Latest news with #Connaughton
RTÉ News
15-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Workplaces warned over low readiness for managing AI
Workplaces need to improve their standard of engagement with workers on artificial intelligence (AI), according to CIPD, the professional body for the HR industry. The annual HR Practices in Ireland study from CIPD and the Kemmy Business School at University of Limerick shows that more than half of Irish workplaces have not provided a clear plan on using AI to employees, while two thirds have not provided training on the topic. Details of the research have been released to coincide with CIPD in Ireland's annual conference which takes place in Dublin today. The transformative power of AI on the workplace will be among the issues discussed at the event. Speaking ahead of the event, Director of CIPD in Ireland Mary Connaughton said workplaces need to improve their standard of engagement with workers on AI. "The survey shows between 56% and 69% have no plans to address these issues in their organisations," Ms Connaughton said. "These figures are a concern, revealing a lack of strategy or attention on AI use in workplaces," she added. The research also showed employers in Ireland see having an inclusive culture as central to attracting and retaining talent. Two thirds of respondents said offering features such as flexible and remote working help to contribute to an inclusive workplace. The CIPD conducted the survey of members and HR professionals in Ireland in November 2024.
Irish Independent
15-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Lack of AI strategies by most companies leaves employees confused, report finds
A study to be published today by HR consultancy CIPD reveals 'low readiness' in terms of management of the rapidly advancing technology at work. It shows that 58pc of Irish workplaces have not provided a clear plan on using AI to employees. An even higher portion, 67pc, have not given any training on the topic. The figures from the CIPD study that was undertaken with the Kemmy Business School at University of Limerick will be discussed at CIPD Ireland's annual conference in Dublin today. Mary Connaughton, director of CIPD in Ireland, said workplaces need to improve their standard of engagement with workers on AI. 'The survey shows between 56pc and 69pc have no plans to address these issues in their organisations,' she said. She added that the figures reveal a lack of strategy or attention on AI use in workplaces. 'The low level of readiness around AI policies and usage must be addressed,' Ms Connaughton said. She said AI is going to have an ever greater role in our working lives and it is vital that employers understand it and use it correctly, while protecting business and worker data. Ms Connaughton urged any workplace that hasn't put an AI policy in place to prioritise it. ADVERTISEMENT Just 11pc of HR professionals said a clear plan on AI use had been communicated to employees. The same portion think their leadership team is fully equipped to lead in a digitalised, AI world. The report shows that just over one in five workplaces plan to provide clear guidance on using AI at work this year. A total of 60pc of respondents said they believed productivity was significantly or 'somewhat' increased due to AI, while 39pc said there was no change. Among respondents who have programmes to promote DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), 78pc have inclusive recruitment, retention or promotion strategies. A total of 77pc offer remote and flexible working, while 60pc provide training and guidance for line managers and 45pc invest in raising awareness of diversity. Just 16pc said a diversity officer had been appointed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former executive sues Pat Connaughton's real estate company, claiming Bucks guard is cooking the books
A former executive of Milwaukee Bucks player Pat Connaughton's company is suing, claiming he was retaliated against by Connaughton and others at the company after attempting to increase financial transparency. Derek Taylor, former chief operating officer at Three Leaf Partners, filed the complaint in late February. His attorney, Jesse Kibort, claims in a complaint that Taylor left a lucrative law practice to join Three Leaf Partners after "promises of creating generational wealth." The complaint says Taylor tapped into his network and built a team that executed significant real estate, private equity, and numerous other business ventures for the company. "As a result, Taylor brought millions of dollars of profit to the firm," the complaint says. But, Taylor's attorney argues that once he tried to "increase the financial performance" of the company, he encountered a lack of financial transparency at the company, including that Connaughton and another executive, Matthew Burow, were using company resources for their non-company business and personal purposes. "When Taylor made efforts to increase financial transparency at the company and sought to hold Burow and Connaughton for their non-TLV uses to TLV resources, Burow and Connaughton started to freeze Taylor out of TLV," the complaint says. Burow and Connaughton removed Taylor as COO without any notice or explanation, locked him out of the company, and denied him access to the company's books and records, contrary to the written operating agreement, according to the complaint. "They