Personal Development

As we celebrate Pride month, Dee France, Member & Student Support and Well-being Lead at Chartered Accountants Ireland, explores what diversity and inclusion means in the workplace, the important role it plays for employee well-being, and why employers should foster a culture of belonging and inclusion. Diversity and inclusion (D&I) has become a driving force in the changing organisational landscape. Companies and business leaders are placing greater emphasis on their approach to D&I and are embracing policies and strategies to create a more diverse, fairer, and resilient workforce.  Employee well-being and D&I are closely connected. In fact, employee well-being awareness can be seen as an intrinsic element of a company’s effective D&I strategies and policies.  An essential and significant feature of good overall well-being is our feeling of purpose and belonging. Programmes and initiatives that promote inclusion, diversity, and belonging can support and cultivate positive employee well-being. In its entirety, D&I in the workplace can have an impact on our overall happiness at work.  Emotional tax Employees from diverse backgrounds who experience a non-inclusive workforce can face an additional burden of an ‘emotional tax’ – the experience of being treated differently from peers due to race/ethnicity or gender, triggering adverse effects on health and feelings of isolation and making it difficult to thrive at work. This emotional tax can have an extremely negative impact on employees’ mental health and wellbeing. Feeling undervalued, overlooked, or excluded due to your identity can heighten a person’s vigilance to protect themselves from acts of bias or prejudice. Thrive, Chartered Accountants Ireland’s dedicated well-being hub, continues to receive regular calls from our members and students who seek support from the damaging impact a non-inclusive workplace can have on their wellbeing.   Managing diversity and inclusion  Implementing effective and successful D&I strategies and policies can take time, but a coherent and structured approach to these ensure that work practices and values support an inclusive culture that embraces different people, views, and perspectives. Producing a D&I policy allows a company to go above and beyond legal obligations and set a standard of expectation for the organisation and for its employees.  There are several ways companies can begin to incorporate inclusivity into the workplace.  Leadership and employee training  Providing training for leadership, management and employees increases awareness, aids the understanding and engagement in the company’s values and policies, helps embed these initiatives into the culture of the workplace, and allows for the development of empathy for others.  Employee network groups  Building an employee network group is an effective way to allow people to connect with others from different groups, and raise a sense of belonging, affinity, and kinship.  For example, the Institute has several different committee groups such as Balance, our LGBTQ+ committee, Student Committee, and D&I committee.  Open communication and feedback  Developing open and clear communication channels that are easily accessible to employees breeds better dialogue. It ensures employees and managers alike feel safe in airing grievances, giving feedback, and the feeling of being heard and valued.  Employee surveys on D&I initiatives allow companies to take onboard employees’ experiences and action feedback. It permits companies to assess if policies and strategies are working and evaluate and benchmark their efforts from year-to-year.  The Thrive Wellbeing Hub provides counselling, wellness coaching, practical advice and more to all members of the Institute. You can contact the Thrive wellbeing team by visiting our website, via email at: thrive@charteredaccountants.ie, or by phone: +(353) 86 0243294. 

Dee France, Member & Student Support and Well-being Lead, explores why students use the hub and what they can do to support their own mental health.  Being an accounting student is challenging. You have to contend with work, lectures, study, the pressure of exams and new ways of learning in a remote or hybrid working world. At the same time, you may be experiencing personal obstacles. Over time, these duties and responsibilities combined can give rise to sustained pressure, to the detriment of your well-being.  Why do people need help? Our lives and past experiences shape us, affecting our mental health, and the factors that can cause a decline in our well-being differ for everyone. Students come to us for help for various reasons, but the primary motivators tend to centre on exam pressure and stress, workplace grievances, poor work-life balance, and other personal circumstances, such as illness, grief or family and relationship matters. In 2021, we witnessed a significant increase in the number of students contacting Thrive for help.  Most seek support during study leave or exam periods. It is encouraging to see so many take the brave and difficult step to seek help, but earlier intervention in the student journey is important. We want to help prevent students from becoming too overwhelmed and offer support before they falter under the pressure and demands.  Numerous factors can negatively impact our mental well-being. Some we can control. Here are five steps you can take yourself to help your mental health: 1. Nourish your mind and body  Good nutrition and regular physical activity can offset and relieve stress and feelings of anxiety. Simple things like staying hydrated, reducing caffeine intake, and walking in nature can help. 2. Rest The power of sleep in helping to regulate our stress levels should not be understated. Stress and anxiety can lead to sleeping problems, and a lack of sleep can affect your general well-being.  3. Practise mindfulness and meditation  Practising mindfulness allows you to become more aware of your emotions and help manage them. Mindfulness can become a valuable tool for easing stress and anxious thoughts with regular practice.  4. Engage in self-compassion and self-care  Be kind and encourage yourself. Being hard on ourselves is an all-too-common pattern. Self-compassion is the ability to treat yourself with the same care and kindness as you would a good friend who is going through a difficult or stressful time. Developing compassion within ourselves can help us cope with adversity and make difficult situations more manageable.  5. Seek out professional services, like Thrive  How we feel can become all-consuming. If you are struggling, the best thing you can do for your mental health and well-being is to reach out and talk to a professional. Seeking professional support can help you manage stress and poor mental health.  The Thrive well-being hub provides a comprehensive mental health and well-being programme that offers a wide range of services tailored to our students’ well-being. All services are delivered in complete confidence and are available at any stage of your journey with the Institute.  For more advice or information, check out Thrive’s dedicated well-being hub. Alternatively, you can contact the well-being team by email at: thrive@charteredaccountants.ie or phone: (+353) 86 0243294.

