The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way we work, and remote working has become a popular solution for employers and employees alike. Grow Remote is an Irish social enterprise that aims to bring remote job opportunities to Ireland, revitalizing rural communities. They provide training programs for both remote workers and managers to deal with hybrid teams. Their first in-person summit is taking place on June 8th and 9th.
According to John Evoy, general manager of Grow Remote, many companies are uncertain about the best way to move forward in the post-pandemic world. Some argue that team productivity, networking, and communication can suffer when working remotely. Despite this, remote work has proven to be just as productive, if not more so, during the pandemic.
One remote worker who has benefitted from Grow Remote is Denise Kelly. After being a full-time parent for years, Kelly found a part-time administration job through Grow Remote’s Slack digital noticeboard while doing one of their free online courses. Although working remotely can be lonely at times, she says it has given her a confidence boost. Kelly has also learned to set boundaries, such as not checking emails outside of work hours.
Another remote worker, Kim Gray Ennis, returned to Ireland during the pandemic and began working for ChangeX, a social enterprise with staff in different parts of the world. While working remotely can require more effort to meet people, Gray Ennis has found it to be a good fit for her work/life balance.
Co-working spaces, such as the connectedhubs.ie initiative, provide remote workers with alternatives to working from home. Denis Jastrzebski, who runs his digital marketing agency remotely, says that meeting other remote workers is great for networking. However, he emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries to avoid burnout.
While remote working has many benefits, property prices in rural areas have increased due to the influx of remote workers. One solution suggested by Gray Ennis is legislation around Airbnb. Overall, the new way of working requires trust, commitment, and responsible communication standards.