Platform55 boosting female representation across business

Platform55 presents an actual, measurable and impactful solution to the growing challenges around workforce retention; specifically addressing the challenges of working parents. Their diagnostic tool allows companies to understand the needs of working parents in the workplace and a self-serve platform provides both the people functions and the employees with everything from education, workshops, policies and certification.

Platform55 boosting female representation across business

Daniel Donleavy, Global Head of Partnerships at the Dublin Tech Summit had this to say: “The standard at the tech summit pitch competition was the highest we have ever seen. Platform55 secured 2nd place, they stood out to the judges as an exciting and unique offering, backed up with data and an extremely strong presentation. We look forward to watching their journey which we have no doubt will be a very successful one.”

Platform55 delivers support across Maternity and Paternity Leave to Infertility, Adoption, Surrogacy, Menopause and Work-Life Balance; ultimately helping companies to establish policies and practices to retain their top talent.

Founder Michelle O’Keeffe states plainly: “Companies work with us because they want to avoid losing more people; 247% YOY growth after one year in business proves that our action-oriented solution is positively impacting working parents.”

Platform55 delivers support across maternity and paternity leave to infertility, adoption, surrogacy, menopause and Work-Life Balance; ultimately helping companies to establish policies and practices to retain their top talent.

Clients include AXA, Zurich, A&L Goodbody and Kerry Group and Irish Life have cited Platform55 in their Annual Reports as having a significant impact in their gender pay gap and D&I policies.

Engineering group Sandvik is one of their most recent acquisitions, with the industry recognising there is a significant challenge around female representation across the industry.

Sandvik’s HR Manager Hayley Murphy had this to say:

“Platform55 supports our goal of having more female representation across the business and in particular in management roles. I also would like to see more men taking the opportunity to take family leave and to break down traditional gender roles when it comes to being a caregiver. Platform55 supports other actions that I have taken to improve access to family and life event leave (increased paid paternity and parents leave; paid fertility and miscarriage leave are examples of this).

“Partnering with Platform55 is one of the ways we can ‘walk the talk’ on our commitment to providing our employees with what they need in order to do their best work. Acknowledging that people have lives outside of the office and that we are here to support them through it is really important.”

Founders – Tracy Gunn and Michelle O’Keeffe – are multi-award winning entrepreneurs and senior leaders who have real-lived experiences of balancing careers with young families. They recognised a need to support parents in the workplace, to ensure companies retained their best talent and parents felt empowered to have a fulfilling family life and career.

Gunn acknowledges that whilst companies have been progressing their gender equity and D&I policies, there is still a long way to go in order for industry to address the talent acquisition and retention crisis.

“From our research we know that 85% of women will leave full-time employment in the 3 years after the birth of their child and 1 in 2 say being a parent isn’t compatible with senior roles. We also know that 1 in 3 Dads are looking for more flexibility at work, but face stigma in asking for, and taking, their leave entitlements.”

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