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CluneTech Newsletter H2 2023■
Welcome
Welcome to the latest edition of the CluneTech Newsletter. As always, this newsletter aims to inform, empower and entertain you. This issue includes everything from business news to important workplace updates, and some more light-hearted moments from across the Group. We hope you’ll enjoy the read.
Message from Terry
Hi everyone,
2023 has been another incredible year for CluneTech and in a way it feels as though things are just getting started! Across our suite of businesses, we have continued to innovate and grow, welcoming new customers and employees, developing new products and launching new partnerships.
This time two years ago, we made the decision to rebrand to CluneTech to better represent our group of companies and it’s been incredible to see our brand become increasingly well-known at a global scale.
While we’ve continued to innovate and adapt in order to make business better for our customers all over the world, one thing that will always remain the same is the role you play in driving our #OneTeam culture and success. We wouldn’t be where we are today without your ongoing feedback and support, and I hope that you truly see how we place your voice at the heart of everything we do.
As we head into the festive season, the leadership team and I would like to extend our sincerest gratitude and thanks for your hard work over the last year. However you choose to celebrate, I hope that you enjoy a well-deserved break and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2024!
Best wishes,
Terry
Welcome from the editors
What a year we’ve had at CluneTech!
The year kicked off with the Great Place to Work Awards where we were honoured to be recognised as a Great Place to Work for the 8th year running. The cherry on top was our team being recognised as Ireland’s Best Great Place to Work Team, which is an achievement that truly blew us away.
As the year went on, we had SO many reasons to celebrate from winning Employer of the Year at the 2023 Career Show Awards in Bulgaria, to winning Overall Excellence in HR at the 2023 Irish HR Leadership & Management Awards.
We’ve continued to embed a culture of flexibility and for the first time in our company’s history, we’ve been recognised both nationally and internationally for our flexible working offering. To go from a company that operated fully on-site with no flexible capabilities to one that is now considered industry leading in terms of our employee experience in just a few short years is something that we’re incredibly proud of.
We’d like to thank you again for your ongoing support and feedback. This year alone it has led to the introduction of our newly revamped Milestone Recognition Programme and the improvement of our compassionate leave, IVF leave, and pregnancy loss leave. Without your feedback, we know for certain that we wouldn’t be where we are today and we’d like to thank you again for being the driving force behind our #OneTeam Culture.
From our team to yours, we hope that you all have an amazing holiday season and wish you a very happy new year.
Fiona MacCarthy
Head of Communications
Rachael Quinlan
Head of Employee Experience
Kristina Ilieva
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Lauren Cleere
Marketing & Engagement Specialist
Company Updates
It’s been a very busy second half of the year for TransferMate!
Between new partner signings, product updates, awards and recognition and the high number of events attended – the team have been travelling the world meeting each other, partners, and potential clients. Catch up below on the big stories from Q3 and Q4.
Partnerships
The second half of the year saw the announcement of eight new partnerships for TransferMate including Grovara, XTransfer, ConnectPay, Moin, 3s Money, Paradigm Sports, Nucleus365 and Lightnet.
TransferMate announce partnership with Grovara
This month we announced a strategic partnership with Grovara, a U.S.-based online marketplace, that will reduce the cost of international payments by up to 85% for their user base. Read more
TransferMate announce partnership with Xtransfer
We are delighted to announce TransferMate’s new partnership with China’s No.1 B2B foreign trade financial technology platform, XTransfer.
By integrating Transfermate global payments infrastructure into its platform, XTransfer enriches its clients with another choice of payments & fund collections to local accounts. This capability will initially cover the U.S.A., Mexico, Malaysia, Canada, Singapore, and New Zealand on behalf of up to 400,000 merchants, with room for expansion. Read more
Awards
TransferMate has been nominated for 5 awards in the second half of the year and so far has won 2 including ‘Fintech Company of the Year’ at the National Fintech Awards and ‘Best Business Payments System – Global & Multi Currency Accounts’ at the 2023 Paytech Awards. Other nominations include ‘Best Payment Solution’, ‘Fintech Innovation Award’ and ‘Company of the year’ at the Business & Finance Awards.
Product Updates
We’ve got plenty of product updates and enhancements to share with you this month, including the addition of more payment options for TransferMate Education, new features added to our award-winning Global Accounts solution, and lots more! Read more
The second half of the year was packed with events. The team travelled the world meeting existing partners and potential new clients. Some of the events include Comtec, AFP, Money 20/20 USA,ICEF Berlin, The Class Conference, JAGGAER REV 2023, Singapore Fintech Festival and Fintech Connect. Well done to all the teams and bring on 2024…
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What a great year it’s been at Taxback International!
