type":"list"},{"_id":"JMMZZRXSB5EHXI26CMF2TPPN5Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700044275855},"content":"Addiction series","type":"header"},{"_id":"MH7WJ7YFG5HPJMXOYBK2E7BZUU","additional_properties":{},"type":"list"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Geraldine Walsh"}},"name":"Geraldine Walsh"}]},"description":{"basic":"The concept of overworking is often instilled in us from our most formative of years"},"display_date":"2023-11-23T06:01:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Work addiction: ‘It becomes a defence mechanism that gets hard-wired over time and goes against us as it progresses’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"UXZK45H5VZHUFILI4MWXUMQ3VI","auth":{"1":"8960e5274be2f8236f71ad91f570b03ddfe0e2846423d5a8b16aa2065e7fb4f7"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/UXZK45H5VZHUFILI4MWXUMQ3VI.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Your Wellness"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Health"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/your-wellness/2023/11/23/work-addiction-it-becomes-a-defence-mechanism-that-gets-hard-wired-over-time-and-goes-against-us-as-it-progresses/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health/your-wellness","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Your Wellness"}}}},{"_id":"U5HI47IZZRB6HIFKSYLY36DSSY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":144,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9520819/media/709df6631452bf99ca742e7688f0306d_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/2023/11/22/derval-orourkes-workplace-wellbeing-platform-saol-raises-200000-from-enterprise-ireland/","content_elements":[{"_id":"WZ2L6H5AG5EV7HEQ45ZBPFZ3EE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700637009453},"content":"A new workplace wellbeing platform cofounded by Irish Olympian Derval O’Rourke has raised €200,000 in funding from Enterprise Ireland as part of a seed funding round to help bring the business to an international market.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LQ6AD6AXNFGOND6RRCGJ2LOG5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1700637009454},"content":"Saol, which was founded by Ms O’Rourke and business partner Greg O’Gorman, is aiming to create 26 jobs by 2026.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UNOJHFEIWFCGHLSYHNK33YNJ6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700640989139},"content":"Focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises, the platform helps employers to support wellbeing in the workplace, creating a supportive community and offering classes and events, expert coaches, on-demand programmes and live talks across areas including physical, mental and financial wellbeing, fitness and nutrition. It officially launched last month after 18 months of development.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YJARBNEOCFGHDD6SO3WYODVEBM","additional_properties":{"_id":"LJHFMTGMEND7XIGMERNYTLCGPQ"},"content":"Derval O’Rourke: ‘Who cares if there’s nobody in the stadium?’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"R543GJPNK5CMLFHG35HBYIX3TU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700637009457},"content":"“Saol is a platform to enable employers to do something really positive for their employees to help support their overall wellbeing,” said Ms O’Rourke. “There is significant evidence that employee wellbeing programmes have a cascading positive effect, resulting in boosted morale, positivity, enthusiasm, increased engagement, reduced stress and anxiety, enhanced problem-solving skills and even controlling chronic disease. We have been receiving really positive feedback from employers and employees so far and we hope that we can bring Saol to a wider audience thanks to the Enterprise Ireland investment.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"R543GJPNK5CMLFHG35HBYIX3TU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700637009458},"content":"The Enterprise Ireland funding represents half the seed round. The round will fund the cost of the business plan and internationalisation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZBR2DDS6PRAMZL5WVG2LYJRZEA","additional_properties":{"_id":"NRZDYX4XCBETTLGQYTTWJQF7PM"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-17716","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"},{"_id":"Q2QL4TJIVNBXZA4M4UFBJUT4GU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700637009461},"content":"“Research by Cork University Business School titled Healthy Workplace Ireland undertaken in 2023 clearly identified that businesses in Ireland are under-serviced when it comes to providing wellbeing support to employees,” said Donnchadh Cullinan, manager of ICT high potential start-ups with Enterprise Ireland. “We are proud to back the Saol platform created by Derval and Greg and we are confident that it will help to tackle some of the challenges faced by businesses in particular with burnout and increased levels of stress among employees. We look forward to working with the Saol team to realise their global ambition.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WB6PDYABVRDRFEHFK2ZCHAPWOI","additional_properties":{"_id":"RYBYGC6ISNCQ3FGHBGFJ6O64AU"},"content":"Olympian Derval O’Rourke hopes to corner SME market with wellbeing app","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"DOQNOOPX6BG7VC2WM2F36LUBWA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700640989143},"content":"The new platform follows on from the <a href=\"http://derval.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Derval.ie</a> website, an online fitness and wellbeing subscription platform that has grown a community of 15,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"27D5RAUDRBAADNUM2CEN3LLSJM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700637009460},"content":"The news was welcomed by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney. “[Ms O’Rourke and Mr O’Gorman] have already helped hundreds of businesses and employees through <a href=\"http://derval.ie/\" target=\"_blank\">Derval.ie</a> and it’s great to see the ambition behind their new platform backed with significant funding from Enterprise Ireland.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Ciara O'Brien"}},"name":"Ciara O'Brien"}]},"description":{"basic":"Funding will help drive growth of platform in international markets"},"display_date":"2023-11-22T17:18:48.584Z","headlines":{"basic":"Derval O’Rourke’s workplace wellbeing platform Saol raises €200,000 from Enterprise Ireland","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"SNGD37UUZZH55KKMZHW2A7ZNQU","auth":{"1":"6693352241ed29d24c891a355929995fb5602c37d460bcd2d6321b6cb45dd3a4"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SNGD37UUZZH55KKMZHW2A7ZNQU.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Health"},{"name":"Technology"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/2023/11/22/derval-orourkes-workplace-wellbeing-platform-saol-raises-200000-from-enterprise-ireland/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"7UEDL5YDVVD6NFQPDRZCXBFEPA","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":237,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9515400/media/38e7ee522f1930805b9d5df6a9b54493_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/22/public-sector-pay-talks-to-begin-at-wrc-this-week-as-unions-agree-to-negotiations/","content_elements":[{"_id":"YW64MQFL5JH6TBYSWUI5AF3BCQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388238},"content":"The Government will do everything it can to reach an agreement with public service unions before the end of year, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has said. His comments came after unions accepted to attend talks at the Workplace Relations Commission on a new deal in the coming days.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NAWIJ2FFJVC3LJ3CZPRRVZUSTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336861},"content":"The Government was clear on what it wanted and was willing to negotiate to reach an agreement on pay “and other matters” in return for industrial <a href=\"http://peace.mr/\" target=\"_blank\">peace,</a> Paschal Donohoe told RTÉ Radio’s News at One on Wednesday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TJCWEIPMS5GBTODJBOXQII2VDU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336862},"content":"“The key thing for me is that we deliver two things,” he said. “The first one is certainty regarding how we can put more money back in people’s pockets in the context of new wage agreements that would be affordable to the taxpayer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W7GZTEGXDZGFJHBV5C6DJ2ZLJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336863},"content":"“But the second key feature is that in return for that, we have industrial peace and the maintenance of stability and industrial relations in our country, which has served us well in difficult times.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RAVFUXUJDJGY5MEISLRAAVFR7U","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336864},"content":"When asked if the agreement could be reached before the current agreement runs out on December 31st, Mr Donohoe said: “We’ll certainly do all we can to get there. I do anticipate these discussions are going to be difficult and they may take some time. But in other agreements that I’ve worked on, once we get into the Workplace Relations Commission, it has been possible to secure agreement over a number of weeks.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BFQLAFXSHBAX3A5D4DSVZHXWUY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336865},"content":"So the time is there. But I do think we’ll have a lot of work to do, and I anticipate we’ll have a few tough moments along the way. But I and the Government are clear on what we are looking for, we are full of good will and determination to try to find that agreement.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OHKG2EP6RREAPDTBA3LI2DKFOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336866},"content":"Mr Donohoe said he was well aware of the impact of inflation and the high cost of living on living standards on those who provide public services and the value of having a collective agreement with them.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DIEKBZLJCFFIVBGZ2B4BQFJBFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336867},"content":"“We have tried to help people put money in their pockets in other ways, through the energy credits for example and through what we are doing in reducing the cost of childcare. But public pay has to be part of that and we will engage in those parameters in good faith in the coming days.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7MEMMCMOBRFLLIS4BMA62GYTYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388239},"content":"The precise schedule for the start of talks has yet to be finalised and will depend on the availability of personnel at the WRC but they are now expected to start by the start of next week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TMFBAASECJC4HLRP6XIQWNARNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700656841990},"content":"In a statement issued on Wednesday, the unions said the talks would “now concentrate on trying to reach agreement on short-term pay measures to address cost-of-living and labour market pressures”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"INN5UV5NNNBEXOFMHBELMX2QDA","additional_properties":{"_id":"JOTITATWUBF37A4IH7KHHPBXI4"},"content":"The Irish Times view on a public sector pay deal: worth doing - but on the right terms","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"PAWQ7SDEAFHV7M5FQHYN3SBYYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388240},"content":"The unions had written to Paschal Donohoe on Friday to say they wanted the repeal of remaining aspects of legislation introduced after the financial crash more than a decade ago before the talks got under way. They believe the Fempi clauses give the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform an effective veto on more day to day negotiations.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OYLGGKVRKVAQNCCPIZAUIYW6QM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388241},"content":"The example of the retained firefighters is routinely cited with the Local Government Management Association and Department of Housing both limited in what they could do to address what was widely regarded as a strong and exceptional claim because, it is said, of DPER’s reluctance to see the wider national pay agreement compromised.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GBKNLZJ4SNDWHMVX7AZYLEHQZU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388242},"content":"In a reply received on Tuesday, Mr Donohoe said he was “not aware of any practical impact” of the remaining legislative clauses but that he was happy for discussion of the clauses to be part of the wider negotiations.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OCXSJFA33NCVDF2TAOTDCFI5QQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700671336874},"content":"In their statement, the unions expressed surprise at the suggestion the clauses are of little significance.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JCXQQPDIZ5DVRAKYAO6PUDLZRI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388243},"content":"The unions confirmed they would enter the talks process after the leadership of the Public Sector Committee consulted with its 19 member unions on Wednesday morning.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W3FNDD2GHFHFJLFPV4NT6RWDOU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388247},"content":"The unions’ position is that the Government’s target of a multiyear deal will be much harder to achieve because of the Minister’s position and so talks will now focus on a shorter term, most likely one year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7FQJWET2IRG3LKYPZU6KE7CIJ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388248},"content":"If the talks are effectively limited to pay with broader union concerns regarding what they described as the “normalisation” of industrial relations in the public sector not dealt with, then any deal might, it is suggested, effectively amount to another extension of the 2021 agreement, Building Momentum, which initially ran for two years before another 12 months was added, bringing the arrangement up to the end of next month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MM6FN43345E7NOQVNLJIM7ABPU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388249},"content":"After the increases contained in the original deal were made to look very modest by a sudden jump in the cost of living related to the war in Ukraine and other factors, that 12 month extension delivered pay increases of 6.5 per cent for the majority of public sector workers with higher gains for lower paid workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2JCZSPNIGZBGJBMFBEMVAVIR4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388250},"content":"Though there were other aspects to the arrangement, including favourable changes to the number of hours worked, overall pay increases during the three year period still fell short of inflation and there has been pressure from members of some of the 19 public service unions to recover some of that ground in these talks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7LQJVORT6VDB3D6C56DCTBVLGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700652388251},"content":"With every 1 per cent increase costing the Government around €250 million, there will be pressure too from the employers’ side, however, to resist anything that might contribute to future problems in the event of a change in the wider economic climate.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"},{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Vivienne Clarke"}},"name":"Vivienne Clarke"}]},"description":{"basic":"Workers’ side had wanted post-crash legislation repealed before starting, but will now form part of 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to introduce tiered social welfare payments from next year do not go far enough, a <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/siptu\" target=\"_blank\">Siptu</a> leader has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z6MTTA54BZAXTJW3WHCONOEZSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728730},"content":"Minister for Social Protection <a href=\"https://irishtimes.com/tags/heather-humphreys\" target=\"_blank\">Heather Humphreys</a> will bring proposals to Cabinet on Tuesday for a new benefit system which will see tiered payments kick in when people lose their jobs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"S2ONLDEGPNAWRE6LMUOMYWSQYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728731},"content":"Under the proposals, people who lose their job will get up to 60 per cent of their gross income, capped at €450 per week for the first three months, dropping to 55 per cent of prior income for another three months capped at €375 per week, and then half their income subject to a €300 cap for a final three-month period.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BM6AJQHX4JF6NACGCCWUGRQMSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728732},"content":"Workers will have to have at least five years PRSI contributions to qualify for the enhanced payments.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2GJMSUCFLBFYNM4PHOOPOLF6VA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728733},"content":"SIPTU divisional organiser Adrian Kane told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland that the trade union movement had been campaigning<b> </b>for such a move for many years and <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/2023/06/16/tara-mines-siptu-prepared-to-go-to-sweden-to-speak-to-management-over-layoffs/\" target=\"_blank\">had highlighted the issue when Tara Mines closed</a> earlier this year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D2TUU2X7NRHIBNEYB7MIXOIRMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728734},"content":"The Government plans could have gone further, he said. The State needs to step up when people need support most acutely. He pointed out that 70 per cent of people are back at work after six months, so they need the most help earlier.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RNSSSLNBFAWFHMTWB44JOQEII","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728735},"content":"The Irish Congress of Trade Unions had proposed a payment of a maximum of 70 per cent of salary at a maximum of €550 for nine months. When asked about suggestions that this would not encourage people to seek work, Mr Kane said there was a need to move beyond “these kind of outdated Victorian values that you can’t trust working people, that you have to starve them back to work”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M4T4LV4XNJC25OHMGJVOUI6E6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728736},"content":"“The poverty line for an individual is €298 per week in this country. The present jobseekers benefit is up to €220 per week and will move to €230 on January 1st. This needs to be the best country for people to work in. And we’re way out of line with regard to the model that exists on mainland Europe,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YE27JBMRDBFJ3A6XAF5BDG5ED4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700553728737},"content":"“That’s what we need to get to. We can afford to get to it. Workers pay much more in USC and PRSI in this country, 24.3 per cent on average. On the Continent it’s 21.1 per cent. If you’re unemployed in Belgium today, you’ll get 91 per cent of your income for the first two months. You’d be on 79 per cent after a year. So we’re completely out of kilter. We can do better and we need to do better.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Vivienne Clarke"}},"name":"Vivienne Clarke"},{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Jack Horgan-Jones"}},"name":"Jack Horgan-Jones"}]},"description":{"basic":"Ireland should move beyond ‘Victorian values’v and match European levels of income support for jobless - Siptu’s Kane"},"display_date":"2023-11-21T08:06:35.550Z","headlines":{"basic":"Tiered payments for laid-off workers should be higher, union leader says","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"U47MMGAYG3SHXYUBP2NVL3MEMY","auth":{"1":"6b088cb8c03251fd1abe62aca5df01ae15824b5bf03df68088621acbe66c433e"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/U47MMGAYG3SHXYUBP2NVL3MEMY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/21/tiered-payments-for-laid-off-workers-should-be-higher-union-leader-says/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"LMG7TMUNOZHH7AOBU3PFWEG4IM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":587,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9414786/media/3fc78038c85779a599dfc0c531a29529_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/your-wellness/2023/11/21/transforming-office-canteens-into-restaurants-id-nearly-come-into-work-because-the-food-is-so-good/","content_elements":[{"_id":"FA5JXVRWEFCILJO2Q6BH2LEV6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681778},"content":"There isn’t a deep-fat fryer in the kitchen of the VHI Food Lab cafe at the Carrickmines retail park. There aren’t any chips, burgers, chicken nuggets or lasagna on the menu either. And, there is a distinct absence of crisps and all the usual fizzy drinks in the cool cabinet. Instead, you can buy kombucha or flavoured juices. Bottles of water are placed on all the tables.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HTUQF7PGXRHPNDON6YSYV3D6A4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681779},"content":"I’m here to chat with chef, Domini Kemp, who runs the cafe on behalf of VHI 360 Health Centre in Carrickmines, about the quiet revolution of office canteen food. “It’s about fresh, nutritious plant-centred food and quality sustainable protein. We put as many varieties of plants, herbs and spices into our salads, soups and condiments as we can,” says Kemp.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FBIVMKTSRNDQPATAGBMLXFPZO4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700038594916},"content":"All the food is cooked from scratch with fresh supplies arriving each day. The menu – which is emailed to staff at 11am each day – includes one hot main meal, a choice of three or four salads, sandwiches and wraps and freshly made soup.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RVH77N55SFHVVG2KZ7DJQPEQRM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681781},"content":"Kemp says those who choose to eat at the Food Lab cafe recognise that what they eat there makes them feel better than many of the offerings at the nearby fast-food restaurants. The bright ground-floor space with windows at either end also seems a long way from the basement staff canteens of some office buildings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P7KE5BDIZJE5TI6HP4VC6ML3NE","additional_properties":{"_id":"7HZ3HUD2DVF3JBRTFKDMCOLDHE"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"ASPCAJKXGRETLHW7Y6MVDXNLQM","additional_properties":{"_id":"7VNVTXFJDFFCNJYCFDOEPU2NDM"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"DVDZ7VI6VVBELMEMKSOKVUTPXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700227552361},"content":"Oksana Goljevacki is a radiology assistant in Medica. Although she lives five minutes walk from her workplace, she chooses to have lunch at the Food Lab as a break from her 10-hour shift. “I need good food each day. I have the hot meal if it’s not too spicy. If it is, I’ll have a sandwich or soup and a salad,” she explains. Staff at the health centre pay €7.50 for the hot food option, while walk-in office workers pay €14.50.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3CFI3ODSQFHOHPEMAQ5DAJMJXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700038594919},"content":"Orla O’Brien is an occupational therapist and health coach. “I love the food here. It brightens up the work day and gives me an energy boost for the rest of the day,” she says. Dr James Kennedy works on the medical team. “I’d nearly come into work because the food is so good. It tastes like restaurant food. And I sometimes bring home food for my wife who is on maternity leave with our nine-month old baby.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BNPLBARCBJFPFCZCCEGCDZZL4U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681784},"content":"Darragh O’Gorman, Hugh O’Connor and Martin McNamara work on client sites for a large technology company and often choose the cafe as their lunch spot. “I used not to eat vegetarian food but there are two or three hot vegetarian dishes on the menu here each week and it has encouraged me to try things that I’d never cook at home,” says O’Gorman. “It’s tasty, healthy, quick and more substantial than what you get in the fast-food restaurants,” says O’Connor. His colleague, McNamara, pays €9.50 for a chicken wrap with an aubergine and lettuce salad because he doesn’t like fish. The hot meal on the day we visit is a salmon fish cake with potato wedges and peas.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YVGZXB7RJFH3TLN3FI7LANTQHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681786},"content":"Suzi Clarke, a consultant in sports and exercise medicine, says that even when she’s not working, she checks the food menu. “It’s based on the Mediterranean diet with Asian and Middle Eastern influences. I love the fish chowder, the Mexican dishes and the salads with fruits such as peaches, pears and cranberries.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"EAAEXV5A5ZBZ5AE2WTNOG6RB3M","additional_properties":{"_id":"LDNSE72LWFH5JG2TK66NUSJPUY"},"content":"From Ireland to Italy: Trying to do a ‘big shop’ in the local supermarket was when we really noticed the differences","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"ZVSBT52ZJNF25PFL32WF2CEDHQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681787},"content":"Don’t use the word canteen if you’re ever talking to Mark Anderson, the culinary director for Gather & Gather catering company, about providing food for office-based workers. “We don’t call them canteens because it conjures up an image of slopping out unacceptable food. Many people don’t have good memories about being served food by dinner ladies,” says Anderson in the first few minutes of our discussion on the transformation of many workplace restaurants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DABLIZ33LZH2FHM4LG42KDTHEI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681789},"content":"Instead, he talks about the “food offerings” provided in workplace restaurants, coffee bars and hospitality venues. “Over 90 per cent of our food is cooked from scratch. It’s local, seasonal and made from the best ingredients we can source.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VPGCJM2VPVB5NFULIGPWK3KRL4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700038594924},"content":"Interestingly, the chefs working for Gather & Gather client sites – from law firms to IT companies to media outlets and third-level students – write the menus themselves. “It’s not like a restaurant or cafe experience where people are catching up in a relaxed way. The chefs have to park their egos and cook what the client wants. They have to be mindful that people go back to work after lunch and the food can’t be overly heavy to cause a slump in concentration,” says Anderson.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EAS44RFH3ZAYHIOY4KE5P4I6HM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681792},"content":"The emphasis is also on providing healthy tasty food when workers need it – and that can mean providing lunch from 11.30am for companies working on European time. Anderson adds that the counter layout of food also nudges people in a direction of choosing healthy options. “We have bowls of greens and leaves first which take up quite a bit of space on a plate, followed by simple salads, cold proteins (meats, cheese, etc) and toppings. Some of our sites offer assisted service or fully plated which also helps with portion control,” he adds.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LL4RNZTNPRHFFFAEG7SPSHKYFY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681794},"content":"Anderson has noticed that many workers in the technology sector are keen to embrace new food trends. So, chefs will experiment with reducing the main protein element of the meal while adding an extra vegetable or using a different starch. “We might build a meal around beetroot or heritage carrots and work out what protein goes with it, rather than starting with chicken, sea trout or beef and building the meal from there,” he explains.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U7WW6CZUUZDG5OCC3UOHXXSOJE","additional_properties":{"_id":"XXD36JQANZD4PON2JT5RBRUJPQ"},"content":"The Dublin chef who got his big US break on Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"OVDCHYZBFJD2ZAZXWIOGDCTK2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681795},"content":"John Core, culinary nutrition lead for Sodexo is passionate about the food provided by the international catering company to offices and a small number of schools across Ireland. Core recently won the inaugural Paula Mee Applied Culinary Nutrition Memorial award upon completion of a master’s in applied culinary nutrition at the Technological University of Dublin (TU Dublin). The award, which recognised the vision and passion of Mee, who was a dietician and lecturer in nutrition at TU Dublin, was given to Core for programmes such as the #FullyFuelled four-week food challenge for 2,000 Sodexo staff. He also gives webinars and talks on healthy eating for sedentary workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LHQ2UTMAJZCNHGJ57P6BPUDC4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681797},"content":"“I’d start by explaining why as office workers, people aren’t expending the same level of energy as many of their parents or grandparents did, but that you still feel hungry every three or four hours,” explains Core.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YZPVWDP2AZDWZC2GOLILPZQS3Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681798},"content":"He emphasises how when you eat well, you feel better and you sleep better. “We also encourage people to eat the biggest variety of food that they can. The better it tastes, the better it is for you and we make vegetarian dishes as exciting as we can,” says Core.","type":"text"},{"_id":"P7XJIDIUKVGSHBGQSLLSKMTI5U","additional_properties":{"_id":"WBALTIXHVFDY5OCBGP6A5SE7BM"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"XHWXQPPU2REQLFAB5OA7TNCKBE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681799},"content":"In his healthy eating workshops to office workers, Core stresses the importance of eating wholefoods rather than processed foods for gut health. “I always recommend people get seven servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Start the day with a good food decision and have a glass of water and piece of fruit. That means that if you’re stopping for fuel at a garage, you are less likely to reach for a muffin. Breakfast should be natural yogurt (with kefir if possible), frozen or fresh berries, nuts and seeds and then, have two or three salads at lunchtime,” suggests Core.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7SH4JUN2BC3NMVNH75OWJS5L4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681801},"content":"Reformulating recipes for chefs working in client sites is a key part of his job. “We have a standardised bank of recipes for chefs to choose from and I have been looking at the nutritional values of the most popular recipes, finding ways to replace mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, change sauces and batter crumbs on fish,” he explains.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XKLXYEP2B5EMBJH4QPOWBWQRPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681802},"content":"Anderson says companies now see the food they provide for their staff as a “recruitment and retention” tool. “If they look after the welfare and wellbeing of their team members, they feel they will get it back,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EBTCFSMLHJEHPAMNQWLLMJ2X7U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681803},"content":"Both chefs say it’s not unusual for office workers to take photos of their food and post their workplace meals on Instagram. “Our view is why should workplace food be any different to what’s served in the best restaurants in Ireland,” says Anderson, with no sense of irony.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HF2542CCNVB7FMNNBQ5YCSDU5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681804},"content":"However, both Anderson and Core agree that a huge proportion of workers are still working from home a few days a week, which leaves many workplace restaurants very quiet – particularly on Mondays and Fridays.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RHJFQFE7MFD3DE5RIPHQR6J44Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1698852681805},"content":"Core says some companies are offering free meals to staff as an incentive to come back into the office. A themed pop-up event with a focus on a particular ethnic cuisine also turns a work lunch into something a bit more special. “When we run these events, I’d research the nutritional benefits of the foods so for a Mexican meal, it’s about the polyphenols in tomatoes, the good fats in avocadoes and the complex carbohydrates in refried beans. Then the chefs would showcase a few recipes for people to try at home,” he explains.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Sylvia Thompson"}},"name":"Sylvia Thompson"}]},"description":{"basic":"Feeding Office Workers: How some chefs and catering companies are putting nutrition and sustainability centre stage in their menus at corporate restaurants"},"display_date":"2023-11-21T06:01:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Transforming office canteens into restaurants: ‘I’d nearly come into work because the food is so good’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"},"basic":{"display":true,"text":"Food Month"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"VULERGZ5FJH5NGR532WJ2KUVBM","auth":{"1":"297c1627d5fb7784c5802e6219f4657937cfa551b0567241e70d8fc809772456"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VULERGZ5FJH5NGR532WJ2KUVBM.JPG"},"overline_logo":{"_id":"ODAASV4SBNHATJHOBHB3XTYX7U","auth":{"1":"01de107310c65c790f0e72a62f7eb87cddfc1fe10f2cdce99735ddc6dcb0cb41"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ODAASV4SBNHATJHOBHB3XTYX7U.png"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Your Wellness"},{"name":"Food"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Health"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/health/your-wellness/2023/11/21/transforming-office-canteens-into-restaurants-id-nearly-come-into-work-because-the-food-is-so-good/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/health/your-wellness","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Your Wellness"}}}},{"_id":"LDVG7LTK25B3PKXLMDQHEOWEYI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":529,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9452323/media/9c60040f3c0bfa2e1106ae9bdea8cea2_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/your-money/2023/11/21/tax-how-does-ireland-compare-with-other-countries/","content_elements":[{"_id":"IXR55TRRA5HVVJNNUL6S3HH6QI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802649},"content":"All other things being equal, when it comes to tax, middle-income earners would most certainly like to earn their salaries in Singapore or the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/\" target=\"_blank\">US</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GFVJXGC7XNG3PBEENFOXZSSWQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802651},"content":"Figures show that someone earning €48,000 in Ireland will pay over €4,000 more in personal taxes a year than they would in the US, while if you earn €150,000, you would get to keep a staggering additional €40,000 if you earned that money in Singapore rather than Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QXSGKQEKS5GM3PZIDDTOYCJD4A","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802652},"content":"On the other hand, if your income is at the other end of the scale, you may be happier to be tax resident in Ireland. Someone earning €25,000, for example, will get to keep almost €350 a month more in Ireland than they would if they had earned it in <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/germany/\" target=\"_blank\">Germany</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JG766BAMORE5NNPUC3NQ2UWV3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802653},"content":"Of course, looking at tax alone is not enough. Cost of living and the welfare system are other important factors in determining how far your salary will go. A report from the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/organisation-for-economic-co-operation-and-development-oecd/\" target=\"_blank\">Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development </a>(OECD) earlier this year found that <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/2023/04/25/irish-workers-real-wages-drop-33-as-inflation-erodes-pay-increases-oecd/\" target=\"_blank\">real wages actually fell in Ireland last year</a>, by about 3.3 per cent, due to the impact of high inflation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LYFEZKPJ6JEL3L25F4LREHH44U","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802654},"content":"However, in the wake of last month’s budget and in advance of general election campaigning next year, it is of interest to consider just where Ireland sits by comparison with others on the personal tax burden.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4GVHNGAEBJHTZPCWKEWKUPGCPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802655},"content":"Thanks to data prepared by KPMG and the Irish Tax Institute, based on income tax, USC and PRSI burden – or their equivalent – across a number of countries in 2022, we can get a good idea of how Ireland compares.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PY7FNMW7GND6HI3DWZ56PAUAOA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802656},"content":"As mentioned, there are some caveats: while the social security burden might be greater in France, for example, it does deliver greater social/health/welfare benefits. In addition, the situation has changed due to the impact of last year’s budget, and will change further in January.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SZWDTFVTMFD6PG2HU6BP6IBIIU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802657},"content":"<b>Lower paid workers</b>","type":"header"},{"_id":"ZGQM33FHABHFPG7N2Y7DOL6NOE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802658},"content":"First of all, let’s take a look at lower paid workers. From the data prepared, it is evident that they fare better in Ireland when compared to taxpayers in other countries.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AXEVQEQUSFAXTAU33NGFYJZG2I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802659},"content":"As the table shows, an individual earning €25,000 in Ireland will lose just €3,012 of their annual income in the range of personal taxes, which means they get to keep €21,988. This puts Ireland in second place out of the eight countries surveyed in terms of the lowest tax burden, and equates to an effective tax rate of about 12 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GYJI67ISUVBO5PESKSSZ3PAF2I","additional_properties":{"_id":"4ZHLVK3QPJEYPOSCBI5ZK35Z24"},"content":"<iframe title=\"How much of my salary do I get to keep? Ireland v other countries\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-8tr9E\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/8tr9E/3/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"1203\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\n<\/script>","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"UYEFMENCN5HP7NKORNAFFQY4YE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802660},"content":"In Germany for example, the highest-taxed country at this income level, the same worker will get to keep only €17,831 of their salary – or some €4,157 less than an Irish worker, while in France, net take-home pay will be almost €3,000 less than in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B3QVYP77TNG3BHAQGV74RS77RM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802661},"content":"The US and the UK are broadly similar to Ireland but it is low-tax (and high-cost) Switzerland, where the burden is the lowest.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5GHZRTFLFVAYZM4MNLFXCF5AOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802662},"content":"If you are living in Geneva or Zurich, you will pay only €158 a month in taxes, or €93 a month less than you would in Ireland, but you will undoubtedly face other challenges in such a high-cost economy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3DZWJRIJHBC5DBGKRPA5EQBSJ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802663},"content":"But are the level of taxes on this cohort of workers low enough to suggest they should be changed?","type":"text"},{"_id":"CTRZM4LLRNHM5ATKCJVHMWHXM4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802664},"content":"Earlier this year, as part of a consultation held by the Government on the future of Ireland’s personal taxation system, a number of responses <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/your-money/2023/10/31/broadening-the-base-lower-paid-workers-need-to-pay-more-tax/\" target=\"_blank\">called for an increase in the burden of taxation to lower paid workers</a>. This is because a high proportion of personal-income-related taxes in Ireland is collected from a small pool of higher paid workers. The top 25 per cent of earners, or those earning €50,000 or more, contribute about 80 per cent of total income tax revenues.