Latest news with #remoteWorking
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Government's National Hub strategy delayed
A key part of the Government's national remote working strategy, which was unveiled in 2021, has been delayed by more than two years but is expected to be finalised and published later this year, the Department of Enterprise has said. The National Hub strategy, which the then-enterprise minister Leo Varadkar said would bring various schemes and policies together to develop the existing network of remote working hubs around the country, was slated for delivery in late 2023. However, according to an update from the Department published on Thursday, the strategy remains in development and is now expected to be published in the second half of 2025. The scheme is one of nine initiatives outlined in the Government's White Paper on enterprise 2022-2030 that has been delayed, according to a departmental update published on Thursday. READ MORE Overall, the department said that more than 90 per cent of the activities across 40 strategic initiatives in the White Paper have been delivered or are on track to be completed this year. Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said Thursday's report, the fourth and final update on the implementation plan, sets the stage for the development of the 2035 plan. [ Return-to-office edicts aren't always what they seem Opens in new window ] 'This fourth update report marks the completion of the implementation period for the White Paper on enterprise and reflects two years of transformative progress for Irish enterprise, driven by innovation, sustainability and regional growth,' he said. 'Over 90 per cent of planned activities are delivered or on track, with major achievements in digitalisation, offshore wind and start-up support. As we move toward Enterprise 2035, I will continue to build on this momentum to shape a resilient and competitive future for Ireland.' How the wealthy are buying up land to avoid inheritance tax Listen | 22:03 Among other things, the Department said that 38 of the 40 actions outlined in the 2022 White Paper relating to the transition to net zero are now under way. The Government said the value of exports from Enterprise Ireland companies stood at €34.6 billion last year, exceeding the White Paper's target of €32 billion. 'It is excellent to see the progress that has been made across Government in realising the ambitions and objectives set out in the White Paper on Enterprise,' said Minister Burke . 'This marks a period of sustained success for Irish enterprise, built on sustainability, innovation and productivity.'
Khaleej Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Bahrain resumes normal working hours from June 24, eases traffic restrictions
Bahrain will resume normal working operations from tomorrow, Tuesday, June 24, a day after implementing a remote working system across all ministries and government agencies. On Sunday, after the escalation of conflict between Iran and Israel, Bahrain's Civil Service Bureau (CSB) announced the activation of a remote working system for government entities, with up to 70 per cent of employees working from home. This has now been rolled back from June 24. Traffic movement across Bahrain has now returned to normal. The Ministry of Interior had urged citizens and residents to limit travel and use main roads to "only when necessary" after US bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. The ministry thanked all citizens and residents for their cooperation and understanding of the temporary precautionary measures. Bahrain activated a remote learning system on June 22 for all public and private educational institutions. This directive applied to kindergartens, schools, and universities, which have been instructed to shift to digital and online platforms for teaching and learning activities. After the US bombed Iran's three nuclear sites in the wee hours of June 22, the Ministry of Education issued instructions to all public and private educational institutions to move to online learning as a precautionary measure. The island nation took these precautionary measures, as Bahrain and Iran are separated by approximately 200km of sea.
Khaleej Times
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Bahrain asks schools to go online; people to use main roads only 'if necessary'
Authorities have also implemented a remote working system allowing up to 70% of government employees to work from home [Editor's Note: Follow our live blog for real-time updates on the latest developments in the Israel-Iran conflict.] Bahrain activated a remote learning system on Sunday (June 22) in light of the recent escalation of conflict in the region, according to Bahrain's news agency. All public and private educational institutions in Bahrain, including kindergartens, schools, and universities, have been instructed to activate and use their digital and online platforms for teaching and learning purposes. After the US bombed Iran's three nuclear sites, the Ministry of Education issued instructions to all public and private educational institutions to move to online learning as a precautionary measure. The ministry added that any educational institution wishing to make enquiries or receive support in managing its operations may contact the Ministry and the Higher Education Council through the official communication channels in place, as per usual practice. The Ministry of Interior has also urged citizens and residents to limit travel and use main roads to "only when necessary". This measure is taken to maintain public safety and to allow emergency and relevant authorities to use the roads efficiently. Considering the ongoing strikes between Iran and Israel, Bahrain's Civil Service Bureau (CSB) has also announced the activation of a remote working system across ministries and government agencies, with up to 70 per cent of employees working from home. This excludes sectors where physical presence is essential or which have specific procedures in place for emergencies, and will be implemented in line with public safety requirements, starting today and until further notice.
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
After-work drinks in decline outside London, peers told
Home working appears to have led to a bigger decline in after-work drinking in city centres outside London, a Lords committee has economist Paul Swinney told peers that pub spending data suggested that in the capital, post-work drinks have switched from Friday to a similar shift could not be seen in other large British cities, he added, where spending in bars was more likely to shift into the also added that a decline in city-centre spending had not been matched by a similar increase for high streets outside urban centres. Mr Swinney, director of the Centre for Cities think tank, was among various experts giving evidence to a special House of Lords committee set up earlier this year to examine the impact of remote and hybrid working in the month, the think tank published research on the pre and post-pandemic spending patterns of city-centre workers in pubs and bars around their places of work, by comparing credit and debit card data from 2019 and analysis showed that during that period, the share of weekly spending in pubs in central London on Fridays fell, whilst on Thursdays it rose, making it the most most popular night of the a similar pattern was not seen in the data for nine other large British cities, including Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle and have shown Friday has become the most popular day for office workers to work from home, with attendance during the middle of the week returning to more similar levels to before the Covid pandemic. 'Shift to weekend' Explaining the spending data to peers on Thursday, Mr Swinney said that in London "the Friday night drink hasn't so much gone away, it's just shifted to a Thursday"."But when we looked at other large cities, that wasn't the case," he added."It appeared from the data that we have that the post-work drink has reduced in those other places."Actually the shift seems to go into the weekend, which seems to be workers coming in from a leisure perspective, rather than going out after work".The data analysed by the Centre for Cities showed that 32% of weekly pub spending in big cities outside London now takes place on a Saturday, suggesting workers are more likely to return on weekends to socialise than in the capital. Supermarket spending Elsewhere in the session, Mr Swinney said a decline in city-centre spending since the rise in remote and hybrid working had not been matched by an equivalent rise in spending on "local High Streets"."That might have happened a little bit, but certainly not to the extent that people were suggesting [during the pandemic]," he told the added that suburban supermarkets had "probably been the biggest winner" from the shift in spending patterns since said more flexible working patterns had led to some immediate benefits for workers, including reduced travel cost and more he added it could be "two, three, ten years down the line" before the long-term impact on economic productivity could be properly assessed.