Continuing on from our successes in Q1 & Q2 of 2023, our teams have continued to build out our world-class VAT and technology services. Throughout H2, we have attended multiple industry in-person events across Europe and the United States allowing us to showcase our unique solutions. Our product development and sales teams have expanded the scope of Comply to include several high-profile clients like Ryanair, Smiths, Synopsys, Audiomob, and KNect 365.
In July, we participated with our partners Rydoo, in their CFO Corner article which saw our Chief Commercial Officer, Joe Healy, share his experiences and insights on the best practices for VAT Reclaim, gathered over 15 years working in the industry. The article highlighted key areas such as, why companies should reclaim VAT, common pitfalls in VAT reclaim, how expense management services can help, and tips for optimal VAT reclaim.
Another partnership announcement that we were delighted to announce was with Nuvem9 Ltd, who provide virtual and fractional CFO consultancy services – specialising in Tech Companies and Creative Agencies. The purpose of this partnership is to support them with accessing the specialist support and advice for their clients with global tax considerations.
August was our time to shine at the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention 2023 in Dallas, Texas. Our experts were on hand to advise companies how to maximise their VAT recovery potential with VATConnect. Travel expense recovery was a hot topic at this event. Another group of our experts attended the 7thAnnual Strategic Indirect Tax & VAT Management Summit hosted by TBM Group in Amsterdam. Taxback International were present to ensure all attendees could learn how our Global VAT Compliance Management platform, Comply, can future-proof their business and minimise the risk of penalties.
A superb achievement by Cora Phelan who used her CSR Volunteer Day to abseil almost 150ft down Croke Park! Cora took part in the #DareToBeBrave challenge, pushing herself to the limit to raise much-needed funds for the Children's Health Foundation, which helps save the lives of critically ill children. We couldn’t be prouder of Cora and her incredible bravery for such a great cause.
In October, Tony Chick from our Accountants Division, and Lisa Dowling, Chief Tax & Compliance Officer, hosted a webinar with 2020 Innovation, discussing how accountancy practices can keep their e-commerce and distant/digital sellers compliant for foreign VAT while unlocking a new revenue stream for their practices. We also attended the 2020 Innovation Annual Conference in the UK to showcase our platform.
Joe Healy spoke at the Corporate Lodging Forum hosted by HRS Group, delving into the hot topic of how a fully automated VAT Reclaim service provides funding for your corporate travel department and helps to reap additional savings.
Éanna Brady and Nigel O’Donovan attending the Shannon International Leasing Conference (SILC) in Limerick. This was a really valuable event that we attended alongside our partners from FROSCH Ireland, and SAP Concur, with a focus of collaborating to increase referral-based sales.
Most recently, our team attended the GBTA Conference 2023 in Hamburg, Germany. The conference attracted almost 1,100 business travel industry professionals from 29 countries including 275 travel buyers. The event featured 61 new and returning exhibiting companies with more than eight hours of Expo Hall time for buyers and suppliers to connect. With over 90 speakers,26 sessions and education being at the forefront, our very own Joe Healy, CCO participated at the Broadcast Studio, discussing new trends emerging in T&E VAT reclaim, how corporations can ensure they do not have VAT reclaim opportunities blocked, and, the future for T&E reclaim. Check it out here.
Here's to an even better 2024!
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The fun never stops at Taxback!
We’re delighted to report that Q3 and Q4 have been very busy for Taxback with many notable highlights and achievements.
Team Taxback successfully navigated another Budget period. In September, the team hosted a well-received pre-budget webinar where the panel of speakers and MC Sinead Ryan discussed their predictions as to how Budget 2024 would affect the pockets of taxpayers.
In the weeks pre and post-budget, Taxback branding could be seen across the Irish Examiner, JOE and HerFamily websites, along with content promoting our Budget 2024 Tax Calculator.
And, on the morning after the budget announcement, our very own star Marian Ryan appeared on Ireland AM where she joined Alan Hughes to discuss the new measures announced in Budget 2024.
The conclusion to the Irish self-assessed tax season followed quickly after budget day.
We are ecstatic to announce that Taxback enjoyed an extremely successful, record-breaking self-assessed season for Irish taxes with remarkable growth in RTAs and revenue.
Team Taxback has also secured many new partners throughout H2. Perhaps most notably, we have agreed a very exciting partnership with Laya Healthcare to provide a tax refund review to all of their corporate partners. In 2024, we aim to integrate with Laya Healthcare to offer our services to their 600,000 members nationwide.