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3JT4IR3TVNFS7G4W5GK3I4RKA4","additional_properties":{"_id":"7ZSPKVJMHJCLBN6UERM3LSJVZ4"},"content":"More than one million workers paying higher rate of income tax","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"DHOSK5TFV5DB5G452BOETQWUJ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802666},"content":"On that basis, groups including the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/consultative-committee-of-accountancy-bodies-ireland-ccab-i/\">Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies – Ireland </a>(CCAB-I), PwC and KPMG, urged greater use of base-broadening measures, so that those on lower incomes contribute a greater share of the overall tax take.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X77L3DQNNBD45KPUTQAWBVNZ5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802667},"content":"However, while a more balanced tax take might be good news for the exchequer, it could prove untenable to a group of taxpayers who also have to deal with rising costs right across the economy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2XXTWXE4K5EPBHOG3YF3LGIYUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802668},"content":"<b>Middle-income earners</b>","type":"header"},{"_id":"RG7F3KCYT5DTZILMTXZ5U3JBNU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802669},"content":"Those earning close to the average wage fare a little bit worse when it comes to the proportion of their income they must give up in taxes when compared with other jurisdictions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GS2M6PMMY5AULL4IHC7OJQ4DJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802670},"content":"Ireland slips back to fifth place, behind countries such as the US, Switzerland and Singapore, in terms of how much of a €48,000 salary a worker gets to keep, at €36,193.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ERW6LSS36FDDPHAYYZBNV7JPUE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802671},"content":"In the US for example, a worker will only lose €7,665 of their €48,000 salary, compared with €11,807 in Ireland, which equates to an effective tax rate of 24 per cent. This means that if you earned the same salary in the US, you would only give up €639 in taxes each month, compared with almost €1,000 a month in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TQBSY3FN6BELVHELI65D5MIXDU","additional_properties":{"_id":"P2NND5T7YBC4XBGLHAM32CW5BA"},"content":"Ireland identified as one of the world's top tax havens","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"URTWIEZGDJFAFERGOXWF5GBSN4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802672},"content":"On the other hand, Irish workers fare better than counterparts in France, Sweden and Germany. Again, German workers give up the most of their income in tax – some €17,483 a year – which equates to an effective tax rate of some 36 per cent. Of course, German workers have access to social security benefits that may not be accessible to Irish workers, so it’s not always easy to compare on a like-for-like basis.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UUOFVCN5JBFNZEA65J2PZO4LJU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802673},"content":"And recent budgetary measures may shift this comparison somewhat; for example, someone earning €48,000 will pay €770 less in tax next year than they would have done this year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KPCXTXUU3JEO3HUBOAG344IGWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802674},"content":"Moving up the income ladder to a salary of €75,000, Irish workers are in a similar position, giving up €25,076 of their income in tax each year for an effective tax rate of about 33 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A6SNKNTDSJD67KANAYAWBS27PM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802675},"content":"This puts Ireland behind lower cost locations such as Singapore, the US and Switzerland, but also behind the UK, where a worker will lose €21,754 in personal taxes a year, or €3,322 less than they would in Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UWOGWSXRW5HEDHCYQFKOVMI4DY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802676},"content":"This is in part due to the relatively low level of earnings at which workers start paying the top rate of tax; as the Irish Tax Institute/KPMG study points out, Irish taxpayers currently pay personal tax (including income tax, USC and PRSI) at marginal rates of 48.5 per cent on salaries above €40,000 and 52 per cent on salaries above €70,044. Self-employed taxpayers pay marginal rates of 55 per cent on income above €100,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LVPVSRBOAVDMHN7OIVX5EKMDHY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802677},"content":"<b>Higher earners</b>","type":"header"},{"_id":"UBOHYT5B4FGNDAX3VQPYK42PCA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802678},"content":"But what about higher earners, or those earning €100,000 or more a year?","type":"text"},{"_id":"LBN4NRNFK5F2FCDK3ATVSEXHLU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802679},"content":"In line with Ireland’s progressive system of personal taxes, whereby the more you earn, the more tax you pay, those earning €100,000 a year will find that they have the third highest tax burden among the countries surveyed, behind only to Germany and Sweden.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7FE66NFFJFGGFI7NOOS42H5WVY","additional_properties":{"_id":"ZL452FWISZD4FM4UX2XHKQ7TIA"},"content":"Sinn Féin would hike taxes on the better off. Is that good or bad for the economy?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"TPKSUGJRWNADJHXIE6YUDFEP3E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802680},"content":"An Irish worker will lose €38,076 in taxes every year, just behind the tax burden in Sweden, but still almost €5,000 less than a German worker on the same salary will pay.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VABEGIOKEVBLDHQ4PP5RDTXELQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802681},"content":"Unsurprisingly perhaps, a worker in Singapore will pay just about €16,500 tax on their €100,000 earnings, followed by the US and Switzerland. Again, a UK worker will pay about €5,500 less on their earnings than their Irish counterpart.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L3Z3INK7XREIHIVAAJNIKEMFFA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802682},"content":"It’s a similar story for those earning €150,000.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E3FEZFRXWRE2BKUILWS6TAMCVU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802683},"content":"In Singapore, you’ll get to keep €10,443 of your salary each month; in Sweden, this will be just €6,913, or a hefty €3,500 less. And in Ireland? A little more than €7,000, so better than Sweden, but still at the end of the pile, and again, behind the UK. This works out at an effective rate of some 57 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JQ45ML3LB5BZHBEUN6FUSYGYKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700149802684},"content":"Next year, someone earning €150,000 can expect to pay €855 less in tax a year.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Fiona Reddan"}},"name":"Fiona Reddan"}]},"description":{"basic":"KPMG and the Irish Tax Institute compared the tax burden on workers across eight countries"},"display_date":"2023-11-21T05:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Tax: how does Ireland compare with other countries?","native":"How much tax do Irish workers pay compared to US, Sweden, Germany and Singapore?"},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"OJO3Y5AXJRFIFISBBJWPJ55X5U","auth":{"1":"e50ff79c7530fe033bcae3556b150f580918305a54edb11c3d0513cefb62c5dd"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/OJO3Y5AXJRFIFISBBJWPJ55X5U.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Your Money"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/your-money/2023/11/21/tax-how-does-ireland-compare-with-other-countries/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/your-money","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Your Money"}}}},{"_id":"SOC7UNA35NFUBFOUBOGDV2VIWY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":366,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9486711/media/6e1a587b276180e6cc5a9e4ee8ff5df8_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/20/childcare-professional-wins-32000-for-being-sacked-after-gardai-charged-him-with-alleged-abuse/","content_elements":[{"_id":"2YKGSCIKUJCG3LQVFVLZKP72LY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677315},"content":"A professional in the child and family services sector has won €32,000 for being sacked after gardaí charged him in connection with allegations of abuse, which he is denying in ongoing criminal proceedings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IOTO5V53WFDK7GYBVZWEY3J53M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677316},"content":"The respondent organisation maintained the man had “misled or failed to disclose” the nature of the alleged offences by advising they were linked to “one or two relatively minor issues” referred to State agency Tusla two years earlier. He claimed they had been dismissed as unfounded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WYAVJZ4JJJFHZE5M5FQ5CIY3OM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677317},"content":"The organisation determined the man was guilty of serious misconduct and sacked him, a decision the man’s barrister said ignored his client’s constitutional right to the presumption of innocence.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6DOYNWZAKBF4TOLDPWFBIZCB44","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677318},"content":"The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) issued its findings in the case with all names and identifying information redacted on the grounds that the criminal charges are still before the courts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SI5ZMUEMXNH4FIRNIN6GZ6X4M4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677319},"content":"Giving evidence on his Unfair Dismissals Act complaint at the WRC, the worker said that when garda detectives came to his home on August 4th, 2019 to tell him there had been a “historical complaint of inappropriate behaviour” against him, he informed his line manager the next day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NJ2XVXKFRNG2JHWQPB3VV5DA4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677320},"content":"He said his understanding was that the claims were “serious in nature”. He said the reference to “inappropriate behaviour” in the context of the complaint meant “violation of another person”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LQVDWDQFJJALNJC6HQS6VNHPJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677321},"content":"The complainant said that when he spoke to his line manager, Ms AB, he was “clear about the nature of the inappropriate behaviour alleged” against him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4YQQI5XYEBCSFPF74TGSAG3QME","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677322},"content":"After the worker told the organisation about the claims against him, it referred a retrospective abuse report to the Child and Family Agency, Tusla in line with the Children First legislation and placed him on leave before he was able to return to a role in head office.","type":"text"},{"_id":"N3A3ARI62NE2TM4AEYLMKRWTEU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677323},"content":"After Tusla decided the historical claim was “unfounded” in December 2019, the worker was allowed to get back to his normal job as a centre manager. He stepped into a senior manager vacancy in January 2020 and was formally offered that role in September 2020, the tribunal heard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GL52PMFRP5DPDNBWR6YYGQEIJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677324},"content":"There was no further contact from the gardaí, the complainant told the tribunal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VE4EXGJ4SBEDPL5QE6VFMJRY34","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677325},"content":"However, the non-profit’s HR manager said in evidence that when the complainant’s garda vetting fell due for renewal in May 2021, it “wasn’t a quick turnaround”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PRRHAKAX7RCGLLGWBK5X2VVYSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677326},"content":"The complainant told the respondent about a letter he received from An Garda Síochána in August 2021 but did not write to the vetting bureau about the information it was considering sending to his employer, the tribunal heard. He spoke with his line manager and HR manager, telling them that he wasn’t making a submission. He also phoned the CEO about the letter, and told her it was “upsetting” to see “reference to abuse beside his name”, the WRC heard.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WPAYVA4N7JDBJDKJGUYWMY4HSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677327},"content":"The CEO said the employee was asked for a copy of the letter at the time, but that she only saw it for the first time when it was submitted in an evidence pack sent to the WRC by the complainant after he lodged his complaint.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MBEDWR27YFG2DKNXHWCIPGB66Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677328},"content":"The witness said this letter contained “a very different disclosure to what the complainant had referred to in 2019″.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GY6XA7SB2JB3PDPBZ6UDEKMBRM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677329},"content":"However, she accepted under cross-examination from the complainant’s barrister, Michael Kinsley, that she “did not know” whether the ongoing criminal charges concerned the same claims already examined by Tusla.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K6TTCBCA2FFJ5BU4YBDZN5JHHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677330},"content":"The employee told his bosses in January 2022 that he was to be charged in connection with offences – a notification that he said “came out of the blue” from the gardaí.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4ZUNIEUHBVAOZATA6FJBS5PVWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677331},"content":"The man denied telling the CEO that he was being charged with the same issues Tusla had examined.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ACDJFL3VTFDD7NZ6ILILCCHTOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677332},"content":"He was suspended with pay on January 21st, pending an investigation, shortly before the organisation received a vetting disclosure setting out court dates and pending criminal charges on a number of counts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZAI7RUIDLFHOLBN4CP6ZR5AIJM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677333},"content":"The employee said that when he met the CEO and the HR manager in February 2021 after attending a Garda station and a court hearing, he felt things were becoming a “fait accompli situation” and felt a decision was going to be made against him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KKTUJBEWDJHXNMGF3EC4EHJYJM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677334},"content":"Notice of dismissal came the following day, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y2KHGSJ5DJHJNMBQZYP4ZYNXOQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677335},"content":"Tom Mallon, appearing for the respondent and instructed by Black & Co Solicitors, said a person could not be maintained in employment “who had been charged and convicted of the type of offences with which the complainant was charged, or against whom such offences were pending”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VS6S2TTSH5AL5ITHIWOH2LWIEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677336},"content":"He said the pending charges “undermined trust and confidence” and amounted to a substantial reason for dismissal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"USFTY5V47RBAPBPPNCGGXDTVDA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677337},"content":"Mr Kinsley, instructed by Hanahoe Solicitors, argued that the presence of a charge or allegation on a Garda vetting report “did not render the contract inoperable” and that the organisation had “options”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MC3CJGTBNVETXJAYIS5IRLBI3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677338},"content":"“The dismissal of the complainant arising from unproven allegations is a breach of his constitutional right to the presumption of innocence,” Mr Kinsley added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LECVJGJ2S5DJJDPUR53HSXQBLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677339},"content":"Adjudicator Kara Turner found that the evidence pointed to “a dismissal based on the nature and gravity of the criminal charges faced by the complainant”. She said the organisation “did not and could not investigate or determine” the allegations.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FMH457CIN5DKFNBSY6SZY2IHPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677340},"content":"She found procedural flaws with the investigation and disciplinary process, including the wording of a notification letter calling him to an investigation meeting while telling him he “should have advised [the organisation] of the full extent of the charges”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YPLMTEZLKVG65FGFWO2D2KZRLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700492677341},"content":"Ruling the dismissal unfair, Ms Turner rejected the worker’s application to be reinstated to the role and instead awarded five months’ pay in compensation, a sum of €32,000.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Stephen Bourke"}]},"description":{"basic":"Man, who denies allegations of sexual abuse, claimed employer ignored his constitutional right to presumption of innocence"},"display_date":"2023-11-20T15:04:43.002Z","headlines":{"basic":"Childcare professional wins €32,000 for being sacked after gardaí charged him with alleged abuse","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"LGYLOQIUG5EOXNNQE65FJGLQGM","auth":{"1":"90495bce9d0fb710016601399f126cfd4a62aee48d01b72d207d0b7215d05c80"},"focal_point":{"x":1506,"y":1175},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/LGYLOQIUG5EOXNNQE65FJGLQGM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/20/childcare-professional-wins-32000-for-being-sacked-after-gardai-charged-him-with-alleged-abuse/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"AOAKZKL57VAVHCKP3MBMODCLS4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":239,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9477283/media/4d285efbd38ddd03916b5a9637048a6e_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/20/farm-accidents-its-a-risky-business-and-really-you-need-good-men-on-machinery/","content_elements":[{"_id":"Y7PTMZYKDNFWNAFIQAGCLO2Q7U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196296},"content":"Michael Purcell remembers before and after the accident on his farm in Old Leighlin, Co Carlow, that almost killed him in 2009 - the moment he realised he was “in bother here” and the one, seconds later, when he lay pinned under his overturned tractor still unsure if he was going to survive.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GE42KGEHZJGF3G4PEQ72M3QRFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196297},"content":"He had been putting silage in a shed, driving back and forth over the growing mount to compact it, “with an old tractor that had no cab on it and what happens is”, he says with a rueful laugh, “you roll away and go near the edge, thinking ‘I’m grand, I’m grand’ – I’d been doing this for years – and you keep going back and forth but you forget that you are going up and up.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AOE3XG5O2NGGBN3TL6OCLKEV2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196298},"content":"“So then at one stage I was rolling and I came back near the edge and I just felt the tractor moving and I said to myself ‘I’m in bother here’. Before I knew what happened, the tractor fell over, turned upside down and caught me under it.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"IL3OBHWUSRHN3DP5BF2IYUYP6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196299},"content":"From that point on, he recalls, he was very, very lucky. First because there were two contractors there, cutting the silage he had been moving to a silage pit in his cabless tractor as their vehicle was too tall to get in under the roof. They helped to pull him out immediately after the accident and phoned the emergency services.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZKACPNY5SJD75ASN2BX3L27VXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196300},"content":"Second because a trailer and wall had stopped the tractor rolling more fully over on to him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JYN3MOHCKBAUBAIDSAJD744JOA","additional_properties":{"_id":"ZGBL3FYDKBE2JM4RUC635CPCAI"},"content":"","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"5E7SYPHIZJHMLKOPJ4KOFUA67Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196301},"content":"And then because the internal bleeding he suffered as a result of the impact slowed or stopped for reasons he still can’t quite explain. “I felt like my stomach was filling up just as if I was eating a big dinner, I had no idea why it was happening but then it stopped and that was the only thing that saved me because the ambulance took 20 minutes or so to come.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VSOSDH6ZWJDUPBNDBIDZADQEUI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196302},"content":"“When it arrived, the two lads said I should do the lotto, because I’d win that day I was that lucky.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"IHAIJVBBQRGDDI7G2VLDKVRBD4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196303},"content":"Still, he had sustained a pelvis broken in two places and spent the next three months laid up, relying on family and neighbours to look after the farm, before having to learn to walk again, driven on, he says, by the prospect of walking his daughter Marie down the aisle a few months later.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5YQQW7PGEBHU5GWLKNE2XXFWEY","additional_properties":{"_id":"IT4PPQKMANBCDI5K44DYXU4FBQ"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"IHAIJVBBQRGDDI7G2VLDKVRBD4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196303},"content":"Michael has since put in a new, larger silage pit without a roof, so the process is a lot safer these days.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HR3XH5KRRVG7RPLNYVIVZTR2Z4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196305},"content":"His accident back then, though, is pretty typical of the sort of incident that kills farmers, their family members and sometimes their workers. Farm vehicles, mostly tractors but quad bikes and trailers too, are involved in almost half of fatal incidents and though Michael was not in the age group at the time, almost half also involve men over 65.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGYGMGBGYNDB5MCM72YSES2MZ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196306},"content":"“I was probably pushing it, it’s a risky business and really you need good men on machinery now but the age profile of farming has gone through the roof and whether it’s machinery or livestock, it’s unpredictable. You have farmers in their 70s and 80s and they’re on their own. It’s not good.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WPMOSCANSBCTHGJMRNYTYOSSDI","additional_properties":{"_id":"EULU324RJBE4RJCOFHF3MTXUM4"},"content":"‘It’s terrible to think of the torture he must have gone through in those 52 minutes’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"6L4WSZ7YEFFZ7IN7RNJYYDRQH4","additional_properties":{},"content":"Older men don’t have a monopoly on the close scrapes, though. As part of the Irish Farmers’ Association’s farm safety week this year, Ella Casey, from Ballymahon in Co Longford, told of her lucky escape while working as a farmhand a couple of years back.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PIB656DRLFEWXLK242INVOTPXU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196308},"content":"While agitating slurry, the machinery broke down and she left the shed for the recommended 30 minutes. When she returned, she had to crouch down to get through a gate and the fumes hit her. She managed to dial the number of someone she was working with, Keith O’Halloran, but was unconscious by the time he answered. But for the speed with which he reached her and got her out, she was told later, she probably would not have survived.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KJP6SOTYZBAP3FY2O2GHD6QAVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698161196309},"content":"A dozen or more such stories in the sector each year don’t come with that happy ending.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Carlow farmer Michael Purcell was lucky to survive when his outdated, cabless tractor turned over and pinned him to the ground"},"display_date":"2023-11-20T05:15:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Farm accidents: ‘It’s a risky business and really you need good men on machinery’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MT6E7GHRTBHODMENQA656ZLSKA","auth":{"1":"7a6edf2851419dbc41ad6a6f32e30b4e1680602a8cee397624d1c874dd79a560"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MT6E7GHRTBHODMENQA656ZLSKA.JPG"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Social Affairs"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/11/20/farm-accidents-its-a-risky-business-and-really-you-need-good-men-on-machinery/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"AXBZLGC6V5HHXEHSCSRVXI54QY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":268,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9472736/media/5f2094ce610afef46c5845dd3ee87bd9_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/20/pilita-clark-an-inescapable-tyranny-that-is-a-bad-boss/","content_elements":[{"_id":"C5MVTN4BCZD6XOS5N2AHVOR7F4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876757},"content":"Imagine you are in your early 20s and you head off to your work Christmas party only to end up being hung upside down, topless, from a crane. Then imagine that your boss joins in the fun and slaps you on your bare chest, repeatedly.","type":"text"},{"_id":"26RQ6KFVHRG6NERFA7UNLMQMXU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876758},"content":"A young man named Ilyas Elkharraz says this happened to him when he was an apprentice carpenter at a glass installation company in the Australian city of Melbourne in 2020. When a TV show broadcast a video of the incident, it made headlines across the world.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TL32EUYGMFGQNH2Y4XXKEEGTUI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876759},"content":"Last week, his then boss, Steven Yousif, pleaded guilty in court to failing to provide a safe workplace after a regulator charged him with “repeated, unreasonable bullying behaviour”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XFWAAKYYUVGNLN234CM3EH3SZE","additional_properties":{"_id":"SU2ATSVI7NG7XEJ5DO3ZP5HCHI"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"OSVY26VPGFAJBEUAHTL24WWUWA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700405593251},"content":"My first job was in Melbourne and I had some dubious bosses when I was close to Elkharraz’s age.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GUTJ3QPPYBF4RJ3MFSI4EO2TYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876761},"content":"I still remember jamming a guitar up against my cabin door handle on a Queensland fishing boat after another woman crew member advised that such a barricade would be useful to keep out the captain, which it did.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WBLPHZC7BVBDNHV4J2ONT2EXVA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876762},"content":"But if anything like that crane incident was happening, I don’t remember ever hearing of it, which raises two questions: how common are bad bosses; and how do they get away with being so dire for so long?","type":"text"},{"_id":"LT35UQX57NEIVN2BU26KSG3HD4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876763},"content":"The prevalence of the bad boss depends on how the problem is measured.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MN7QNX225FFAFEAYKK6NF3HZAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876764},"content":"More than two-thirds of American workers say they have dealt with a toxic boss and 31 per cent believe they work under one, a Harris Poll report showed last month.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5N3KZQ7HBZCWBILVXNFIE7QGPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876765},"content":"Those findings were based on 1,233 employees being asked if their supervisor displayed behaviour such as micromanagement, favouritism, unreasonable expectations and unprofessional behaviour.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FXOJ4YSTM5GLVC5PJLVPWRVB7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876766},"content":"However, academics who studied 28,000 European workers came up with a different finding in 2018 using a more elaborate scoring method that assessed things like how much praise or help supervisors gave.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HORNTQSESBFMJDILEW7DD7AKC4","additional_properties":{"_id":"OIH3MRCUAREOLCMQBKV4STRR6E"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"2SKGI4XZLJAOPFMM2JWHWNONGQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700405593259},"content":"They estimated that 13 per cent of employees had a bad boss and the problem was worst in the transport sector. But white-collar workers are by no means immune.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BROY2OU3FJDYDBCQZCGORIYQ2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876768},"content":"Take <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ray-dalio/\" target=\"_blank\">Ray Dalio</a>, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CIBC7FLRZ5EWXFREYI4TI3FM7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876769},"content":"It’s long been known that Dalio, who has stepped back from daily management, ran his firm in a highly unconventional way. Employee meetings were recorded and staff were expected to hold each other to account by following a forbidding set of rules called “the Principles” and a culture of “radical transparency”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5TPMXINJFVFAHGSJST5DWGKNK4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876770},"content":"Dalio’s system fascinated leadership and management experts, including his idea that no one had the right to hold a critical opinion at work without speaking up about it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"525HJOWRN5HD7PQZATKNL4BD2M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876771},"content":"“It’s pretty extreme, but it’s provocative and I love that,” said Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson. Other Ivy League professors wrote approvingly of Dalio in their books. Wharton’s Adam Grant created a personality test with him that used the billionaire’s insights to help “understand yourself and others better”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z3X7BTXW2FFXPBJWUBNKDEKERU","additional_properties":{"_id":"7KWENAWTUNARRMDVTMBOIBKGWQ"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-9347","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"},{"_id":"44HGWTGSAJDWXGF73YEIILTICM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700405593265},"content":"But a new book called The Fund, by journalist Rob Copeland, casts a hellish light on Dalio’s reign at Bridgewater — tales of breakdowns, tears and surveillance litter its pages.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5TM2OXTIPRHZHLD6QD3YQI4BMM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876773},"content":"“You’re a dumb shit,” Dalio reportedly told one woman in a group meeting that had been called to discuss why she was behind schedule on a project. Copeland writes that she collapsed into sobs and ran from the room. A recording was later shared with other staff. I’m told “dumb shit” is a term commonly used at the firm, and by Dalio about himself, to mean a person who doesn’t know as much as they need to know. But still.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4BF4WAH6KFCQZBJ4D4O2RQCB7A","additional_properties":{"_id":"UGKJ46LYN5ARTNVEPXETFXEGG4"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"M42ZJYIDJ5AIFL5WPALETDMFEU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700405593268},"content":"A man hired to be chief executive became ill, sleepless and “pallid, often non-verbal, broken” after his exposure to radical candour. He quit after less than six months.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FVCWP2ETBRF2PADCJISM2GAIHQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876775},"content":"The page I cannot unsee reproduces a C-word-laced verse Dalio chanted at a work do in front of mostly woman employees. But perhaps most shocking of all, the fund also allegedly rigged a system that ranked employees to keep Dalio on top.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YCFN5JMIXVGXDFXAYLGRFKIC64","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876776},"content":"That’s just a taste of the cultish atmosphere Copeland invokes in the book, which Dalio has dismissed as “sensational and inaccurate”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YX4FCL3REZBI5EFSIFHMKGRFXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700388876777},"content":"If even one-tenth of it is true though, Dalio was clearly a worrying leader. Yet on he went, as so many do. Being a billionaire founder helped and at least his staff were paid handsomely. But Copeland’s book is a reminder that the most extraordinary workplace horrors can happen in any type of company. — Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Pilita Clark"}},"name":"Pilita Clark"}]},"description":{"basic":"Prevalence of toxic management is difficult to measure — but scandals show it is a problem in every sector"},"display_date":"2023-11-20T05:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pilita Clark: An inescapable tyranny that is … a bad boss","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"G3QHUPZ6JNGSTPLC3OLBUEXG7U","auth":{"1":"197506e6a77ffc1425b69024e281f5707970eed835272cd4b6246c4713cd2b10"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/G3QHUPZ6JNGSTPLC3OLBUEXG7U.jpg"}},"subtype":"columnist","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/20/pilita-clark-an-inescapable-tyranny-that-is-a-bad-boss/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"D6MLEKI2V5BRXMB4X2L2LLGUQM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":280,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9477440/media/fd6ec724125c463308534c19a6f310b1_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/20/its-terrible-to-think-of-the-torture-he-must-have-gone-through-in-those-52-minutes/","content_elements":[{"_id":"M2QSNI74FZCJDKVUDKMISMUL6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348575},"content":"Jillian Kennedy (now Brennan) was working in AIB Bankcentre in Dublin on the afternoon she got a call to say her husband, Paddy Byrne, had been involved in an incident and she should come to the hospital.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LOD2X7FXYFFXZALQ5RLP63NR6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348576},"content":"Paddy was employed by Glanbia but as he was on shortened hours at the time, he was doing some work for his brother’s company, Martin Byrne Car Dismantlers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AN6BBQTV7NASDC5D2Q57IST7SM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348577},"content":"On August 26th, 2011 he was picking up a number of damaged vehicles from Windsor Motors in Galway but became stuck in the door of the second one as he sought to load it on to the recovery truck. CCTV subsequently showed him struggling to free himself in the rain but he couldn’t and he went unnoticed despite calling for help until an arriving customer spotted him, alerted staff and he was freed, 52 minutes after the incident had started.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UDJ5JLZMIRFF7BHTMDGAVCMJYU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348578},"content":"“When he was trapped, he couldn’t feel his legs,” recalls Jillian now. “So, I was driving down there thinking gosh, what will we do if he is paralysed? Thinking that that would be the worst thing ever. But when I saw him he said he could move his legs and we were both so relieved.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VCAILKGAPNEZ3G6RYQQAOI5QE4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348579},"content":"“Before he was taken away to surgery he did say that he thought he was going to die but I assured him: ‘You’re here. You’re safe. You’re not going to die.’”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OPGMD2XILFBXZMIAQ7XF5HJR5I","additional_properties":{"_id":"IBCTQJNDUNFBDJA2JKUAF3RWBI"},"content":"Most violent workplace incidents occur in health and care sectors","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"BHQ2YN7ZSFFDFLT6NUFVFJFRUY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348580},"content":"Later, however, Paddy’s inquest would hear that the length of time he had gone unnoticed had been critical. Had he been discovered and freed within a few minutes, Dr Kevin Clarkson said, it was “a reasonable assumption” he would have suffered no more than a couple of broken ribs and been out of hospital within a few days.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X2QECQCCKFCEXN6ZVB55OHT4QM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348581},"content":"As Jillian remembers it being explained to her, “the crush injury pushed all his organs upwards and because he had been in that position for 52 minutes, almost an hour pretty much, when he was released his organs rushed back and tried to get into place but they were all crashing off each other, causing significant injury”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KCU5OGUZS5E7VOXYJSMQ2DS6HM","additional_properties":{"_id":"TN4DQYSW2FFGTACSB3DHOGECT4"},"content":"Farm accidents: ‘It’s a risky business and really you need good men on machinery’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"KRKOWSIPPJAEXFNPL6B44HFSEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348582},"content":"“So he essentially suffered internal bleeding but at a microscopic level. There was no one major source of bleeding, there were pinpricks and blood coming from everywhere which they couldn’t stop.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"IDTVFVE37VHJ7HI55Z7MWPFRM4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348583},"content":"Paddy died at 2.35am, 14 hours after the original incident. The inquest found the cause of death to have been “hypovolemic shock”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B472OGMGSVEP3L5VX4OCWKRDUQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348584},"content":"Those regularly involved in workplace incident cases suggest the aftermath can be particularly traumatic because of disputes over responsibility, or the extent of it, sometimes simply rooted in the policy of an employer or their insurers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TTQN2CM3NJB6FOPMGXL6MJK62M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348585},"content":"Certainly Jillian found what followed particularly painful.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HUG42RM3QJF3ZFKLKAZNSAMT7I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348586},"content":"The inquest heard Windsor Motors had a policy of having a staff member accompany a visiting contractor but this did not happen in this instance while the winch Paddy was operating on the truck was said to have been faulty and he had not been adequately trained to operate the machinery.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5PNUALH54VBBDAXA3Q4N2ZWNK4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348587},"content":"The jury made recommendations on foot of these issues but the DPP decided against any prosecutions on the basis of the Health and Safety Authority’s (HSA’s) report on the incident.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4J6AX3OUXBDJLKSK5F2UAFQO74","additional_properties":{"_id":1700321170792},"content":"Jillian sought to challenge both the DPP and HSA on a number of issues but found them “cold” and reluctant to engage.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SY5OD7X7YJHOBMEN7BEV7VAMQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348588},"content":"In the end, her case against the two companies came before the High Court in April 2016 when it was settled after four days with apologies read out in court by legal representatives of the two insurance companies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TMSSLY3W4BASPK6U5AML6DWNQY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348589},"content":"“It wasn’t about the money, I felt the case was the last thing I needed to do for Paddy and though the whole thing was terribly difficult, I found the actual case when it came to court to be a very positive thing. The judge listened very carefully to all those four days of evidence and though I was made to feel at times as though I was on trial, I felt the story of what happened was told.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"YQXN7WES3RFQJJOPE3C4THJMMM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348590},"content":"She was away from work for a prolonged period because of all that happened but although she has since moved on, she believes her life will always be impacted by what happened.