Monday, December 6, 2021 | 6.3°C Dublin
Philip Mackessy, CEO of Limerick Mackessy Technology. Photo: Liam Burke/Publisher 22.
The boss of a technology company invested in an air filtration system to attract his employees back to the office-now all 15 people are back at their desks.
Philip Mackessy of Limerick Mackessy Technology said he also offered to purchase these devices for personal use at home by employees.
He believes that if remote work continues, it will be difficult for companies to retain employees.
"Sending people home is not a way to ensure their safety. Because of these prolonged lockdowns, we are facing a mental health crisis, so telling people to work from home again is a blunt method," he said.
The businessman installed a hospital-grade filtration system in the company's 2,500-square-foot office on Henry Street. It is about the size of a small water cooler and runs continuously.
He said that due to the persistently high Covid-19 infection rate, the government recommended that employees work remotely again, which is "absolutely harmful" to his business, and believes that the equipment he uses such as Mia Air Hepa 14 should be subsidized in the workplace.
There are also calls on the government to provide Hepa filters for classrooms in the country to curb the spread of Covid-19 in schools.
"I provide each of my employees with a smaller Mia Air system for use in their homes because I not only want them to be safe in the office.
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"If we support the government's proposal to work from home, it will greatly harm our business. During the first lock-in period, this remoteness will not work for us, and we want the team to be here.
"We found that most people in the team want to enter the office, they need this kind of social interaction, and when we are at home, this interaction will be greatly affected.
"Remote work affects the retention of employees, and it is not for everyone.
"It's not as easy as saying'everyone go home and you will be fine.'"
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