Barry Walsh is a Equality , Diversity and Inclusion advocate who writes a great blog which is a hub for celebrating people, companies and programmes that are championing Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in society and the workplace.
We were delighted to be included in one of his interviews as champions of flexible work in Ireland.
Here is the article:
After living abroad for over 20 years, Karen O’Reilly returned to West Cork in 2013, bringing with her over two decades of experience in Finance and Management and a desire for flexible work to accommodate her family commitments. With her husband’s job requiring him to be away for nine months each year, Karen needed a work arrangement that allowed her to be present for her children, then 8 and 6 years old, as they adjusted to a new country, school, and language. However, her search for such flexibility proved unfruitful. This struggle highlighted a broader issue: many parents were exiting the workforce due to the lack of flexible job options. This realisation sparked the idea for Employmum, an initiative focused on educating employers about the benefits of flexible work to access a broader talent pool. Despite initial challenges in gaining client support, the demand from candidates was overwhelming. Today, Employmum successfully connects skilled professionals seeking flexible work with forward-thinking employers. This journey of nurturing talent and promoting flexibility led to the expansion of their mission with Employflex, reinforcing their commitment to creating a more adaptable and inclusive workforce for all.
What inspired you to start Employmum and Employflex? Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked the idea?
After living abroad for over 20 years, I returned to live in West Cork in 2013 – a qualified accountant with over 20 years experience in Finance and Management roles, I sought flexible work as my husband worked abroad for 9 months of the year. I wanted something flexible to be there for my children who were 8 and 6 at the time and were adjusting to a new country/school/language.
My search was fruitless and I realised that there were many parents in the market who were dropping out of the workplace because of the lack of flexibility on offer from employers. Employmum was born and we focused on educating employers about the benefits of flexible work to reach a wider talent pool – there was a huge demand from the candidate side – getting clients on board was trickier, but we gradually built the brand and now have a database of fabulous candidates seeking flexile work and great clients who offer genuine flexibility.
The concept of flexible work is central to your mission. Can you explain why flexibility in the workplace is so crucial, especially for parents and caregivers?
We have spoken to thousands of parents over the years here at Employmum and Employflex and the one thing they want is the flexibility to remain in their career and stay in the workplace. Everyone experiences life’s curve balls at some stage – an empathetic employer who understands this can ensure that these curveballs don’t result in people being left with no choice but to quit their jobs.
It makes sense on every level – financial, equitable and human. It’s ludicrous that an educated, skilled, experienced employee would leave a gap in your organisation just because your company won’t entertain reduced hours or a more flexible schedule. We believe that savvy SMEs in Ireland can gain competitive advantage now by offering flexible work over the ‘greedy jobs’ culture of the corporate giants. A win- win for all.
With the rise of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have you seen a shift in attitudes towards flexible working arrangements? How has this impacted your business?
Pre-covid, we felt that a sizable part of our role was in educating organisations about flexible work – what it was ( part time, remote work, hybrid work, term time, compressed hours, annualised hours etc ) and how it could work for employers and employees. Now, at least, post covid, organisations have had a taste of working flexibly and there is certainly more of an acceptance and awareness of what flexible work is.
From the employees side, the demand has greatly increased as people have had a taste for flexible work and they can see that it can work and in many cases, they can be more productive and happier employees.
The recent EU directives on the right to request flexible and remote work are definite steps in the right direction too. In reality though, flexibility will depend on the culture of an organisation and a company’s cultural reputation will far outweigh any laws or PR spin that may have about being family friendly and flexible. People will eventually vote with their feet.
Employmum offers various programs and workshops. Can you share a success story of how one of these initiatives significantly impacted a candidate’s career?
When we commenced Employmum, we were spending a lot of time on the phone with candidates counselling and coaching – we decided ( as we were not qualified to do either at the time ) to bring on a panel of coaches to support our candidates where needed. We spent some time handpicking our life and career coaches who offer tremendous support to our candidates if they are returning to work after a period or at a crossroads in their career.
Pre-covid, we held Back to Work career workshops throughout Ireland which were always over subscribed – we brought these online during Covid ( a range of topics that can be viewed on Youtube ).
The greatest job satisfaction is seeing someone go from self doubt and a place of uncertainty and blossoming into a confident returner ready to take on the world. We recently had a lady who had been out of work for over 15 years caring for her children ( one had special needs ). She wanted to go back to work as an accountant and was a qualified with 10 years experience pre kids. We reached out to one of our clients who offered her a flexible Returnship package and she is now in her second year back, already climbing the ladder.
We have hundreds of thank you cards in our office – this is why we do it.
How do you collaborate with companies to ensure they understand the benefits of offering flexible work options and create supportive environments for their employees?
We offer flexible work audits which a number of companies have completed in partnership with us. This involves interviews with managers of each department and a confidential survey of all staff. We also investigate an organisation’s appeal to a diverse range of candidates with a review of job specs and design of roles, a review of website and company’s messaging and social media.
We also offer a flexible place to work accreditation to companies who are authentically flexible.
This year, we also launched the most flexible boss in Ireland competition which was a lot of fun.
Our main focus is recruitment and finding flexible roles with companies and matching them with our database of highly motivated candidates who seek flexibility. In this way, we can genuinely help level the playing field in the workplace.
You recently completed a Level 9 Masters in Master of Business in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Why did you think it was necessary to complete this course? and what learnings have you taken from it and applied to your businesses?
My work at Employmum and Employflex is deeply rooted in finding an equitable way to work for everyone in society. Initially driven by a personal need for flexibility myself, we have been inspired by all the wonderful people we have met along the way who, given the opportunity, could remain in the workplace and/or manage their careers in a more sustainable way.
While we have been focused on gender equality, doing the Masters in EDI really opened my eyes to others in society who are marginalised and how we can carve out a workplace where everyone has a fair shot at succeeding, in whatever shape that looks like for them.
Looking ahead, what are your future plans for Employmum and Employflex?
We really want to continue working with open minded empathetic employers who are authentically offering flexibility and match them with our candidates. Helping candidates to find that flexible job is the best job satisfaction for us.
Link here