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NK4UI5ZXMBF5JLQG5DIWL5ROAY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348591},"content":"“I suppose I’m happy to say that my life has taken a different direction since. I’m married again and very happy, but Paddy’s still a part of our everyday lives because I was 19 when I met him; all of my adult stories included him.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZZ3LQDDHBJDITOCGF7L2MT6QLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241348592},"content":"“He was a lovely man, we did everything together and it’s terrible to think of the mental anguish and torture he must have gone through in those 52 minutes. It’s very emotional. It never leaves you, it really and truly doesn’t.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Paddy Byrne died from his injuries in a work-related incident in 2011. 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These sectors also accounted for almost one quarter of all workplace injuries according to new figures.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FKAFMRJPSFDRVK7PHV5AODZCAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700418852489},"content":"There were 8,700 workplace injuries last year, of which 2,050 occurred in health, social care and related areas, according to the latest Health and Safety Authority (HSA) statistics.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JCTMDEOPNFE5XCQGETI3FZDUPM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279497},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"UTGNT5J3HVFJZG6S54BY5T3JGU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700418852491},"content":"The figures show that employees such as nurses, carers and social workers accounted for almost 59 per cent of assaults and other incidents of violence – 398 attacks last year, up from 353 in the previous 12 months. In contrast, lifting and moving (the most common cause of injury generally) and slips or falls account for about one-fifth of injuries.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E55FS2RZ3ZFVNM747UOZDHXDBQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700418852492},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"5DQHDU5ZEZFBZOH5ZTY4XQCC3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279499},"content":"There are clearly a great many more workers in the health and social work sectors, compared to many other sectors. However, those in health and social care are far more likely to be involved in an incident that results in four or more days out of work, than say construction or an Garda Siochana. Only transportation has a marginally higher rate of such absences.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEZ2F7W4MBGMDEEGL3JFV3QURM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700404080820},"content":"About 13 per cent of people in employment in the State (350,000 out of 2.6 million) are in the health and social work activities sectors, according to the latest CSO statistics.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LXKP5WRGTVEMZJNREGXUB2Y7JA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279500},"content":"Overall, the HSA report, which is published today , records an 8 per cent increase year on year in non-fatal workplace incidents, the second increase in a row.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5EZAW5GM3RDPBCWVRQ4UAMFYRA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279501},"content":"The number of fatalities was down significantly with the 28 work-related deaths the lowest figure recorded since the HSA was established in 1989. While these figures are more volatile – there had been 38 in 2021 – the latest numbers are in line with the longer term downward trend.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5C36MFUYBJBLHONLRNBWISF5JQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"2JX5J4OL6BFMRHTVNO4JEJER3E"},"content":"<iframe title=\"Top 5 non-fatal injuries by trigger\" aria-label=\"Grouped Bars\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-7NHUr\" src=https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/7NHUr/1/ scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"423\" data-external=\"1\"></iframe><script type=\"text/javascript\">!function(){\"use strict\";window.addEventListener(\"message\",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();\n<\/script> ","type":"raw_html"},{"_id":"X6EQK7N3HBA3TG7IQLFJ44Y6LQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279502},"content":"Agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for half of those 28 fatalities with older, male farmers again featuring disproportionately among the deaths. In total, across all sectors, almost three-quarters of those who died were aged 55 or over. However, eight of the nine people over 65 who died last year were in agriculture, forestry and fishing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UHFDM7LGLBFAJML6DYCFXVXNBU","additional_properties":{"_id":"YYCYCMQ7L5EF7JIYFEKFC3XM3E"},"content":"‘It’s terrible to think of the torture he must have gone through in those 52 minutes’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"6US7AE223ZGL3M4SY7YJRCXAHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279503},"content":"Construction, on the other hand, continues to have an improved record although seven people still lost their lives in the building industry last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PQ4NZ4KESVG6BHBEA4FKXJPM5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279504},"content":"The general trend is also encouraging. In 1998 there were 3.8 fatalities per 100,000 workers while last year, the equivalent figure was one.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UOOKG4WP7NF4JOLOCAQZNCPDEE","additional_properties":{"_id":"33QNGNTN7VGT7F5BTBJ636MJF4"},"content":"Farm accidents: ‘It’s a risky business and really you need good men on machinery’","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"QF7SQJ3MHRGSXKXFNU4GRIBIGY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279505},"content":"Within the global figure, however, the figures are very mixed across the key sectors. In construction, the fatality rate per 100,000 workers is a quarter of what is was 25 years ago. In agriculture it is almost entirely unchanged.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2M6IAOS5AFA37ONZE5P5KMIZE4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279506},"content":"“Once again, our annual review is pointing to a worrying trend of increased injuries and fatalities among older, self-employed males involved in manual work,” said Conor O’Brien, the HSA’s recently appointed chief executive in his observations on the report. “We will continue our efforts of targeted interventions to drive home the importance of health and safety with this particular cohort.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2SVZUDGO3NAD5GVWXO4F7LJDM4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279507},"content":"“Each of the 28 individuals who sadly lost their lives in 2022 died as a result of a preventable work-related incident. This is the lowest number of fatal incidents recorded in any year since the foundation of the authority in 1989, and while this may sound like a positive development, it cannot be repeated too often that one death is one too many.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G7UU64URE5EHHNG5OTKMVYNSP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279508},"content":"“Analysing our data effectively allows us gain a fuller understanding of our landscape, and enables us to evolve our regulatory processes appropriately and ensure our focus is placed in the right areas,” he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BI5ICVPQZBETBP2NMMG4Q57SLQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279509},"content":"The Irish Farmers’ Association said it was saddened to again see people from the sector feature so prominently in the statistics.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RM2R3V65TJE6TA6VZMPJN2BC3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279510},"content":"“The latest figures demonstrate that farm safety remains a big challenge for the sector,” it said. “The demographics in farming will only add to that challenge. The Farm Safety Partnership is working to increase the awareness around risks on farms.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VTXW7R4VNBF6FOKRBKBNBWGBDQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279511},"content":"“We encourage farmers to make farm safety a way of life, to protect their families from life-changing and life-ending incidents by creating safer working environments. It is essential that farmers make farm safety a priority and put health and safety issues front and centre,” it said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6NRAPRYA2JDOFPPT552KBGE55Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700469525560},"content":"Accidents involving quad bikes have featured prominently in the HSA statistics in recent years and new regulations requiring farmers to undergo training and wear helmets when using the vehicles come into effect on Monday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7JM5MKXL6JHOFJYT6X4GT5QOU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279512},"content":"David Hughes, a former deputy general secretary of the nurses’ union the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and now a member of Ictu’s Occupational Health and Safety Committee, described the ongoing high rates of fatalities in agriculture as “tragic” and suggested the deaths were often caused “by how farming has developed but attitudes to it haven’t changed”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"65UYJVFQTZGMJCIE33EUVZL63M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279513},"content":"He said the HSA had been established with a particular aim of addressing workplace fatalities and while it continued to struggle to make headway on farms, it had achieved a great deal in its work with the construction industry.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HDPQJVKWL5BSLLS3NGCYWMT4SU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279514},"content":"“That’s a demonstration of the effectiveness of having an advisory committee on construction,” he said. “Standards were raised. We have seen the transformation of how construction sites are managed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IF7TWRV24RBFLIAHF6LXKIT6EA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279515},"content":"“You can’t get in and out without a safe pass, sites are fenced in and you don’t see ladders leaning against walls any more, you see scaffolding. There’s been a whole transformation in that industry with the big firms doing a lot of good work. Where you do get problems, it tends to be with smaller companies, some of whom might still try to cut corners.","type":"text"},{"_id":"47OB2PDTKNB2BORQ64KU3G5DG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279516},"content":"Health, he said meanwhile, “is a dangerous place and we would hope that the advisory committee that has been agreed but not yet established will have the same impact on health and social services that the construction advisory had on that sector”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DUM3IYGIJNHWJK2RVG4VKC5JJY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279517},"content":"Sean Fitzgerald, a solicitor with Homs Assist specialising in workplace incidents and also lecturer in health and safety law at the University of Limerick, said the fact the number of non-fatal incidents had again increased by 8 per cent, highlighted an underlying problem that was ongoing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"47QX2OTXKVAR3PGJ4LCY27J5Z4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279518},"content":"“It could be down to a number of factors including the fact that we have an older workforce, people are working longer and that makes them more vulnerable.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BJ2NC3F6S5EFRJPINDWHYGEW5Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279519},"content":"“But production demands can be a factor in these things too. Companies want their workforce to be productive because if they have a more productive workforce, then they have a more profitable workforce. And the pressures can be the same whether you are talking about a meat plant or a major multinational.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7OO577TAARA7NJWEGYFSU26WJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279520},"content":"“It’s there in the report,” he said, “the word used is that these incidents, particularly the fatal ones, are preventable, that’s a very powerful word.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MEU2FWG43RDSBO4KQOW7LNP6KQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700316279521},"content":"“In terms of the decline in fatalities, we are seeing the benefit of the really hard work and targeted inspections carried out by the HSA but that increase in non-fatal injuries, that’s another 700 or 800 workers who were injured in 2022.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Workers in health, social care and related areas accounted for almost 25% of all workplace injuries reported last year - HSA statistics"},"display_date":"2023-11-20T04:30:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Most violent workplace incidents occur in health and care sectors","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"X32F5OW47JC4DADHVXRSHLKGQY","auth":{"1":"a425ea4739d75f177b75cbf658409ce7804a093f853f437b9fb8a37dbc25c2fa"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/X32F5OW47JC4DADHVXRSHLKGQY.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/20/most-violent-workplace-incidents-occur-in-health-and-care-sectors/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"NVB4TR7D3NAJROELLOBREHJ4EI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":163,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9458489/media/88019a4c5bbf61cd4bedea2b850c8587_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/19/auto-enrolment-deadline-looks-as-unrealistic-as-ever/","content_elements":[{"_id":"74M43G7FUFCENHVE4ORZCID2JE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151829},"content":"The first concrete signs of activity in delivering the long-promised mandatory workplace private <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/pension/\" target=\"_blank\">pension </a>scheme — auto-enrolment — emerged this week with news that the Department of Social Protection is finally ready, or will be later this month, to officially <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2023/11/17/humphreys-to-start-150m-pension-auto-enrolment-firm-search-within-weeks/\" target=\"_blank\">kick-start its search</a> for a company to build and run the system over the next 10 years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FU5FQLXVX5GK5N5W7NZQZPOKHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151830},"content":"Mind you, no contract is likely to be awarded until some time in the first half of next year. And the legislation to underpin the new scheme that will automatically sign all workers between the ages of 23 and 60 earning more than €20,000 a year has yet to be published, never mind pass through the Oireachtas.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XOEOI3IJNBFXREM2LJ7JTAK3UY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151831},"content":"Recruitment to a new State agency — the Central Processing Authority — which will oversee auto-enrolment also remains on the “to-do” list, alongside a necessarily extensive communications campaign to explain the concept to those affected.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HIT42GVRBVCH3MJ5TCN4EHM5YI","additional_properties":{"_id":"JSXYSESQ6NBN3J2WU7MKPAFH7E"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-8924","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"},{"_id":"6U3EFR2EWRHHVHIJX5QGNLSUFA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700247203691},"content":"All of which makes the department’s continued insistence that “employers should prepare for the introduction of auto-enrolment in the second half of 2024” seem somewhat far-fetched.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V43BXTNA4RG5DMIB5BYIS5LYRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151833},"content":"Excel Recruitment boss Shane McLave is far from alone when he described it as “an incredibly ambitious, if not impossible timescale, considering the level of work involved and the number of stakeholders that are required to buy in”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3MLKGCUTIVA3PKLPFF5YPFA62Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151834},"content":"McLave has been paying close attention to developments as his company works with hundreds of larger employers in the hospitality and retail sectors, whose employees are most likely to be signed up to auto-enrolment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CW3VQXWL3NHGRACZBJMIJWJURI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151835},"content":"“With no sign of a tender process having commenced and appreciating that initiatives of this scale can take months if not years to build, test, and roll out, it’s difficult to see how this could all be done within 12 months as is suggested. A timescale of 24 months would be more typical of such endeavours,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AVYL6ZLUPBBFFFXYLUYGRM6PLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151836},"content":"A glance at our neighbours in the UK is instructive: it took them more than five years to get from establishing the overseeing authority (our yet-to-be-established Central Processing Authority) to starting to enrol workers into their scheme.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2N5WNVLZZJADZD6EUHDGY62EMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151837},"content":"“There are a lot of moving parts to this — most of which have yet to even get started. We are also expecting an election in late 2024 or early 2025,” the Excel managing director concludes. “In light of this and other factors, early 2026 seems like a far more realistic expectation for the successful rollout of auto-enrolment.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RQSNRNTKTJFWREMVUGCOH4EBII","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244151838},"content":"It’s hard to disagree.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Cantillon"}},"name":"Richard Cantillon"}]},"description":{"basic":"Employers getting frustrated at lack of realistic guidance on landmark reform that will challenge their businesses"},"display_date":"2023-11-19T10:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Auto-enrolment deadline looks as unrealistic as ever ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"AMDWUITOIBFWHK77HPBSYVUAJM","auth":{"1":"51d3acdd4f3d8d14b22ce41957c1661f1ad3e5d01c791b04191e114270c232a5"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/AMDWUITOIBFWHK77HPBSYVUAJM.jpg"}},"subtype":"columnist","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Your Money"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/19/auto-enrolment-deadline-looks-as-unrealistic-as-ever/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"OPJJTZZZYBC23BFYI6ZUCGZ5C4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":340,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9401976/media/bb8bda6ec0baffb0fa895a0a6da00c2f_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/19/ny-demands-your-full-commitment-to-work-and-professional-life/","content_elements":[{"_id":"KJ5DMOL7LBBR7EDYIYA2BHBBFM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607386},"content":"“It was love at first sight. <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/new-york-city/\" target=\"_blank\">New York</a> just blew me away and multiple visits and J1 visas later I moved there full-time in 2004 and have been here since,” says Michelle Oliver, general counsel and head of legal, point of care diagnostics for Siemens’ medical technology subsidiary, Siemens Healthineers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KBCISOBLMBC2HDRFHW5MEJTCSY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607387},"content":"“I love the anonymity, the sense of anything and everything being possible, the diversity of people, the pace and the energy. Most importantly, I believed (and still do) that for those who aspire to a life with less boundaries or conditions, New York is the place to be.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"AGHYWFBBEJG4ZBPJHYHTG6BLV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607388},"content":"Oliver’s decision to move to New York when she qualified in business and law from UCD turned out to be the easy part. Getting a foothold in the city that never sleeps was much harder.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FXKJ6GRPSJEG7HLR4Y3L5YRQTA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607389},"content":"“I knew I’d picked a tough place to start but assumed my degree would open some doors,” she says. “In fact, in the US, UCD couldn’t compete with the established reputation and pedigree of law schools like Yale and Harvard. So, I decided to study for a master’s from the prestigious New York University law school, not because I believed I needed more education necessarily, but because I knew it would add a level of recognition to my resumé that was needed to compete in NY.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XL4GQJ7MQFBIXGGTQ6ZHZ7S6FE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607390},"content":"Oliver supported herself by waiting on tables when she could and living out of town where rents were lower but the commute to lectures (which typically started at 8am) was 90 minutes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"54RFNAC2MFGV5KLKWBLV52VGFI","additional_properties":{"_id":"CB2DEHT2INEUVIHOXXLQ5VHXLQ"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"TP4JTTPBXJHOZJYXZNAYMB6F4U","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607391},"content":"“It was exhausting but exhilarating to be surrounded by such incredibly sharp minds,” she says. “It was also a whole new experience because in Ireland, you listen and take copious notes. Here it’s all about verbally challenging each other and trying to critique the judges’ opinions.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"HNJXGQSWPVCFJCMYW6EWLUFLU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607392},"content":"Oliver eventually got her break when she saw a rare advertisement for a legal associate. “They needed someone fast because a trial was starting,” she says. “I got an opportunity to meet the managing partner of the law firm, I made my pitch and got hired as a commercial litigator which is highly challenging for someone who hasn’t come up through the American system. I was working around the clock for 18 months until the financial crisis brought everything tumbling down.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DPR6RQVTWVB6FIFHG4JUBICLG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607394},"content":"Oliver’s firm dissolved, which was a blow at the time, but it ultimately led to an opportunity that was to change the course of her career.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O43L5Y6I3BBAJM4XGF5ODPXGOU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607395},"content":"She was offered the chance to work on the client side on a big pharmaceutical litigation case and this experience convinced her that she wanted a move away from the “rather insular world of big law firms and into a more expansive in-house role”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BKOMJ5UNAZFIPDZ2LHRDBA5XDE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607396},"content":"“As a litigator, I had worked on a vast array of high stakes litigation, including one case that went all the way to the Supreme Court where I watched one of my personal idols, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, decide the case,” Oliver says. “But I had reached a point where I wanted a change.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FRNBW2GJ45A7BMJPNGA2IQ5HSA","additional_properties":{"_id":"TZCVBSAVEVHAFCT24LS45KO7LM"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"XQK24IQRTFEP3MWTUPA23G2E3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607397},"content":"“It’s difficult for litigators to transition from a law firm to in-house so I realised the uniqueness of the opportunity. Generic pharma is extremely aggressive from a legal perspective as legal disputes are often embedded in the business model, including lawsuits, so it was a perfect move for me as a former litigator.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6QU4L2REQVAQDIKJIWDK6LW6AI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607398},"content":"Oliver spent four years with Breckenridge Pharmaceutical and, in 2013, joined Siemens Healthineers as in-house counsel.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R4CG55X6DZATPHQMJSXEOT4LCA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607399},"content":"“As I read the job description it was like it was written for me,” she says. “They were looking for an international lawyer and the job involved regular connection and travel to Europe which really appealed to me. I had just had my first child so we would regularly fly to Dublin, my parents would mind my daughter and I’d head off to Germany to work for the week.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"TS33HHOA45GPNPZZG7XZFP54DA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607400},"content":"When Covid hit in 2020, Oliver decamped to East Hampton. “I was completely consumed by work and had a young child and an 18-month-old – with limited childcare – and was working 15 hours [a] day with the toddler literally under my desk because I was part of the Siemens Healthineers team dedicated to bringing a Covid test to market,” Oliver says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JIPZGFUZIJAR3JA4ISDL4XXKAE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607401},"content":"“Other people were binging on Netflix, taking up crochet and meditation during the lockdown. I was sleeping with my phone on and taking calls at crazy hours. We knew we could make a real difference in people’s lives and we were trying to get the test to market as quickly as possible and managed to do so in record time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BBBHZHIC4JEEDGBLBTJF2Z4TB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607402},"content":"“We worked with the WHO [World Health Organisation], the FDA [US regulator, the Food and Drug Administration], and the US federal government to get the tests into the population and this part of my professional life will always stand out as it was an opportunity to do something that impacted lives in real-time when there was no precedent for how to get it all done.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZVOBD2LMERDIPAYPQJ7R5O25AA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607403},"content":"Oliver lives in Tribeca and works between home and her office in New York. Any spare time is spent with her family at their weekend house in East Hampton.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W7DB55EPCRGHRHMUTXGZYU5R2Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1699955607404},"content":"“NY demands your full commitment to work and professional life. It’s in the DNA of the people and the corporate culture and it suits me because I’m a driven and ambitious person,” she says. “It’s been suggested that I can now take a rest and stop climbing but that’s not who I am. I am always looking for ways to grow and evolve from a career perspective.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Olive Keogh"}},"name":"Olive Keogh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Michelle Oliver’s decision to move to New York when she qualified from UCD turned out to be the easy part"},"display_date":"2023-11-19T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"An Irish lawyer in New York: ‘NY demands your full commitment to work. It suits me’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ALH4O44E6ZBUVHD3OBLEXF6ILM","auth":{"1":"555c1a2587434c379c0950d2a9204486240fe74a2ea3ce2f847f1a5d127b738e"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ALH4O44E6ZBUVHD3OBLEXF6ILM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Abroad"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/19/ny-demands-your-full-commitment-to-work-and-professional-life/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"ZDYGTVTWSJGT7FIXOWJ3NONGTQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":244,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9848818/media/4e4a834899101d2db93c5a1a47eec593_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/17/public-sector-unions-seek-clarity-on-abolition-of-post-crash-emergency-legislation/","content_elements":[{"_id":"3ZYYBWIUPBHQPJM6MLCQNIPP24","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126024},"content":"Contacts between Government and public sector trade unions in the coming days will seek to pave the way for an opening of formal talks between the two sides on a new pay agreement for the State’s 385,000 public servants, which sources say could happen as early as next week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KTF2FRXRSFFDRI3EDOCRCYZI7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126025},"content":"Public sector unions said on Friday that a new multi-year agreement on pay will only be possible if the Government removes the remaining elements of emergency legislation, which was first introduced after the financial crash, that gives the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform what they regard as an effective veto on locally agreed deals.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VLBBDV4AU5ES3N7IMXJUZOKJGU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126026},"content":"At a meeting of the 19 unions, whose members would be impacted by any new national agreement relating to the public and Civil Service, it was agreed to seek clarification from Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe on whether he is willing to dispose of the legislation as part of the progress.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WWY53KSZD5HZZC27YFPX7CGLJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126027},"content":"Government sources expressed some puzzlement at the approach, but in a statement the Department of Public Expenditure said that “all sides have issues they want to see addressed. The best way to resolve these issues, including those raised by Ictu [Irish Congress of Trade Unions], is to progress into discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVPTH4GMBFB7XNV6FJTCYC7WRA","additional_properties":{"_id":"BXLXKC7FLRBK5FFSAG744QKMLI"},"content":"Public sector pay talks to begin within days as unions meet to consider strategy","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"MSCICAZKCBDWLMFTXJQVEXTI2M","additional_properties":{"_id":"PPZO2JSFJJAIHGEGDLYKHGZWVM"},"content":"‘Turbulent winter’ in prospect if no progress made on public sector pay deal, union leader warns","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"536C7UZQJ5AUFMT2UKVE2WSCCU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700246617621},"content":"“Government is not setting any preconditions to these talks and is willing to engage on all issues, including those raised by the Public Services Committee of Ictu at their meeting [on Friday],” the department said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z64SRSBQEBBXHMMZJ2LWFEGYX4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126029},"content":"In his invitation to the unions at the start of the week to participate in talks on a new agreement, Mr Donohoe expressed a preference for the successor to the Building Momentum pay agreement to be one that would run over a number of years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5XWJL6YUAFDFXDDHM6JQLHMQTE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126030},"content":"However, in a letter sent to him on Friday after its meeting, John King from Ictu’s public service committee said it first wanted “an assurance that the Government will take all necessary steps to restore industrial relations in the public service to the position which applied before the enactment of the 2009 emergency legislation”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UII6MASTZFBAVKGZDO6TVKR2KM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126031},"content":"This is a reference to Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Fempi) legislation, introduced after the 2008 financial crisis, which the unions argue gives the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform the final say on any deals negotiated with local authorities, departments or other public sector employers in relation to issues outside of the national agreement. The unions say a substantial number of these issues have built up over recent years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3PR6O5GW2FFXTLP7SCMNIWOXN4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126032},"content":"Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who will, as chair of the committee, be another key figure in any negotiations, said the unions were keen to pursue a deal that provided pay increases that addressed the impact of cost-of-living issues for their members.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PLKQE734WNCT5KBXTDUHYAJ53Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126033},"content":"But, he said “the type of agreement favoured by the Minister... is really only achievable if we establish normalised industrial relations”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JQXUFZMEJVFARJGRMAGMRFBH64","additional_properties":{"_id":"VBJYHGKURRDGXNHTRMPFSWM7UM"},"content":"Irish consumers to cut Christmas shopping spend as cost of living bites","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"AQMOYNXI7ZAFLEGTDGQA2UN2FY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126034},"content":"“Multi-annual deals provide a high degree of cost certainty, and stability, for the Government. While we’re willing to consider such a deal, we made it clear months ago that any deal would need to contain sufficient flexibility to address issues affecting specific groups of workers,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O7RCMEHNYFBNLLCII6PK5CY6YY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700241126035},"content":"Senior Government sources said it was possible that backdated payments – which were included in the last deal – could again be a feature of any new agreement. However, they said that for this to happen, it would likely have to be concluded before the end of the year – a timetable that all sides agreed was tight.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BLRUVNWMHZCXLCCJAGH7ARGTLQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244131613},"content":"Responding to the comments made on behalf of the Minister after they were put to him, Mr King said he had not received any response to the letter from the Minister “and I’d be disappointed if that was the totality of his response”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5DSTWVNYHBDMZD65ARIVSHYZRM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700244131614},"content":"“The issues we have raised merit his consideration. 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It was everybody else’s staff having to go out to work more; the company’s key product line was deodorant, and personal care was the only one of the company’s many divisions to record growth last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZFEXW6TQAZG3RML4RMW36BWTAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700209094757},"content":"So, with the return to the office, there are certainly winners with people having to shower and take personal care more seriously after a number of casual-care years of working from home since the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/covid-19/\" target=\"_blank\">Covid </a>pandemic.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2TJG4DJQXFDGJHRPJWNY2CICCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700209094758},"content":"Although some, since Covid, may proclaim Fridays in the office a thing of the past – with the last working day of the week deemed a “WFH” or “work from home” day – some employers don’t see it that way.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LZZUJ7JFPFHV3KJP3FHYJUMTH4","additional_properties":{"_id":"E3PXMTMIU5BMDH77MP2ZG3ZQJU"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"F6V46HAZAZAPDB6WA27SUVKCO4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737753},"content":"A recent survey of company bosses – a KMPG survey of CEOs at 1,300 of the world’s largest firms – suggested that most believe workers will be back in the office every day within three years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YBPBRIJTEFF5ZOFPPVZUG3MYII","additional_properties":{"_id":1700209094760},"content":"For now, research shows Irish companies are more constrained by a tight jobs market and are settling for fine-tuning their hybrid models. More than a quarter of almost 400 companies that participated in a survey by employers’ group Ibec said that meeting employee expectations on hybrid working was the single biggest issue for management. About half said they found it significantly harder to recruit for fully on-site roles.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XKGC3K5CGNHLPGNR3B55IZHAKA","additional_properties":{"_id":"M3ARNX52HJDNXDHXQ6NWDMOJDM"},"content":"Is working from home as productive as it's cracked up to be?","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"SIIME4SIBZAV5LSSDXKSMDHFZI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700209094761},"content":"In many offices, it has become normal for staff to work from the office for a portion of each week. A recent survey of businesses in Dublin by estate agents Savills and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce found that 55 per cent required staff to be at their desks for two or three days but almost nobody was coaxing staff away from home on a Friday – a change that has had a profound effect on city centre businesses, including pubs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5I3BQEVUWRBWJJ474XVOFSWXQI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737756},"content":"Some Irish firms certainly see it as the future.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ULSPRRZ2QBBX7AFUAEJYBODY74","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737757},"content":"Margaret Cox, director of Galway-based recruitment and business services firm ICE Group, has long championed flexible working. Her company has about 60 staff with varied working arrangements, including four-day weeks intended to allow staff to extend their weekends as well as hybrid and entirely remote working.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7L3DJYDRYX2FCDNVDUAMY3WDQI","additional_properties":{"_id":"AP2DRZQIZRFDFO4EWANNV3X5EU"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"ZTSHVOYWSFFULLIEZ3R66YLFPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737758},"content":"She anticipates a likely pushback against the balance generally being struck at present and suggests there is a need for a more clinical assessment of how well hybrid and other arrangements work if it is to be resisted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4OQLLGGY6ZBRRK4OZ75OBT5BH4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737759},"content":"“There is definitely a push towards getting everybody back into the office and we are going to see that more and more, particularly if the job market loosens up,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZDB2IS76A5GHNIRTS7LLWKCPUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700209094766},"content":"“So the only way we [Irish workplaces] are going to be able to keep hybrid model is for it to be successful, but we have to be able to define what that success looks like. And to be able to measure it.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3M6JALUB5VGJFHVS57WBGFEJUY","additional_properties":{"_id":"LW77XHQOS5BHDB7DGBZB2SO3LM"},"content":"Friday working from home grows again as employers focus on Thursday in office","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"DZLOFYGZ4BADFI5Y3S4ZVPAKLE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737760},"content":"“At the moment, there’s an absence of clear measurables and honesty in the discussion. All the employees will say we’re very productive at home. All the employers will say: ‘We’re not so sure about that.’ But they’re not measuring it. And I think it’s the measurement that’s really, really important.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"GBPUMTFKJZAJLMPTPZCWZFUCUE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737761},"content":"Ruairi Guckian, whose company GHR Consulting works with and advises around 60 small- and medium-sized businesses in Galway on human resources issues, believes many companies struggled to put structured policies in place around rapidly changing work practices during Covid. He thinks it became something of a free-for-all as many employees simply said: “I don’t want to work in the office any more.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QJVI2HBXMRBEBNUSPMLMCZVFCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737762},"content":"Now, he says, “companies are trying to put a little bit of structure on the situation and we would certainly be advising them to have a policy in place.