Ibec Podcasts

Dr Kara McGann, Head of Social Policy at Ibec, has advice for employers and employees trying to balance working from home with caring for family members. We cover:

The different kinds of personal circumstances that employees may be trying to cope with alongside working from home;

How employers can find out who may need extra support;

Creative and effective ways to facilitate employees who have caring duties, while also being fair to those who don’t;

Powerful ways to communicate with your workforce.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Maeve McElwee, Director of Employer Relations at Ibec, on the recently-announced government support package and what it means for employers and their employees. Maeve also talks about:

Why it is so important to stay connected with staff;

Why agility and flexibility are now more valuable than ever before;

Remote work - we’ve replicated the meeting room, now it’s time to replicate the water cooler;

Why it is important to keep planning even in uncertain times.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec, on the need to move quickly but carefully right now.  

Topics covered:

Why 2008 was a very different crisis;

The danger of narrowing global supply chains in favour of self-sufficiency;

Why this crisis has made Ibec’s idea of a new ‘social dialogue’ even more important;

What we need to do today to make tomorrow’s bill more affordable;

The challenges of choosing which businesses are ‘essential’ and which are not;

Why those who don’t need to be out on the streets need to be off the streets.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Siobhan Masterson and Fergal O’Brien of Ibec on the next steps required to reduce the crisis of the Covid-19 shock and to ensure as much business continuity as possible. Other points covered include:

How other governments have reacted to the crisis – and what Ireland can learn from them;

What percentage of of worker’s salaries must the government cover?

How to keep money flowing through companies in a crisis like this;

The need for ambition and big thinking; 

Protecting self-employed income.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Irish Times columnist and author Fintan O’Toole joins Ibec CEO Danny McCoy for a wide-ranging discussion and analysis of Ireland’s business, societal and political landscape in the aftermath of the ground-breaking General Election 2020. With the composition of the next Government still unclear, they discuss the approaches that may be needed to deliver on the expectations of the electorate including calls for a new social dialogue and a Commission on Taxation.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Maeve McElwee, Director of Employer Relations at Ibec and Michael Doherty, Professor of Law, Maynooth University on parental leave, retirement age, the ‘right to disconnect’, and other challenges facing business in the new world of work. Also, Margaret Cox of the ICE Group on introducing a four-day week, and John Keaney of Siro on why a fibre network will transform Ireland. Topics covered include: The impact on businesses and employees of digitalisation, automation, and AI; Concerns about recent government approach to labour market legislation; Navigating new rules around parental leave, retirement age and the ‘right to disconnect’; Encouraging more dialogue between employers and employees.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Gary McGann, Chair at Flutter plc and Sharon Higgins, Director of Member Services at Ibec discuss business regulation in Ireland and the need for reform. Also, Oliver Loomes of Diageo Ireland has four messages for the next government; and Tony Neary of Medtronic Ireland on Medtech, talent, and helping Galway to grow. Topics covered include: The impact of two-tier regulation (EU and Domestic) on Irish business; Why short-term politics is bad for long-term success; A call for the government to back the rollout of 5G; Why regulators and business need to work more closely to achieve better outcomes.  

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Lorna FitzPatrick, President, Union of Students in Ireland; Jim Miley, Director General, Irish Universities Association; and Claire McGee, Head of Education and Innovation Policy at Ibec, discuss their vision for an education system that will underpin Ireland’s future success. Also, Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director for Accenture Ireland, on putting a love of learning ahead of the ‘arms race’ for points. Topics covered include: Universities are like small cities – let’s fund them accordingly; Striking the balance between accountability and reform in Universities ; How we can spark a love of lifelong learning; Creating a more agile approach to the delivery of education. 

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.

Kieran McCorry, Microsoft Ireland; Liz McCarthy, Scale Ireland; and Erik O’Donovan, Ibec on why Ireland needs a Minister for Digital Affairs to capitalise on opportunities in AI, Cloud technology, and Cyber Security. Also, Sean Moran of Sanmina on how his son became the world’s youngest ever Mac app developer at the age of 12. Topics covered include: How Ireland can become an world leader in digital development; Why business and government are failing to grasp the big AI opportunity; The global threats to Ireland’s digital rankings; How a 12 yr old boy from Cork became the world’s youngest Mac App developer – and why CoderDojo was central his success.

Thank you for listening. To explore all of Ibec's podcast offering, visit here.