We have also partnered with Strikepay, Lidl Ireland, Europa Jobs, Dalata, VFI, Nursing Homes Ireland, MovieExtra, DAA, Ward Personnel, Conack Construction Ltd, Valeo Foods, EM3, Money Jar, CareChoice, and more!
With all that has been accomplished in 2023, it’s safe to say that Team Taxback is full of superstars! That said, a special congratulations must go to all of our recent #OneTeam Award Winners. They are all so well deserved!
Preparations for Q1 2024 and a busy Irish PAYE refund season in January are now well underway.
It has been a phenomenal Q3 and Q4 (so far) for everyone involved with Sprintax!
Move over Kelleher, there’s a new Enda in town!
Where else could we start other than our recent exciting announcement that former Taoiseach of Ireland Enda Kenny will be joining the Sprintax board?
You may have spotted this news in the Business Post alongside a profile of our CEO Joanna!
Mr Kenny will serve as a non-executive director to the business where he will provide guidance on strategic direction. His experience and presence on the board will be invaluable in the future development of the company.
The fact that Mr Kenny has joined our team is testament to the hard work and dedication of each member of the Sprintax team who has helped the company to enjoy such an astonishing trajectory of growth and success.
The former Taoiseach will be taking up his role in the coming weeks and we look forward to working with him throughout 2024.
Introducing Sprintax Dividends
Earlier in H2, the Sprintax team introduced a brand-new addition to our suite of services – Sprintax Dividends.
Simply put, this is a one-of-a-kind product. Sprintax Dividends has been specifically developed to support individuals who are entitled to claim a refund of overpaid dividend withholding tax on their overseas investments.
Led by Elaine Marino, this service has been in the works for quite some time and it has been extremely satisfying for the team to see it go live.
We are also delighted to report that we have already signed our first partner for this service – Genentech.
2024 promises to be a big year for Sprintax Dividends… watch this space.
On the road
Elsewhere, the Sprintax team has, as always, been hard at work attending events across the globe!
Ryan, Elvera, Anna, Neil, and Enda have been flying the Sprintax colours at events from Liverpool to Lisbon and Montreal to Washington DC, keeping a Sprintax presence on-site, giving us the best chance of adding to the ever-growing list of partners.
Arizona State University, the University of Pennsylvania, Caltech (which includes the NASA propulsion jet laboratory!), and Bryant University are just some of the established names to have agreed partnerships with us in recent weeks and months.
Elsewhere, so far this year we have helped more than 325,000 individuals with their tax documents. With just over a month left, we are looking at another record-breaking year for Sprintax.
With 2024 on the horizon, it won’t belong until the team’s focus switches once again towards yet another tax season.
Here we go again!
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Expanding Horizons with New Collaborations
What a year 2023 has been for us at Benamic! We're absolutely thrilled to share some of the high points that have marked our journey this year. Topping the list is the successful onboarding of Electrolux UK and Ireland, including the renowned brands Zanussi and AEG. It's been an incredible experience, exceeding our expectations and reinforcing our expertise in partnering with global brands for effective promotional marketing.
We didn't stop there. Our reach has further broadened with strategic partnerships with Synology UK, a pioneer in network-attached storage solutions, and Whirlpool Ireland, a leader in home appliances. These partnerships are more than just expansions of our portfolio; they are testaments to our ability to effectively manage diverse promotional campaigns for industry-leading brands.
In terms of our operational achievements, there's some fantastic news too. Our campaign volume has shot up by over 30% this year, and that’s not all, our claim volume has soared by over 50%! These figures are a clear indicator of our escalating influence and the deepening trust our clients place in our expertise.
Innovating for the Future: Advancements in Technology
On the technology front, we've been busy making significant strides. Our Automatic Submission Validator (ASV) has been a focal point, and the results in H2 have been nothing short of impressive. With a 40% success rate in claim validation, the ASV has revolutionised our processing efficiency and customer satisfaction. It's been a game-changer, especially in managing the increased claim volumes this year, and stands as a proud symbol of our commitment to using technology to enhance our service quality.
A Moment of Pride: Success at the IPM Awards
Let's not forget a particularly shining moment in H2 2023 – our success at the IPM Awards. Winning the Bronze Award in the ‘Best Promotional Marketing Management’ category for the 'Hisense UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Cashback Promotion' was a proud moment for all of us at Benamic. This award, received at the esteemed Quaglino’s in London and judged by our industry counterparts, represents more than just a victory for Benamic. It's a validation of our team's dedication to excellence in promotional marketing and a confirmation of our influential role in the industry. This recognition from those who understand and share our passion for this field is something we value highly.