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MVCNO3ASHFB2XJLZNYBNJDIPH4","additional_properties":{"_id":"IBFBO5NOTBAS7INX5KA2FBLRAU"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"3GK6P27BCRBOZEUZCYNZ2NEPTQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737763},"content":"“What we’re seeing is a lot of clients requiring employees to attend maybe two or three days a week, usually around Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so they can schedule meetings and things like that, but focused in midweek because nobody wants to be in the office on a Friday,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T5NSJVU3ZVCL7NGDPIGGZNSXG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737764},"content":"He doesn’t see that changing as long as many employees have fairly easy options. As he sees it, staff retention is a “big thing”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X2R5OIUFJ5B6ZELQVIKOLS6ZPY","additional_properties":{"_id":"4L25EPCESNDPNAGYRXLWBMGCOU"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"ZUDFJTB2ONBKHOLOYCGRZ5DA3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700209094773},"content":"“You are trying to retain your employees and to do that companies need to offer some kind of flexible thing,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RYRTFVKUKBEY7DWR6KEUBRI564","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737766},"content":"He and his own staff finish every working week a few hours early and he feels companies seeking to go back to how things were before Covid face a particular challenge where Fridays are concerned.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CDCYQKW4AFHX3OKDT5QUWUUYQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737767},"content":"“I’ve sat in so many offices and you’re looking at the clock; you’re going out with friends or going on holidays or going away for a weekend away, whatever it is. Friday is a big one for people,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"COSI5D52WZGORBDUJYYZNE22BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700223240058},"content":"Galway Chamber of Commerce chief executive Kenny Deery says the fall-off in on-site working in the city on Fridays is clear with businesses catering to office workers particularly affected.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SCAIH65J5ZGY5HXOFDQRFBXOFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700223240059},"content":"“We are definitely seeing that Thursday is the new Friday phenomenon in some areas. Pubs still benefit from students and the attractiveness of Galway as a weekend destination - we would have a lot of people coming in - but coffee shops are definitely being hit,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DL6F2NGK4FH6TMKKI4UUATAZ6Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700223240060},"content":"“Some are offering a more limited menu on a Friday and even closing on a Monday as a lot of businesses concentrate on bringing people in on the midweek days.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"SLRCAFEIJVHOJMRUIBQ3IEU7CU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700223240061},"content":"He says the chamber finds Fridays to be “tricky days” for hosting events.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TMN2EZOIQRGGREWQB6VJC2SX74","additional_properties":{"_id":1700223240062},"content":"“While businesses are still keen to be supportive, they are telling us they don’t have the people in and are struggling to fill the table,” says Deery.","type":"text"},{"_id":"27Z7H3Z3WVBWXPLGEX4IKI2LEQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737768},"content":"At Intuity Technologies, a Galway-based IT firm, Sarah McCarthy, the head of human resources, says flexible working is as big an issue as pay when recruiting candidates.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SAVP5QOMHBF35EBMWQCKSX2CPY","additional_properties":{"_id":"TMNYPKJRGVCL5NSPZOR2XM6TLM"},"content":"Final shape of hybrid office work slowly coming into focus","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"TFWTQCBA7BCTRDBDXKS5IKGYYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737769},"content":"“When I’m doing my pre-screens, one of the first questions I might be asked is: ‘How many days a week do I have to be in the office?’ It’s as important as salary at the moment,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z27LO4WAIBA4FHSQRF5KJGP4PA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737770},"content":"The candidates are likely pleased with what they hear.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OTNPPCGZUVCLTGWCMEUBO4DFWE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737771},"content":"“We have a hybrid-working policy, with employees expected to be in the office three days per week. That’s intended to help with team interaction, people’s wellbeing, to help new hires and make sure that people are growing within their roles,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CDL4BAMULZHHVJOUQKCYEM452M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737772},"content":"“We don’t actually have anchor days at the moment but Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the most popular days and a lot of teams kind of have a bit of a second schedule in terms of what days they’re in.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"73XYQ2EBOJA6RBJRC2K7HQVTJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737773},"content":"Beyond that, she says, they too view Fridays differently.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VHA7ZGEIYZFBHIFJ4Q4UTAIL7A","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737774},"content":"“On the other days we start at half eight and we finish at half five but then on Fridays we only work until half one. So we’re running on a four and a half day week and at the moment it’s going really well. It’s a huge benefit to a lot of the staff and it’s looking like it’s going to be here to stay.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"N7YB4XOTQRGBFP34ZWAEUDIRU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737775},"content":"With many of the staff living a significant distance away from the Ballybrit office, few, predictably enough, come in for the shortened day.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWQAHQ3V7VCNVN7DZFZCYQLC74","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737776},"content":"“I’ve been in a couple of Fridays lately,” says McCarthy, and the “absolute max” is 10 people in the office.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XWQAHQ3V7VCNVN7DZFZCYQLC74","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737776},"content":"She lives in Limerick, having returned there from Dublin, in part because of property prices.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TLXESTVILRDLNPNIBYVTROJ3SE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737777},"content":"Elsewhere, McCarthy says, she has friends working for bigger, multinational firms in the tech sector where moves to bring employees back in more have “come as a shock” to the workforce.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CZTDERUDUFG4TCCLTAD6IWVWJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158737778},"content":"“People have got used to having the flexibility of remote work and I don’t see that changing,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IY2YXZOPMVEVPIX4BCYSVIUYIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700221825997},"content":"McCarthy says that people would be prepared to take pay cuts to work more from home. “I think that’s going to be a challenge for companies to change, because people have kind of got used to it now,” she says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2GN5UZTX2RGLVBHXARNYDHCPSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700209094788},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Irish companies are getting staff back to offices midweek but letting people work from home on Fridays"},"display_date":"2023-11-17T11:04:51.991Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘It’s as important as salary at the moment’: How WFH Fridays have killed the five-day office week","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"U7ZHG6XABNDUXDGB3QSSNAK7EQ","auth":{"1":"d35194b8e297425e89a0a4b5ed6a75011e01c74a75fee14a854f0734002f0d0d"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/U7ZHG6XABNDUXDGB3QSSNAK7EQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/11/17/are-you-in-the-office-today-how-wfh-fridays-have-killed-the-five-day-office-week/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"PQZWRMFWXRFSNE2YBEJ32YZ4QM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":99,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9441909/media/7c8b7c41833f46b7c0adc1561988a180_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/17/government-confirms-workers-can-claim-five-days-paid-sick-leave-next-year/","content_elements":[{"_id":"FIAKFRVSQNDJ3H3IGCBEEFP2YM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158287369},"content":"Workers’ entitlement to paid sick leave will rise to five days a year in January, the Government has confirmed. At present, employees are permitted to take three paid days for illness.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2XSUORYF2VCNPPNUQHBHCIBZNM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158287370},"content":"Paid sick leave measures were introduced at the start of this year on a phased basis so that employers had time to adapt to the change. 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If an employee has exhausted the annual allowance of paid sick leave, they move on to illness benefit, if eligible. Paid sick leave is available to any worker who has completed 13 weeks with a particular employer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2CVLR6TBRRFKFDHIL4IOBI2RCQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158287374},"content":"Where someone works for multiple employers, they are entitled to five days from each employer, provided they meet the qualifying criteria. Workers need a valid medical certificate form a registered doctor to secure the benefit.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DHVWEKYBNJC3XPAC3JQNIKTGIA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700158287375},"content":"The sick leave is ring-fenced for each year with no latitude to carry over unused sick leave to a subsequent year.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Dominic Coyle"}},"name":"Dominic Coyle"}]},"description":{"basic":"Minister announces preplanned expansion of scheme that pays 70% of gross salary up to €110 a day"},"display_date":"2023-11-17T05:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Workers can claim five days of paid sick leave next year, Government confirms","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"JW56S4TSUJDLXNRPDVDHCO7ADA","auth":{"1":"aff0335c4678b54b750e3d65181289ebf595971820a4563a977701b073e38ec9"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/JW56S4TSUJDLXNRPDVDHCO7ADA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Economy"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/17/government-confirms-workers-can-claim-five-days-paid-sick-leave-next-year/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"CR2T6736D5DJPLZPFDLMPOME4U","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":176,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9441146/media/f351b27ac8ee53cf6dbf0d2ae20dafdb_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/17/indexing-pension-cap-would-ease-recruitment-headache-for-top-public-posts/","content_elements":[{"_id":"3AWA7DX3CVFEDMDNR7KPZ76TA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1662464094180},"content":"Indexing the cap on pension tax relief would resolve difficulties for Government in recruiting people to senior posts in the public service and the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/an-garda-siochana/\" target=\"_blank\">Garda</a>, an industry body representing insurance brokers has said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"I7GGFRWEUZAXZOIHSDQEJSVGD4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227805},"content":"As trade unions consider talks on a successor to the current public service pay deal, several industry bodies are calling on Minister for Finance <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/michael-mcgrath/\" target=\"_blank\">Michael McGrath</a> to index the Standard Fund Threshold to increases in wages.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4YE3VHMXYFFJTNLRM2Q6KPQ5TQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227806},"content":"The Standard Fund Threshold is a figure above which tax relief does not apply on pensions. The threshold, originally brought in to counter abuse of the tax relief by very wealthy individuals, was initially set at €5 million. But the figure was reduced to €2 million in 2014.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5Q4QC4P3K5EGXF7XDMG37BAEKU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227807},"content":"While the threshold was index-linked in its early years, indexing after 2014 was left to the discretion of the finance minister of the day. The figure has not been indexed since then.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEFFX36AHZBPJP6UPNTEICM6P4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227808},"content":"Wages over that time have risen by 31 per cent, on average, according to data from the Central Statistics Office.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UGWHYTA6FRFK3HXCNMEVMBYQTU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227809},"content":"“The threshold has been fixed since 2014 without indexation, meaning that each year, retiring workers are treated less favourably than workers who retired the year before,” said Neil McDonnell, chief executive of small business group Isme, which has been lobbying for an increase in the threshold for several years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ONPJM43FD5FM5AJ2CA3A3LU7UM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227810},"content":"In the public service and for those private sector workers on final salary, or defined benefit pension schemes, the notional size of their pension fund is determined by their salary and a multiple related to their age. In more recent times, this formula means salaries on offer for top posts in the Garda and the public service will take their occupants above the threshold – exposing them to tax rates of up to about 72 per cent on some of their pension pot.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FYSVLQPL6BAZXDCGDBTBXL6WTE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227811},"content":"“The critical issue for many members of the An Garda Síochána and other public sector workers in senior positions who have the option to retire early is they believe it is more financially advantageous to retire than to take promotions which will leave them with a notional Standard Fund Threshold over the €2 million limit,” said Rachel McGovern, director of financial services at Brokers Ireland.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EKEVJTZW2ZA4XKFLCWPH3SKPDI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227812},"content":"“While we believe there is much wrong with this particular system, the least the Minister should do in the short term and has the power to do without new legislation would be to index link this notional figure, which has not been indexed since 2014.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XUSI6W5J7JGZVCTSL7NVZ2X3OU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227813},"content":"She noted that the Commission on Taxation and Social Welfare report, published last year, recommended the periodic benchmarking of the threshold to what it considered “an appropriate and fair level of estimated retirement income”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PU7IYBYQNZFHNKD6YCHHMCXJQU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227814},"content":"The Government has announced a review of the threshold following difficulty in persuading internal candidates to apply for a deputy commissioner role in the Garda.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NLNYU2QJ2VD4XMA2V2PXZMKZBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700154227815},"content":"Isme said it was ironic that the issue was being addressed now, “not because it is just, fair and equitable to do so, but because members of the public service are being 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regulator.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U5GFGVBVGVHR7JHSAMBXJRDMKU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138212},"content":"Ruling on statutory complaints by the whistleblower, a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudicator said it was “concerning” that the penalisation occurred “as there are few private sector organisations which can have a greater impact on public safety and welfare than a pharmaceutical company”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3RRBBDU5NZFG7CFJLZ2TZ5VBLU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138213},"content":"He wrote it was also “concerning” that the ex-CEO of its Irish subsidiary tried to get staff to “agree on a version of events” with an inspection looming “rather than recognise that [they] had an individual obligation to engage with the regulator truthfully”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BB7WNFHZ6ZAVNOL2QIWPVVDCAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138214},"content":"Dr Bruno Seigle-Murandi had claimed he was pressured by the ex-Roche Ireland boss, Pierre-Alain Dellay, to “lie” to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) and take responsibility for an earlier letter in which the firm said there was no need to recall non-compliant marketing literature in which he had identified a patient safety risk.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2CYQ7MJ76JBQFANTJTH2HWGASA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138215},"content":"The WRC found the CEO’s actions could not be an act of penalisation after accepting the evidence of two former colleagues who said that the whistleblower had been directly involved in formulating the wording of the initial letter to the regulator.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UKZEBOXRLFBUVNBYVORP23BW7U","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138216},"content":"Dr Seigle-Murandi was eventually sacked by the firm two years later for e-mailing hundreds of documents to email addresses controlled by his brother and parents – a bid to preserve evidence following an alleged campaign of “moral harassment” by his colleagues for his stance on the noncompliant documents, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ISMFZO7L2BB7FHNJZ6EAN7527Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138217},"content":"The tribunal heard that after Dr Seigle-Murandi “stumbled” across a consignment of documents from a printer, he identified marketing material for three specialist drugs that had used “copycat” wording for tightly-regulated additional risk minimisations measures (ARMM) documents.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITFKV2XEZVD6DBWCO5S2OXC4XY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138218},"content":"The key difference was that the marketing brochures were missing a sentence referring to adverse reactions to the drug, including two fatalities, he said in evidence last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4M77247BFNC6DDJI3BMTMH3DPQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138219},"content":"He said his initial reaction was: “Gosh, we’re in deep s***.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DFXAYMCC7BFVTLVWSEXZLOYUJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138220},"content":"He uncovered the same problem with materials produced for Roche’s specialist cancer drug Tecentriq as well as its arthritis product RoActemra and Hemlibra for haemophilia, the tribunal was told – ultimately discovering in a long-term review that there were 93 documents with the issue.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EE4JAXEZM5FJXDYEOKFEBBYAQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138221},"content":"“This is widespread, not a mistake, this is made with a commercial purpose. 93 materials were sent to patients and healthcare practitioners in Ireland that were noncompliant,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZHPKQGHTVEYDLEBYDVKJGL3SI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138222},"content":"The firm’s regulatory affairs manager Kim Kirwan said in evidence that it was an “error” as Roche was unaware the practice wasn’t allowed, and that it had been going on since before she joined the firm in 2010.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HBJJH6EUWFGQHHRNXSSZUR45SY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138223},"content":"Dr Seigle-Murandi accused ex-colleagues of altering a document which went to the regulator late on May 24th, 2019 without his knowledge to state Roche “did not believe the material had to be recalled”, a claim denied in evidence by company witnesses.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DBT6TD3TF5FEHCP2DUWAOHC3W4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138224},"content":"The firm’s compliance manager, Pat Lennon, said he, Dr Seigle-Murandi and Ms Kirwan all “saw that [wording] going into that document”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IUVJ53E355H7JA4DJAWQGYQ664","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138225},"content":"Ms Kirwan said Dr Seigle-Murandi only later expressed concerns referring his “up to now 100 per cent safety record” and alleged he had been put under “pressure” from Mr Lennon.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MMS32R4LYRBHNP5QOH2VZPDK7M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138226},"content":"“He was regretful that he didn’t challenge the team decision we made,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7LXLU2NIBRFMJPLA7OWA45FWCU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138227},"content":"With a HPRA inspection on the noncompliant brochures just days away on July 18th that year, former Roche Ireland CEO, Pierre-Alain Delley, said he chaired a meeting of the core compliance group Dr Seigle-Murandi worked with on July 18th in an effort to “align on a story”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UEHGVU6XORGB7E23WY2ESVMC2I","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138228},"content":"Dr Seigle-Murandi said Mr Delley told him: The company’s future was at stake but so was mine”. He said he pressed him to “go along, collaborate, sign off” on an “alternative storyline” by either standing over the original letter or accept that it should be recalled and say it was his mistake.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IUOH3Y6NZFGXRLTUXC5ASR2M5Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138229},"content":"“How could the general manager of one of the biggest pharma firms ask me to lie to the HPRA,” the complainant said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T5YFXTEKZZDDLGVBIG67LSSAOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138230},"content":"“I said: ‘No way am I signing that,’” he told the tribunal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V7O4FK4JAJDANEINL7NVMGXR4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138231},"content":"In his evidence, Mr Delley said: “The problem I see with Bruno, he was forgetting a little the enterprise mindset ... He was acting a bit as an external auditor rather than a Roche employee.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"SF2SEMU6XZCM7AA5EKDRQ7KQPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138232},"content":"“I do not understand how he could be threatened. It was an alignment meeting in relation to the story flow,” Mr Delley said. “I never used any pressure point because he was part of the team. We didn’t have any reason to threaten him,” he added.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2VRREJDSHFCJRO76IHMCNKHFKI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138233},"content":"He called it “critical and very important” that Dr Seigle-Murandi raised the issue.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RD5H2D67FBALDJ35B7642TTXJU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138234},"content":"“That’s what I expect of any compliance person,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SJAMXBMFPVGQ5LBLPCOWHYQY6Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138235},"content":"Roche’s barrister, Mark Connaughton, said Dr Seigle-Murandi’s claims were “false allegations”. “You cannot continue to traduce or defame the reputations of people by making false allegations which contradict what was written,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RIXJDX7YWJFP5HVIOMELAZB67M","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138236},"content":"Dr Seigle-Murandi said he made a second notification to the HPRA – described by Mr Connaughton as a “unilateral” action – in July 2020 concerning the documents issue, after the company said the regulator had closed its file on the matter to its satisfaction.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PBLT6LVUQRCVTPLIYAZ2FCWDWU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138237},"content":"He claims the firm penalised him in later dealings with him, including reductions of 25 per cent to his 2019 bonus and 50 per cent in 2020, while also attempting to have him complete a performance improvement plan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TAJX2RROCBAFVL3OX76WVZIINQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138238},"content":"Further claims of “moral harassment” by a line manager in the form of “micromanagement” were also denied by the manager in question, Patrick Weston.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DSYONSBCFRFLBBZFGSPVRHE3OE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138239},"content":"Closing out his case, Dr Seigle-Murandi said: “Roche tried to protect themselves before patients. The clique did not like that I tried to disrupt the status quo.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"P4Y45NYYGRFPLGTQ4SHODZ3L7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138240},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"V6VMRAHV2BH5JAPDNWBIX2YBWY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138241},"content":"He said he was treated like “the snitch to be managed out”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"57GNQBILFNC3LMVOX4YOPU4TMM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138868297},"content":"“In this company, Roche, when you have the courage to speak up and make protected disclosures, you are only met with investigators searching your emails,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7B7UYEEZLRGINLGC66X2BK4LSU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138242},"content":"On Thursday adjudicator David James Murphy said Mr Lennon and Ms Kirwan had been “convincing” in their accounts of how the wording of the letter to the HPRA was formulated compared with “vague” testimony from Dr Seigle-Murandi on that point.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NCI5PYCTHVBJTN7I7MV3JTAITA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138243},"content":"The complainant “was involved in the initial decision not to recommend a recall”, Mr Murphy concluded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NUI635DCE5FUBAKVWNABAWEXYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138244},"content":"He could not find Mr Delley’s actions at the July 18th meeting were penalisation as they were not linked to a protected disclosure, he wrote.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ML22WRCYZZBL5HQTRWEREUGOHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138245},"content":"However, Mr Murphy said Mr Delley’s own evidence “largely supported” what Dr Seigle-Murandi had alleged and called it “concerning” that the CEO “sought to get employees to agree on a version of events ... rather than recognise that each had an individual obligation to engage with the regulator truthfully”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CI3BUR3RJJD4LKSCJQYIMM2PQY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138246},"content":"The 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act.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FZESRQ2PV5H6FC7KLWKF3ZLTJM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138252},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"DHWFSJKRQVAM3DZ472BY34E6LI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138253},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"U7W6GCHDRBCFBJNBO6AQFQ2RU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700138138254},"content":"He rejected the dismissal complaint on that basis.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Stephen Bourke"}]},"description":{"basic":"WRC adjudicator says case ‘concerning’ as ‘there are few private sector organisations which can have a greater impact on public safety and welfare than a pharmaceutical company’"},"display_date":"2023-11-16T12:47:09.835Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pharma giant Roche ordered to pay whistleblower €8,000 for penalising him over protected 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few weeks ago, a colleague’s daughter walked away from a potential new job that looked like the perfect fit – on paper. The interview process was demanding and while this well-qualified fortysomething had no objection to her prospective employer being thorough, she felt a sense of disquiet about the company from the off that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.","type":"text"},{"_id":"76VTWBZRSZBONNZJX4EOBCU6FU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397155},"content":"Telling herself she was seeing a problem where none existed, she began jumping through the hiring hoops. As things progressed, however, it became clear that her reservations were well-founded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"F3UMJB3NXVCBBMABT3XT7GUO7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397156},"content":"In effect, the company was treating her as a consultant not as a candidate during the selection process and the penny finally dropped when she was asked to do what amounted to a strategic review on a topic unrelated to the position she was applying for. She withdrew in haste and is still wondering if the job actually existed or if she was the victim of cynical manipulation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NXAWH7QLVVAILNS2QWMU5YEHNY","additional_properties":{"_id":"JR37HT6QFVDY3JJOGAAOVT6OH4"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"6OEV4OC3KFDUDL4AHJFQ7IUL7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397157},"content":"When applying for a job, it’s natural to assume that the employer holds all the aces. But if this upsetting experience teaches us anything, it’s that it’s not a one-way street. Hiring managers are trained to be on the lookout for red flags at interview, but prospective candidates also need to be red-flag savvy and alert to the signs that an employer (or the job) isn’t what it seems to be.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZMTD6COHYFBNZPMOULIO4HNHB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397158},"content":"Warning signs that should make a candidate stop and think include not being offered the chance to ask questions, ghosting, repeated cancelling or rescheduling of appointments, pressure to accept the job, an interviewer whose attitude or comments are disrespectful, biased or in poor taste, a reticence to provide adequate information about the company or the job, or a job that turns out to be widely different from the one advertised.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T7O2QYDDUBFW5AJLPP7WER2QDU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397159},"content":"To some extent, online recruiting has made it much harder to “read” a company’s true intentions from a distance and this is why seasoned job hunters say it’s important to push for a face-to-face meeting with one’s prospective boss at some point in the process. With no screen in between, it’s easier to pick up subtleties about the employer, the personalities at play and the prevailing atmosphere which reveals a lot about an organisation’s culture. In short, when all of the dots are joined, are these my kind of people?","type":"text"},{"_id":"36XF3SAJ2JHRJJEU73LMBVL6VQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"A6YSUGCD5ZAJJLL543ZVIHFNRI"},"content":"","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"TJKLIOC5UNG5TNVVFYRCR3INLY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397160},"content":"Assuming they are, and you desperately want the job, it’s crucial not to blow it at the interview. Even well-rehearsed, well prepared candidates can get it wrong and make a bad impression.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DJ6KIXAPQFFYVKG23DLQV2P4KM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397161},"content":"Dr Ryne Sherman, chief science officer at US-based Hogan Assessments, which helps companies use personality evaluation to identify candidates with skills and values that align with theirs, says a common mistake made by interviewees is being too forceful in terms of trying to impress with how clever or how confident they are.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UZCZPRY6FNDWZCU7ZNUXBKGZLQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397162},"content":"“This can be quite off-putting and it’s also worth remembering that, in any business situation, there are politics at play and overconfident behaviour may be seen as a potential threat,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G3PGAE7IMRHEBCM74BQF66D46Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"CFT3GEFQCRE3JOGGA24TPSXEJE"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"I46OYS3CTRFEJEWB4V4JMUR42Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397163},"content":"Hogan works in the background with about 75 per cent of the Fortune 500 companies, and Sherman says its aim is to use scientific methodologies to promote fair and objective hiring.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OJR4TNJ2JZFEHNNFRAUAAXBD4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397164},"content":"“Everyone thinks they’re a great judge of people. The divorce statistics would suggest otherwise,” he says, adding that the three most common “derailers” at interview are failing to ask questions upfront, camouflaging weaknesses and flaunting strengths and overegging it when talking about one’s hobbies and personal interests.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KKGQHTG2VBCUXM5EXMMYHAAGNA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397165},"content":"“Traditionally, candidates wait until the last 10 minutes to ask the important questions whereas they should take advantage of the opportunity to be more proactive with good questions from the start,” he says. “Doing so will directly showcase their cultural and functional fit, ultimately leading to a better shot at landing the position while also helping the candidate to see how well the position fits them and their career goal timeline.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KHNRPDY65AD3BOB77PGKPBYAA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397166},"content":"Being asked about one’s strengths and weaknesses are “high-stakes questions that can make or break an interview”, says Sherman, adding that most hiring managers only want to know three things about a potential candidate’s strengths: “Do they have the self-awareness to reflect on their performance in the workplace? Do they have concrete (measurable, if possible) proof to back up those claims? And how have these qualities prepared them for success in the role?","type":"text"},{"_id":"WXVLTB2JJJBBDLBBOA2PYWGONI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397167},"content":"“When it comes to weaknesses, interviewers are also looking for self-awareness within a candidate, but also for honesty and a willingness to improve,” says Sherman who is a personality psychologist by profession and the co-host of the Science of Personality podcast.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y6KQWFYL3FAKTEKPHDTWGGXNQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397168},"content":"As interviews draw to a close and the conversation turns to outside interests, candidates often relax. However, Sherman’s advice is not to become too casual and give in to the temptation to gild the lily to make oneself seem more interesting.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XLXVPDE75FHALLI6BETYJUOEJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397169},"content":"“Honesty is just as important in questions about hobbies as it is about work experience or skills,” he says. “Getting caught in a lie devalues the interview and a person’s overall credibility. For many interviewers, if a candidate is willing to lie about small things like their personal interests, it may call other areas, such as their skills, achievements, and experience into question.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GSTQTGZT4FACDDA4NWRRS4M4NQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699954397170},"content":"“To avoid this, find a unique way to spin the hobbies you participate in, even if you don’t believe they are particularly exciting.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Olive Keogh"}},"name":"Olive Keogh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Job candidates should be more proactive earlier in interviews in asking the important questions"},"display_date":"2023-11-16T10:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Candidates: remember that interviews are two-way streets","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"L6MF2C5TSNGWRLHJ5NBD45CNGI","auth":{"1":"49dc97aee8c62b1c0b07825cc33cace6cdc86e0fa28a60d9efbdf2c92a5be3d1"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/L6MF2C5TSNGWRLHJ5NBD45CNGI.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/16/candidates-remember-that-interviews-are-two-way-streets/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"LDENBKA54VAI7AUT7DDAIQKGAQ","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":137,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9416294/media/18d7dcd3af69436bb8bd9d5c19e725e0_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/15/unions-to-meet-on-friday-to-consider-pay-talks-invitation/","content_elements":[{"_id":"XEWSJS7BB5ETRPHJGM5Z4QBSLE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853341},"content":"A Government invitation to negotiate a new national public sector pay agreement will be considered by a meeting of the unions involved on Friday with talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) expected to get under way over the course of next week.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KJ5SW5DCH5C67C4ZE5WBGJ54PI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853342},"content":"The officers of the public services committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) met remotely on Wednesday morning and referred the invitation to a gathering of all 19 unions involved on Friday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OGGH6WCFJNHN7DBOBVXCZWK47Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853343},"content":"In a statement issued after Tuesday’s meeting, the officers said Friday’s meeting would consider the basis on which they might enter talks. Although there is no confirmation, the invitation from Government on a deal to replace Building Momentum, which expires at the end of the year, is expected to be accepted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XAZ25E6HMRB6VLVKSCUSD4V2YM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853344},"content":"In addition to pay increases compensating members for the high rates of inflation over the past year, the unions are looking for changes in the way industrial relations are handled in the public sector and new mechanisms to deal with local claims, many of them based on what the unions argue is a significant evolution in a large number of roles over the past decade and a half.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YH5X2ZTJJFEEPMNPKHOLU7KO4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853345},"content":"In their statement on Tuesday, the unions said their desire has been to complete a replacement deal for Building Momentum before the end of December. But speaking at Siptu’s biennial conference in Galway this week, the union’s Deputy General Secretary John King said that preliminary talks that have taken place between the two sides over the past couple of months had highlighted some of the differences that existed on key issues.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3WGTPCYPUNCZNPLZJ3G3NLLKEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853346},"content":"Siptu’s General Secretary, Joe Cunningham, said at the conference on Wednesday morning that while the decision on whether to accept the invitation would be made on Friday morning, he hoped the talks would progress.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RWN5ALGH7NBUXEUNATFDALATUM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853347},"content":"In addition to Siptu, other unions involved in the talks include Forsa; the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation; the Irish National Teachers Organisation; Unite; the Irish Medical Organisation; PDForra; and Connect.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E7NOCWR7JBBT5F2OU7EUBDHYNA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700046853348},"content":"Some 340,000 workers will be directly impacted by the outcome.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KCY7XBJRHJCIPEZW63L5TSVSYM","additional_properties":{},"content":"The Siptu conference in Galway also heard from the British trade union leader Mick Lynch who said the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza was the most pressing issue faced by the international community and the union movement needed to play its part in trying to save lives.