Matheson Agile Working Programme

"Matheson’s commitment to agile working gives me the best possible opportunity to be the kind of mum I want to be to my two small kids while still delivering as a professional support lawyer and colleague. I can go to the school play, meet the teacher, collect from training, cover for my husband when he is travelling - this flexibility allows me to be there for moments which a previous generation of lawyer may have had to miss due to inflexible working environments. Working out of the Cork office means semi-regular trips to the Dublin office. Smart, secure and effective technology also allows me to work when travelling, ensuring that I don’t lose large chunks of the working day, and that these trips do not end up eating into huge amounts of my personal time either. From this flexibility on Matheson’s behalf grows a natural reciprocity from me - I will always be happy to go the extra mile whenever it is needed for my job.”

“With primarily servicing a US client base, as well as having a young family, the ability to work outside of a traditional ‘office hours’ structure is something that I now consider a key part of my professional life. Whether it means working early mornings or joining conference calls in the evening time, an agile working culture is something which has added significantly to my ability to deliver on expectations on all fronts, in particular for clients who often need out of hours support and input on urgent, time sensitive matters. Spending time physically with colleagues in the office is still critical in terms of the team dynamic needed to deliver for clients on a daily basis. Offering that flexibility to balance professional demands with personal commitments and objectives is, to my mind, essential for any professional services firm in today's world.”

“Life has changed a lot for me both personally and professionally over the past two years. I became a first time mum and moved with my husband and daughter to Laois to be closer to family. At the same time, in my role as Director of Learning and Development, my team has grown and we have had one of our busiest and most successful years to date. With all these changes, I needed flexibility and balance. Working remotely from home has been brilliant in this regard. My commute is reduced by one day a week. I can collect my daughter early from crèche and then log in later in the evening if I need to. It allows me to work smarter and more efficiently while staying fully connected and engaged with my team.”

“Agile working enables me to work in a manner that works best for me, and for those around me. It means that I can have breakfast with my daughters and walk them to school in the morning, rather than spending time sitting in traffic. It means that I can decide to completely focus on a matter for a few hours without distractions, while still remaining completely connected to my team. It means that I can work seamlessly when travelling, or when visiting clients. Being able to choose when to work on an agile basis, while also having access to the technology that makes it possible, reflects how I want to work. It empowers me to choose how, when and where I carry out my work, and ultimately it illustrates the trust that the firm has in me and my colleagues to choose the best option to manage our own workloads.”

“Stepping into my new role as ‘mum’ meant that I had to reconsider my working patterns. It is very important for me to spend evenings with my daughter, but to also progress within my career and meet client demands. The Agile Working Programme at Matheson has meant that I have the opportunity and flexibility to do both. With some careful diary management and open communication with my team, I can leave the office early to spend time with my daughter, and then continue working later in the evening. On days when I don’t have client meetings or other on-site requirements, I can work remotely which means no wasted commute time. As my daughter gets older, her requirements will change and I know that the Agile Working Programme will be instrumental for me managing the juggle!"

“Having the flexibility to work remotely is absolutely necessary in my role. I travel extensively and I need to be able to replicate my office environment from a hotel room or business centre while I’m on the move. Having the right infrastructure and technical support to facilitate remote working has been essential for me. As there is an eight hour time difference back to Matheson’s head office in Dublin, I also take a lot of early morning calls with colleagues from my home office and log into the system to clear my emails before I get into the office. I have two young children and having the ability to drop them off at school before getting to the office and being able to get home and spend time with them in the evening before logging back on to finish off the day’s work has been really helpful in terms of finding the right work / life balance for me."