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Celebrating 20 Years of Success
This October marked a significant milestone for Visa First as we proudly celebrated our 20th anniversary. The joyous occasion brought together our dedicated teams from Ireland and Bulgaria at our Stephen's Green Office where we celebrated this remarkable achievement together along with many of our clients and partners.
Following the anniversary event, the team enjoyed more celebrations and team-bonding by taking a trip on the one and only Dublin Viking Splash Tour!
New Partners
We're also excited to announce that Visa First entered into an array of dynamic new partnerships in recent months!
For example, Visa First has now partnered with Adventure People, Sodexo, Travel Counsellor, Hannon Travel, Colas, Home and Away Care, Amneal Ireland, LeoLynch, Explore Overseas and Ingredient Solutions.
The team are now looking forward to supporting these industry leaders with our services for Irish employment permits, business visas, holiday visas, and working holiday visas throughout 2024.
On the up!
The Visa First team are also delighted to report that we have enjoyed massive growth in many of our visa categories throughout 2023.
For example, both our India e-Visa and our Chinese Business Visa grew more than 10-fold throughout the year!
We are also proud to share that we have doubled the numbers of Vietnam and Cambodia tourist visas processed, compared to 2022.
Our new software has also proven to be a success, with 1,500 clients creating accounts since its launch in December 2022.
Events
In September, our very own Nune was a speaker at the 'Understanding the Visa Abyss' event hosted by the Employment and Recruitment Federation. This event saw an impressive audience of almost 400 attendees!
Continuing our momentum, the team co-hosted a webinar with Morgan McKinley on 'Ireland’s Talent Acquisition and Immigration in a Competitive Global Market.' Additionally, we hosted a webinar with Hays Recruitment and STEM Women on 'Navigating the Irish Visa & Employment Permit Programme for International Graduates.' These webinars enable us to share valuable insights and facilitate meaningful conversations within our industry.
It’s fair to say that an exciting 2024 is in store for Visa First.
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It has been a busy and productive Q3 and Q4 for Property Tax International
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Let’s start with the good news…
2023 will be remembered as a year of impressive growth for the business.
In fact, we have enjoyed revenue increases almost across the board – with particularly strong results for our French, German, Spanish and US services.
We are also delighted to report that traffic, engagement and registrations coming through the PTI Returns website and blog has approximately doubled in the past 12 months.
A special shout out must go to Kristina Valcheva who has been doing trojan work in optimising our site and thus, helping the business to grow.
The team have also successfully on-boarded a number of new partners in recent weeks and months. Some notable partners include Stephane Briere, Conciergerie des Citronniers, Paris-Housing and Vacanceole.
And, as we move towards 2024, our focus will shift to the Spanish, Polish, French and Hungarian markets and their respective deadlines throughout H1.
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IDLF sees dramatic growth in Q3 & Q4 2023
With an exceptional second half to 2023, IDLF has been able to turn a challenge into a major opportunity. By capitalising on global interest in securing a second residency in Ireland, IDLF has increased its investor base to such an extent that IDLF 3 is being launched to facilitate the high volume of investments. These investors, together with their families are from all over the world, including the USA, Asia, and South Africa.
With dedication and a can-do attitude, the IDLF team delivered success through a variety of strategic channels, including roadshow partnerships, direct sales from our online digital marketing campaigns, and international connections with expert immigration brokers.
IDLF Expands Investments in the Pembroke Hotel & Ice House Hotel
IDLF expanded its support for Kilkenny’s 4-star Pembroke Hotel by investing in the construction of two new floors. When completed, the Pembroke Hotel will have an additional 11 luxury suites and two restaurants and terrace bars overlooking Kilkenny Castle, Butler House and the rest of the Kilkenny city centre.
IDLF also supported the refinance of the Ice House Hotel. The Ice House is in Ballina, Co Mayo and overlooks the Moy River. With the IDLF support, the management will be able to continue to deliver a top-class spa and dining experience for their hotel guests.
Both these investment opportunities will be completed before year end.
IDLF Welcomes New Asian Migration Partner to Ireland
Joanna Murphy, CEO of IDLF and Andrew Parish, CCO of IDLF welcomes a new Asian Migration Partner to IDLF’s Head Office in Dublin. After what was a very productive meeting, a new partnership agreement was signed to secure investors into the IDLF investment fund. This partnership is already proving to be very successful with more success to come.