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IK6FW7ICVVDSHAYRGERKEIJFOE","additional_properties":{"_id":"ICAJVHWLLJBLVAYK3LG6KFFG6Y"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"CKZEBDOK5RCA5L4BZ2EPDWDGQM","additional_properties":{},"content":"Speaking to delegates as a motion calling on Siptu to lobby the Government to implement a range of issues including formal recognition of the State of Palestine was passed by the conference, Mr Lynch said the union movement needed to make its voice heard in support of the civilians currently suffering due to the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5NBDG26IO5DJBDMG2FGICDORRA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“The biggest issue facing the world at this moment is this conflict and the unions have got to be there in the forefront,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KF4CYGOIWBCFZLWJ5HR5OGM3XQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"“There are some people in our movement who are trying to hide away from that but you can’t hide away from history. You have to be on the right side or you will be judged in the future.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B7BWLTWSKNDVHNOS5VP5IQ7YUA","additional_properties":{},"content":"“So the whole labour movement and the whole workers’ movement has to stand up for the people of Palestine and stand for peace and justice in that region.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"LTSZUZIAHZBMXGE7FHUGAQIVSU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Lynch said the pay deal currently being balloted on by the membership of his union in Britain, the RMT, was not what they had set out to achieve but was “unconditional” and would avoid compulsory redundancies in the sector at least until the end of next year. Before that, he said, railworkers would be back at the negotiating table in February for talks on a deal to run beyond then.","type":"text"},{"_id":"K5VKJNUJUZBMJO5SPRLYCNOZVU","additional_properties":{},"content":"Omar Barghouti , one of the founders of the BDS movement which calls for a boycott of Israel and divestment by companies operating in the country described events in Gaza as “the world’s first televised genocide,” in his address to the conference.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BAMDB4KQMVAAVMJYFOAPSULF24","additional_properties":{},"content":"He described the situation as “an unprecedented dehumanisation of the Palestinian people” and said Ireland needed to do more to halt the current violence.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NWWHWHY5MJDGRPI5EZ24DPUUKQ","additional_properties":{},"content":"Support for the people of Gaza was also expressed in a speech on organising in the private sector given by Greg Ennis who won the union’s election to succeed Gerry McCormack, who will retire in the new year, as one of Siptu’s three Deputy general secretaries.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EYII5CFNOZBTTH4BEPRJ5QAIYE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Ethel Buckley and John King were re-elected unopposed to the other two positions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WD6IYHMYIRA37ISW5SMFSQCTDE","additional_properties":{},"content":"Mr Ennis said growing the union’s membership in private sector workplaces, where it has become far less of a force over time, would be his top priority.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PZNZUJKY7RHCXKXP5ZRVQGLDT4","additional_properties":{},"content":"“Many working people,” he said had been “crucified over the last 12 months or so, by record inflation, extortionate rent and the crippling cost-of-living crisis. We are today experiencing record numbers of employment in Ireland, but our membership levels and consequential Union density continues to slide.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A4M2MAC65FDOJHTW2LD6X35G2U","additional_properties":{},"content":"“We must secure an effective mechanism to arrest this decline in the private sector,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Invitation from Government on deal to replace Building Momentum, which expires at end of year, expected to be accepted"},"display_date":"2023-11-15T21:39:09.719Z","headlines":{"basic":"Unions to meet on Friday to consider pay talks invitation","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"BMGI7MHAZ5MDFADEKYOTQSYP6Q","auth":{"1":"37e2dc2bd05fd474842ad1e9f038a10fca5eb0ce3fdd250ae50f3f73edbaac3a"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/BMGI7MHAZ5MDFADEKYOTQSYP6Q.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/11/15/unions-to-meet-on-friday-to-consider-pay-talks-invitation/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"C2AH7DEX2ZDW7IE2BYFLI3B64Y","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":193,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9418836/media/646f96862ac6276836e4bfd97315a5e7_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/crime-law/courts/2023/11/15/south-dublin-chinese-takeaway-delivery-driver-sacked-after-seeking-raise-on-5-an-hour/","content_elements":[{"_id":"Y77P45VXRBCGBPKICJX5RSAYGU","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378062},"content":"A delivery driver for a south Dublin Chinese takeaway who was “disgracefully” sacked without notice after looking for a raise on his €5-an-hour cash-in-hand wages has been awarded €1,500 for unfair dismissal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z7LBW3IMRZGVZG223GHBG7JUCQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378063},"content":"The worker, William Ye, secured the order against the Emerald Court Chinese Restaurant in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, in a decision published on Wednesday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JIR47PLSKJC27MQFHSGGE3ASCE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378064},"content":"He said he used his own car to deliver food and got no petrol money—but kept working for what he knew was less than the minimum wage because he “sometimes got tips”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4EQ3FKMG45DTHKVN23MSKC2RAM","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378065},"content":"Mr Ye told the tribunal he had been asking the restaurant’s owner, Huiru Zhu, “for more than a year” for a pay rise.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LRKQHH7K6BHV3OUK2JO3LCAUIQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378066},"content":"On Tuesday March 20th this year, he sent a text to Ms Zhu asking her whether she had considered his request and pressing her to “make a final decision”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YN55GX62KZCZJF6C5ZXMVEOGDI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378067},"content":"He said that shortly after he reported to work at 5pm the following Friday March 24th, Ms Zhu texted him and stated: “I’ve found someone [to] replace your work. You don’t work here any more.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"72MKZOEL5NHJBADVV3ZKZ4YBEA","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378068},"content":"Mr Ye told adjudicator Catherine Byrne he had “no contract or employee handbook and no payslips” from the job.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TNPVAD62PVCGDP6HL6GSTF5ZNY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378069},"content":"He said, however, that he had worked starting in January 2020 and continuing “throughout” the Covid-19 pandemic, up to March 2023, and showed her texts on his phone from his employer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MG7PWAWTCBEEZKNU4IUGQGF4LE","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378070},"content":"Ms Byrne accepted translations from the original Chinese from Mr Ye in a post-hearing submission.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NULXNX6IYBFGBLYMDT7VY3VZN4","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378071},"content":"These included a request for masks during the early stages of the pandemic; requests to pick up orders and cover for another worker, and other conversation, Ms Byrne noted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PWHQPJMY4RHIXNULDHC6F5NVNI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378072},"content":"The final communication from Ms Zhu recorded in the submission was the dismissal text, Ms Byrne noted.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SRM5R2U7UJC6HIRDW3TSAK33BI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378073},"content":"The adjudicator was satisfied on the basis of the complainant’s evidence on communications with the owner that he had more than the one year’s service required to make a complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M23WGWJV7RBL5GCW3UUWHJ2KAY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378074},"content":"In her decision, she wrote that although Mr Ye had suggested that he might have been dismissed because he is “not a young man”, the information in the texts he provided suggested the dismissal “may have been related to his persistence in asking for a pay increase”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QCHP3VBELFHCDPFXW2QPTA4ERI","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378075},"content":"“Whatever the cause, I find that, by dismissing him with no explanation, no notice and in the absence of procedures, the conduct of his employer was entirely unfair. Measured against the standard of ‘another reasonable employer in the same circumstances’, I find that Mr Ye was treated disgracefully,” Ms Byrne concluded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITUSGRKEQVDOFMH5FGDQNRGG2E","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378076},"content":"However, she said she was limited to awarding four weeks’ pay in compensation, as Mr Ye had stated he had not looked for work since his dismissal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ATXBMULQANHIZEVNFUDAJQJDZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1700059378077},"content":"As €5 an hour was so low as to be “unlawful”, she awarded compensation of four weeks’ pay at the National Minimum Wage of €11.30 an hour – calculating this at €1,500.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Stephen Bourke"}]},"description":{"basic":"William Ye awarded €1,500 for unfair dismissal from Emerald Court restaurant in Ranelagh"},"display_date":"2023-11-15T14:54:57.549Z","headlines":{"basic":"South Dublin Chinese takeaway delivery driver sacked after seeking raise on €5 an hour","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"D6UNSD6PKJB6ZBU35HZUCNXCMI","auth":{"1":"5e41ca4e6b1cc464412308c3351adb26e54762f110f786777181cb6b69f97462"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/D6UNSD6PKJB6ZBU35HZUCNXCMI.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Courts"},{"name":"Crime & Law"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/crime-law/courts/2023/11/15/south-dublin-chinese-takeaway-delivery-driver-sacked-after-seeking-raise-on-5-an-hour/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"NVESZP3NUVEH5PDLLKO6ZB5TYM","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":204,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9410350/media/14916a11bdc69ed74c6f6e560ae03358_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/14/actors-in-ireland-should-receive-similar-terms-to-those-in-britain-union-says/","content_elements":[{"_id":"OXGTZK4FRJBKPHA65W4GBOO2II","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688172},"content":"Actors in Ireland should receive similar terms to those in place in Britain, delegates to the Siptu biennial conference in Sligo have agreed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X2BTM224UVE4PEMDDDA4SGRUJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688173},"content":"The Irish actors’ union Equity, which is affiliated with Siptu, is involved in ongoing talks with film industry body Screen Producers Ireland on a new deal for actors working in what has been a thriving sector in recent years. Irish Equity wants to replicate the terms of the equivalent British industry deal which, it says, often already applies on Irish productions to actors coming from overseas to Ireland to work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7UYCQHVIYVCXJFRNYMP3FQ4FJE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688174},"content":"Such a deal would offer a number of benefits to Irish actors, the president of Irish Equity, Gerry O’Brien, told delegates at the conference on Tuesday, with improved residuals – payments linked to the financial success of a film or television project – among the key targets of the union in the negotiations.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XZ5BWVADAVEUPJIU5JL7GSNLOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688175},"content":"Irish Equity is affiliated to Siptu and Mr O’Brien told delegates that the industry had an obligation to improve its treatment of actors and other workers involved in film making given the scale of the section 481 tax breaks available to productions here.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZU2EOKLEXRHPFC4UVONVUB67YE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688176},"content":"He said the Sag-Aftra deal under which American actors work and the UK’s Pact one were far superior to the one under which Irish actors work but that both of those can be used here and commonly are when overseas actors come to Ireland to work.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ODRWONW2NRHBBF6VW4CZL5DIB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688177},"content":"He has previously complained that Irish actors can often find themselves working on inferior terms to overseas actors working on the same production here. Recent attempts by Equity to have improvements made by the Government in the budget to section 481 linked to the pay and conditions of those working on the productions which the measure helps to finance have so far failed.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6JOIAWOJBJBFTN6Y32OAVF4ULU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688178},"content":"“I’m sure you guys would like to see the actors who live and work in this country being treated equally, and that some of your tax money is coming back into our pockets,” Mr O’Brien told the delegates.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EYFLJVBHTRGMNJ3AU3M42ZFOXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688179},"content":"The motion he was proposing called for “a comprehensive audiovisual agreement for the island of Ireland that ensures terms and conditions of engagement and the assignment of intellectual property rights of our members are valued equally across the 32 counties”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WXUXC5XZN5A4FHS3SVDPYIQ3XU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688180},"content":"Supporting the motion, David Agnew of the Musicians Union of Ireland told the conference that even in a society celebrated for being “culturally rich and vibrant” it was becoming “almost impossible for many to actually make any kind of a living”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3PSKBCPCS5GENG4DPXOI6MH4AA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688181},"content":"The situation, Mr O’Brien suggested, had been contributed to by a particular reluctance of streaming companies like Netflix to pay significant residuals, something that was a key issue in the recent strike by members of the American actors union Sag-Aftra and on which that organisation said it had secured large concessions.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NJDAIVQMJBBTBG7FOGV2AJRL7M","additional_properties":{"_id":1699988688182},"content":"Asked on RTÉ Radio last week whether the deal in the US would affect actors working on projects in Ireland funded by the big American streaming companies, Ed Guiney of Element Pictures said the deal “shines a light on how the world has changed and how streamers properly compensate actors, workers, crew, film makers, producers… everyone”.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Talks are ongoing with film industry body to improve deal offered to talent amid production boom"},"display_date":"2023-11-14T20:37:16.357Z","headlines":{"basic":"Actors in Ireland should receive similar terms to those in Britain, union 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European Union directive intended to ensure higher levels of collective bargaining in countries like Ireland will still leave unions here with a great deal of work to do if they to reverse a long-term decline in private sector membership, delegates at Siptu’s biennial conference in Galway were told on Tuesday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KNLP72DG2FEBNL2AG57OSZRBZ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331867},"content":"Esther Lynch, the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, an umbrella body that campaigns on behalf of around 50 million union members across 41 countries, said Irish unions needed to ensure changes intended to encourage far more employees benefit from collective bargaining agreements do not simply result in unions improving the lot of workers who are not members.","type":"text"},{"_id":"45OLGK4CQVCEVPT5POS6K5MHHY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331868},"content":"The directive is widely seen within the Irish union movement as having the potential to provide a platform for future membership growth.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y3IY5UC2DRDIXN4ZDIVTYDSOSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331869},"content":"“The trouble,” said Ms Lynch, “is you can be very successful in terms of the coverage achieved by a collective agreement but without building density there is the risk that workers are covered by that agreement but don’t join a union.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"OR2EYRLRQJD33D4UYQRHRQGGJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331870},"content":"She said Ireland currently has, at 34 per cent coverage, a higher rate than the UK and a number of other European countries but that it lags well behind the EU’s bigger economies Union membership across the EU, however, declined from 38.9 per cent in 2000 to 27.5 per cent in 2019 and she described work to extend membership of unions like Siptu in Ireland as “vital and critically important”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YVVC5K2ADBAKZNRLYOQ7KAVC3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331871},"content":"Irish Congress of Trade Unions General Secretary Owen Reidy said ensuring membership rises along with collective bargaining coverage will be the “fight of this generation’s lives” and there is “no more important right” than the right of workers to join unions where they want to.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQIQGOKBPVGSVIRJUOVEWZ62O4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331872},"content":"“As it is,” he said, “it is in the gift of employers whether they respect the fact that their employees are members of a union.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"4MANHBAFPZBDDIT635KACP33FE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331873},"content":"He said this was the case whatever the level of membership but that the challenge of reaching workers in sometimes hostile environments in sectors like hospitality where membership levels are currently “negligible” needed to be a particular priority.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R52AUIY5CJBMBBR6ROYI7VT3PA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331874},"content":"The EU directive should change the landscape, he suggested, “but we can’t have a situation where coverage goes high but density (the percentage of workers in membership) goes low”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TOFNKOLBRZFI5N7W5WAS56XYUQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331875},"content":"Speaking separately, on a motion that was critical of Siptu’s profile in public and media discourse on the economy Barry Neven, a delegate from the aviation sector, described those who benefited from union deals with about contributing as “freeloaders”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FMQPRL6YWFB7ZC2DC7DNMGINYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699971331876},"content":"“If we pay €5 a week for membership then go out and negotiate for pay and the non-members get it as well, that needs to stop,” he said to warm 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cost-cutting plan unveiled by RTÉ management has been described as a “slash and burn” policy which will make “ordinary workers carry the can for poor governance and gross mismanagement” in an emergency motion unanimously backed by delegates at the Siptu biennial conference in Galway on Tuesday.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XO5RAS6TOBG3PEEEIFCI4X23V4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699978484749},"content":"The motion, proposed by the union’s arts, culture, print media and sport arm, called on Siptu to resist the proposals being officially unveiled on Tuesday in both the industrial relations and political spheres. Siptu has almost 1,000 members at the broadcaster across a wide range of roles.","type":"text"},{"_id":"33WPR3SI3NEQBIZ42ZONU2TIFI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699978484750},"content":"The plan envisages the broadcaster making savings of some €10 million annually by closing a number of services and cutting 20 per cent of staff.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DC5GUMJOMJDOJKCJGFYXDTE5YM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699978484751},"content":"Reacting on Tuesday afternoon to confirmation to numbers she had described on Monday as “shocking” Siptu’s organiser in the sector, Teresa Hannick, called for “the reversal of the 400 job cuts announced today and for RTÉ to engage with trade unions to find a new approach which defends jobs, working conditions and quality public service broadcasting.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"O75EU3H7A5DZFDCDILVRMX57PA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699978484752},"content":"The motion adopted on Tuesday afternoon called for “the full weight of Siptu industrially, politically and in campaigning” to be put “behind the effort to protect our members, good union jobs and quality public service broadcasting in RTÉ”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RGJNVVT57FGHTPVYRAMJE4L6L4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699978484753},"content":"“The ‘New Direction’ (the title of the plan) announced in recent days amounts to a cost-cutting, outsourcing agenda underpinned by the slashing of jobs that the trade union movement cannot and will not stand for,” it said. “The release of this plan has strengthened our members’ resolve to fight against the ‘slash-and-burn’ policies being pursued by RTÉ management. Once again, we are seeing ordinary workers carrying the can for poor governance and gross mismanagement by a handful people who have walked away with big handouts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WWDXZYN3VZHBZGWOXSNPMMIBD4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699984060010},"content":"“This approach must be rejected forcefully by our union with every resource at its disposal,” the motion concluded.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NEPUHQ4IOJF3LBHNEFTRW6BVMY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699978484754},"content":"Earlier, Siptu Deputy General Secretary Gerry McCormack described the proposed loss of 400 jobs at the broadcaster as an “absolute disgrace”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"B6A6KWEJQRBY5MZIN36GLEEK7U","additional_properties":{"_id":1699978484755},"content":"“Workers are paying the price for trumped up payments to others,” he said and the “incompetence” of senior management.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Siptu agreed to resist plan in the wake of ‘gross mismanagement’ at broadcaster"},"display_date":"2023-11-14T17:48:10.022Z","headlines":{"basic":"RTÉ ‘slash and burn’ cost-cutting leaves workers ‘carrying the can’, union says","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Dublin"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Media"},{"name":"Ireland"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/dublin/2023/11/14/rte-slash-and-burn-cost-cutting-leaves-workers-carrying-the-can-union-says/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland/dublin","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Dublin"}}}},{"_id":"SVFQR5DUNNDL3L6SNB3Z2HXK5Y","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":250,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9403605/media/7280a19d6116ee45c9befeddaeeebe19_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/14/public-sector-pay-talks-to-begin-within-days-as-unions-meet-to-consider-strategy/","content_elements":[{"_id":"L6VGZC7VZJACHKZYO6I74YB3SY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914285},"content":"Public service unions have been invited to pay talks by the Government in a bid to strike a deal on a successor to the current Building Momentum agreement, which is due to expire within weeks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JHLBPFCJQJEQ3GLF3JDPQ5A7FM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914286},"content":"Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe announced the invitation after the Cabinet met on Tuesday, saying he believes a deal is possible but that discussions would be “difficult”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M53DNVCI3BHGLLYXQYWQCBPQOE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914287},"content":"“I’ve been involved now in a number of different public-sector wage agreements and my anticipation is that this will be a particularly demanding agreement to get.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2BIUM7KJQBDBLM7E6BNZCPZPMI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914288},"content":"Mr Donohoe said he hopes the talks intended to yield an agreement can start in the coming days.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XA77YMERUFFCFPFG7X4Y6K6SX4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914289},"content":"Speaking at the union’s conference in Galway, Siptu’s Deputy General Secretary with responsibility for the public sector, John King, said the Irish Congress of Trade Unions public services committee would meet on Wednesday morning to discuss the invitation but agreed with Mr Donohoe that the process is unlikely to be easy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WWRJIKJF2NCIDG5J6KKZZQOWJA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914290},"content":"The union side feels the Government has not moved on in its outlook from the public service deals done in the immediate aftermath of the financial crash of 15 years ago, he suggested, while expectations in society more generally have been transformed by the scale of the economic recovery in recent years.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6PIRFUGD4NCDLN4ESIJKTCOAFM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914291},"content":"The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, he said, viewed the deals as being about “cost control containment”. The union’s committee, however, believes that “society is demanding greater and more public services”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"27XZEVZFXJBZ3K4X3QMJYRXPTI","additional_properties":{"_id":"P57AT3TMZREX7HKDKPCXYIXFFY"},"content":"John Fitzgerald: Workers will have to be paid more to sustain public services","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"FW2PMM6HFVDRRJDZBXRCJYK3PE","additional_properties":{"_id":"TRN4H4AQYRGJPKX6PG5MSD4OIU"},"content":"German public sector pay deal offers potential model for Ireland, says union leader","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"CTBOKK4MCRDTJGMFFKZ4N522YU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699975694561},"content":"“So there’s a natural conflict in that. The conflict was less evident when the economy was in crisis mode but we now have a robust economy, we’ve a population of over 5 million, we’ve got 2.3 million people work,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LSOY26P24REI3A54CMZ3BDMXTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914292},"content":"Mr King has previously said the unions see the establishment of a mechanism to address local claims with regard to issues like grade-related pay as a key component of any new agreement.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5PYK6CGPOJBOZB3P67UZGEALVY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914293},"content":"In a statement, the union group said it wants “a focus on the stabilisation of any future agreement, by seeking to resolve outstanding issues affecting a number of public service grades, groups and categories, in addition to measures to ensure the ‘future-proofing’ of quality public services and public service employment”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M6QAVQDLQZBQVGNZOKFP77RUCU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914294},"content":"Mr King declined to comment on what pay increases might be sought but the unions have previously suggested they must address the impact of ongoing high levels of inflation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KSMK5SPIQND7ZGNPHVSCV3X2OA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914295},"content":"The committee’s officers are officials of Fórsa, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and Irish National Teachers Organisation as well as Siptu. Those four senior officials will negotiate on behalf of all public and civil servants.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5IU4WQGXF5CSPBSQA333XKU5H4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914296},"content":"Initial indications from the union side are that talks at the Workplace Relations Commission might not get under way at until after the weekend but the scheduling depends to a significant extent on the WRC.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VZAPWJ4BF5FPDJBULYIKV3PC7Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914297},"content":"Building Momentum is due to expire at the end of the year and Mr Donohoe said “there is a need to continue to manage the public service pay bill in a sustainable way”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WBCTMNW7TJEHREENLYC3BAQ32A","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914298},"content":"“This is particularly important given the multiple challenges facing the economy, including increasing levels of economic uncertainty, and, of course, the challenge of the cost-of-living.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2HEAZ7OVNVCNNEYLAW4X7AXYUY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914299},"content":"“I believe an opportunity does exist for all parties to engage constructively to deliver an outcome that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and to taxpayers,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GBO5CFKMWNAV7LA3TGNTFYDB4A","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914300},"content":"He acknowledged the impact of price pressures and inflation on public sector workers and highlighted the Government has already announced cost-of-living measures in the Budget.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5E2OQGMF7BDDTL7JDZSEQHZYOY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914301},"content":"“There is an important balance to be struck between maintaining industrial peace and protecting the taxpayer and as always, the Government will engage in good faith to find a mutually acceptable outcome in any discussions. But this equally means that it cannot be a deal at any cost,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RCJMIWQVLRHCRPYW6L3DBYM6HY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914302},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"UGHI6VEBC5BBFB2HDEIKRBCQ4M","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914303},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"C37FUNVSYVEOPGCJMU7OV4DXYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914304},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"H6ZENJOPPZCI7MM55KXGWT5SE4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699973914305},"content":"","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"},{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Cormac McQuinn"}},"name":"Cormac McQuinn"}]},"description":{"basic":"Paschal Donohoe says discussions will be ‘difficult’ as unions call for Government to move on from post-crash mindset"},"display_date":"2023-11-14T15:18:37.729Z","headlines":{"basic":"Public sector pay talks to begin within days as unions meet to consider strategy","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"RVV52GZWVIT7VOBDLWZIRGPWWA","auth":{"1":"778a8d88962ff49e5991e1a4b22a587e16345036e56ad11c76c977a0df784d50"},"focal_point":{"x":452,"y":443},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/RVV52GZWVIT7VOBDLWZIRGPWWA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/11/14/public-sector-pay-talks-to-begin-within-days-as-unions-meet-to-consider-strategy/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"JHNKNCTCPRAQJI4TFEHA72JA3E","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":242,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9395069/media/6407519c9e9253930d4872e664a51bee_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/ireland/2023/11/13/turbulent-winter-in-prospect-if-no-progress-made-on-public-sector-pay-deal-union-leader-warns/","content_elements":[{"_id":"7JDDGBAT2NBVPDSDROL7O2LUT4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263283},"content":"A lack of progress on a new public sector pay deal has raised the prospect of “a turbulent winter and spring”, with the potential for the various groups of government employees to start lodging individual claims for better wages and conditions, a leading member of the unions’ negotiating team has said. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZZA3MRCNSBCPZLKZQ5K3IWFSMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263284},"content":"Speaking at the Siptu conference in Galway, which he will address on Tuesday, deputy general secretary John King said the team has still had no indication of any imminent invitation to talks despite the current deal expiring in just six weeks. ","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZZA3MRCNSBCPZLKZQ5K3IWFSMA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263284},"content":"Members of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions public services committee will negotiate with the Government on behalf of some 350,000 workers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"53AQXH5XBVEOXABB4MG5KB4UBQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"PUIK74TFR5ANZCIRQPBBS2EEFQ"},"content":"Siptu members of FAI ‘shocked and appalled’ by Jonathan Hill payments","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"GLWOSJE5HFCA3G2ZLROEXYXNHU","additional_properties":{"_id":"DDR7IYUSLRFBBA4KHYHSCBD6B4"},"content":"Public sector pay deal must allow for review of grades, Siptu says","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"OOL76GIG7ZE4HKDIYWCYOV3AKM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699909524498},"content":"The invitation, which is expected to be agreed by Cabinet, marks the traditional start to the business end of the discussions. But with the two sides struggling to reach agreement on preliminary issues such as ongoing local claims in recent months, it has been delayed well beyond what seemed to be anticipated earlier in the year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ILLGIDPPNZD75ANMYPFZR7PZKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699905475372},"content":"It is understood that the issue was to be discussed by Government party leaders on Monday evening and may be added to the agenda for the Tuesday Cabinet meeting. In the meantime, however, Mr King said the union side was increasingly uncertain as to whether a deal could still be done by the end of December.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DVROKXBKKVGIBDC65TZFSHFS5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263286},"content":"“The reality of it is that we’re coming close to the end of the year and [unless progress is made quickly] we won’t have an agreement. If that happens, unions will start consulting with our members,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TCVHXOCIRFCENKLMKC56UN6DVI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263287},"content":"Ensuring protective mechanisms against outsourcing are not breached would be a key priority, he said, while workers in the various sectors would also formulate pay claims.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AUZ5NQJVCNHD5FAWMYGU44QAKE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263288},"content":"“If it doesn’t move into a space where an agreement becomes possible, we would have to start talking to our members about pay claims and improvements to conditions of employment. It’s going to mean a turbulent winter or spring,” he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GVARYY4ACNCBLCAZ54XSICKS64","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263289},"content":"“The inevitable consequence of not having a deal is industrial action.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"HWLYMWVPNNFWRJIVBGHAOHRQKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"XAJ5AFN42FA5VBIVYSBXSC5UAQ"},"content":"Some 6,500 workers are being paid less than minimum wage, ESRI study finds","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"GPZ6IKBYEVCHVP4WQKMQ5EPKZM","additional_properties":{"_id":"NWEZRQ7Q45FMRLLVI2YGPNIOD4"},"content":"Up to 16,000 security guards to get first pay rise in four years","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"KVPCQ7ZZTZAPJF6HWF2AJA43SQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699909524506},"content":"He declined to be drawn on what the union would seek in terms of pay increases if talks did get under way but there had been repeated indications that unions wanted rises that compensated their members for the recent jump in the cost of living.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3LWAIVVF5ZGDXOE2DJ6H74JSA4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263291},"content":"The Government side has previously suggested that greater spending on public services should be factored into any negotiations on public sector pay. While Siptu general secretary Joe Cunningham told delegates on Monday moves to provide free text books, reduce bus fares and freeze childcare costs had to be acknowledged, he insisted much more needed to be done, particularly on housing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U7GLGNK6OFEALPWZKQ7DTWQ74Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263292},"content":"“There have been some small positive steps,” he said, “and we have to acknowledge them but what we have seen is that we can reduce living costs by expanding public services that people can access for free. Those services should be provided on the basis of public need, though, not on the basis of the size of somebody’s bank account and the services should not be provided for profit.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UL3FM7EE75A6VPLSJZB2O2KQFE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263293},"content":"“Nowhere are the problems more clearly seen at present than with housing where we have young men and women forced to live with their parents, tenants facing huge rents, students who can’t find accommodation and young couples who can’t even aspire to owning their own homes.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"K7HQYFJPVRCM7CYMXDW7CXJOJQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699904263294},"content":"The problems, he suggested might be complex but the solution was simple enough: “Build houses. Build public housing on public land. Build houses to rent at cost and to buy at cost. Stop treating housing as a market commodity when it is a social need. By building affordable public housing we can bring relief to hundreds of thousands of households, lower living costs and boost the productive economy. It is a win-win,” he said.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Party leaders set to discuss better wages and conditions on Monday night as Siptu official cast doubt on timeline of accord"},"display_date":"2023-11-13T21:05:37.552Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Turbulent winter’ in prospect if no progress made on public sector pay deal, union leader warns","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"TZ6REUZHHTOOCT5OIBVVKGLVFE","auth":{"1":"96f04a60ddd142e624cf0b96df9945edc4e0dce34680292b35587b00d6cc690c"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/TZ6REUZHHTOOCT5OIBVVKGLVFE.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Ireland"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/ireland/2023/11/13/turbulent-winter-in-prospect-if-no-progress-made-on-public-sector-pay-deal-union-leader-warns/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/ireland","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Ireland"}}}},{"_id":"22P7B3NI2NDBDGMPXLTET776QE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":256,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9373162/media/5a058b9c9dc4515a1896e5704f44efdb_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/13/the-fraught-politics-of-the-office-whipround/","content_elements":[{"_id":"M2VLDHJY6JCMNBALP5ACHIMW4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776835},"content":"Not that long ago the office whipround was a reasonably straightforward affair. On hearing that a colleague was going to give birth, wed or leave, someone would buy a card and set off around the building armed with an envelope to collect money for a gift.","type":"text"},{"_id":"T4ZFMSET6RCWZF5QHQWYRTKXPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776838},"content":"When I say “someone” I mean a woman. I cannot remember ever seeing a man carry out this thankless, non-promotable task, but well done to any who did.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VWJT3PT4GZDDNMTY3IBXPQ3PKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776839},"content":"Either way, with card signed and cash collected a gift would be bought and handed over in a way that left most onlookers in the dark about the exact size of the collection pot – and occasionally the present.