In 2018, a small but dedicated team of volunteers initiated a WhatsApp group with the aim of providing support to individuals engaged in remote work within local and rural communities.This quickly began to blossom and after creating a website, holding in-person in different chapters throughout Ireland, creating a social enterprise, training employers on the benifits of remote working or post the job adverts of those who are already involved in remote work. Today, Grow Remote has undergone a remarkable transformation, boasting a workforce of 10 full-time employees and fostering the growth of over 50 local ‘chapters’ not only in Ireland but also extending its influence beyond national borders.
I interview Joanne Mangan, Community Manager of Grow Remote to find out more:
- How did Grow Remote begin? Why was the company created as a social enterprise?
Grow Remote began life in 2018 as a WhatsApp group set up by a small group of volunteers who had the idea that remote working could be transformative for local communities – by removing location as a barrier to employment. This was before COVID when remote working was not in the mainstream and most people who worked remotely were either freelancers or employees who were lucky enough to have a one-off deal to work from home. The founders of Grow Remote discovered that there were companies like Gitlab, Shopify and others who were hiring without location, but these companies were not well known in Ireland. They decided to come together to drive more awareness of remote job opportunities in local communities and to advocate for increased availability of remote working opportunities.
We were created as a social enterprise as we have a social mission, to make remote work visible and accessible to local communities.
2. What has the company grown to now, in terms of staff and its community?
We have grown from a small volunteer-led organisation to a team of 10 full time employees. We also have a really engaged community of over 50 local ‘chapters’ across Ireland and beyond. Our community is at the heart of what we do, the chapters are doing great work on the ground in their local towns and villages spreading the word about remote job opportunities and bringing people together socially to connect with each other.
3. Can you tell us briefly about the different services Grow Remote offers? From an employer training, employee and community point of view?
Grow Remote has 3 impact goals – to build local communities, to land remote jobs in local communities and to support companies to transition to a remote-first model – and our services are all designed to achieve one or more of these impact goals. Our core services fall under two main categories – training and events. Under training we offer fully funded programmes for people managers, employees and job seekers. For managers we offer Leading Remote Teams, for employees we have Thriving Remotely and for job seekers we offer Remote Work Ready. . Each programme focuses on the key skills needed to work well remotely, such as communication, collaboration, career development, performance management and change management. More details of our training programmes can be found at www.growremote.ie/training.
We also have a range of events, including in-person social events around the country through our chapter network, where remote and hybrid workers can come together to meet new people and connect with each other in their local area. We regularly hold online ‘Career Club’ events for remote job seekers where they can meet with remote employers and hear about new remote job opportunities.
4. At a high level, what has been some of Grow Remote’s impact since launching?
We recently made public our Impact and Activities Dashboard which highlights our impact to date. We are very proud to say we have supported over 70 companies to transition to remote working, built 50+ local communities that are busy spreading the word about remote work and bringing people together locally, and empowered over 60 individuals to secure remote employment.
5. What marketing does Grow Remote do to help build the community and make the the community feel less isolated?
We run social events in local communities so that remote workers have the opportunity to get together and meet new people. Remote working can be isolating for some people so it’s really important that remote workers have opportunities to connect with others in their community in real life. We regularly share upcoming events on our social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram – and via a monthly newsletter to our community. Our chapter leads also promote events in the local media and through word of mouth. Social events are open to all remote and hybrid workers and we run these all around the country. Anyone interested in joining an event can find one near them at www.growremote.ie/events.
6. Being a social enterprise, what state agencies, Irish or international funds or organisations has Grow Remote worked with to grow its mission and help fund the Enterprise?
In 2020 we received €500K funding from Enterprise Ireland under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund. Other organisations that have funded our mission are the IDA, Western Development Commission, Solas and Social Entrepreneurs Ireland. Our training programmes are funded by the Laois Offaly Education and Training Board which enables us to provide this training to learners free of charge. We are very thankful for all the support and help we have received from a wide range of organisations and stakeholders who recognise the potential for remote working to make a difference in people’s lives.
7. Have Grow Remote worked with any organisations in Diversity and Inclusion in Ireland to help achieve its mission?
We are very passionate about the opportunity remote work offers to improve diversity and inclusion, for example for people with disabilities, women with caring responsibilities, and any other groups who would have struggled to succeed in a traditional 9-5 office environment. We recently partnered with the Open Doors Initiative on a new Remote and Hybrid Playbook for Social Enterprises. The Open Doors Initiative is doing amazing work to make workplaces more inclusive and they have also carried out some really interesting research on remote working and people with disabilities. We have also worked with Mental Health Ireland, WorkEqual and have provided remote work ready training to many other non-profit organisations who are doing great work in Ireland to promote better diversity and inclusion.
8. Perhaps no other company in Ireland was better placed to be at the right place at the right time when the pandemic began. Can you tell us how the Covid-19 affected the company from the beginning and during the early part of the pandemic?
When Covid-19 hit,thousands of companies across the country were forced to implement remote working as an emergency response. There was no time for them to plan this transition, which created a lot of challenges for employers and employees. We were well placed to support companies and their employees during this period as we were able to develop training programmes to address these challenges and support companies and their employees. The biggest challenges were around keeping people feeling connected when working remotely, how to communicate effectively when people were not meeting face to face every day and how to maintain a strong culture in a remote environment. We had developed a strong network of remote-first companies such as Shopify and eBay who had already been working remotely so were able to share best practices with other organisations who were struggling with the transition. We also saw a big increase in the number of people looking for remote opportunities, as they were able to see the benefit remote working could bring to their lives, by enabling them to live and work from anywhere in Ireland.
9. How has the return to work and job losses in the tech sector affected remote working since the easing of the restrictions began?
There have been some high profile stories in the media recently about companies bringing people back to the office and we have also seen an increase in tech layoffs and hiring freezes over the past few months. However, we are still seeing a huge appetite for remote working, both from employees and employers, who see the benefits for their business and for the wider community. We are working with companies all across Ireland who are implementing remote working policies and we expect this to continue for the long term. We know that remote working can be challenging to implement and we are very focused on doing everything we can to support organisations on the journey.
10. Outside of the companies you work with, are there any other companies in the The Diversity and Inclusion sector in Ireland that Grow Remote are big fans of?
There are so many fantastic organisations in Ireland that are driving more diverse and inclusive workplaces. We are big fans of Employability who are doing great work supporting people with disabilities to get into employment and Employflex who work with people with caring responsibilities who need flexibility but also want to access good employment opportunities.