IDLF’s CEO Joanna Murphy closes new investor partnership deal worth €12 million + in Shanghai, China
Joanna Murphy, CEO of IDLF recently travelled to Asia to promote our IDLF Residency by Investment Fund as part of a planned business marketing roadshow to secure potential new Investors and partnerships with migration agencies. Joanna managed to secure a significant deal worth over €12 million in revenue for our investment fund based on Investors from China submitting applications for the Irish residency by investment programme.
Workplace Updates
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We have been recognized
Terry Clune recognized as Irish Business Person of the Year
Our very own, CluneTech’s founder and CEO, Terry Clune, has been recognized as Business Person of the Year at the Business and Finance Awards in Dublin, Ireland, on Friday, December 8.
The Business Person of the Year Award, in association with KPMG, recognises an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding level of achievement across their career over the past year.
The recognition follows a very successful year for Terry and our group, which saw CluneTech company Immedis, a leading global payroll platform, acquired by UKG , in one of Ireland’s largest tech deals of 2023.
Accepting the award, Terry Clune said:
“I am humbled by this recognition, which I see as a tribute to our whole team and culture. With incredible progress and innovation happening across fintech, I’m very proud that our companies have become leading players on the global stage.”
The most important thing we can do is create an empowering environment for our people to be creative and make brave decisions. My aim was for CluneTech to be a hub for technology innovation and I’m delighted to see us achieve that. Ultimately, focusing on our customers, listening to them, identifying their challenges and finding new solutions to meet those challenges, is what keeps us agile and innovative. Our success is all down to the work and dedication our people have shown since we were founded.”
Highest accolade at this year’s HR Leadership and Management Awards
This year marked CluneTech’s fourth year participating in the Irish HR Leadership & Management Awards and what a result we had this year! The 2023 awards, which took place in October, saw CluneTech achieve the highest accolade on the night; Overall Excellence in HR which recognises exceptional achievement in HR.
This year’s success also marks our third time winning Best Use of CSR in HR. This award recognises the role that our CSR programme, CluneTech Cares, plays in our overall business strategy and #OneTeam culture.
We were also awarded Best Flexible Working Strategy, for further strengthening our commitment to work-life balance by increasing annual leave allowance and introducing flexible benefits including Life Work Days, an additional half day's leave per quarter where employees can get their life jobs done, Summer Flex Hours, Meeting Free Days and more.
The HR Leadership & Management Awards celebrate excellence in HR and recognise that it will be key to the future economic prosperity of the Irish economy. The Awards are vital to promote HR, as they allow innovation and achievement to shine, and the ceremony itself is attended by hundreds of leading industry figures.
Fintech Employer of the Year at Career Show Awards in Bulgaria
On October 5th, CluneTech was awarded “Fintech Employer of the Year'' at the Career Show Awards – a leading career event in Bulgaria that recognizes innovation in employee management and employer branding. In addition, we also received a Gold Medal in the Work-Life Balance Category in recognition of our re-imagined employee experience, greater workplace flexibility and the various types of leave we provide, and a Bronze Medal in the Employee Recognition Strategy Category for our revamped Milestone Recognition Program, our #OneTeam Awards and a host of other initiatives that aim to create a culture of recognition and employee satisfaction.
The Career Show Awards were established to celebrate the achievements of Bulgaria’s leading employers, recognizing those who have demonstrated exceptional innovation in employee management and employer branding in this constantly evolving and highly competitive sector.
We were selected as one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies
This September, we were recognised as one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies at a Gala Awards ceremony held in the Convention Centre, Dublin. First recognised as one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies back in 2010, this is the eighth consecutive year that CluneTech has retained its Platinum Status - the highest accolade in these awards.
The Ireland's Best Managed Companies awards programme, run by Deloitte in association with Bank of Ireland, shines a spotlight on outstanding private businesses from across the island of Ireland and the exceptional performance that drives them. This year at the 15th annual awards ceremony, Deloitte recognised 130 indigenous companies representing 24 of the 32 counties across the island of Ireland.
A detailed judging process precedes the recognition, evaluating the entire management team and business strategy. The judges look beyond financial performance in areas such as a company’s environmental, social and governance standards, strategic planning and talent strategy, when awarding Ireland’s top privately owned businesses.
‘Ivan Stanchioff’ First Award Winners
CluneTech was honoured to receive the first ever ‘Ivan Stanchioff’ award for our dedication and commitment to supporting children, recognising our long-term partnership with Karin Dom.
