Press: Vodafone, SFA & Abodoo join forces to help firms embrace smart working

As covered in SiliconRepublic, we’re delighted to be working with our wonderful partners at Vodafone and with the Small Firms Association (SFA) to help companies embrace smart working and the future of work.

A series of workshops and Open Conversations will be held between January and April 2019 in Siro-powered co-working spaces across Ireland, including: The Mill in Drogheda, The Hatch Lab in Gorey, PorterShed in Galway, Republic of Work in Cork and the Bank of Ireland Workbench in Limerick.

Following on from our recent collaboration with our partners at Vodafone on the industry report The Future of Business in Ireland: A Conversation with SMEs, we’re looking forward to participating in these workshops on smart working.

Local economy boost

The purpose of the workshops will be to equip regional business owners with relevant knowledge on areas such as HR, business growth, increasing revenues, and attracting and retaining top talent through smart working.

“We believe that smart or flexible working is the next frontier for SMEs,” said Treasa Doran, head of small business at Vodafone Ireland. “By adapting to new ways of working and using the technology available to them to create more efficient operating models, SMEs can attract and retain top talent, reduce costs, and increase productivity.

“It also has the added benefit of supporting the local economy and decreasing carbon emissions through a reduction in long commuting times for employees.”

Results from a global New Rules of Business survey commissioned by Vodafone showed that 63pc of Irish business leaders see customer expectations as the area of most profound change over the last five years. This is followed by changes in the competitive landscape at 50pc, and talent attraction and retention at 33pc.

“Our regional workshops with Vodafone and Abodoo will help small businesses to future-proof their business in a rapidly changing environment. Our recent survey finds that 70pc of our members recognise that smart working will benefit their business; it improves productivity and enhances employee engagement.” Sven Spollen-Behrens of the SFA.

Read full article here: SiliconRepublic