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YRZTGLJTDVDL3HGYJWF27BLGYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776840},"content":"That was then, as I was reminded the other day when a friend told me, goggle-eyed, that more than £550 (€627) had been collected in her midsized office to bid farewell to a senior manager shifting to a new job in another city. “He’s not even leaving the company!” she said. “And he’s already earning more than most of us who chipped in for his present.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BVY5M4KAWNH6PONOEIBYLLXIP4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776842},"content":"How did she know more than £550 had been collected? Because it said so on the online platform that had been used to gather the money as people wrote digital goodbye messages. Welcome to the new and not always pleasant politics of the office whipround.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QNFM6L63NRBS7NWLXGE6HEIKKE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776845},"content":"The process has been transformed by the likes of Collection Pot, Giftround and Thankbox – online platforms that have become an office fixture since remote working in the pandemic made in-person collecting a nightmare.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DAD3IMGWKBFYRPYLWMGZD2K4OU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776846},"content":"“The popularity of a service like ours just increased massively,” says Ellie Andreou, co-founder of a London-based site called Viing, which was set up in 2015.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BXFV7U5QA5HPNHOBNDP352VBYY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776847},"content":"It counts staff at banks, universities, accountants and media groups among its customers, as well as one Premier League football club office. And Andreou confirmed that users tended to collect “significantly more” than when they had to faff around catching colleagues at their desks and hoping each had enough change to hand.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YJTXOCTSKJBQZBAYRDN4LGXRNM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776848},"content":"Even so, it sounds as if my friend’s colleague who received more than £550 was lucky<b>.</b>","type":"text"},{"_id":"ARYEUQU5Y5FSVEPUGOWWVB6CF4","additional_properties":{"_id":"NIVJSWQOZ5HVXD6GA44R6UZN7I"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-8106","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"},{"_id":"JEJ5L2IF7FG4ZFMQRH57ITSULI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776849},"content":"The average Viing collection raised about £100, Andreou said, adding one user was “astounded” to collect £200 instead of the £10 that used to be typically collected in an envelope.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QRZJUVEZKZEH5N4HSEITDTNYII","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776850},"content":"Andreou had not heard of junior workers being resentful about the amount of money going to more senior staff. But she did point out that senior people typically had more connections in an organisation, so the potential donation pool was bigger. That makes sense. And it’s true there is nothing new about whipround resentment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZDQULCPNCJB6ZEE6ON6224S2EA","additional_properties":{"_id":"7JAHCYD2Q5HLDNKQNC7W253LKU"},"content":"Pilita Clark: Now it’s more a case of won’t fly rather than can’t fly","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"XVED6NMO5BCRTB6TL6227Q5K5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776852},"content":"Back in 2010 an indignant worker wrote in an online forum for car lovers that when he worked at a firm that tried to organise a collection for a man who was moving abroad, “I told them to xxxxoff”, adding: “Guy went to New Zealand and was nearly doubling his salary.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5SDJ4I5AA5ACPCF5CIEOZYYA3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776853},"content":"But the new online whipround is still more fraught because unless organisers choose otherwise, everything about the process is so much more visible, from the total amount of money collected to what is said in a digital farewell card.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WZWEKUJCTFH4LIBBCWCCLCKVKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776854},"content":"This raises the risk of jealousy (“why did she get so much more money than me?”) and insecurity (“did I give enough for my boss’s baby shower?”) and other disagreeable developments.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AOYUYADAD5HCVEDA6YVVNSHBJI","additional_properties":{"_id":"HL4ZNP2M5JC2JDHNR47CHPZMNE"},"content":"Pilita Clark: Caring duties employees face in their personal lives need more recognition from managers","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"32MRPYXNXJHF5BMNCUWD2SLRDQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776855},"content":"Contributions are sometimes optional if you sign the digital card, and sometimes they’re not, which can cause confusion. And even when individual contribution sizes are hidden, it is possible to guess at who has given what by monitoring the live collection pot balance as people leave their messages. That may be another reason online collections are higher than physical ones, although it is sometimes possible to hide the live balance as well.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L65CCTPXJND25OPCCDBAJOFZ5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776856},"content":"In at least one organisation I know of the size of contributions has led to talk of setting limits, above which anything raised goes to charity. At another the digital platforms are largely used only to sign a card. No money changes hands.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q2L22EKD5JBQ3OG5HKNQSD3EU4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699792776857},"content":"Ultimately, it is no use hoping for a return to the past. The simplicity of collecting digitally means the practice is here to stay, and that does have one big upside. As Viing’s Andreou told me, digital whiprounds are so easy now that they are increasingly being organised by men. “That’s quite interesting in itself, I think,” she says. I very much agree. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Pilita Clark"}},"name":"Pilita Clark"}]},"description":{"basic":"Technology is upending the age-old act of chipping in for a farewell gift"},"display_date":"2023-11-13T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"The fraught politics of the office whipround","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"NW5EGQ6JLRBU3JJNG75JMYMRVE","auth":{"1":"d844e74ccd3cdc614020529c26537d4659e6a6b752330247c92cd7c69b8a239a"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/NW5EGQ6JLRBU3JJNG75JMYMRVE.jpg"}},"subtype":"columnist","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/13/the-fraught-politics-of-the-office-whipround/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"26RA5PSBCBAOPOPKKX6WPO3ZQY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":136,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9379564/media/28b9045bfb3628dd92eca37f1f598707_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/13/remote-and-hybrid-working-key-factors-in-employment-choices/","content_elements":[{"_id":"J5OG3HX2LNBAZE4J2L6UHX3YO4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919047},"content":"More than two in five workers would consider changing their job even if it meant a pay cut if their remote working preferences were not facilitated, according to a survey.","type":"text"},{"_id":"L5CXQAUYVRC2NDAZB4ZP6PAX4U","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919048},"content":"The same survey found that 92 per cent of respondents said remote or hybrid working would be a key factor if they were changing their employer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XSZHDUI5DJDXLE25NG5LVFIAZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919049},"content":"The findings are from the 2023 National Remote Working Survey by the University of Galway and the Western Development Commission. The survey involved 6,000 respondents being asked about their experience of remote working. It found that 59 per cent of respondents did hybrid working (sometimes working remotely and sometimes onsite) while 38 per cent worked fully remotely. Only 3 per cent worked fully onsite.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ARGLAELQ5RGE5B6TPVVEBHAX64","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919051},"content":"The results of the survey show that Irish workers now anticipate a continued embrace of the hybrid work model to better align with their lifestyles, said Allan Mulrooney, chief executive of the Western Development Commission.","type":"text"},{"_id":"USZ6VGQZIZHXFLPXPH6W7ZAU4I","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919052},"content":"Remote working has created novel ways to revive regions that have borne the brunt of depopulation and declining job prospects for many years, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TXFMBGOF7BGCFIJJBDEQFM457E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919053},"content":"Of those with a hybrid work pattern, 35 per cent worked remotely three days a week and onsite for two. Next came 24 per cent who worked remotely two days a week and onsite three days. Then came 20 per cent, who worked remotely four days a week, and onsite for one day. Some 6 per cent worked remotely one day a week and onsite the rest.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ILNAHYKQXRGYHN4AUJGCEDVOYQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919054},"content":"The most popular days for working in the office were Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, in that order.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VMWFVNY3GFDALDS4BFZVBRDX7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919055},"content":"“For those who can work remotely or hybrid for at least some of the time, being able to do so now plays a critical role in employer and job choice,” said Prof Alma McCarthy of the University of Galway.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2PGMAVRAIVBGXCMAGEZBGW3QAE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699819919056},"content":"“Our investment in remote working infrastructure is paying dividends by helping to revitalise rural communities,” said the Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys. “Government policy and in particular the Connected Hubs initiative is supporting remote workers and employers, ensuring that we attract and retain talent and build a brighter future for our rural communities.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Colm Keena"}},"name":"Colm Keena"}]},"description":{"basic":"Survey finds Tuesday is most popular day for coming into the office and most popular hybrid model involves two days a week onsite and three days remote working"},"display_date":"2023-11-13T00:01:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Remote and hybrid working key factors in employment choices","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"MDE6J7YTSIEV2KGYR4PEISP7XM","auth":{"1":"e4eda710d56c222ea276bd2d433cd667722c431905ca4c925e7d8fd5a07be1d6"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/MDE6J7YTSIEV2KGYR4PEISP7XM.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/13/remote-and-hybrid-working-key-factors-in-employment-choices/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"DIQBFZBF6NECTJL7USI5QU5FIY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":355,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9307420/media/9a4314bdb77d6b82e0b468999ce11d3b_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/09/modular-housing-thats-as-good-if-not-better-than-traditionally-built-homes/","content_elements":[{"_id":"TPMVHZDW6NCTNIWTAEDGET22AQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186526},"content":"Ciaran Walshe is a man on a mission, passionate about doing his bit to save the planet and solve the housing crisis. Both are lofty aspirations. Determined to pay them more than lip service Walshe sold his house, gave up a well-paid job in construction and ploughed all of his savings into setting up MMC Eco Homes with manufacturing industry veteran Paul Iredale in 2020.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UZARIGTEYZHILDLM4ZKDHL4KKY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186527},"content":"The company has since built in Sweden, Lithuania and the UK and has just had its Irish launch in Walshe’s home city of Galway where the on-site build of his own Georgian-style eco-house took just three days.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KCPECEWXQJESXJP2H6UD2AB6GI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186528},"content":"“What we’ve designed, after a great deal of R&D, are A-rated homes that do not cost the earth to build in more ways than one,” Walshe says. “With our system, it’s feasible to work at scale and at speed to create sustainable, affordable, energy-efficient housing with longevity comparable to traditionally built houses.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"UQO3V2I2ERDDJJWE26NPTGSHS4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186529},"content":"Walshe has been in construction in the UK since he left NUIG in 2006 with a degree in commerce and accounting. He started out in finance, but to tell the truth he had always wanted to be outdoors rather than sitting in an office crunching numbers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SJQJIHQO2VGKPHQIBZQV44ICXU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186530},"content":"Walshe’s dad is a builder and his son grew up fascinated by how buildings grew out of nothing and took shape. When a perceptive manager with the McCabe group where Walshe was working at the time suggested he should go back to college to study construction, he didn’t think twice. He signed up for a degree course at what was then DIT Bolton Street and graduated four years later with a particular interest in modern methods of modular construction.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3H3RFEHQRVFKNFYSIRZTFLKDZY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186531},"content":"“When you say ‘modular housing’ people immediately think of the prefabs we had in school, which were freezing and leaked. That’s not what our houses are like at all. They’re as good if not better than traditionally built homes,” Walshe says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QNMFMMJ6RBG45JT5FY4EMSQ4VM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186532},"content":"With a degree under his belt Walshe returned to the UK where he spent the next part of his career working with some of the biggest names in UK construction, including Ardmore and Wilmott Dixon, companies with massive budgets and sites running to 1,000 houses and more. “These are some of the best and toughest contractors out there, so it was a fantastic learning curve for me,” Walshe says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7KQ4OYUTNVFVLOVGJOJNVEWS5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186533},"content":"In 2016, he was all set to strike out on his own as part of a new partnership when the Brexit vote happened and the backing money dried up overnight. “Nobody expected Brexit in London, it took everyone completely by surprise and it was something of a wake-up call for me as it got me thinking about what direction I wanted to go in,” Walshe says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XM77MF5QTNFIXIDS44Z3ZHZRMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186534},"content":"“I was very much leaning towards the idea of eco-homes as I firmly believed this was the way of the future. I was prepared to launch myself solo into this area and had actually been to Italy looking for suppliers when I met Paul. We hit it off immediately as we were like-minded about how the housing crisis needs to be tackled.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ED5BWGEASRBDJDFXPORG4ETJH4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186535},"content":"“Our houses are built using a structurally insulated panel system, which we developed using the latest technologies,” Walshe says. “They come in pre-assembled sections from our factory with all of the electrical conduits, backboxes, plaster boarding, internal walls, floors, roofing, bathroom pods, windows and doors already installed. This dramatically reduces construction time and increases the quality of the finished home as it is assembled in a controlled environment.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"E7ZDLFXA2VFMJOUKWDHQ4VCMHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186536},"content":"To date, the company’s customers have all been self-builds, but the sweet spot for MMC will be construction firms who will buy and use the kits on their own sites.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2ZDIWKVJDFBYDI3LHHEIPVAGTE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186537},"content":"Getting the kits from the drawing board and into production was a hard slog, which started back in 2018 when Walshe and Iredale began working on the mountain of paperwork work required to meet stringent international certification requirements for their building system.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DGMIYJVDGRAGPBRVJAFLAYFATA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186538},"content":"“These were tough times,” Walshe says. “Paul was living in Lithuania. I was commuting there from Ireland every week and it would have been impossible without the support of my partner, Ellen. Because we had a limited budget, about €500,000 which is tiny by comparison with what the big players would have spent on a project like this, we were doing everything ourselves and calling in favours from friends and family. At times it was very disheartening with nothing tangible to show for all the work and a dwindling bank balance.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3EG6NUJYA5AS7DOYPNJGFQII5Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186539},"content":"“We had to prepare over 6,500 individual documents to cover fire testing and all the other necessary certifications for every element of our product. It took grit to keep plugging away until it was all in place including our BOPAS (buildoffsite property assurance scheme) certification as this provides a 60-year guarantee backed by Lloyds Register,” Walshe says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D2325PKYURFOLEHZWBNBCTYCYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699379186540},"content":"MMC employs 25 people between Ireland, the UK and Lithuania (where the units are built) and it now has investors on board who share the Walshe-Iredale vision for scalable, affordable housing. “For them, it’s a passion project and that’s very much how we see it. Money has never been a motivator. It hasn’t been an easy ride, but I don’t regret leaving a well-rewarded corporate career to do something I really believed in for a second,” says Walshe who is about to experience another big life event with the arrival of twins before Christmas.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Olive Keogh"}},"name":"Olive Keogh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Galway man Ciaran Walshe’s property company MMC is using the latest construction technologies to build eco homes at affordable prices using pre-assembled sections from a factory"},"display_date":"2023-11-09T10:30:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Modular housing that’s ‘as good if not better than traditionally built homes’ ","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"BI6UQVPXRFF6HLSM5ETEZXNLWY","auth":{"1":"4d480f9fb2a4e0d10ad6d9d37e52b4716a46ca06ce385d6ee54bd0930ecdda5d"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/BI6UQVPXRFF6HLSM5ETEZXNLWY.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Property"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/09/modular-housing-thats-as-good-if-not-better-than-traditionally-built-homes/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"MPLS2NOTJRADJNNAXLOAUTMELY","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":251,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9306599/media/3acf889c7f9d004a20a5c2525129d741_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/2023/11/07/pfizer-cuts-100-irish-staff-as-sales-of-covid-medicine-collapse/","content_elements":[{"_id":"ATQ5LISPMBHVVMYJK5ZN6W4PJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136578},"content":"Pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer is cutting 100 jobs at its Newbridge plant in Co Kildare as part of a global response to the collapse in sales of its Paxlovid Covid antiviral medicine. Staff at the plant, where around 1,200 people are currently employed, were given the news on Tuesday afternoon.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E3QUYOAVC5AVDG5YYNBJTGMWQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136580},"content":"However, the company also announced that it was adding 230 new jobs to two other Irish plants – Grange Castle in Dublin and Ringaskiddy in Co Cork. The Grange Castle jobs are understood to be in addition to the 400-500 jobs over five years announced last December as part of a $1 billion investment to expand that plant.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YE3WYXTNPZAKVGV2CTLYK2FUBQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136581},"content":"Pfizer dramatically lowered sales forecasts for both its Covid vaccine and its antiviral Paxlovid last month in advance of its third-quarter results. Vaccine sales are now expected to be 15 per cent weaker than previously projected this year, while the company has marked expected antiviral sales down to just $1 billion from $8 billion, in large part due to stock being returned by the US government.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UMYSD64MWZCMNHBHX5IRIV347E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136583},"content":"The lower sales of Covid-related medications were blamed for all of a $9 billion – or 13 per cent – downgrade in predicted group-wide revenues for 2023. At that time the group announced that it would embark on a cost-cutting programme to save $3.5 billion (€3.3bn) in annual sales.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WF5HJXR67NGRRL23QFCFIKRAWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136585},"content":"In third-quarter results announced last week sales came in even below analysts’ lowered expectations, falling 42 per cent to $13.2 billion. The company recorded a loss of 17 US cent a share on an adjusted basis, its first by that metric in more than three decades, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3D5FOLA4ENBB3FUJ3M5QTNZHIE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136586},"content":"Sales of its Covid booster vaccine fell 70 per cent to $1.31 billion, around $200 million short of analysts’ expectations, while Paxlovid sales slumped 97 per cent to $202 million, missing the mark by nearly $170 million.","type":"text"},{"_id":"42CACXVXVZHDJI72Q5HRV6WRLI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136587},"content":"Newbridge and Ringaskiddy are both heavily involved in the production of Paxlovid. The Cork plant makes the active ingredient for the medicine which is made into tablet form in Newbridge and other finishing plants across Europe.","type":"text"},{"_id":"X5ITK4C6KNFONN2IZI6GP4QH5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136588},"content":"The company noted that it had expanded operations at Newbridge to meet the demands of the pandemic “but, considering the lower-than-expected utilisation for our Covid-19 products, production is now scaling down in line with customer demand”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UNBYIYAPNFAIXFGOYOOGIHYHDM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136589},"content":"“Pfizer regularly evaluates its manufacturing network to ensure capacity is effectively utilised based on product demands,” a spokeswoman said. “We can confirm planned changes at the Newbridge site which will impact approximately 100 colleagues<b> </b>who<b> </b>work on the manufacture of Pfizer’s Covid antiviral treatment. We will be engaging with our colleagues and their representatives as applicable in relation to the planned changes.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QVAKIXZC6BEH3JP5X2WNVPDZIQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136591},"content":"Newbridge produces a range of other tablets for Pfizer and is the lead manufacturing site for the group’s top atrial fibrillation medicine.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E3QUYOAVC5AVDG5YYNBJTGMWQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136592},"content":"It is expected that more jobs at Pfizer’s Irish operation will go over the coming weeks outside of its manufacturing business. However, the dominance of manufacturing in the US group’s Irish operations and the wide portfolio of medicines it manufactures here are seen as insulating it from the worst of the global cuts, with the company spokeswoman saying it expected to see “overall growth in our manufacturing operations through 2024″.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R2M5EGFGDVE4NDTSW4BHJJU32Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136593},"content":"Pfizer announced earlier this week that it was cutting 200 Covid-related jobs from one of its largest manufacturing plants in Kalmazoo, Michigan, where it makes both the vaccine and the antiviral therapies. Just months earlier it had been talking about adding hundreds of additional jobs at the site.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XIHJNMFCWRA63GONS373QROMVA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699378136594},"content":"Last week it announced the closure of a separate plant in New Jersey next year, but said that it hoped to relocate the majority of its 790 staff to a New York factory. The group has also announced the closure of two units in North Carolina overt the past 10 days.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Dominic Coyle"}},"name":"Dominic Coyle"}]},"description":{"basic":"Pharma group cutting staff at Newbridge plant but also adding 230 staff to Grange Castle and Ringaskiddy sites"},"display_date":"2023-11-07T16:52:32.036Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pfizer cuts 100 Irish staff as sales of Covid medicine collapse","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"ND2VSJ4FSAHNXHTVYBCGLYGBLA","auth":{"1":"4281429656e67e92fa9138f499a7bd313aea8a0bc4b2eaeef46577da992bbe13"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/ND2VSJ4FSAHNXHTVYBCGLYGBLA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/2023/11/07/pfizer-cuts-100-irish-staff-as-sales-of-covid-medicine-collapse/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Business"}}}},{"_id":"IEPZVEBS7RA2BEL6DW67I4AZB4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":180,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9296009/media/83e835cbce156af424ca193adc95208b_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/07/office-sharing-company-wework-files-for-bankruptcy-protection-in-us/","content_elements":[{"_id":"BALB2KRCPNBSVJSI4FD2YXYQKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470337},"content":"Office sharing company WeWork has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E7Q3CF4YZZH7LKXIZILDBZSUG4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470338},"content":"In a statement on Monday, the company said it had entered into a restructuring support agreement with stakeholders to “drastically reduce” the company’s debt while further evaluating its commercial office lease portfolio.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MEY25IQDCNBEVCRGHWVE25YQJI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470339},"content":"WeWork is requesting the “ability to reject the leases of certain locations”, which the company says are largely non-operational, as part of the filing.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BDWGTOASJBDJFHZHQ2DFF5JDFE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470340},"content":"Specific estimates of total locations impacted by the announcement were not given but all affected members have received advanced notice, the company said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HXIM6NXE4RCWTCZ7AZ2HTMEFTI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699339404541},"content":"In Ireland, WeWork is the anchor tenant at the former Central Bank of Ireland building on Dame Street in Dublin and was <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2023/09/06/wework-tells-landlords-it-will-renegotiate-most-office-leases/\" target=\"_blank\">scheduled to occupy seven of the nine floors</a> in the 11,148sq m (120,000sq ft) office block. One of the biggest tenants in Dublin, WeWork separately occupies space at the 9,920sq m (100,000 sq ft) 2 Dublin Landings building in the docklands as well as Harcourt Road and the Charlemont Exchange near the Grand Canal.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OW256SDYIFB6PMXB355CSAUI4E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470341},"content":"In a prepared statement regarding its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, chief executive David Tolley said: “Now is the time for us to pull the future forward by aggressively addressing our legacy leases and dramatically improving our balance sheet.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U25JP4FBZBGDPGWL4UEHDHP3P4","additional_properties":{"_id":"JOK5S2BSHBGLPPTFF35US2B6HY"},"content":"Follow The Irish Times WhatsApp Channel for breaking news straight to your phone","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"URSIFY4EWFBJ3CUP5FCHMMJ6VE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470342},"content":"“We defined a new category of working, and these steps will enable us to remain the global leader in flexible work.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"K4NM57C5IZEOFHFRMYDORFINGE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470343},"content":"In August, the New York company – which was once valued as high as $47 billion (€44 billion) – sounded the alarm over its ability to remain in business which it saw was contingent upon improving its liquidity and profitability overall in the next year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M3G3RUR2KBH2FJXRIPIOWGZCPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470344},"content":"The company went public in October 2021 after its first attempt to do so two years earlier collapsed spectacularly, which saw the departure of founder and chief executive Adam Neumann and Japan’s SoftBank stepped in to keep WeWork afloat, acquiring majority control.","type":"text"},{"_id":"V5HSK6ERRBFWPH2PQ6M6CKHO3M","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470345},"content":"In September, when WeWork announced plans to renegotiate nearly all of its leases, Mr Tolley said the company’s lease liabilities accounted for more than two-thirds of its operating expenses for the second quarter of this year — remaining “too high” and “dramatically out of step with current market conditions”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RFHUL5E23NFVLLRYONDLCTYMDU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470346},"content":"At the time, WeWork said it could exit more underperforming locations.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5M4TAB22KFBMDLKFTGGW53LFUY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470347},"content":"On June 30th, the latest date with property numbers disclosed in securities filings, WeWork had 777 locations in 39 countries.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R56ASHBL7JFGHH6FBB26R5XCN4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699338470348},"content":"Beyond real estate costs, WeWork has pointed to increased member churn and other financial losses. - PA","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[]},"description":{"basic":"New York company is one of biggest tenants in Dublin and planned to occupy most of the former Central Bank building on Dame Street"},"display_date":"2023-11-07T06:41:43.235Z","headlines":{"basic":"WeWork, anchor tenant for old Central Bank building, files for bankruptcy protection in US","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"DL6HYH6UKAM3YNGJKGQ4POWDQA","auth":{"1":"214639fb689421a4f44758cfc2739f24592409bf28c496eaf520ed6250064f9e"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DL6HYH6UKAM3YNGJKGQ4POWDQA.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/07/office-sharing-company-wework-files-for-bankruptcy-protection-in-us/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"SHTXGKZBPBB6BDY7OJPBS3TIW4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":282,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9272459/media/38eb5589adfec9c8e185c0eda63b95a1_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/06/pilita-clark-workers-will-accept-lower-pay-at-environmentally-sustainable-firms/","content_elements":[{"_id":"L7ZS3OWWG5H5ZOYI4BBQEJMG5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125556},"content":"","type":"text"},{"_id":"JECAQBMM2BDETFQ2RXNYYVU22E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125557},"content":"Imagine running a company that consistently attracts smart, skilled staff willing to work harder and longer for 15 per cent less than what they could earn doing the same job elsewhere.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UEVI4VB24VD77LLOMPBQRGNZDY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125558},"content":"I’m talking about lawyers, receptionists, human resources employees and IT workers. <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/\" target=\"_blank\">People in jobs </a>that exist in all sorts of companies across all sorts of sectors.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YYDO3V7EZZFN3FFZ34IGWSQAV4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125559},"content":"Sounds unlikely? Not if you believe academics in Europe, who have uncovered what they call the sustainability wage gap: notably lower salaries earned by people in more <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/climate-change/\" target=\"_blank\">environmentally friendly firms</a>.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LMJQMVX22RD37MN4VWV54OR77U","additional_properties":{"_id":"FVS6YWOMHZEB7HEKZWT3HL3KIA"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"LCXSP2MDBJHCXC7HLVIZ3PN2SM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699223458132},"content":"These employees earned between 9 and 15 per cent less than similar workers doing the same job in oil companies, mining groups or other less sustainable businesses, the researchers found.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6KIAWW4Y7VHHBOVIGKTSWQRJJU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125561},"content":"And interestingly, the gap has widened since 2001.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BA5LIV3K3FE4BB4VK6IYSUPGCM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125562},"content":"“It is growing, which is consistent with the idea that preferences for protecting the environment are strengthening over time,” says co-author Philipp Krueger, professor of responsible finance at the University of Geneva.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PL32LM36URG5VAIEQEWSA4ODMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125563},"content":"The wage gap is also larger for workers with high cognitive skills, such as memory and problem-solving, as well as the non-cognitive abilities employers increasingly value: perseverance, motivation, social skills.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6NRMQOWON5BFBEAXDRBSVUQRLQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125564},"content":"So what, if anything, does this mean for today’s business leaders?","type":"text"},{"_id":"5TPYAPP4XBH3XLU2LOCX7JIUYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125565},"content":"We already know that people are more likely to accept lower wages for work they think is meaningful.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JF5RZRRGMBBYHEUMGJGK756NE4","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125566},"content":"The research that Krueger and his colleagues have done suggests this includes environmentally meaningful work, and it puts a number on the magnitude of the pay cuts.","type":"text"},{"_id":"42VFQQCCLNB6VJ2LUWM3VOSZTI","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125567},"content":"But might the green wage gap be explained by something other than a desire to save the planet?","type":"text"},{"_id":"JLFPISUWRBFHJGKE3V2LAJQD54","additional_properties":{"_id":"JITNHAUX3VFE7F2ZPAZCZO5JY4"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"ZD3QLXWDWFBOPIXISTYO6PHJSE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699223458141},"content":"The research, which has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, is based on highly detailed data from employers and employees in Sweden, home to <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/greta-thunberg/\" target=\"_blank\">Greta Thunberg </a>and the flygskam, or flight shame, anti-flying movement.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PY5V6KN5ZFCI7B7TX7V5FDRM2E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125569},"content":"The richness of the data, which goes back to the 1990s, made it attractive to the researchers. Does it matter that it came from a country with a long history of environmental action?","type":"text"},{"_id":"N47OEMWCYBBWPLDAJUUU44FPBM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125570},"content":"Perhaps, though a 2021 survey by the <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/tags/ibm/\" target=\"_blank\">IBM </a>Institute for Business Value suggests the green wage gap exists well beyond Sweden.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SAMGLMRBXJEIZFJ632AHUL7EHM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125571},"content":"It showed more than two-thirds of workers in nine nations including the US, China, Germany and Brazil were more likely to take jobs with environmentally and socially responsible organisations — and nearly half would accept a lower salary to work at such places.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FQNPRMSPHNATLP6Z76PIJB227Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125572},"content":"So what exactly is an environmentally sustainable firm?","type":"text"},{"_id":"D3DCR42E25G2DJMTO4EQKGJI7U","additional_properties":{"_id":"UJJ4FIO2UFE7VPWRPV6EBJO3RM"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-4966","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"},{"_id":"JR5R7MWM7ZBM3DVFIXFHJ4GBEE","additional_properties":{"_id":1699223458147},"content":"Krueger and co used three different measures to determine this: an organisation’s greenhouse gas emissions; environmental scores from MSCI, the global index provider; and a survey of what people deemed to be an environmentally sustainable industry.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SSOND22RI5GPDN73XZEPRHCC7U","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125574},"content":"The survey showed the sectors rated most sustainable included recycling, research and health. The least green included oil drillers, coal miners and carmakers.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DRRZLCLGOFFZDFS4QU67GEWWRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125575},"content":"Each of the three measures produced the same finding: workers in firms with higher environmental scores, or lower greenhouse gas emissions, all earned lower wages.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TDJXYKWKTVBOVOIRAS6OXBML34","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125576},"content":"Conversely, firms that suffered an ESG [environmental, social and corporate governance] scandal tended to increase wages — typically by about 6.5 per cent — the following year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PVZW5XN3NJE6RDIZKVQGQHX54E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125577},"content":"You might say there is some justice in these firms paying a financial penalty, in the form of higher wages, for being environmentally or socially harmful.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JWMLJGGQORGZXL5AGYDYPFLJAA","additional_properties":{"_id":"WGGAJEXZCRCB5ALEZYDSWEOI7U"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"2CZ6IGDDGVF7JNMCKYDYN3YXQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699223458153},"content":"But there is also a darker side to the sustainability wage gap.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5T6T7CDWPNBIRPRR77TUKPCINY","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125579},"content":"It turns out that employees in more sustainable sectors work longer hours, and more extreme hours, often 50 or 60 a week. It is possibly no accident, therefore, that they also have more sick days and are more likely to end up in hospital.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZAOCFIQWGVHODHNIHKVEE27JXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125580},"content":"Still, I think the overall message here is clear.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4OL5QSOYIZH4VETG3K66YOYIOA","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125581},"content":"Recruiting and keeping smart, industrious staff is likely to be easier and cheaper — at least as far as wages are concerned — if a business is genuinely environmentally sustainable.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3PIEQGJQK5GOLNCINI4PSDWUWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125582},"content":"Pretending to be greener than you actually are, on the other hand, may be more fraught than you think.