Journal & Press
bits & pieces
fun, creative, caring environment
i have spent more time with the canteen team during the pandemic than I have with family and friends, and this has reinforced and highlighted to me that my most important role is to develop a fun, creative, caring environment for all the people that work at canteen. while working in a cafe isn’t the forever career for most, making it a happy, inclusive place for all for however long employees spend at work is paramount. with this focus in mind we are aiming to introduce more ways to create a better working environment
•paying the living wage for full time employees
•empowering staff to be creative / rostering creative time for staff (this is already evident in the amazing graphic design Rachel has been working on and our indoor garden that Thérèse, Ciara and Leah have been growing)
•health Insurance for full time employees
•workplace doctor – especially for those not for Limerick who may have no family doctor in the area
•facilitating staff taking time off for long or short periods for other things in their life (example, Aisling going to Ghana for a month, Ciara and Fiona preparing for exhibitions with Ormston and EVA)
•organising fun canteen outings
•more staff nights out !
i also hope that this pandemic gives the whole country an understanding of the value of all the lower wage jobs from the binman to the chip shop worker to the supermarket worker to the person who makes your lunch or flat white everyday. They kept us all going throughout the last year and a half.