Latest news with #EimearByrne
Irish Independent
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Louth boss Kevin Larkin says no patting themselves on the back ‘just yet' after semi-final win
It was a cagey enough opening to the game but once Louth moved into the lead, boosted by Eimear Byrne's goal, the floodgates started to open. 'We know the more patient we are, we will wear down defences because we've great players like Aoife Russell, Eimear Byrne and Kate Flood who will unlock defences so it was all about when that chance came - we took it and in fairness to Eimear, she took a great goal,' said Larkin. 'It's a great feeling and these days are to be enjoyed as well like you know but, we're still in the hunt for that [All-Ireland] trophy so we won't pat ourselves on the back just yet.' With a big lead at the break, Larkin acknowledged the message to his players was to stay focused, not do anything differently and to try and push on in the second half but also, that they needed to tidy up a bit. 'There was a few fist passes and just basic unforced errors that was just a bit silly,' said Larkin. 'It gave Longford a bit of momentum but to be fair to the girls, when they came out in the second half, they tidied that up, they tagged on a few scores and it was just a great performance.' Louth have a few weeks to prepare for the All-Ireland Final which takes place on August 3 in Croke Park (11.45am throw-in). The chance of a Junior Football Championship crown is what Larkin set as his side's main goal at the start of the season – he has that one big objective still to fulfil. 'Look, it's great to get to Croke Park and that's good in itself but we still have unfinished business there and like I said before, we won't be happy until we're watching Áine Breen [Louth captain] walk up the steps and that doesn't change,' said the Louth boss. 'We still have a job to do and I'm just looking forward to the next three weeks because it's a nice thing to have, to be preparing for an All-Ireland final, but by God will we be prepared.' A lot of 'hurt inside from last year' For Aoife Russell too, there is some unfinished business in Croke Park and while she acknowledged there was a lot of 'hurt inside from last year', when Louth lost by a point in the final to Fermanagh, she wants to go back and rewrite the wrongs of 2024. 'We know what we're capable of as a group, we don't believe that we should be playing at the 11.45am time in Croke Park in three weeks, so now we just need to go back there and prove to everyone that we do deserve to be playing at intermediate and go beyond that and play at senior level in the near future,' said Aoife. 'Without being any way cocky, we just believe that we can go further, we deserve to be there and that's the end goal at the end of the day, to keep powering on and to keep pushing on. 'Especially for the younger girls coming through and then the girls coming from the under 16s and minor level, we know that we believe and we deserve to be up playing at a higher level so that is the end goal at the end of the day.' In terms of the Longford game, while the sides were matched in the opening stages once Louth got a run at them, they showed their quality in what was, for the most part, a commanding performance. 'We came here today with utmost respect for Longford,' Aoife said. 'We knew they were going to put it up to us. We knew that at the end of the day we only beat them by a point in the last game but that wasn't us, that wasn't our real performance. 'We had an off day and again we came back here today to prove that that was an off day. 'We should be beating Longford by more than just a point and that's what we did today and yeah, we're going to keep powering on for the next three weeks and hopefully we'll be home with the trophy and that's the goal.' Particularly strong for Louth on Sunday was the midfield paring of Áine Breen and Aoife Halligan who, considering the heat, put in trojan work all over the pitch. Up front, there was a lot of slick passing, some great movement and it was clear that there is a strong understanding between Aoife Russell and her forward colleagues, with the Glen Emmets player herself contributing three points from play. However, with 10 points and producing a performance Longford couldn't deal with, Kate Flood was in scintillating form but, as Aoife agreed, Louth have so many other players who are more than capable of getting into the scoring act. 'Kate's phenomenal, she's an inspiration, a role model to everyone,' Aoife said. 'The girls inside the camp and girls outside the camp but like you said, there's girls there, whether that be wingbacks, full-backs, half-forwards, it doesn't matter who it is at the end of the day, and it doesn't matter who gets on the team sheet, and we always say that every week, it does not matter who gets the scores. 'It doesn't matter whose name is in the paper, at the end of the day, we all contribute to those scores…and that's the main thing.' In terms of the next three weeks and how Louth will approach the final, compared to 12 months ago, Aoife was quite adamant about what that approach will be. 'We keep the routine, keep the same rituals and we go again.'