The current crop of younger workers may not have access to a State pension comparable to today’s offering. With that in mind, Simon Shirley shares his tips to help you prepare adequately for retirement. The state welfare system in Ireland and other European countries provides the main or sole source of income for many in retirement. However, the long-term sustainability of these systems is questionable given countries’ enormous unfunded pension liabilities and future demographic challenges. This is known as the ‘pensions timebomb’. The simple reality is that the proportion of the population in retirement is steadily increasing. Recent projections highlight that, at present, Ireland has five workers (aged 15-64) for every senior citizen (aged 65+). By 2050, we will have only two workers for every one senior citizen. Over time, this trend will likely increase the percentage of State resources being spent on healthcare and pensions for older people, with potentially insufficient tax revenue from the working population to support this. To ensure an adequately funded retirement, individuals must pay attention to pension planning on a consistent, ongoing basis. Here are some of the key pension issues you need to know. How much money needs to be saved for retirement? The answer is usually between 25-35% of lifetime earnings. However, workers often ask how this level of savings can realistically be achieved even if employer contributions are paid into their pension plan. I suggest the following: Determine how much of your after-tax earnings you can afford to pay into your pension plan each month. The gross pre-tax contribution amount will be higher due to the tax relief that applies to pension contributions. Increase the contribution by between 1-2% of gross earnings each year, if possible. Depending on your age, this simple move could double – or even triple – the value of your pension plan at retirement. Also, consider paying bonuses or commissions into your pension plan (subject to annual contribution limits for tax relief). Where does the money go? Many pension plans hold hundreds or even thousands of individual investments worldwide to generate a return while reducing the risk of overexposure to any particular investment and/or region. The market value of these investments can fluctuate significantly in the short- and medium-term, and thus the value of pension plans can also fluctuate significantly. However, pension plans often hold investments for a very long period. Accordingly, short- and medium-term fluctuations in investment values in pension plans are less relevant for individuals who have ten or more years to retirement. Contributing to a pension plan is more of a marathon than a sprint. What happens to the money in retirement? The time we spend in retirement is likely to be at least half the time we spend working. However, many are unclear about what happens to our pensions when we retire. Here are the key things you need to understand: You do not have to stop working to withdraw money from your pension plan. In some circumstances, you can withdraw money from age 50 onwards. You can withdraw the money by making a lump sum withdrawal – most, if not all, of this lump sum can be tax-free. Then, spread out the balance to provide an ongoing income in retirement. This income is taxable, though many individuals in retirement have an effective tax rate of under 15%. If you die before retirement, the value of your pension plan will be used to pay benefits to your dependants/next-of-kin. If you die during retirement, benefits can continue to be paid to your dependants/next-of-kin, depending on the options selected at retirement. You may be able to withdraw money anytime on the grounds of serious ill-health. You do not need to live in Ireland to withdraw money from your Irish pension plan. For young Chartered Accountants, my general guidance is not to assume that the current level of State pension payments will automatically apply at retirement. The prudent approach is to begin a private pension today. Simon Shirley FCA is Managing Director of Simon Shirley Advisors and author of A Practical Guide to Pensions and Life Insurance.  

