Platform55

A round-up of November at team Platform55 - and discover why this month we've had a win for EVERYONE who is trying to juggle family life with work! We hope you enjoy this months read - let us know what you think!

This year, we've loved supporting the Women in Infrastructure (WIN Ireland) team this year. Last week co-founder Michelle O'Keeffe joined the WIN Ireland Network, hosted by ESB to discuss ‘Building Talent for Tomorrow’. Thanks to Jenna Davis and the team at WIN Ireland for your support, and the work you're doing to drive equality across different Industries. Looking forward to what 2025 brings! #GenderEquality #Sustainability #Culture Image is of Michelle standing at a podium talking, wearing a black skirt and boots and cream top.

What does the future of work look like? Will we all have an AI companion in the years to come? And will we ever be able to 'break up' with them? Dr Lollie Mancey had everyone on the edge of their seats at our Platform55 Summit earlier this month as she gave us a whistle-stop tour of the tech-driven change we can expect to see in the future. 💡 Many more of us will live alone in the future, and technology will play a huge role in meeting our human need for connection 💡 Individuals will be looking for purpose-driven work, as they are free to migrate between jobs and locations. 💡 Leadership of the future will be less about control and more about inspiring, coaching and creating a purpose-driven culture where work-life balance is integral. These are just some of the many insights we took away. If you haven't yet tuned in to Lollie's RTE Documentary 'Futureville' we recommend you take a look - it's fascinating! One of our Platform55 Summit highlights, and that's saying something as there were many! #futureofwork #leadership #culture Image is of Dr Lollie Mancey wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and jewellery, standing at a podium delivering a keynote speech

We gave Dr Declan Bogan a tough gig when he spoke at our Platform55 summit earlier this month. He was tasked with giving our audience a comprehensive overview of what HRs role is when it comes to driving sustainability in their organisations - in just 20 minutes! And he didn't disappoint! Declan outlined some key points: ✨ When you fix the 'S' in your workforce (Social) then the G (Governance) and E (Environment) get easier ✨ Social sustainability is now as big a focus as environmental sustainability ✨ Watch out for 'washing'... people making claims about what they're doing to address like gender equality, sustainability, and other types of equality in the workplace, without any tangible evidence ✨ Are your leaders upskilled in building social sustainability? ✨ Ask questions - get curious - for example, what is your pension fund being invested in? Are you happy with where your money is being used? Thank you Declan for an action-packed, insightful, and practical session. Image is of Dr Declan Bogan standing on stage at the Platform55 Summit. #ESG #HR #Sustainability

Happy International Mens Day! Today we're running an event for our Members. It's for Dads and we'll be discussing all things Family, Work, and Wellness. A huge thanks to our Dads from Tughans LLP, Kerry, and Danske Bank who will be sharing their experiences about how they balance fatherhood with their Careers. Opening up these conversations is SO important. At our Summit earlier this month, Elliott Rae shared how 1 in 5 Men don't have a close friend to confide in, and that men often carry an unseen mental load in 'The Man Box'. We know from our own work and research that many Dads still feel unable to 'Parent Out Loud'. That there's a stigma around men and caring roles. We're here to change things. If you'd like to know more about the work we do, drop us a DM. #InternationalMensDay #IMD2024 #GenderEquality

Elliott Rae had a terrible time at our Platform55 Summit last week. He really didn't enjoy it at all - I mean check out these pictures! Jokes aside. Where do we begin? He had the entire audience of 200+ HR professionals on the edge of their seats, making us laugh and cry. He challenged our thinking. He inspired. He made us believe not only that change is possible, but that we can all be a part of it. Elliott is a master storyteller, and the impact of his Keynote will last for a very long time. There are so many things that resonated, It's hard to capture them in a short post, but we'll try: 💡 Statutory Paternity Leave was introduced in Ireland in 2016. Man was put on the Moon in the 1960s. We need to catch up and explore Men's role in caring. 🤷♂️ Dinosaurs DO still exist 🙋♀️ Even in households where a hetrosexual couple both work, women do 4 hours more housework, and 8 hours more childcare a week - we need to readdress this balance. 🙍♂️ 1 in 5 Men don't have a friend to talk to. We need to support men to talk and share 👶 Gender Equality benefits everyone. Women thrive in their career. Men thrive at home and live longer. Children benefit from having involved fathers/ father figures 🙋♂️ We need more men to Parent Out Loud and be role models All of our attendees did a fabulous job of capturing their own insights - and if we've missed a key point - do add them below in the comments! Thanks to New Ireland Assurance for sponsoring Elliott to be our keynote. Oh, and yes, we did introduce him to a 'Glass of Guinness' and he confirms it tastes WAY better in Ireland! Images are of Elliott, and Platform55 co-fouders Michelle and Tracy laughing, and Elliott addressing the packed theatre