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G6XXBGLX45AFPFSNZHE4LYV77E","additional_properties":{"_id":1699181125583},"content":"A legal firm that, say, flaunts its concern for the environment and belongs to one of the ballooning number of net zero lawyers’ groups will have a lot of disappointed insiders if it continues to help oil companies quash climate lawsuits. A firm taking on the climate lawsuits, on the other hand, may be enjoying precisely the opposite effect. — Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Pilita Clark"}},"name":"Pilita Clark"}]},"description":{"basic":"Might the green wage gap be explained by something other than a desire to save the planet?"},"display_date":"2023-11-06T05:45:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Pilita Clark: Workers will accept lower pay at environmentally sustainable firms","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"OOIKKY632FCXBJ7MNB7C2OLPGU","auth":{"1":"b31d20b102bd0ee1f73c3e39b526087070eeb5299d42fcab33ad972f2c45b849"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/OOIKKY632FCXBJ7MNB7C2OLPGU.jpg"}},"subtype":"columnist","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/06/pilita-clark-workers-will-accept-lower-pay-at-environmentally-sustainable-firms/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"AG7VTJRTYRA7ZBAHXKSDBJ53ZU","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":327,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9225743/media/b8d3f8933bbbd3985de84bb9c29c68d5_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/05/conference-calls-from-the-cayman-islands-can-feature-chickens/","content_elements":[{"_id":"R36FEABCJJF6BJ2M5BX6PHK7DQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003010},"content":"The Ireland that accountant Chris Kennedy qualified in back in 2009 was a very different one to today’s. Back then, insolvency was the boom area in his chosen profession and while he was happy to work in this field, the young Dalkey native decided that he wanted to stamp something different on his CV to mark himself out from other accountancy graduates.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XIMEM3JATZBGHKUQH2OKD3GWXA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003012},"content":"When an opportunity presented itself in the Cayman Islands with restructuring and insolvency firm Zolfo Cooper, Kennedy had no hesitation in taking a leap. He knew nothing of Cayman other than its reputation as “a tiny island where you pay no tax and live on a beach”, but decided it had to be worth a shot.","type":"text"},{"_id":"R7HD2VFDCZA3DDQQRNGXCSOZBQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003013},"content":"“One thing that always amuses me is that Cayman is the world’s biggest hedge fund jurisdiction in that more funds are registered in Cayman than anywhere else, but it doesn’t appear on many maps,” he says. “When I decided to move over, no one in my family nor any of my friends had any idea where it was so everyone had to get the detailed maps out.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CPJMIHIO7VA2ZBTRD3ZQMOYS4Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003014},"content":"The leap into the dark has paid off. Unlike many other young professionals who pass through the Caymans for a brief spell, Kennedy is firmly rooted there now having taken out residency several years ago. His Irish girlfriend and fellow accountant Philippa followed him out in 2010 when she qualified and became a partner at an accountancy firm. They are now married and have a two-year-old daughter.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ASU3SV2UEBB27BEZRJC2EDIIHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003015},"content":"Kennedy says he gained invaluable experience at Zolfo Cooper that he would not have got at such as young age back home and is now on his third employment in the island as managing director of the Cayman Island office of Alvarez & Marsal, which he helped open in 2018. The firm employs around 20 staff, including several who are Irish and opened a second office in the region in the British Virgin Islands last year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OCGZ6TYQYVF25PGPM6MY3WCWGI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003016},"content":"Kennedy and his team’s work typically involved two types of engagements – one where a company is insolvent, which involves realising the assets for the best outcome possible and secondly, managing restructuring processes where companies have borrowed more than they can repay.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RO6QTMYQHFBLLLEFJGN5CWRFKE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003017},"content":"Over the years, he has dealt with the management and restructuring of assets such as oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, vineyards in Napa Valley, property in China and solar farms in the Middle East, often involving extensive travel around the world from his base on the island.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CQOMIKKWCVB3PBIR2OXYIHVESE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003018},"content":"From 2015 to 2020, the restructuring end of the business was relatively slow because the cost of money was essentially free but the rise in interest rates in recent years has been a boon to the business, he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"HLLVMNQ5NRHWHCXUE3NWVFU6NA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003019},"content":"Kennedy’s residency status has helped him professionally. “If there is a court process – which usually there will be to finalise a restructuring – normally you’ll have to be resident to deal with it,” he explains.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QRJTL6US6ZHEVO4BGFOQFIK5UM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003020},"content":"Life in the Cayman Islands differs greatly from Ireland. The island is just 27 miles long and two miles wide and you can loop it in an hour. The population is now about 70,000, having grown steeply since the 1980s, with most people living in the capital George Town. English, Irish, Australians and South Africans make up much of the ex-pat community.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IXOW2WZ7FRA7DM2TYZH3DH5H2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003021},"content":"“I love it but it’s not for everybody. There isn’t the hustle and bustle you get in a city. There is a much more relaxed vibe. My commute to work is 10 minutes in my car. I drive by the water for most of that. Weekends are spent on a beach or on a boat. It’s a very chilled place.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YDIPIF27EZDILGPVHB5YF3F5I4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698862200358},"content":"“The hours can be long if you are busy with work but when people are free, there’s an acceptance that you go to the beach.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WYMWFPXP6NDSHHVYMJNCMBVO5E","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003022},"content":"Kennedy has been part of a big influx of Irish people into the Cayman Islands in recent years. He estimates there are now around 2,000 Irish people here compared to around 500 when he arrived. A GAA club on the island now fields eight teams every weekend.","type":"text"},{"_id":"E6JBRDFIS5HV5A3VY3CZCOV7GU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003023},"content":"“People from home have a certain mentality and you gravitate to them. I have made an effort to have friends from other nationalities, but my closest friends here would still be Irish. Everyone is receptive to new people who come over, as you remember your own experience when you would have come over either on your own or as a couple and you didn’t have that social network.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"66HZ3DAKBRBIFDW3QKJL2R76CM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003024},"content":"One quirk of life on the island is the prevalence of wild chickens “You’ll often get woken up by cockerels crowing at 5am. We’ve had a few occasions where we’ll be on conference calls with people in London or New York and you’ll hear the typical city sounds coming down the phone line – police sirens etc. They will hear the chickens crowing outside our office which is in the centre of George Town.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FGNRLVE7AVBK5NLWAHGQUTGDSQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698859003025},"content":"Kennedy has no plans to return to Ireland in the foreseeable future and has no regrets about the decision to move there.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7EOCJL7E4ZA7VAEZ7KBMCHHEUM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698862200363},"content":"“Cayman has been a great place to live – it has afforded me an opportunity to meet people from all over the world to make some great friends and to have a really interesting career.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Frank Dillon"}]},"description":{"basic":"Accountant Chris Kennedy lives on ‘a tiny island where you pay no tax and live on a beach’"},"display_date":"2023-11-05T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Cayman has been a great place to live, but my closest friends would still be Irish’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"34KI32QIIBCUFBV7TLRGYVISPQ","auth":{"1":"b0ba3a9bf1ebdd31b56c6f2311b88b2050e13596baedae961770952412b46d48"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/34KI32QIIBCUFBV7TLRGYVISPQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Abroad"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/05/conference-calls-from-the-cayman-islands-can-feature-chickens/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"CFOIE76Q2VDYZDX3Y6Z6P46JC4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":337,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9206597/media/a56a6a62044bbaa505c723f68a8ee305_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/11/02/what-to-wear-to-work-now-people-are-finding-this-difficult-to-navigate/","content_elements":[{"_id":"CYPWV66UKVCG7B5VRBQYPIAMR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774246},"content":"“You’re not going out dressed like that?” has long been the horrified cry of parents whose offspring’s attire fails to meet their approval. But lately it’s become a phrase that also chimes with employers – albeit repurposed to “you’re not coming in dressed like that?” – as they struggle to accept what some employees now consider suitable work wear.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GCX6TJD4SZBELMOWN7MFOCKB7U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774247},"content":"To some extent this is another legacy of the pandemic. People got used to dressing as they pleased when working from home, and if the urban myths are to be believed some didn’t bother with day clothes at all and were happily turning up on zoom in their furry dressing gowns.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3RCSMPELAVBALL6HUDOK3SQFFE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774248},"content":"We’re told that productivity didn’t suffer during the lockdown, which suggests that what people wear while working is irrelevant. However, this preference for more casual dress, largely driven by the tech sector, has become a bone of contention for organisations that want their employees to look professional. It’s also proving difficult to get dress code expectations across to the 20-somethings who were recruited remotely during Covid and who spent the first few years of their working lives in their PJs.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6VQJXB5EXVDRJLKYJCBA4IJ53E","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774249},"content":"“People used to have work wear and casual wear, they were quite separate and the distinction was clear. Now there’s more of a flow from one to the other with no guardrails, and people are finding this difficult to navigate. As a result they’re looking for advice on what to wear for work much more than before,” says Laura Jordan, founder of style and image consultancy StyleSavvy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IKIER3H5LRGG7KFO4WZIR3M7FI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774250},"content":"What seems to be working for some businesses is a policy of dressing for what the day involves. If it’s a meeting with a client who expects a sombre suit, then wear one. If it’s a less formal meeting that still needs an air of professionalism then it’s acceptable to lose the tie or the carefully arranged scarf, to go more casual and choose from a wider colour palette.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YPEKYPE4RZA6LKEG6GEQKWB57E","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774251},"content":"“A tailored jacket can be dressed down with a T-shirt and jeans or chinos for an informal day or dressed up with a shirt or blouse and tailored trousers or a tailored skirt for a more formal setting,” Jordan says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6ADNAZXHXJF6TID7X635L4KLXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774252},"content":"Communicating what’s required in terms of working attire can be tricky in the absence of formalised rules, and this is why Jordan advises companies to prepare a dress policy that covers all the bases. To remove any ambiguity visuals of what is and isn’t okay should be included. For example, designer trainers may be acceptable but beaten up runners are not. “Often it’s not the item itself that’s the problem, but the condition it’s in,” Jordan says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7MH3M6JK4JGURNVIGHEZIN7XAQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774254},"content":"“Dressing for work has become a bit of a minefield which is why it’s important to bring as much clarity as possible to what’s expected. If you’re not sure what to include in a dress code get professional help to draft it,” Jordan suggests.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TOG6TRB2SRAJHIIYWLTKGBPDXM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774255},"content":"“Having a defined policy makes things more objective and takes away the personal and finger-wagging element if a problem arises. What can also help is to give employees image training to create an awareness around dress if that’s something that matters to an organisation.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BHRLIHHVYFEPZH7LAMA7RLHCYM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774256},"content":"Business formal is largely out, says Jordan, who adds that she’s hardly seen a tie in any situation since Covid. And with this shift away from formality she is advising her male clients to buy two pairs of trousers for every jacket as jackets get worn so little now.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AE4K3RHL6FD6FJXT432DYSEJPI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774257},"content":"“The prevailing look is smart casual. However, there is some confusion as to what that means. It means half-tailoring as in a tailored jacket worn with chinos or good quality dark washed jeans or a pair of tailored trousers worn with a casual shirt, top or jumper. That’s the theory but then there’s a whole spectrum when it comes to what constitutes a ‘suitable’ top or jumper whereas the traditional work shirt or blouse was easy to understand.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MWELA4YOMND6HOK6KZI7NJTZ34","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774258},"content":"“Shoes also matter. There’s a big difference between nice loafers that look smart and dirty gym shoes that don’t.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FPRAFPDX75ACBHG6O5ROEXW3CY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774259},"content":"Asked for her top tips on dressing for the office, Jordan says: “For guys clean polished shoes not worn at the heels. Go easy on colourful socks as they can be an unwanted distraction in some situations. Shirts should be clean and ironed and hair well cut. When buying shirts test the fabric by scrunching it up and avoid those that crease too easily.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TPTNRH2BJVHQJAQPBJWUQWO7TU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774260},"content":"“For women choose your shoes carefully as they can have a big impact on your look. If you’re wondering if a skirt or dress is appropriate put your hands by your sides and see where your middle finger touches your leg – that’s the shortest it should be. It’s the measure they apply in the American school system and these kinds of tools outsource opinion, so it becomes protocol not personal.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"VG6ES24BYRA2ZOWXS6O6EG7MFU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774261},"content":"Jordan says she often gets a frosty reception when she goes into companies to talk style. “People think I’m there to tell them how to dress and they get defensive. But that’s not what it’s about. What I’m trying to do is to ensure that how someone dresses doesn’t stop them from getting a job or promotion. So it’s about making sure there’s nothing going on that might be impacting their pathway towards achieving their career goals.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"MRYHDY63RVGPVO76KRXBXSYG6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1698764774263},"content":"Asked for her final piece of advice, Jordan says: “Just because you can wear what you want doesn’t mean you should.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Olive Keogh"}},"name":"Olive Keogh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Communicating what’s required in terms of working attire can be tricky in the absence of formalised rules"},"display_date":"2023-11-02T10:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"What should I wear to work now? ‘People are finding this difficult to navigate’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"IFJEAYUOFBGN5K7U6WEPDLQ56Q","auth":{"1":"ae4e602877f1d90e5df52efa200164e1e06e762bfb87a893ceed3496ec1187ff"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/IFJEAYUOFBGN5K7U6WEPDLQ56Q.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/11/02/what-to-wear-to-work-now-people-are-finding-this-difficult-to-navigate/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"GJCKTLOPPJFE3EU6352MU23B5M","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":217,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9227365/media/d46dc9023db9d037629f69ee92f4faca_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/crime-law/courts/2023/11/01/three-quarters-of-those-released-from-prison-in-2018-not-working-three-years-later-cso-shows/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JZX6UDSZMJGPXOD33JDDJOFS7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974596},"content":"Sixty per cent of people given probation orders in 2018 and three quarters of those released from prison that year were not working three years later, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z4RJWTYIFFCWPC2B6YL7XLDMY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974597},"content":"Those who did obtain employment earned around 80 per cent of the average among the wider population of employees but women fared significantly worse. On average, those women given probation orders in 2018 were earning €343 a week in 2021, roughly two thirds of the equivalent figure for men in the same position.","type":"text"},{"_id":"62H4KLJPP5CM3FTCOSZQS3ZVYI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974598},"content":"The figures show that levels of employment among the 4,999 probationers and 3,419 former prisoners involved were impacted more severely by Covid when compared to the wider population but grew by 14 per cent and 19 per cent respectively over the longer four year period covered, 2019 to 2023, very much in line with the comparable figure for all employees.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IE4MRDJUXBEHBC6GPZFOEYY5BQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974599},"content":"By 2021, the researchers found, that those former probationers in employment earned a weekly average of €509 while for former prisoners the figure was €516. The average among the total population of employees was €620 in 2021 according to the report.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W3YXACVMZFBJVMJHSS2INLBXUU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974600},"content":"Although a wider range of jobs were taken up, the two groups disproportionately went to work in the construction, administrative support and retail sectors.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4BV4EVE37ZA5XKH2EYUWAO7ZYE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974601},"content":"Saoirse Brady, Executive Director Irish Penal Reform Trust said the research was important and the figures welcome for the insight they provided into the lives of those who have been on probation or spent time in prison.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RKPONQCLZBGCRF2D5OGDGAH3PM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974602},"content":"“The focus on employment is welcome but it is striking that only one in four people who had served time in prison are actually linked with employment, with the majority reliant on a social welfare payment,” she said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XODYRP6M3NH6VBHPOVBOJDJYGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974603},"content":"“While the data does not provide the reasons why this might be, we know that having to disclose a prior conviction when job-seeking impacts on employment prospects. However, there are opportunities to address this in law with the Criminal Justice (Rehabilitative Periods) Bill 2018 which has received cross-party support and would take a more proportionate response to disclosing old criminal records.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CLHJ7TP5SNBW3JSEDTJNI3AQYA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974604},"content":"“This is one very practical step that we believe could remove barriers for people with experience of the criminal justice system and help more people get back into meaningful employment.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"WEB6DKC4VJAUNAJ5ZMH4JAPGHI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974605},"content":"She said the fact that 40 per cent of probationers were in work three years later compared to roughly a quarter (26 per cent) of former prisoners suggested there could be a tangible benefit to society, and the offenders, of dealing with criminal offences without the use of the prison system.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IGXXGJS2Z5BKRPQ7T2DYAA3JAU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974606},"content":"Previous evidence, she said, pointed to the fact that “people who serve their sentence in the community are much less likely to reoffend as they maintain family and community links that can sustain employment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EXNT7XBI4JFJZHKJL2WWV46GIU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698866974607},"content":"“The IPRT believes that this new data strengthens the argument to increase community-based sanctions as not only are community sanctions much cheaper to administer than imprisonment but now we have more Irish-based and up-to-date evidence that former probationers are also more likely to be paying back into the Exchequer through employment.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Emmet Malone"}},"name":"Emmet Malone"}]},"description":{"basic":"Researchers found that by 2021 former probationers in employment earned a weekly average of €509"},"display_date":"2023-11-01T20:47:12.374Z","headlines":{"basic":"Three quarters of those released from prison in 2018 not working three years later, CSO shows","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"AMJ3BOJR7RJU7CCTJEDRLDA5WU","auth":{"1":"5ef2b290dd531ad151f4ac475e88c08f373eaec6c25dd156c0f2d6a4a3d3116f"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/AMJ3BOJR7RJU7CCTJEDRLDA5WU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Courts"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Crime & Law"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/crime-law/courts/2023/11/01/three-quarters-of-those-released-from-prison-in-2018-not-working-three-years-later-cso-shows/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/crime-law/courts","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Courts"}}}},{"_id":"YALW7VADEBBRFA4T5INKEJRK6U","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":273,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/5469/podcasts/9180304/media/5e5ea116a56608391920114f97636c54_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/10/30/performance-reviews-are-awful-yet-unstoppable/","content_elements":[{"_id":"JXZG47JYOFC47G5RFTHBL3552E","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000816},"content":"Everyone matters at Network Rail, the British railway group says on its website.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5QVIWMVWCNBYVECY5MIFYQOO4M","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000817},"content":"Everyone also matters at Scotland’s health service, at the firm that owns Legoland, and a raft of other businesses.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UK3EQJVEC5BTBGXAI2O7IBMHQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000818},"content":"Each uses the everyone mattering slogan as shorthand for the admirable desire to foster a diverse, inclusive workforce.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TSBFM3WQPVDANAI4N2YY47RFAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000819},"content":"But shorthand does not always capture the full picture. The truth is, some people have always contributed more than others to a business and employers have always had an interest in knowing exactly who they are.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TFYHUPZ6MRFYBJJHTVWT5EHKXU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000820},"content":"Alas, the looming end-of-year performance review season is a reminder that, even in our data-driven age, a large chunk of companies are still doing a rotten job of figuring out who is who.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5SQWVZUHFNG2RCBVW4N7MPQLGU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000821},"content":"That’s according to companies themselves, or at least those taking part in recent North American surveys that show less than half of firms think their performance review systems measure their staff’s work effectively. This gels with earlier research showing people find performance reviews stressful, unfair and a colossal waste of time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"UAXII4GRYJCDTJG6S7C5MAQD6I","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000822},"content":"Most loathed of all are the “rank and yank” or forced ranking reviews Jack Welch controversially championed when he ran General Electric. These divide staff into groups of strong to weak performers, who can be rewarded or sacked, and date back to systems the US military devised before the second World War.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DLP4WXKQFFH4HESFULNQ426BWE","additional_properties":{"_id":"5CALNLTRUVHOPHEK35V5TYJF2E"},"content":"Some of the most important jobs in Britain are still filled by people with zero experience or interest in the field","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"GVYTEATHABFKZMX4PVW4PVIDUM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000823},"content":"Forced ranking has supposedly fallen out of favour. It hardly squares with the idea that everyone matters. Companies such as Microsoft scrapped it a decade ago and others followed suit.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4K3VFISCG5CG7JKN6EIBR5JXWM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000824},"content":"But some management experts say the system is coming back in the tech sector, where lay-offs have been rife and thirst has grown for data confirming who should stay or go.","type":"text"},{"_id":"7MUJIXRIJZCPVKFYAOOPWI5H3I","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000825},"content":"At the same time, it is becoming clearer that these rankings suit some fields a lot more than others, say Stanford University economist Nick Bloom and his PhD student, Gideon Moore.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WGVMITHGUVEXBMCO755M4SUVHY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000826},"content":"They’ve done unpublished research showing the performance of call centre workers, for instance, follows a relatively smooth pattern. About 10 per cent of staff account for roughly 10 per cent of phone calls, while 5 per cent make up roughly 5 per cent of calls, and so on.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VCS3PI7OD5FIJPKH5FUM5TP52A","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000827},"content":"It’s very different for academics. Among University of California faculty whose work in the Nature science journal has been cited at least once, just 5 per cent account for 46 per cent of citations, while 1 per cent make up 24 per cent.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FZMRU6DBXVATVHAS6SEJBNVOFY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000828},"content":"In other words, a tiny proportion of staff are responsible for an outsized share of performance. Forced ranking that divides the workforce into, say, five groups of 20 per cent, might lump the small share of top performers in with others who contribute a lot less. That is one reason star workers leave, and not just the obvious ones.","type":"text"},{"_id":"76AC2DBPARCPZHJBUZK575RLVU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000829},"content":"The financial performance of a bond trader or a money manager is relatively easy to measure. But what about the people who always help colleagues get their work done faster? Or know how to stop problems before they start?","type":"text"},{"_id":"HSNQDEZIXVE43FKJX2DCCXFR6M","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000830},"content":"I have worked with many of these hidden gems. I doubt one was ever properly recognised by an annual performance review, or the continuous feedback reviews a lot of companies now use, let alone forced ranking.","type":"text"},{"_id":"56IK5XHATNHD7FVSABFSOPHBR4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000831},"content":"Many were useless at office politics. Most despised smarming up to the boss. Some suffered from the visibility bias that leads managers to rate people they can see above those they can’t.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VGXQZ7OFBJA5DNZXVWUYTH5K3Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"MXZ7U5KB6NBZLOOVPNASSQPAWA"},"content":"Why expenses are a fraught form of fraud","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JH7T6HZ74JGFTEXAVUFAANSAAU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000832},"content":"That problem has worsened with remote working and the profusion of messaging tools such as Slack, says Josh Merrill, co-founder of a performance review platform called Confirm. “A lot of the interactions that used to happen face to face are now happening in direct messages or Zoom calls where the manager really doesn’t get to see it,” he told me.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YEQBNJX3HZHY7HJ76INYOOUQ5U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000833},"content":"Confirm’s system is closer to the 360-degree performance review. It asks staff to name the colleagues they go to for help, or deem outstanding contributors, as well as those who need extra support.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NTRTJ5ADWRBDBN2Z7LFQT3JYRM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000834},"content":"Its data suggests 15 per cent of workers produce 50 per cent of value, while 5 per cent produce 50 per cent of problems. That sounds reasonably plausible to me. But Confirm claims to have found something else that is an even more telling reason to fix performance reviews.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KGE6EDAUOBGS5GZNIYW7TB3VVI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698588000835},"content":"For every 7.5 minutes employees spend writing self-reflections for a performance appraisal, managers spend eight seconds reading them. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Pilita Clark"}},"name":"Pilita Clark"}]},"description":{"basic":"As review season nears, new research suggests appraisals may be even worse than we think"},"display_date":"2023-10-30T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Performance reviews are awful yet unstoppable","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"5469"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"BGRW6M2JDZDGBAVHWFNDSFSZRQ","auth":{"1":"9da152374c91b9d60c4462c860818abfa305bf8af255bebde3c82baa3d3270ec"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/BGRW6M2JDZDGBAVHWFNDSFSZRQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"columnist","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/10/30/performance-reviews-are-awful-yet-unstoppable/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"PMYIWXZOH5AZJATO34L7DTP4QE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":435,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9124560/media/e1bd04d1ccbeb8501dc387d28dabb593_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/10/29/austin-is-known-for-being-the-blueberry-in-the-tomato-soup-of-texas/","content_elements":[{"_id":"KBVMJLML2VEVFLV7RRGM3HTBSA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136384},"content":"<b>Eoin Sorohan, global account manager, Overhaul, Austin, Texas</b>","type":"text"},{"_id":"7CHY6YQT7ZB65G72AKSTUPWKMI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136385},"content":"If Eoin Sorohan’s phone rings in the middle of the night, it’s not good news. His job is to keep expensive freight safe from cargo criminals, and they don’t sleep.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GIMTQR4SCVDWBICKNOR5IHEKY4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136386},"content":"The Longford native, based in Austin, Texas, works for Overhaul, an Irish-founded supply chain software company headquartered there. The company’s elevator pitch is the stuff of movies.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AGHHKOHJSVHJTDX7KAEKCL3DHU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136387},"content":"“We track and monitor expensive freight for the world’s leading companies and stop bad guys from stealing it,” says Sorohan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OSC6Z5NXZZGQBEPLLIJTQXCLKA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136388},"content":"“Sometimes, you will get the dreaded phone call to say there is a theft in progress on a customer’s shipment. It can be exhilarating when you are on a call with law enforcement trying to outsmart criminals, enact a recovery and save a customer millions of dollars, justifying our return in investment in the process.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"5JRX7MAFX5FBPAELPF4PDCPI6E","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136389},"content":"The theft of high value freight, like pharmaceuticals and electronics, while it’s in transit is big business.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2RF3WNU7KJGDFHXGBFFETXLZGQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136390},"content":"“Cargo crime is a thriving industry. It’s a huge problem for companies that have highly sought-after, fungible products, in high-risk regions like the US, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa,” says the Lanesborough, Co Longford native.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QONXG4RMXBA3RH4VSQZS5MQUME","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136391},"content":"“These cargo criminals are some of the best logisticians you could find. They are highly sophisticated, and it’s our job to stop them from stealing freight.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7UK6ENADUVE7DHXOXLWCDQPKZQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136392},"content":"Sorohan landed in the Lone Star State capital six years ago, having nabbed a spot on Enterprise Ireland’s international graduate programme.","type":"text"},{"_id":"EU7Z4IMXENELZDW7EZTVZZPWAU","additional_properties":{"_id":"J3IY4NO46ZBHDE44BAMD3QNJCQ"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"H3W4AGUXB5DZBLTFNYKR3B4NKQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136393},"content":"“My impression before moving to Texas was that everyone was a gunslinging, cowboy hat-wearing Trump fan. To be fair, that is true of a lot of the state, but Austin is known for being the blueberry in the tomato soup,” says Sorohan. “It’s like a liberal oasis in the big red state of Texas.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"44SGF4HHQBD27LL55NX54RMV5M","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136395},"content":"On the Enterprise Ireland scheme, he worked with Irish companies aiming to start up, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JVJILAID2BHWZB6EDB5MIR6GOM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136396},"content":"“Ultimately, Enterprise Ireland’s goal is to grow Irish exports so it definitely pushed the right buttons where my patriotism is concerned,” says Sorohan. “It gave me a great insight into what companies get right and get wrong when they are trying to export.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y5ASAE2255BLDLPAG5B3K72ZAU","additional_properties":{"_id":"BDCUEBFGXVESDIBTDE74QWNB5I"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"NPWDJWKIHBG7NAQORKKJYPOGDY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136397},"content":"A meeting with Overhaul’s chief executive Barry Conlon led to a job and coveted visa sponsorship that enabled Sorohan to remain in Austin.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OA3UNAM6HVBJJMOUVDPMEZJX3U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136398},"content":"Overhaul was in start-up mode back then and it was all hands on deck. The company has since grown to 650 employees and has become a leader in supply chain risk management.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TM6ITXOUS5DKVFLQXDVNPFDYMU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136399},"content":"Austin is a “hive of opportunity”, says Sorohan. “There’s been a huge migration of tech companies out of California to Austin. It’s become a very attractive place to set up from a tax standpoint, but also the University of Texas is here and the city really does have an eclectic vibe.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3XIRT3I6V5BCHMXKYEOKFOD7X4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136400},"content":"The annual SXSW conference and the Austin City Limits music festival bolster the city’s reputation for being a place to convene and talk about big ideas and innovation.","type":"text"},{"_id":"4XQVRTPR5VFHDFFU3IEV4GKRME","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136401},"content":"“Way back when Austin developed a reputation for being a liberal oasis, it attracted a lot of artists and musicians, and that creates a cool vibe that everyone wants to be part of. That’s when you get the migration of people and companies into the state that can then dilute the vibe that everyone is looking to obtain,” says Sorohan.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FCWVFTIEW5A7DGWJAGHN56WYBQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136402},"content":"The city is protective of alternative culture and is famed for its slogan, “Keep Austin weird”, he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QBTBWHUIENEVJJHHUZESDI2UWQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136403},"content":"Sorohan has risen the ranks to become global account manager at Overhaul. The company’s software monitors client warehouses, transportation vehicles and cargo, flagging up rogue events.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LGPMVJGG4VBJZJW3DSLMRSNE6I","additional_properties":{"_id":"RCPQ3JWCAFDMNB3OZGKVAIJLV4"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"L6B6R7DRWRGTHP52ZAI3TAR2V4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136404},"content":"“We track products for every major electronics manufacturer you can think of,” says Sorohan. “Products on the back of a truck could be worth $1 to $3 million. Pharmaceuticals could be worth $10 million.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"JWED6LKECZEGRMWPOGUQ4JYWUM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136405},"content":"With pharmaceuticals, it’s not just about theft but ensuring the integrity of the product isn’t in doubt when it reaches the customer.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AGNMBB7ARVFV3FI46EOQBPYXII","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136406},"content":"The area within 200 miles of where cargo originates is where theft is most likely to occur, says Sorohan. This is called ‘the red zone’.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PARKB2LTWFCALNU52IF4RWZLHE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136407},"content":"“If we can prevent stoppage in the red zone, we can dramatically reduce the risk of theft.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"XH5BYDTN3VFEXFI6XUIQRZASRU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136408},"content":"Another mantra is that freight at rest is freight at risk. The company collects data about transportation provider performance, enabling manufacturers to hold carriers to account.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZS5INUERWNB33B2FGXNXYDPBAU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136409},"content":"When freight does go rogue, it’s often an inside job, says Sorohan. “They’ve got people at the warehouse telling them what’s in the truck,” says Sorohan. “We’ve got a web of global law enforcement contacts who we would deploy to recover stolen freight. There is never a dull moment.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BQBEFN2YBFF7JHCU4GANVZN72M","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136410},"content":"“In many cases, in regions like South Africa and Mexico, you’ll get armed hijackings and you’ll see pictures after the incident and there will be bullet holes through the windscreen.