Staying connected
The working environment has undergone a huge change in recent years with many companies moving away from the traditional office space and opting instead for a more flexible, fluid and altogether diverse alternative
Since the onset of the Pandemic, remote working has become commonplace, but in a post-Covid world, it has become apparent that while having the flexibility to work outside the office is beneficial, it can lead to feelings of isolation if all communication between colleagues is conducted virtually – and this is where www.connectedhubs.ie comes in.
Connected Hubs is providing quality workspaces for companies across the country, which not only cater for remote workers, but also provides opportunity for businesses to expand seamlessly in over 300 different locations.
Stephen Carolan, National Hub Network Programme Manager at Connected Hubs says that the Network ‘offers an opportunity for businesses to have a presence in multiple locations around the country’.
“We believe this can play an important role in talent attraction and retention for organisations,” he said. “It also means more people can live and build a career in rural Ireland. Having more workers based in hubs around Ireland contributes to the local economy and also the local community.
Darren Muldoon can attest to the advantages of utilising hubs to support expansion. As site lead for Liberty IT Galway’s operation, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance, his role is to help build and support teams in their new hub.
Based in the PorterShed, a Connected Hub location, he and his team have found the whole set up and subsequent running of the new hub location to be efficient, seamless, and ideal for their company’s needs to begin their growth journey in Galway.
“For us, the PorterShed offers us both the room for our developers to work individually when they come into the office from a dedicated bank of desks,” he said. “But also, meeting rooms where we can come together and whiteboard complex technological problems. And there is an innovation and townhall space that we can use for wider meetings or to bring in external partners and companies.”
PorterShed’s support of the wider meet-up environment is also a huge bonus for the Liberty IT team, who specialise in Cloud Native development, which involves the software approach of building and managing modern applications in cloud computing environments.
“Our team have a wide interest in a lot of areas in technology,” said Muldoon. “For instance, at a recent meet-up, we spoke about the need for sustainable engineering practices and how we can support that in our day-to-day work. And the space here in PorterShed not only has a lot of their own events scheduled but gives us the chance to host meet-ups in a dedicated space and to bring in our colleagues and speakers from around Ireland to join in the discussions and to share knowledge.
“The team in the Hub are really exceptional – and they think of every detail or element that can help companies like us who are based here. There was a networking morning recently so that everyone working here could meet up and connect – and for our team who have started recently, this was a great opportunity to meet new people and to start feeling part of the wider Hub.”
Stephen Carolan, Connected Hubs, invites businesses to rethink their hybrid-working and business expansion plans. “As businesses test out hybrid working policies we would like to point to another option to the home office and the HQ, and this the third H: the local hub. If you are interested in learning more about the Connected Hubs network, please get in touch and a member of the team will be happy to assist.“
Operated by The National Hub Network, Connected Hubs is a key commitment in Our Rural Future, the Government of Ireland’s national policy for rural Ireland. It offers direct access to over 300 hubs in 26 counties. Launched in May 2021, it is designed to ‘simplify and standardise the process of sourcing and booking spaces, desks, offices and events in hubs across the country for anything from a day to a year or more’.
Connected Hubs is managed by the Western Development Commission, in conjunction with the Department of Rural and Community Development.
For more information visit www.connectedhubs.ie email info@connectedhubs.ie or call 094 986 1441
