Remote employees, volunteers and community groups came together last week to celebrate the local impact that remote work creates in communities around the country.
Grow Remote held its Building Local Communities Summit, a day-long event in Cork dedicated to discussing the social, economic and environmental impact of remote employment.
Joe Whelan, Grow Remote Local Leader on Inishturk island, said:
“Remote work is absolutely key to the sustainability of remote communities. I’m an example that it works because it has helped us sustain a family on Inishturk island, off the coast of Mayo. My kids have kept the island school open. Once a school closes, it won’t re-open. And when you lose a school, you lose a community.”
Delegates at the Summit heard that the top challenge for individual remote employees, according to research and data taken from across the world, is social isolation.
The largest workforce survey in the world – Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2025 Report – found that remote workers report higher rates of loneliness compared to their in-office peers. Buffer’s State of Remote Work report consistently cites isolation and difficulties in unplugging as top challenges for remote workers.
According to the Hays Ireland Working Well report 2025, 61% of Irish employers operate a flexible model (fully remote or hybrid); however, just 48% of Irish employers run social events and activities for staff.
Grow Remote identified this gap in the wellbeing of remote employees even before the Covid 19 pandemic. Founded in 2018 as a community development organisation, Grow Remote has evolved into the provider of Europe’s largest state-funded training programme for distributed leaders. It also convenes the All-Party Working Group on Remote Work in the Oireachtas.
Victoria McCormack, Community Facilitator at Grow Remote, said:
“Today was a chance to bring together our community and celebrate the amazing work done by remote workers volunteering in their local communities. We’ve seen grassroots collaborations with organisations like the Cork Simon Community, Alone, the RNLI, and others. Remote workers are making an impact locally – for example, on Daffodil Day 2025, Grow Remote volunteers raised 4,000 euros for the Irish Cancer Society across 8 locations nationwide!”
Last week’s Summit highlighted the positive impact of Grow Remote’s grassroots events programme nationwide. The day celebrated the findings that over 90% of remote workers who attend Grow Remote events have fun and meet interesting people. Further, event surveys report that over 70% of attendees feel more connected to their local community afterwards.
Since then, Grow Remote volunteers have run almost 900 social events, connecting over 6,000 remote workers across Ireland, Portugal and the UK.
Join our mission as a Local Leader today or explore the business benefits of our commmunity through the Grow Remote Employer Partnership Programme.