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7XIJDBR7GJA3BJYL7UEQRY7PPA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136411},"content":"Working for an Irish company provides a buffer from US work culture, he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"WCXQNEBBBVEGDPPPSEH4UFONKI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136412},"content":"“The US has a reputation for being always on, long hours and very much a ‘live to work’ mentality. I’m glad there is a strong Irish current that runs through Overhaul. We’ve got unlimited time off and much more liberal policies, but there is definitely a big work culture in the US that is different to home.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"A4DH3FOLZJB3LKQWWIMTJX7S7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":"XVR5P3SPDJGONERHTLW2KU2EDY"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"7IIMPJZ5NFF5HJFACSWT66RUC4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136413},"content":"Getting a visa isn’t easy, he says. “The visa landscape is a total minefield. There are hoops you have to go through. My American friends can’t understand how you can live here for so many years and for your position to be still in jeopardy. That’s one thing to really consider,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MYXO3GWDEJEDZKT7B7YOI4CEGA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136414},"content":"“I’ve been lucky that Overhaul has sponsored me but, even with their sponsorship, it was a one in three chance I got the visa. It’s a total lottery.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2WS24KA6MFHBVIN47IOPYM4IQA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136415},"content":"His advice to people doing business Stateside is: “Keep politics out of it. It’s just something you don’t speak about any more. You don’t want to get into that conversation. Things are pretty polarised here.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PE5YYI6O2FDCZAUI4ZG5PPJUGY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136417},"content":"He adds: “I’ve observed where you have an Irish person meeting an American in a business context and the Irish person will flippantly say, ‘Well, what about Trump?’ It’s not the conversation you want to get into.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RZZR3IDWDFGMLC3KD2GWKPPEVE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698156136418},"content":"Sorohan has sometimes caught himself saying “y’all”, but involvement with the Cowboys GAA team, a hub for Austin’s tight-knit Irish community, has kept full cultural Americanisation at bay. “Having a strong Irish network here keeps me rooted,” he says.","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Joanne Hunt"}},"name":"Joanne Hunt"}]},"description":{"basic":"Wild Geese: Eoin Sorohan’s adopted home city is an oasis of liberalism in the Lone Star State"},"display_date":"2023-10-29T06:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"‘Austin is known for being the blueberry in the tomato soup of Texas’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"NRPR4QWOVAK23D2AQ3PDCYM7AU","auth":{"1":"65366eb0a395ee2fe5c6c5b82e2bb727d265fcac2555e1497635785d495ce650"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/NRPR4QWOVAK23D2AQ3PDCYM7AU.jpg"}},"subtype":"default","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Abroad"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/10/29/austin-is-known-for-being-the-blueberry-in-the-tomato-soup-of-texas/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"CXZHM4H46BERTERFIFHK5ULAYE","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":596,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9122291/media/a45eaa781a031a0867479c0a7ccf5895_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/2023/10/27/chevron-fossil-fuel-boss-we-are-not-selling-a-product-that-is-evil/","content_elements":[{"_id":"4RQQ2UKPBNCAJD645BGVMZF5WA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174013},"content":"To Chevron’s critics, who range from Just Stop Oil protesters to the governor of its home state and the president of the United States, the $300 billion (€282.4 billion) US oil and gas major exemplifies an industry recklessly promoting products it knows are warming the globe while greedily pushing up petrol prices.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3W6PNKM2ENCNXE5U5JSGQVUYB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174014},"content":"But to its chief executive, Mike Wirth, the business he joined 41 years ago is “selling a product that has changed the quality of life on this planet. For the better.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"U7MLJYMIX5FWBIMXPON4Y4DHQM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174015},"content":"Speaking in the weeks before Chevron agreed to buy US oil and gas producer Hess Corporation in a $53 billion deal, Wirth said his company would seek to engage with critics “to be part of the solution”. But he added: “That can’t deter us from what we do.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"CNENMLJVX5B2DMN2FF55QZ6EBU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174016},"content":"Chevron’s culture was “grounded in integrity and a deep belief in doing the right thing”, Wirth said, with steady conviction. “We are not selling a product that is evil. We’re selling a product that’s good.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"USL3HHN6NFB3VAQT43WQ5P5NVQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174017},"content":"Wirth has chosen to run one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers at a time when scientific consensus is pointing more clearly than ever to the role fossil fuels play in heating that world. That makes running an energy company in 2023 a singular leadership challenge.","type":"text"},{"_id":"BDIQRGEGRRDMPNBAQMJCG7JBTI","additional_properties":{"_id":"VK7VSG6HTJB5HMRPXKAPAKDIGE"},"content":"Chevron betting on lasting fossil fuel demand with $53bn purchase of US oil producer Hess","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"YYJF6X6Y3RDDNDEVTDWBDWHBQI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698217351560},"content":"The prospect of winning over big oil’s antagonists looks remote, and the bodyguard travelling with Wirth is a reminder that the opposition he faces is not just rhetorical.","type":"text"},{"_id":"D5NOL25SHRCZ5GHWEWYSJ3UZF4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174018},"content":"“I think of the CEO position as being a weight-bearing position,” Wirth said. Rather than cave in to the pressure, the 63-year-old recently extended his term, with Chevron’s board waiving its mandatory retirement age so he can keep running the western world’s second most valuable oil company.","type":"text"},{"_id":"6OL377RDFZDCTFAECNVNINST2Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174019},"content":"The rest of his tenure looks set to feature a reshaping of Chevron’s industry, as highlighted by rival ExxonMobil’s recent $60 billion bid for Pioneer Natural Resources, which preceded Chevron’s Hess deal by less than two weeks, and continued disputes over its environmental responsibilities.","type":"text"},{"_id":"FPRXNH5JERH5NOEWPSCXJ2PUTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174020},"content":"As peers such as BP and Shell tout more aggressive transitions to a lower-carbon future, Wirth set out the message that lower emissions matter, but should not come at the expense of an affordable and reliable energy supply.","type":"text"},{"_id":"TFZKYWVMBZB2DOMZKBCRONVYSA","additional_properties":{"_id":"RMT5M6Z5BRHRPBETWAGAQEWB4U"},"embed":{"config":{},"id":"acast_podcast-34859","url":"/"},"subtype":"acast_podcast","type":"custom_embed"},{"_id":"OZDMAJNB4BDP3CQ5253AU4IISY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174021},"content":"His blunt response to an International Energy Agency forecast that demand for fossil fuels will peak before 2030 was: “I don’t think they’re remotely right... You can build scenarios, but we live in the real world, and have to allocate capital to meet real world demands.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"RD5TRXKBQRAY7POTDD67VXRNPE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174022},"content":"Energy security, energy affordability and lower emissions were “in tension with one another”, Wirth admitted. But he said he was working on the basis that Chevron’s core products will be in demand for decades to come.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ELZKVYPXKBHOVLMS4GMGTJKAEI","additional_properties":{"_id":"JDSB3JRCWRBKTGBV377F6JBV5A"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"HQHMOSQHOZFJ7EIERZ46MOSJCU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174023},"content":"What that means, in practice, is that Chevron will spend just $2 billion of its $14 billion capital spending budget on lower-carbon investments this year, because such bets offer lower returns.","type":"text"},{"_id":"SLAWGYWK6NFIXA6R55GVXUMS3Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1698217351567},"content":"Like Exxon, it was bulking up in fossil fuels even before the Hess acquisition, announcing a $6.3 billion deal in May for oil and gas producer PDC Energy.","type":"text"},{"_id":"W65IYDGX4BAM7MD2FMEVNJVETI","additional_properties":{"_id":"HCUEGFUYSZEQLL3IJI2AZX5M3I"},"content":"Exxon and Chevron profits slide from record highs","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"RXOLN2N7JNFJFKHEC4FI5IVCVU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174024},"content":"Despite headlines suggesting that an environmentally conscious new generation is turning its back on the oil business, Wirth said Chevron was having no problem hiring. He reminds the company’s people “every single day” that they “help make the world better”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"AWVIOZPIRRDLPDEK4BFWZIDBF4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174025},"content":"Wirth was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where his father worked in the National Laboratory, a federally funded research and development centre, before moving the family to Golden, Colorado, to become an executive at Coors. In one summer job at the brewer, Wirth found himself making ashtrays, and realised what loyalty his father inspired by talking to people on the production line.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z4VUSC6JBNECVB64DWQ7TLEOB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174034},"content":"On site visits now he makes a point of talking to “the operators, the mechanics, the people who work with their hands”, he said. “The people that really do the hard work are the ones that I try to spend time with because I learned how important it was to show your respect for them.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PMSWDDC6DJHXTKSC6C6PT2NIRI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174035},"content":"Wirth also credits school football and basketball coaches for instilling in him values of hard work, discipline and teamwork. One coach pushed Wirth to do things he did not think were possible, including running up and down Lookout Mountain, a more than 7,000ft peak overlooking his hometown.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Y4OSVUCQRVAWPIPOZOGQLAMU4Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174036},"content":"It taught him “the power of believing in somebody and seeing something in somebody that they don’t see in themselves”, he said.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5AYTKB22G5B7TEYKYJQMR7EYOI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174037},"content":"Wirth now leans on the advice of three former Chevron chief executives, who all live within five miles of his house. “These guys have lived through the fall of the Soviet Union, multiple recessions and wars and embargoes and terrorist attacks,” he noted. Over regular lunches, he grills them on the lessons they learned from such crises.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PKCYZKQRTNCE3PLEQJEAYHC7AQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174038},"content":"He said his own leadership of Chevron is defined by “capital discipline”. Wirth, who has a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado, led the company’s refining business before becoming CEO, where tight margins mean “you have to watch every penny”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"U4LAGJ5S6NEZRN5E6V2ZE7RKTA","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174039},"content":"He took charge at the end of a decade-long shale investment boom in the US and soon applied the brakes on spending. One of his first big decisions was to walk away from a $50 billion-plus takeover battle with rival Occidental Petroleum for Anadarko Petroleum. “I told people we want to win in any environment but we are not going to win at any cost,” he recalled.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RHPGGP7XWZAXVBUTYZYANF4J54","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174040},"content":"It was a prescient decision. Soon after, the pandemic struck, oil prices collapsed and a debt-laden Occidental was plunged into crisis.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NZCAV3TVBBBP5CZGHNDVIW4EZ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174041},"content":"Since then, Wirth’s cost controls and surging oil prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have turned Chevron into a cash-generating machine, with returns on capital employed more than double what they were in 2018. After almost $70 billion in dividends and buy-backs since he became CEO, its shares have outshone big European rivals.","type":"text"},{"_id":"OAM6HT2ZFZAAZDXHPWHGLMETVY","additional_properties":{"_id":"IQFG3LXFVBHWJJAFMNPSUO5E6Q"},"subtype":"pullquote","type":"quote"},{"_id":"U36Y2T6XVFECFP6SHP37NJT4GE","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174042},"content":"That capital discipline created the backdrop for Chevron’s latest megamerger. The deal was announced in the weeks after Wirth spoke to us in September, but he had at the time hinted towards the possibility of further acquisitions: “Could it happen? I think it probably could.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"MM5RJJQNWZH7FO7KRAPUNRF2R4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174043},"content":"Wirth also cautioned, however, that big dealmaking was “more difficult today”, highlighting that companies were better run than they were when Chevron bought Texaco for $36 billion in 2000, so acquisitions offered fewer savings.","type":"text"},{"_id":"VIMJ4HHJ5VGL5JEV24U56JY56U","additional_properties":{"_id":1698217351580},"content":"“The regulatory issues become more germane as you get to larger and larger deals,” he noted, adding: “Big companies are complicated to run; they’re really complicated to put two of them together.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"7BFRBHNZLVHCLDO2NZRVNJGUNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"I6OVRY34VJD5FFTH4TSWPPODHQ"},"content":"Big Oil needs to cut production by 50% to hit climate targets","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"WKNDD3AF3FCJFED6FBSPBNASB4","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174044},"content":"Chevron’s decision to prioritise profits and continued oil production over decarbonisation has made it a target for progressive politicians, climate litigants and campaigners.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3IA5XIIMKVD27DXZ2MYJR4SADY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174045},"content":"Last month, California – the state where Chevron is headquartered – sued the company and several of its competitors, claiming they had deceived the public for decades about the environmental harm fossil fuels were doing. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, followed up with a potshot at Wirth.","type":"text"},{"_id":"O2JGHBIDH5DWRKCPXT5HP7DM3Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174046},"content":"“Decent guy, I’m sure – or I thought, before we filed the lawsuit and I finally understood more than I did before we put together all the evidence,” Newsom remarked.","type":"text"},{"_id":"XQOR4BNJXRGWHBOAJWMBNSZFOU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174047},"content":"Wirth denies the lawsuits’ claims. “We have never deceived anybody. We have been part of that [climate] discussion all along but we didn’t know something and say ‘Oh well, wait, we are going to mislead people or we are going to not talk about this’.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"BWS3GVB6GNAZJIWSIXBF767RHY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174048},"content":"Last year Wirth sparred with President Joe Biden, who complained about energy companies “making more money than God” – at consumers’ expense – after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “He’d written... a public letter to me and some other CEOs that I felt was inaccurate and I wanted to set the record straight,” Wirth explained.","type":"text"},{"_id":"2JM6RJ5QH5DAFAXTJJFGXMNBBU","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174049},"content":"But he has bucked a trend among CEOs to speak out on polarising issues from abortion to transgender rights. Doing so could divide the company’s more than 43,000 employees, he reasons, many of whom work in progressive California or conservative Texas.","type":"text"},{"_id":"PHISMBGYIRE3BICLVMN56IRKNY","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174050},"content":"“I’ve avoided speaking up because I’d be speaking on behalf of part of my workforce, and in opposition to another part of my workforce. And my role isn’t to weigh in on election laws, or bathroom policies, or gun laws,” Wirth said. Most of these issues “are things that companies aren’t there to adjudicate”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3FPFEJLHEZARJAX24FJLYLUMAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174051},"content":"Chevron’s extension of Wirth’s tenure was a divergence from succession planning orthodoxy, which he defended as avoiding the distracting “guessing game” a fixed retirement date could have started. His predecessors typically served for about a decade, he noted. That would take Wirth up to 2028.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GMRCUHRWI5DK3AGINKWC4PKDKM","additional_properties":{"_id":1698145174052},"content":"Asked what he wanted his legacy to be, he replied, “I hope they say, ‘Hey, he was a decent leader who cared about the people and cared about the culture and moved the company forward in a world that’s moving forward’. I don’t have a deep kind of a statement on legacy.” – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson"},{"additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Jamie Smyth"}]},"description":{"basic":"Oil and gas chief executive Mike Wirth says he will defy critics and make a ‘real world’ case for fossil fuels"},"display_date":"2023-10-27T04:00:00Z","headlines":{"basic":"Chevron fossil fuel boss: ‘We are not selling a product that is evil’","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"JEQSBQON6LRGW2KXK24NRK7N6E","auth":{"1":"4f0d4443c673fe8e13042034345c07f27373670702a16f27582d2856fc8d5923"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/JEQSBQON6LRGW2KXK24NRK7N6E.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Business"},{"name":"Work"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/2023/10/27/chevron-fossil-fuel-boss-we-are-not-selling-a-product-that-is-evil/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business","additional_properties":{"original":{}},"name":"Business"}}}},{"_id":"YIY7HA5EWJES3LYIEI3WA7P6O4","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":372,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/9038460/media/56aecf3abe29e97b156e1ba27af7bfbb_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/business/work/2023/10/26/is-working-from-home-as-productive-as-its-cracked-up-to-be/","content_elements":[{"_id":"DP5SVOMOJZHFLAEIZSX4AZ45II","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788828},"content":"Much has been written about how well productivity stood up to the challenges of employees working from home during the pandemic. The numbers looked good on paper, with organisations claiming no fall in productivity and in some cases an improvement.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ITM5GDAN7JD4DKYIYP6RYELDCA","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788829},"content":"But would the numbers continue to stack up when the immediacy of <a href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/health/covid-19/\" target=\"_blank\">Covid</a> passed and would employees be able to maintain their focus in a post-pandemic world?","type":"text"},{"_id":"44XP55VG3RB4JDRNWCQH2L3IH4","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788830},"content":"“There was a flurry of data suggesting that it was all going brilliantly at the start but the longer it went on, the more the evidence began raising real questions about it,” says Dr John McMackin of DCU’s Business School. “The data to date about enhanced productivity when working remotely is mixed and it seems to depend on the context, the type of work being undertaken and it also varies by individual.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DQBPVF2ZFZGSLOBMDAZGTF2WYU","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788831},"content":"One of the key factors contributing to productivity is maintaining focus. Lack of focus costs time and money, especially in knowledge-based sectors where productivity is linked to workers having blocks of distraction-free time to concentrate on specific tasks.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CYVWEDYSUJES5D2YL2MAFIDUJU","additional_properties":{"_id":"KCFBWAFAJBA3VHVGW6LY3PKTUU"},"content":"Final shape of hybrid office work slowly coming into focus","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"TMQOJK3JXNEUVEQHMHRAYMTTVA","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788832},"content":"Distraction-free time sounds great in theory but it’s thin on the ground when the time absorbed by emails, messages, meetings and personal interruptions is added up.","type":"text"},{"_id":"ZURTF4OVKFFRFOHPO7LAFMOSXU","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788833},"content":"According to a new report on post-pandemic knowledge worker productivity, each worker loses an estimated 553 hours a year to distractions whether they work at home or in the office. Managers come off even worse, losing an average of 683 hours to distractions annually with unproductive meetings and repetitive administrative tasks as the biggest culprits.","type":"text"},{"_id":"CNG6XJ6F4JGRNJPHKFH4CA4PUQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788834},"content":"The report, In Search of Lost Focus, was commissioned by file hosting company, Dropbox, and produced by Economist Impact which is part of the Economist Group. The report was based on a survey sample of more than 1,000 knowledge workers across retail, manufacturing and technology sectors in 10 countries.","type":"text"},{"_id":"DH4KRDBR4ZC5HCKHNFGANKSWXU","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788835},"content":"Dropbox is a virtual-first company, which means that remote working is the primary experience for all employees, so anything that gets in the way of workflow is a cause for concern. But Dropbox is not alone. Loss of focus costs businesses everywhere hundreds of hours in downtime and quite a lot of money every year.","type":"text"},{"_id":"3BQZUGZDJZAX5DW2QZRWR2ZHQY","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788836},"content":"Chat apps are seen as a boon for collaboration but, according to the report, they also account for a huge loss in focus time at an average of 157 hours per knowledge worker per year. It puts the annual financial cost of loss of focus at an average of $37,000 (€35,000) per manager grade and $21,000 for other roles.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KVHYYLB5WFE47NM7O5XQVZKPQE","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788837},"content":"When these losses are taken collectively, “American companies leave close to half a trillion dollars on the table because of time-sucking distractions that affect deep, focused work”. The estimated figure for Ireland is roughly $40 billion.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YMBGXSZUUBBNFHA2OBBJLXQV4U","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788838},"content":"Disrupting focus","type":"header"},{"_id":"YXKGYCPTWBBBPCZ7C3SY435UXQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788839},"content":"“Hazards to focus differ by work environment,” the report adds. “On-site workers cite face-to-face interruptions as their worst distraction, while remote workers single out household chores and demands from others sharing their space.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YHCUKBPTB5E7HJLSWORW24DXIY","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788840},"content":"“Regardless of location, all workers wrestle with disruptions from meetings, emails and chat messages.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PMPPCDB3ZZDGBNAKX5IQV5CEQE","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788841},"content":"Data from Irish respondents shows that about half of all knowledge workers don’t spend more than an hour at a time on a task without an interruption and more than 40 per cent have real difficulty setting aside dedicated focus time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LQW7AEF5ZBDS7AQAIQIANCMTOA","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788842},"content":"More than a third reckon that a fifth of the time they spend in meetings, including virtual ones, is wasted and while they believe that remote collaboration tools are useful in reducing the need for in-person meetings, they have a downside as they create pressure to respond to incoming messages quickly and make people feel they have to be always available.","type":"text"},{"_id":"36BNLJSFOFGIHP37AL4MQR3DFY","additional_properties":{"_id":"N4327PRTVJEJ5HYJ6NQQ3RIOKQ"},"content":"Employers and staff seek truce on office working","type":"interstitial_link"},{"_id":"JNG6DZ6FVBDZNIYANGML6DCN44","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788843},"content":"With AI now coming at us faster than the Shanghai Maglev, an interesting statistic thrown up by the report is that three-quarters of Irish knowledge employees are already using automation tools, including AI, in their work. Improved productivity, time saving on repetitive tasks and being more organised were cited as some of the immediate benefits with workers seeing AI as an aid to focus, not a job threat.","type":"text"},{"_id":"RVEQ5L2VANENJLSAEV4MDFHLGM","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788844},"content":"The general takeaway from the report is that a mix of flexible working arrangements, workplace policies that promote focus time, AI-powered tools and asynchronous communication are all positive ways of improving focus and productivity.","type":"text"},{"_id":"M2J4TVZUHJF4VJLX4Y7DHYNZ6A","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788845},"content":"Working environment","type":"header"},{"_id":"D25X5CPDWJDZZCFNUJE2I5MWSU","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788846},"content":"Working environments need to be fit for purpose which means having a suitable space, equipment and tech support at home while offices need quiet spaces for focused work. Companies also need to think about implementing strategies to combat distractions such as meeting-free periods and dedicated daily focus time.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q26NAWNMDJA7RFED7U5FJF4O7E","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788847},"content":"It also seems that it pays off to let people work where they work best. “It’s not where someone works that matters most, it’s how they work,” the report says, and the more control employees are given over their working schedule and environment the better the outcomes.","type":"text"},{"_id":"IOWG5WBEE5ERXMUPM4DXCZEK3A","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788848},"content":"That’s the “talk”. But as McMackin points out, the “walk” may be also be influenced by other factors.","type":"text"},{"_id":"GMQAJ6RHAZAW3FJPOOTLSHCGTY","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788849},"content":"“The two biggest individual level predictors of performance at work are conscientiousness and cognitive ability; broadly speaking, higher levels of both predict higher performance in most jobs in traditional settings,” he says.","type":"text"},{"_id":"KAWKJIIXOFFIXHQLCQOGWREUJ4","additional_properties":{"_id":1697714788850},"content":"“Cognitive ability is the same remotely, but conscientiousness seems likely to have more powerful effects in a remote world, with conscientious people likely to continue to perform to the same standard as they would face to face, while people lower in conscientiousness may be less productive in a remote work environment.”","type":"text"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"metered"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Olive Keogh"}},"name":"Olive Keogh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Data about enhanced productivity when working remotely is mixed and depends on context, type of work and the individual"},"display_date":"2023-10-26T08:09:54.197Z","headlines":{"basic":"Is working from home as productive as it’s cracked up to be?","native":""},"label":{"audio_project_id":{"text":"8948"}},"promo_items":{"basic":{"_id":"NETSNDWFMVC3BIO5C626Y3EBSQ","auth":{"1":"790066a4228230bcf3bad2dd22503f281f320deab774d8489bd1debcf70a31f4"},"url":"https://cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/NETSNDWFMVC3BIO5C626Y3EBSQ.jpg"}},"subtype":"feature","taxonomy":{"sections":[{"name":"Work"},{"name":"Business"}]},"type":"story","website_url":"/business/work/2023/10/26/is-working-from-home-as-productive-as-its-cracked-up-to-be/","websites":{"irishtimes":{"website_section":{"_id":"/business/work","additional_properties":{"original":{"Podcast":{"podcast_logo":null}}},"name":"Work"}}}},{"_id":"L25O55WBPJGIFADFNLMQINSVLI","additional_properties":{"audio_duration":528,"audio_url":"https://d22tbkdovk5ea2.cloudfront.net/audio/projects/8948/podcasts/8993575/media/556641ed5c1f71374f00ad493130d64a_compiled.mp3"},"canonical_url":"/health/your-wellness/2023/10/26/addiction-is-not-checked-at-the-door-when-an-employee-clocks-in/","content_elements":[{"_id":"OHTEHWI6YZC6JN7JLXUHNYYR7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1698264455351},"content":"Addiction is not set aside as emails are sent or projects managed. Addiction follows and finds its way into every part of the life of a person suffering from addiction, including the workplace.","type":"text"},{"_id":"Z3VZG7VDIJEPBL3O4A6S37RWLA","additional_properties":{"_id":1697547808052},"content":"Companies cannot ignore the fact that employees with addiction continue to be “functioning”, which may cost the company in terms of profit and productivity. However, being prepared to manage addiction in the workplace is not solely for the benefit of a company, but is also vitally important for the mental and physical health of a quality workforce.","type":"text"},{"_id":"QY5WWUT4MNDRLCSTJPFLEAE7PQ","additional_properties":{"_id":"I7C4Q4DN5REO3MJ2L5LTJK5OQM"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"DVW3ZYXFHZERFF665OZUKY4MNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1698325309945},"content":"As addiction is linked to impaired cognitive function, poor decision-making and decreased focus, it’s notable that workplace productivity may reduce, deadlines may be missed, and the quality of work may decline. Workplace accidents may increase, and mental health presenteeism – when an employee feels pressured to show up for work – can significantly cost employers as addiction can affect an employee’s daily functioning with impaired motor skills, and poor co-ordination and judgment which can lead to avoidable errors in the workplace.","type":"text"},{"_id":"A2CB3KRRYBEJHE6FZ56WWZEQNQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319346},"content":"“Addiction-related absenteeism, decreased productivity and increased accidents can result in financial losses for the organisation due to decreased efficiency and increased insurance costs,” says Keith Cassidy, clinic manager at Smarmore Castle, a private addiction clinic in Co Louth. “Employers may bear the brunt of healthcare costs associated with addiction, including medical treatment, therapy and rehabilitation programmes for employees struggling with addiction.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"FUNHLMLDBJEMXD6UBTFAUM2SAI","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319347},"content":"Added to this disruption at a productivity and financial level, employee relations may be adversely affected as “addiction-related behaviour, such as mood swings, irritability and inconsistent performance, can lead to conflicts with colleagues, supervisors, and customers”, says Cassidy, who previously worked as a private psychotherapist.","type":"text"},{"_id":"JEUOGUWGDNHZLPIE3LXJHR4FLI","additional_properties":{"_id":1697547808056},"content":"“This disrupts the work environment and can harm team dynamics. Individuals struggling with addiction may frequently miss work due to health issues or personal problems related to their addiction. This can disrupt the workflow, place additional burdens on co-workers, and result in increased workloads for others. Colleagues often become frustrated and demotivated when they must cover for an addicted co-worker or witness their struggles.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"3TOEVSD2ZZBLJHZV66TLVM4L7M","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319348},"content":"This disruptive behaviour has the potential to lead to decreased morale and job satisfaction among the workforce, which can heighten the stigmatisation of addiction in the workplace. This, in turn, can create barriers for those seeking support and help.","type":"text"},{"_id":"YYUNDBH77BE55NMC4JMOHERS34","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319349},"content":"“Breaking the stigma surrounding addiction in the workplace is crucial for creating a more supportive and understanding environment,” says Cassidy. “Thankfully we are more educated and open about addiction as a society. However, there remains a stigma and shame associated with addiction.","type":"text"},{"_id":"G2GBYCX5CNGNLL2IRJTGXCHV2Q","additional_properties":{"_id":1697547808059},"content":"“Co-workers’ opinions and beliefs can be informed by society in general and their own experiences of addiction at home or growing up. This can lead to harsh judgements or a process of enabling the addict in the mistaken belief that this is helping.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"MI5ETSFRYFBOVISFA347Y6M2NM","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319350},"content":"Cassidy highlights some measures employers can take when supporting an employee. “Providing education about addiction, its causes and effects, can help dispel misconceptions and reduce stigma,” he says. “Workshops, seminars and informational resources can contribute to a better understanding of addiction as a medical condition rather than a moral failing.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"G2UVLU3NG5DJVBVVO52KLSIKFQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319351},"content":"Employee assistance programmes (EAPs) have become an important resource for companies, with a vast range of supports available to employees including for those struggling with addiction. Ensuring employees are aware that these supports exist and that they are confidential in nature is vital for employees to pursue support and not feel as though there is a threat to their job security.","type":"text"},{"_id":"NCLFLRSI7ZHIFNYOOOZFR2CFLI","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319352},"content":"Furthermore, Cassidy emphasises the importance of developing clear policies that address substance-use disorders and mental health issues in a compassionate and fair manner. “These policies should focus on support and treatment rather than punitive measures,” he says. Employees should feel understood and supported, and “comfortable discussing their challenges, including addiction, without fear of retribution. Encourage open conversations about mental health and wellbeing.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"Q4R27RT46ZD3PLYCUPOJD2YU7Y","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319353},"content":"Training for managers from the top down, including educating leaders on the signs of addiction and how to approach an employee in a sensitive and supportive manner, is important in order to connect employees with the appropriate resources to guide them to recovery. As such, when discussing addiction in the workplace Cassidy also recommends encouraging the use of non-judgmental and empathetic language when discussing addiction and avoiding derogatory terms or stereotypes that perpetuate stigma.","type":"text"},{"_id":"LW6FU54BGJB2ZO2FAI2TP7PNCI","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319354},"content":"“Management and leadership play a critical role in shaping workplace culture,” says Cassidy. “When leaders openly acknowledge the challenges of addiction and the importance of support it sets a tone of empathy and understanding. When leaders and managers share their own experiences or demonstrate empathy and support it can encourage others to do the same.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"2HNSXELNC5AR5MMKTUVIPL77I4","additional_properties":{"_id":"YVPKTKJ2GZH2PEVDRHSBDHXNS4"},"type":"image"},{"_id":"XBG5QWKJQVGANDMGDEC7XJH3DU","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319355},"content":"Employers do not have to build these supports on their own, and Cassidy recommends collaborating with mental health professionals, addiction specialists and organisations that focus on reducing addiction stigma and supporting employees in finding a route to treatment and recovery. “Its important employers get HR advice on this issue before dealing with an employee,” says Cassidy. “Their expertise can provide guidance on best practice.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"QRTJVHKEFFDSDAR73KD42WTDTM","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319356},"content":"Cassidy points out that in order to break the stigma surrounding addiction in the workplace employers must actively encourage and create a “culture of empathy, understanding, and support” within all departments from leadership to HR departments and to all employees. In doing so they create “environments where individuals feel safe seeking help for their addiction-related challenges”.","type":"text"},{"_id":"5FFNPHKTNJGGXLZRZDQIKSNPBY","additional_properties":{"_id":1697551533532},"content":"“Recognise and celebrate the achievements of individuals who are in recovery. This can help shift the narrative from focusing solely on the negative aspects of addiction to highlighting the strength and resilience of those in recovery.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DPHHVRD5KJDAJN2LEEVRGQNXJM","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319357},"content":"Companies, employers, and leaders can provide necessary support by ensuring confidentiality for an employee who is struggling; showing empathy and genuine concern for their issues; highlighting availability and access to resources, programmes, counselling and treatment options; offering flexible working arrangements or additional time off if needed; actively supporting employees with a support plan; providing open communication and educating all concerned; offering continued support; and by celebrating an employee’s recovery milestones.","type":"text"},{"_id":"MS5GPZDWJZEIDDZHBHTQXGVN2U","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319358},"content":"“My advice is focused on the best approach for someone who wants help with an addiction and is not HR advice,” says Cassidy. “If an employee is seeking help with an addiction then it is important to be open and encouraging with them. It takes a world of painful experiences for anyone in addiction to seek help. Non-judgemental and compassion are key ingredients here. We see many people being supported by employers to come to treatment by financially supporting them through covering the costs of treatment and allowing them the 4-5 weeks to complete the programme. If financial support is not possible then affording them the time off to complete treatment or attend appointments is a key feature of support, as well as continuing support upon returning to work.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"PAXXOFLSK5FFVDUBV4FS2ACW5A","additional_properties":{"_id":1694687319359},"content":"Finally, Cassidy calls upon employers to remember that everyone’s situation is unique. “It’s important to tailor the approach to the employee’s needs and preferences. Providing a supportive environment can make a significant difference in an employee’s journey toward recovery and their ability to continue contributing to the workplace in a meaningful way.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"KVB3CBYYDRAPFA742JT35HQ5EQ","additional_properties":{"_id":1697789563348},"content":"Contacts","type":"header"},{"_id":"IZMRLO425VBKLMYLM46PGETURE","additional_properties":{},"type":"list"},{"_id":"GMBE4Y62LNBQLJIDIK3L5KF5YY","additional_properties":{"_id":1697789563350},"content":"Addiction series","type":"header"},{"_id":"JF67TEQ4TNF2VEZ2RI5CDVSLX4","additional_properties":{},"type":"list"}],"content_restrictions":{"content_code":"premium"},"credits":{"by":[{"additional_properties":{"original":{"byline":"Geraldine Walsh"}},"name":"Geraldine Walsh"}]},"description":{"basic":"Being prepared to manage addiction in the workplace is not solely for the benefit of a company, but is also vitally important for the mental and physical health of a quality 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