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NEWSMAKERS
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PLUMBERS MU ST BONE U P ON HEAT PU MP S
The Social Market Foundation has warned that the government’s plan to decarbonise home heating does not give plumbers enough incentive to train to install the heat pumps with which ministers want to replace gas boilers. The group’s talks with plumbers suggest that many see little reason to spend time and money getting the skills needed for heat pumps. tinyurl.com/Fac0122-Plumbers
LINK BUSIN ESS R ATES TO E NE RGY E FFICIENCY – JLL
Business rates regulations must be changed to contribute to the move towards zero carbon, according to JLL in its report, Business Rates and Sustainability. The real estate adviser advocates a change to the rating multiplier so that business rates would be linked to a property’s energy efficiency. tinyurl.com/ Fac0122-Energy
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The Health and Safety Executive has begun a national campaign to help businesses recognise the signs of work-related stress and make it routine to tackle these issues. Work-related stress and poor mental health risk are becoming a health and safety crisis for the UK’s workplaces, warns the regulator. tinyurl.com/Fac0122-HSE
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BUIL D I N G S EC TOR MUST TA K E P RID E IN TACK L IN G CL IMAT E CH A N G E
Paul Drechsler, the CBI’s ex-president, expects the building engineering sector to play a key role in addressing climate change. He told the annual Building Engineering Services Association president’s lunch that industry leaders must be more vocal about their achievements to promote the role of building services in supporting health and wellbeing. But he added that this would require the sector to compete harder for talent to address skills challenges and improve staff diversity. tinyurl.com/Fac0122-Climate
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74 % O F SUPPLY CHAIN HEADS DO NOT TR ACK FO OD WASTE
A Sodexo survey shows that the link between food waste and carbon emissions is still not understood and that a “radical, rapid change is needed”. It examined food-buying trends at some of the UK’s biggest firms. Nearly 74 per cent of senior decision-makers don’t track the amount of food they want. tinyurl. com/Fac0122Sodexo
Ethical trade membership firm Sedex has reported that while women make up half of the global workforce, only a quarter are in management and a third in supervisory roles. Female workforce participation is 60 per cent in services to buildings such as cleaning, 69 per cent in human health activities, and 62 per cent in apparel manufacturing. But only 26 per cent are in computing. tinyurl.com/Fac0122-Women
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All new and renovated buildings will need electric vehicle charging points installed in them from next year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. The rules will also apply to new homes and those undergoing large-scale renovations. The government claims that this announcement builds on the 250,000 workplace and home charge points it had already supported to date. tinyurl.com/Fac0122-EV
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALAMY / ISTOCK
H S E L AUN CH ES MEN TA L H E A LT H D R I V E
As many as 73 per cent of UK workers would choose their next employer based on flexible technology and health and wellbeing support, according to a survey by ergonomic office furniture firm Ergotron. tinyurl.com/Fac0122-Tech
WOMEN A RE 5 0 % OF UK WO R K FO RC E B U T ON LY 3 1% OF BOS S ES
E V C HA RGING POINTS TO BE MANDATORY IN NEW-BUI L DS
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WORK ERS WA N T F L EX I BL E T ECH
L I V I N G WAG E RIS E
The Living Wage Foundation announced increases to the ‘real’ Living Wage rates during its annual Living Wage Week celebration in November. More than 300,000 people working for almost 9,000 real Living Wage Employers throughout the country are getting a vital pay boost as the new Living Wage rates rose to £9.90 across the UK, and £11.05 in London. tinyurl.com/Fac0122-Wage
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CL EA N IN G STA F F FACE ‘ BURN OUT ’
A lack of contract cleaning staff could put remaining workers at risk of “burnout” ncrease costs and increase for contractors, says the ncil British Cleaning Council oup (BCC). Jim Melvin, group CEO at The Exclusive Services Group and BCC o4 chair, told BBC Radio ere some contractors were n asking clients to open an. buildings 24/7 to clean. 2tinyurl.com/Fac0122Cleaning
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F M I S K EY TO D I G I TAL WORK P L AC E CH A N G E
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Digital services firm Ricoh UK’s report, Leading Change at Work – Devising Your Digital Workplace Strategy, considers the impact of the pandemic on current and future FM roles. FM professionals who took part in one of several round table events examined the role of four key departments: facilities, HR, IT, and finance and operations. tinyurl.com/ Fac0122-Workplace
IW F M P ION EERS WORK P L AC E TO O L
IWF has joined with Liverpool Business IWFM Sch School and Workplace Unlimited to llaunch The Return on Workplace Inve Investment, or ROWI Tool. The tool is a cal calculator to measure the impact of wor workplace projects on organisational per performance. tinyurl. com com/Fac0122-Tool
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FACI L I TAT EM AG A ZI N E .CO M
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20/12/2021 11:52