Founded by the first Bulgarian Ambassador to the Irish Republic, Mr. Ivan Stanchioff, Karin Dom has been known for developing a therapeutic centre for children with special needs, which employs highly qualified specialists. Despite the facility itself being incredibly modern, and providing best-in-class care to support children with special needs, Karin Dom still relies heavily on donations from organisations like us to deliver their services.
On the night of the awards, Karin Dom announced the establishment of their brand new fund in support of children that will allow our CSR partner to continue its leading role in providing professional services for children with special needs and their families in Varna.
We are really grateful to continue supporting Karin Dom’s journey to ensure independent and fulfilling lives for the children and families in their care.
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Employee Benefits Improvements
This December, we were honoured to introduce some remarkable improvements to our leave offerings across the group which enable us to support our people during the more difficult times they may face in life. While these leave types tend to be the ones that we hope you never have to avail of, we equally hope that you take some comfort in knowing that as your employer, our aim is to minimise your worries during challenging times.
The changes cover three key areas: Compassionate leave, miscarriage and pregnancy loss leave, and IVF and pregnancy support leave. The announcement marks another significant step in our commitment to caring for, and supporting our people, and the additional leaves are available to all of our 1,200 employees globally.
Compassionate leave, which is available from day one of employment, has been significantly increased, with the company now offering 4 weeks paid leave for the loss of a spouse or child. Employees can also avail of 5 days and 3 days paid leave for the loss of an immediate or non-immediate family member respectively.
For the first time in our history, we are also recognising the important role that pets play in our employees’ lives, particularly as many people avail of our flexible working offering and choose to work from home. With this in mind, a dedicated Pet Compassionate Leave has been introduced where employees can avail of up to 2 days paid leave for the loss of a beloved pet.
The new policy also includes extended paid leave of five days for those impacted by pregnancy loss when this occurs prior to 24 weeks, as after this, in most cases, our paid maternity leave applies. In addition, where an employee’s partner has experienced pregnancy loss, they are now covered in the policy and can avail of the full five days paid leave.
Access to, and support during fertility treatment is another key focus for us as earlier this year we announced our support of The I Want a Baby Foundation in Bulgaria. Employees based in Ireland can already avail of best-in-class fertility care as part of the company’s health cover with Laya Healthcare. Previously, employees could avail of up to 3 days paid leave for IVF and pregnancy support. This has now been increased to 5 days paid leave and extended to the partner of a person undergoing IVF / pregnancy support.
These changes came into effect as of December 1st, 2023. Please note that there may be some minor differences between countries, and we therefore ask that you refer to your local Policy on Leave for the specific information. These can be found in Workvivo’s Documents section as follows: Ireland, Bulgaria, Rest of the World.
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CluneTech Cares
Our Corporate Social Responsibility Programme (CSR), CluneTech Cares, is created by our people, for our people. Through CluneTech Cares, we do our best to support and add value, not only to our employees and customers, but also to the communities in which we operate. Our CSR programme has three key pillars: Wellness, Culture & Community and Sustainability, and revolves around your input and each year, we are honoured to support the charities and causes that are closest to your hearts.
Throughout 2023, CluneTech Cares centred around three main types of activities: employee and company led donations and initiatives, employee volunteering through our CSR volunteer day and our brand new initiative, the CSR Spotlight of the Month.
It has been a busy year so make sure to check out some of our CSR highlights from 2023 below.
When we launched our annual CSR requests to our teams globally at the start of 2023, we also unveiled our brand new CSR initiative. Following your feedback, CluneTech’s CSR Spotlight of the Month was officially introduced via our internal communications platform, Workvivo.
Thanks to this amazing cause, each month we spotlight one charity/cause to support and during that month, we organise a 5k walk / run and donate €5 per person that participates during the given time frame to the charity / cause spotlighted in that month.
Our monthly CSR Spotlight comes in addition to the many amazing initiatives we already support, and as always, is directly chosen based on your requests.
Since our last newsletter update, CluneTech Cares has continued fundraising for charities and raising awareness for a number of incredible causes.
July: Supporting children’s health charities such as Karin Dom in Bulgaria and the Ronald McDonald House in Ireland.
August: Dedicated to Animal Welfare charities and the incredible work they do rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming the sick, injured and cruelly treated animals across our communities.
September: In honour of World Suicide Prevention Day, our September CSR Spotlight supported a number of incredibly deserving suicide prevention support charities who provide counselling and support to those impacted by suicide or mental illness.