✅ Sales Manager ✅ Parent ⚽ Footballer 🏆 Legend Who better to talk about balancing a career, parenthood, and elite sport than Julie-Ann Russell? Michelle caught up with Julie-Ann at our Summit last week to hear how, fresh off maternity leave, she’s playing the game of her life—on and off the field. Here’s what she had to say: Support is Key: Thanks to backing from her employer, her husband, and her family, Julie-Ann is able to be fully present on the pitch, knowing her bases are covered. Flexibility Makes It Possible: Julie-Ann credits her ability to juggle it all to her employer’s flexibility and her partner’s support. They make it possible for her to give her best at work, at home, and on the field. Motherhood Fuels Her Drive: Julie-Ann’s passion and ambition are stronger than ever. Her short window to pursue her sport inspires her to give it everything she’s got, and to be a great role model for her daughter Rosie. Let’s remember: motherhood doesn’t change ambition—it powers it. 💪 Wishing Julie-Ann, and the Ireland Team all the very best in their upcoming game 🙌 #Motherhood #Parenting #Career #GenderEquality Image is of Julie-Ann sitting on a sofa wearing a cream waistcoat holding a microphone and smiling.

Just when we thought things couldn't get any better after our Summit last week - last night co-founders Michelle and Tracy won #ThePitch competition run by IMAGE Media and Samsung Electronics. Winning this is transformational for us. Not only will we be able to reach new customers with the marketing campaign with IMAGE Media, our remote-first team will all have new Samsung Electronics kit to work from, and we'll get expert advice and mentoring from entrepreneur Bobby Kerr. The judges recognized our 'purpose, passion, and potential', and having had to pitch against 11 impressive finalists, this is the biggest accolade. Thank you to all of the judges - Caroline Hirons, Áine Kerr, Jamie Heaslip, Clodagh Edwards and Annika Bizon - you have no idea what this means to us. Now, we have work to do - let's go! #ThePitch #GenderEquality Image is of Clodagh Edwards of Image, Tracy and Michelle and Annika Bizon of Samsung on-stage after the winner was announced.

Just when we thought things couldn't get any better after our Summit last week - last night co-founders Michelle and Tracy won #ThePitch competition run by IMAGE Media and Samsung Electronics. Winning this is transformational for us. Not only will we be able to reach new customers with the marketing campaign with IMAGE Media, our remote-first team will all have new Samsung Electronics kit to work from, and we'll get expert advice and mentoring from entrepreneur Bobby Kerr. The judges recognized our 'purpose, passion, and potential', and having had to pitch against 11 impressive finalists, this is the biggest accolade. Thank you to all of the judges - Caroline Hirons, Áine Kerr, Jamie Heaslip, Clodagh Edwards and Annika Bizon - you have no idea what this means to us. Now, we have work to do - let's go! #ThePitch #GenderEquality Image is of Clodagh Edwards of Image, Tracy and Michelle and Annika Bizon of Samsung on-stage after the winner was announced.

What did we discover during our latest research in Sept-Oct 2024? We surveyed over 500 individuals (and the results are still coming in) across a range of sectors. We kicked off our Summit last week by presenting some of the key findings and will be sharing a full report in the coming weeks. Have a look below to discover 💡 What's holding people back from taking the next step in their career? 💡 How are people feeling as they try to balance work, family, and their own wellbeing? 💡 Who believes there is a genuine desire to drive equality (and who doesn't?) Let us know what you think. Any surprises in there? #GenderEquality #Career #HR #Culture