even denied Taylor access to his own personal files and records, including information that Taylor needs to update and renew his law licenses," the complaint says. According to the complaint, Connaughton and Burow were "persistent" in getting Taylor to join the firm and offered him a little more than 5% in ownership of the company. In December 2024, Connaughton posted on social media that his real estate development firm already had amassed more than $550 million in assets. In 2023, Taylor began to organize the company's finances, according to the complaint, and reached an understanding that bonuses should be given to the company employees, but Burow and Connaughton rejected the idea. "Taylor did not understand at the time why bonuses would not be given despite TLV's success in 2023," the complaint says. Taylor's attorney argues that Burow and Connaughton began engaging in "accounting practices when necessary to satisfy their need to show profitability by overstating project costs," which Taylor objected to. According to the complaint, Connaughton was using company resources in the construction of his private residence and employee time for the Pat Connaughton Foundation, among other actions. When Taylor opposed the practices, Connaughton and Burow "secretly engaged lawyers to begin the process of forcing Taylor out," the complaint says. On Jan. 24, Taylor went to a meeting with Connaughton, Burow, and attorneys. He believed it was an annual compensation review but instead was told he had been removed as COO of the company and his laptop was confiscated, the complaint says. Shortly thereafter, he was removed from the Three Leaf Partners website. Taylor seeks access to his personal files and compensation for the "defendants' wrongful actions," the complaint says. His attorney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on April 18. Attorneys for Three Leaf Partners didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Connaughton, Burow, and other defendants have until May 20 to respond in court to the allegations. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former executive sues Pat Connaughton's real estate company
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Massachusetts native scores career-high 43 points for Bucks in win
With Giannis Antetokounmpo and other Milwaukee Bucks stars on the bench for the team's regular season finale on Sunday night, the Bucks used a lineup made of mostly rotation players. Among that group, Arlington native Pat Connaughton stepped up, scoring a career-high 43 points in an overtime win, 140-133. Advertisement Connaughton also had 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 44 minutes of playing time. His previous career-high came in 2017 when he scored 24 points in a game as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. Before playing for the Bucks, Trail Blazers and Notre Dame in college, Connaughton was a star at St. John's Prep in Danvers. He was named the Gatorade Massachusetts Boys Basketball Player of the Year during his senior year with the Eagles in 2011 and went on to play basketball and baseball at Notre Dame before getting selected in the second round of the NBA Draft in 2015. Connaughton became an NBA Champion in 2021 with the Bucks, competed in the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest and has a contract with Milwaukee until 2026. Every year, Connaughton returns to Massachusetts to host a basketball clinic at St. John's Prep with young athletes. Since starting his NBA career, he has put on nine clinics at the school
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Charlotte economists warn consumers of price hikes as tariff on Chinese imports moves forward
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports were paused, but the White House is moving forward with a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. With it being a blanket tariff, local economists expect consumers will pay more on a range of items. 'This is a much bigger issue than what happened with Mexico and Canada…we import tons of things from China,' said Matthew Metzgar, a professor at UNC Charlotte. Metzgar said with how much the US imports, the tariffs could be far-reaching. RELATED | 'The things many people would guess, you know, furniture, lots of things made with plastic, toys and then electronics,' he said. Metzgar noted that while there were tariffs leveled against China during the Biden administration, they were on specific items including electric vehicles and solar cells. The latest one from Trump goes much further, taxing anything imported. Metzgar's UNC Charlotte colleague, John Connaughton says there are cases where retailers may eat the cost of the tariff, but it depends on what makes the most sense for their business model. RELATED | 'They're the ones that have to decide what their revenue take will be based on that price, retail price,' Connaughton told Queen City News where the US will really hurt is when China retaliates, specifically the nation's plans to restrict what they export, like rare earth materials. '[They] go into a lot of sophisticated products. And we don't have a lot of alternative supply. So that has been, that's the worry point in this particular trade war,' said Connaughton. China also plans to level its own tariffs against coal, natural gas, and crude oil starting early next week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