October: October’s CSR Spotlight was dedicated to Race for the Cure, Europe’s biggest sporting event for women’s health. Employees were asked to turn their run / walk / cycling pink. Given the high volume of requests we received to support breast cancer support charities, we doubled the amount and donated €10 for every employee who took part.
November: Supporting Movember to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. For those who participated by growing their mo, we donated a whopping €50 on their behalf.
December: Supporting charities who help to prevent, or support those, experiencing poverty or homelessness. This Christmas, we issued a call out to all of our staff to help raise funds by joining our clothing donation drive for the homeless. For each person who donates items of clothing or completes a virtual 5K, CluneTech will match this with a €10 monetary donation to the St. Vincent DePaul.
CluneTech’s CSR Spotlight of the Month
A CSR Initiative created by our people, for our people Jan - Dec 2023 | €5000+ donated
As this year’s CSR Spotlight of the Month comes to a close, we would like to thank each and every one of you for being a part of CluneTech's commitment to creating positive change in our community. We can't wait to kick start this initiative once again in the new year, but to do so, we need your input! Don't forget to have your stay and submit your CSR request in January 2024 to suggest the charity or cause you would like to spotlight. From all of us here at CluneTech Cares, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year.
CluneTech’s Volunteer Day
As part of our commitment to caring, we introduced a Volunteer Day in September 2021 to empower you to give back within your local communities. Since its inception, 160+ employees have used their Volunteer Day, donating their own time and energy to causes that mean the most to them.
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Our #OneTeam Awards have improved
Recognition is at the heart of everything we do and CluneTech's #OneTeam Awards are one of the many ways our employees can recognize their peers. Based on your feedback, we recently made the decision to make some improvements to our #OneTeam Awards!
What has changed?
We’ve reduced the frequency of our #OneTeam Awards to twice per year. They’ll now be taking place in March and September.
The amount of the reward is increasing for each location globally.
Although the nominations have always been linked to our values, we will now also be announcing the winners in line with these values: Respect | One Team | Innovation | Passion.
In the past, winners were announced at team level. Being recognised as a #OneTeam Award winner is a huge achievement and going forward, each business CEO will announce their winners to the group.
What’s staying the same?
We will continue to hold our annual #OneTeam Employee of the Year Awards each December.
The number of awards per business will continue to be based on the number of employees within that business.
Each employee will still have the opportunity to nominate one person across the group and you can continue to nominate someone outside of your own team / company.
Nominations will continue to be received through Workvivo. Once nominations go live, your activity feed will change and enable you to submit your nomination from the main feed.
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Discover Workvivo. Download the Workvivo Mobile App
Did you know that Workvivo is available for download as a native mobile app on iOS and Android devices?
Stay connected with colleagues and always get the latest news and updates straight to your mobile! Post content, access information and find important resources while on the go through the Workvivo App.
WeLearn continues to support you in your Learning & Development Journey
As part of our commitment to supporting your learning and development journey, we introduced WeLearn, CluneTech’s Learning Management System, in Q4 2022.
With a catalogue of over 700 business general bitesize learning modules, WeLearn handles all aspects of the learning process in the company: from new hire onboarding, to compliance, internal business specific training and more. Through its mobile enabled feature, WeLearn can be accessed from anywhere in the world, which gives you an opportunity to learn and develop from the comfort of your own home, or even on the go!
To give you a hint of what the actual benefits of using our WeLearn Platform are, we spoke to two of our WeLearn Top Learners. See what they had to share below.
Iskra Mineva, Taxback
WeLearn platform’s biggest strength for me is their management and leadership courses. Although short, they tackle different real-life situations in the workplace and give answers to questions I’ve been asking myself. Everyone can benefit from watching these, as communication is something we all do daily. I’d love to see more in-depth professional courses and better course organization.
Michelle Highland, TransferMate
Learning using WeLearn is akin to fine dining: start small with an appetizer session of 2-3 minutes, then a palate cleanser of a 60-second amuse bouche of a practical technology skill followed by a main course providing deep knowledge of a single subject, and finally, dessert in the form of learning something ‘just for fun.’
Work-Life Balance
CluneTech Pics | 2023 Hall of Fame
Each quarter, we run a competition called CluneTech Pics. The idea is simple; by posting your best picture(s), you could win some great prizes and have your picture featured as the background of Core HR for the remainder of the quarter.
We’re always delighted to see so many entries each quarter and the best part is that we narrow the submissions down to 10 entries and our employees pick the overall winner through a transparent poll on Workvivo. Here’s what our two latest winners had to share about the photos they captured.