Irish Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Irish workers express ‘growing dissatisfaction' amid staff shortages
Staff shortages and leadership deficits are leading to a 'growing sense of dissatisfaction' among Irish workers, prompting some employees to hunt for new jobs, according to human resources software company SD Worx. Four in 10 workers feel their team is experiencing issues with absenteeism or misuse of leave policies by colleagues, according to the survey commissioned by the company of some 1,000 employees in the Republic. But just 21 per cent of survey respondents admitted to taking absences without a valid reason, suggesting either that 'employees are not owning up to it, or their colleagues are overly suspicious', the company said. Against a backdrop of staff shortages, almost half of the employees surveyed feel they are overworked. Some 46 per cent said their team is facing shortages and consequently struggling to keep up with workloads, while 48 per cent said they expect staffing issues to worsen over the coming years. READ MORE Leadership deficits at the top of organisations are also causing stress, said Eimear Byrne, country lead at SD Worx Ireland, with 39 per cent of respondents saying their manager struggles with effective leadership. 'It's clear that many employees feel they're lacking valuable guidance and mentorship,' she said. 'As a result we are now seeing a knock-on effect with more people actively seeking to change jobs and widespread concerns about staff shortages, as well as underpayment.' Some 44 per cent of employees surveyed by SD Worx said they are currently looking for a new job. Overall Ms Byrne said the survey results highlight a 'growing sense of dissatisfaction among Ireland's workforce'. Job vacancies in the Republic declined towards the end of 2024, suggesting a softening in labour market conditions after the widespread labour shortages that characterised the post-pandemic period. Still the economy is running at close to full employment in 2025, and companies are facing 'a critical need to re-evaluate how they engage and support employees to attract and retain staff', Ms Byrne said. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.1 per cent in April, the Central Statistics Office said recently, down from a revised rate of 4.4 per cent in March 2025.
Irish Independent
15-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
One in five employees say they've misused annual leave policies amid growing job dissatisfaction
Payroll and HR service SD Worx Ireland surveyed 1,000 employees in Ireland to find that while 21pc of employees admitted to misusing the policies themselves, 40pc said their teams at work were faced with staff shortages due to growing absenteeism. 'This suggests that employees are not owning up to it, or their colleagues are overly suspicious,' the report said. 'It exposes some common grievances among employees in Ireland and found that almost half feel they are underpaid for the work that they do.' The survey highlights that employees feel overworked with nearly half saying they face staff shortages and are struggling to keep up with their current workload. People were not hopeful about work conditions improving – with around 48pc of the employees saying they expect their team to face worsening talent shortages over the coming years, very few of them felt like the skill gaps would be easy to fill. This research highlights a growing sense of dissatisfaction among Ireland's workforce However, most employees said they coped with the pressure by staying strict with their own workloads and schedules – 44pc said they were 'solely focusing on what is necessary and not working overtime'. The survey also found that employees found ways to stay motivated – 63pc said they were passionate about their work despite their work environments. Eimear Byrne, country leader at SD Worx Ireland, said Irish workers were also dissatisfied with the leadership at their workplaces. 'This research highlights a growing sense of dissatisfaction among Ireland's workforce. With 39pc of respondents saying their manager struggles with effective leadership, it's clear that many employees feel they're lacking valuable guidance and mentorship,' said Ms Byrne. In the face of the rising pressures and lack of mentorship, the survey found that 44pc of the workers surveyed were currently looking for a new job. More than half of them find it difficult in the current labour market. 'We are now seeing a knock-on effect with more people actively seeking to change jobs and widespread concerns about staff shortages, as well as underpayment,' Ms Byrne said. ADVERTISEMENT Ireland is at full employment and organisations are facing a critical need to re-evaluate how they engage and support employees 'This comes as the EU Pay Transparency Directive is due to be transposed into Irish law in June 2026 – if done right, this could be an opportunity to alleviate employees' pay concerns and help to build trust.' The EU Pay Transparency Directive which came into effect in June 2023 will require employers to disclose salary ranges on job advertisements. Ms Byrne added that organisations would need to find new ways to support their workforce in light of rising dissatisfaction. 'Ireland is at full employment and organisations are facing a critical need to re-evaluate how they engage and support employees,' she said. 'The changing economic landscape is making businesses more conservative and they are under increased pressure to keep operations running smoothly, while trying to retain talent. With skills shortages and rising absenteeism in the mix, it's becoming harder to strike that balance. 'Now is the time to invest in people strategies and provide employees with the support, development opportunities, and workplace culture they need to thrive.'