Ariful Bhuiyan ACA, Financial Accountant in Bank of Ireland Group, shares five tips on how to stay in the black and wait out a second lockdown. COVID-19 has already impacted business, education, health system, sports, entertainment, and environment. Moreover, it has left people worried about their current financial plans and how they should approach their day-to-day finances. Here are some smart ways you can manage your bank account during this crisis.  Suspend major spending If you were planning to buy a home or looking at purchasing an expensive car, this is not the right time. We don’t know when this pandemic will be over, nor where it will drive the economy. For now, it would be prudent to hold onto some of your savings to give yourself breathing room if any future uncertainty arises due to unemployment, illness, etc.  The best approach is to observe and react. For example, the property market can be volatile for the next few months, and you may benefit if the house prices fall in the future.  Reassess other expenses If you have cable service, Netflix, Amazon Prime videos, or any other streaming subscriptions, it is high time you look at which is best suited for you. For instance, if you are subscribed to a cable service just for sport, think about suspending your service as many sporting events will be on hold for the foreseeable future. It's also a good idea to check the phone plan and utility bills to see if these make sense for you and your family. Look for better offers from competitor companies.  No panic buying With Christmas right around the corner, you might be tempted to jump in and buy all your gifts right now – and this is reasonable given that shops will be closed until the beginning of December. However, when people panic buy, they can check out before they even realise what they are buying or for who. Does Aunt Mary really want a shawl, a bath bomb and wool slippers – or were they the first thing you saw online and put straight into your basket? Make considered purchases. Improve your saving profile and invest in undervalued stocks Most of us would have booked holidays and parties over the summer if the situation were normal. Due to the lockdown, many have been lucky enough to save some extra money.  Try taking advantage of the situation by building your saving profile. If you are continuing to work and earn your full income, it is a good opportunity to buy undervalued stocks. The valuation of many companies went down in April/May, and there is a chance that it may fall again in the coming months due to the surge in numbers. Take suggestions from the brokers and invest in some companies to make a good return in the future.  Avail of the reliefs available to you The government has implemented financial relief for people and businesses. Keep in mind that you might be using utilities for work purposes. It was just announced in Budget 2021 that some of these employment costs could go towards tax credits. 

Sometimes you are presented challenges where you find you cannot cope. While we might not be able to change the amount of work that has to be done in a day, we can change how we react to it. I describe stress as being the scenario where the challenge you are facing seems to exceed your capacity to cope. We can feel threatened, overwhelmed and like we’ve lost control of the situation. While it seems odd to be sitting here writing about stress when it’s a warm, sunny summer’s day outside, stress doesn’t take the summer off. Learning how to deal with stress is a year-round task. The day from hell To illustrate an overwhelming challenge and our difficulty in coping, I thought we’d start with a really difficult day in work – the day from hell. While a small amount of stress can be a good thing – it provides a sense of urgency and it gets us moving – this is bigger than that. It took off like an out-of-control rocket, we are being pulled beyond ‘useful stress’ into a more manic orbit, and we end up in the ‘too much to cope with’ zone for too long.  When this happens, we lose three things: energy, short-term memory and the ability to problem solve or think creatively. We become quite primitive and it feels like we are in survival mode. We just want to survive the meeting, the phone call, or the afternoon. In summary, ‘stress eats energy’. 60-second recovery In reality, there’s very little we can do about the pace of a really hectic work day but we can do something about our response to it. For this, discipline is our most useful strategy. For those days from hell, we need to build ‘recovery breaks’ into the day. It only needs to be about 60 seconds, but – and here’s comes the discipline – the break should be once per hour throughout the day. Discipline eats stress Here’s your challenge: take a deliberate recovery break for one minute out of every 60. This will require a certain amount of discipline and mental toughness. In fact, you should be doing this even on good days. Remember, you’re doing this to ensure that you stay mentally fresh for as long as possible throughout the day. You are also doing this to ensure that you leave work with energy for what’s after work – life! When you create this discipline, and you stick with it for a week, it means you have energy to burn at the weekend. Otherwise, you spend that downtime in survival mode, dreading the return to work the following week. Recovery actions What do you actually do for the 60-second recovery? That depends on what you need. Sometimes it will be something simple that gives you a sense of control back, other times it will be something that slows down your mental traffic, and other times it will be something that energises you. Here are some examples: tidying, filing, reading, chatting, stretching, walking, improving your posture, and, the best one of all… breathing. Increase capacity If you’ve been following my well-being series, you will have come across  references to mental fitness. I am in the fitness business and fitness is about increasing capacity. Stress management is not about reducing stress in work and life, it is about increasing our capacity to cope with whatever is coming next. And when it comes to increasing capacity, discipline is your best friend.   Physical is the new psychological As you can see from the above, almost all of the strategies for stress management and mental health are physical and not always mental. It’s always beneficial to go out do something. Your body has the answer: calm the body and the mind will follow. Stopping is not recovering Leaving work and going home does not count as recovering. If you just crash into bed, you will still feel exhausted in the morning. Doing something that absorbs you – that energises you – is recovering. Finding the discipline to go for a short walk rather than watch television is recovering. Going to your yoga class is mental toughness and recovering. Remember: discipline eats stress. The key to resilience is working really hard, stopping, recovering properly and then working really hard again. Work success So far in this series I have been focusing on an operational level – how to have high self-worth, how to operate on the edge of comfort, how to have great habits and how to manage stress better. In the remaining two articles, I will be taking a more strategic approach.  See you then.