Beautician Yana Davydenko came to Ireland earlier this month, fleeing her native Ukraine following the Russian invasion.
She is originally from Mariupol and has not been able to make contact with family there for weeks.
"I feel terrible about what is going on there. I don't know how people are still living there after all the bombings and I can't get any news about my family," she said.
Ms Davydenko recently started working at the Fifth Avenue Beauty Emporium in Dublin city centre and says the job has helped take her mind off the conflict back home.
"I love that I have something to do. I don't want to be a refugee and not do anything, I want to work because when I don't work I am constantly looking at the news and it is so upsetting."
Nail technician Yuliia Nastachenko fled Kyiv and came to Ireland when the Russian invasion began. She was hired by the Fifth Avenue Beauty Emporium after replying to a job advertisement.
She said the process of entering the Irish workforce was straightforward.
"It was all very easy. When you arrive, they give you all the necessary documents, a special certificate that allows you to stay here, a PPS number and help with opening a bank account," Ms Nastachenko said.
From an employer's perspective, the process of hiring Ukrainians has been simplified.
Giedre Jancyte-Vasiliauske owns the Fifth Avenue Beauty Emporium and said that it was as easy as hiring EU citizens.
She has been inundated with calls since she began a recruitment campaign focussing on Ukrainians earlier this month.
"I have been flooded with calls. I presume the ad was shared in Ukraine. I am getting calls day and night and not just from beauticians. People are asking for different kinds of help," Ms Jancyte-Vasiliauske said.
"It's about providing a safe space to live and to work. Of course they will never forget what is happening back home but it is important to give them an aim and a challenge," she said.
Under an EU Temporary Protection Directive, Ukrainians arriving here are granted permission to reside in Ireland for one year, which may be extended.
They get full access to the labour market, without the need to apply for a work permit.
They are also given access to accommodation, social welfare, education and medical care.
Employment experts say that companies should make themselves aware of the new rules as they relate to Ukrainian workers.
"This is a developing situation and it's important that employers ensure they keep up to date on the issues as they develop from the Department of Justice and related Government departments dealing with immigration," according to Moira Grassick of Peninsula Business Services.
"It's obviously a traumatic time and people need our support. This includes finding meaningful employment whilst here in Ireland," she said.
The country's biggest trade union SIPTU is working with the Irish Red Cross to help provide advice on employment rights for Ukrainian workers coming to Ireland.
In the coming days, the Irish Refugee Council will begin operating a Ukrainian language helpline for new arrivals.
These will all be vital supports for some of the newest members of Ireland's workforce as they reflect on the lives and loved ones they have been forced to leave behind.