Tsvetelina Kulalieva - TransferMate - Q3 Winner
This summer, on the day of St. Pantaleon, I heard about a rock temple near my hometown, named after him, where it is believed that the Saint spent time in. It is a tiny cave in the rock overlooking the Struma River. The beautiful view displayed on the photo I captured is on the way up the hill, it is not actually observed from the Rock Temple, but on the way towards it. When we were climbing, I saw this breath-taking view and I had to capture it. I wanted to share it with more people, so they can enjoy and feel the magic of the place.
Martin Georgiev - TransferMate - Q4 Winner
We were on a team building exercise with my team and some other colleagues from the other teams in a village called Kamentzi. I woke early after the night we had (probably the first one because of my bio APAC clock) and the first thing I saw after I got out of the house was the mist that rolled over the hills and the sun trying to pierce through it. That was one of the most beautiful views I've had in a longtime and I decided to take some photos, which came out great.
If you’d like to take part in our next CluneTech Pics competition, make sure to keep an eye out on Workvivo for the announcement each quarter. The winner of each quarterly photo competition receives a pair of Apple AirPods and has their photo displayed as the background of Core HR so get entering! You can check out previous entries in our CluneTech Pics Space
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Great Place to Work Events
From our first ever CluneTech Quiz Event to a Viking Splash Tour, beer tasting and paintball battles, it’s safe to say that Q3 and Q4 really raised the bar for the feel good workplace experience we try to create.
Here’s a look back at some of our favourite Great Place to Work Events from the past two quarters.
Viking Splash Tour in Dublin, Ireland
Beer Tasting in Varna, Bulgaria
Paintball Battle in Varna, Bulgaria
Quiz Night in Varna, Bulgaria
Sprintax & Taxback’s Tech Teams Communications Training
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria - Halloween Competition
Irish Christmas Party – see all photos from the night here
Varna Christmas Parties – see all photos from the night here
Veliko Tarnovo Christmas Parties – see all photos from the night here
TransferMate’s US & Mexico Teams Holiday Party
TransferMate's APAC Conference and Christmas gathering - see all pictures from the event here
If you want to contribute with suggestions for our next GPTW events, feel free to email our team at gptw@clunetech.com.
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10 reasons why 2023 was so amazing
In a year that has seen quite a lot of negative news in different parts of the world, we want to end the year on a high and spread some joy by sharing some of the good news stories from 2023.
So, we asked some of you to share the reasons why you thought 2023 was amazing! Check out their answers below:
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Christmas colouring sheets for your kids
If you are looking for a festive activity that your kids will love, our Christmas themed colouring sheets are sure to provide hours of fun and get them excited for Christmas day!
We’d like to give a special mention to our very own Zornitsa Bangieva, Multimedia Designer at CluneTech, who is the creative genius behind these wonderful illustrations.
Here is what Zory shared about her collection of Christmas themed illustrations, which she has drawn exclusively for the kids of CluneTech:
“Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year!
There's something magical in the air that inspires me to create illustrations that capture the joy and spirit of the season. When I sat down to begin my Christmas illustrations, I started by thinking about the memories I have from my own childhood. I remember the excitement of decorating the tree with my family, the delicious smells coming from the kitchen, and the anticipation of opening presents on Christmas morning. These memories inspired me to create 10 different Christmas illustrations that hopefully will evoke those same emotions in others. It's a privilege to be able to create something that can bring happiness and warmth to others during the holiday season. I hope that my illustrations can help others capture the same magic and wonder that I feel during this special time of year.”
Zory has been part of the Design Team and the CluneTech family for 8 years
Besides juggling with different video and graphic design projects as a Multimedia Designer, she has always been very passionate about art. When she’s not creating amazing content for our suite of businesses, Zory makes up one half of a mother-daughter owned business where she and her mom have been teaching art lessons to children for several years now.
Speaking about her art lessons, Zory said:
“It's a great way to share our passion for art and creativity with the younger generation, and we love seeing their faces light up when they create something new. Each lesson is unique and tailored to the child's interests and skill level. We provide a variety of materials, so that every child can explore their creativity in their own way. We also encourage them to experiment with different techniques and styles, and to express themselves freely through their art. One of the best things about teaching art to kids is seeing how it can boost their confidence and self-esteem. They learn to trust their instincts, take risks, and believe in their own abilities. It's an incredibly rewarding experience for both us and the kids we work with.”
To download our amazing Christmas themed printables, open our link, right click anywhere on the page and select the Save As option.
Print to your heart’s content and let the most wonderful time of the year begin!
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