April 2023
Ian Symonds
Exemplary career
shows variety of FM opportunities
Sarah Dixon
Wholistic approach to all areas of diversity and inclusion
Geoff Grateley
Long experience leads to consultancy and more work variety
Andrew Shelley
Explaining the rapidly expanding benefits of B Corp accreditation
Complying with the Building Safety Act is the ‘moral duty’ of construction companies
ll our issues this year have included information about the changes being implemented in line the requirements of the Building Safety Act, described as the most far-reaching within a generation, particularly for buildings of seven floors or 18m in height and over.
This has led up to our April issue and the inclusion of three main features on this topic, ranging from our front cover, exclusive interview with Dame Judith Hackitt to information on the opening of registrations for tall residential buildings and our report on last month’s BSF conference.
Possibly one of the most important aspects to emphasise regarding the need to register tall residential buildings is that this will include any commercial development that includes two or more residential spaces.
With the ongoing trend for mixed developments that often include office, retail and residential areas, there is a potential danger that the need to register these will be missed and lead to building owners falling foul of the law.
The good news is that responsible persons have until the end of September to register and there is lots of supporting information on the government website, the details of which can be found within our feature on pages 10 and 11 of this issue.
Regular readers will know that this publication has been founded on promoting the long list of positives that exist and continue to emerge within all areas of the FM industry, so it may surprise some to read the comments of Dame Judith and her fellow presenters at the BSF Conference and within her interview.
No doubt many will realise that these are designed to help the industry avoid further disasters such as the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2016 by highlighting the need for everyone to follow the most ethical standards when constructing and renovating buildings.
One of the most important messages within this is the need to work to the highest standards using trusted industry partners, including those featured in FM Director interviews and case studies and further emphasising the strength and depth of the FM sector.
No doubt many FM businesses are continuing to be affected by the continuing issues around inflation, labour shortages and lower levels of economic activity, but the industry is once again showing its resilience in the face of adversity by continuing to extend and improve the support shown to clients.
Conditions are predicted to improve later this year and this should provide welcome relief for those that have weathered the storm over the last three years, with many set to benefit from their efforts in working smarter and enjoying more growth in the future.
FM businesses are continuing to be affected by the continuing issues around inflation, labour shortages and lower levels of economic activity
DENNIS FLOWER MANAGING EDITOR
Dame Judith Hackitt has been a central figure within the reform of tall building legislation and continues to urge businesses to improve their performance to regain the trust of stakeholders
It is now a legal requirement to register all residential tall buildings within the UK, with a deadline of the end of September this year
Ian Symonds has continued to gain skills and qualifications throughout his impressive career and his achievements have exceeded all expectations as a result
Planning ahead and having relevant processes in place are deemed to be the best ways to prepare for worst case scenarios to protect facilities and clients when issues occur
Sarah Dixon explains how looking at all aspects of diversity and inclusion will deliver higher levels of value for businesses
Questions continue to be asked about the development and increasing use of technology and its future impact on the workplace
Following our front of house feature, Anthony Laser provides his thoughts on the hospitality sector, including the challenges and prospects for the future
There was considerable emphasis on changing behaviours within the construction industry to improve the safety of tall buildings throughout the UK at the Leading Building Safety Conference
As the UK’s leading provider of specialist services for the construction and FM sectors, Premier Technical Services Group Ltd (PTSG) embraces innovation in all forms to stay at the cutting edge of the markets in which it operates
Having completed the lengthy accreditation process to become a certified B Corporation business, Andrew Shelley says his company is already seeing the positive results of its efforts
The London Coffee Festival included an impressive range of exhibitors that ranged from all types of providers of coffee, to those offering catering and additional services and products – and even tea
Geoff Grateley has enjoyed a varied career and, similar to many others, has followed an indirect route to the FM sector which continues to be extended to assist a growing number of clients
Trust is perhaps more important in the back-up power industry than most other sectors
Mainstay Group and Sentinel Group Security have formed a close working arrangement to allow seamless delivery of contractual obligations
Katie Ferrier of Achilles explores how the FM sector now has a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to build back better with a documented system for safe business practices...
Jackie Furey discusses how to attract staff back to the office by creating a dynamic and agile destination where teams can enjoy the spark and energy of being around colleagues and peers
Yolanda Garcia discusses how FMs can check for nitrous oxide in medical settings, amid a growing number of high-profile regulatory breaches across the UK
Following the news of his promotion to the position of chief executive officer (CEO) with Principle Cleaning, Tom Lloyd spoke to FM Director about his journey and ambitions for the future
66 Movers and Shakers
Dame Judith Hackitt has been a central fi gure within the reform of tall building legislation and continues to urge businesses to improve their performance to regain the trust of stakeholders
Having received royal assent last year, the Building Safety Act has begun a staged introduction, including the need for all high-rise buildings to be registered before the end of October this year.
“It will come fully into force in 2024 and there is a massive amount of work currently being carried out to underpin that with large amounts of secondary legislation,” says Dame Judith Hackitt, who has been a central figure throughout the process of reforming the construction and maintenance of high-rise buildings. Her considerable efforts followed the Grenfell Tower tragedy that occurred in June 2017, resulting in 72 people losing their lives and injuring more than 70 others, many of them seriously.
Speaking exclusively to FM Director about the act, Dame Judith says that “people know what’s coming, but it’s not yet fully enforceable”. She further explains that the registering of high-rise buildings is now a legal requirement and those failing to comply by the October 2023 deadline “will be committing a criminal offence”.
Her Building a Safer Future: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety report was published in May 2018, laying the foundations for the “biggest reform of Building Regulations in a generation”. This has required considerable effort by everyone involved over the four years following the report’s publication and leading to the granting of royal assent last year, with the momentum continuing to decide all the details of secondary legislation that will pass into law in 2024.
One of the constant themes throughout all stages of the initial inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster and subsequent reports has been how investigations revealed the deep flaws in the previous regulatory system, leading to a lack of accountability and poor standards within the construction sector. With industry commentators continuing to express concern about the current practices involved in constructing and maintaining high-rise buildings, Dame Judith states that there have been considerable levels of publicity about the intent of the act providing businesses with more than sufficient time to prepare.
“It left industry with a choice of either waiting to see what the regulations said in detail, or to prepare. And one would have hoped that, given the extent of the tragedy that happened in 2017, the industry would
have said ‘We’re going to get ahead of this’, but sadly that seems to have been the exception, rather than the rule,” she continues.
While some businesses have embraced the need to prepare for the new legislation, Dame Judith states that the high number of queries since the initial introduction of the act earlier this year indicates a lack of effort to understand the real intent, for industry to “do the right thing”. She describes the pace at which businesses have been moving as “disappointing in itself”, while urging companies to appreciate the need to do much more than simply comply with the new requirements.
“Anyone who approaches this from the basis of ‘I’m meeting the requirements of the regulations because I have to by law’ is failing to understand the point of all this, which is that the industry has failed in meeting the expectations of its customers,” she continues and compares the purchase of property with buying a car.
“If the car sales person told us ‘It should be alright, but I’ve cut a few corners in building this car so keep your fingers crossed that it will be OK’, we would be absolutely outraged. We expect them to have traceability and rectify any defect by recalling the model as soon as possible.”
People know what’s coming, but it’s not yet fully enforceable
Compared with the purchase of property – “the biggest single investment by far that any of us will ever make” – there are no options that “even come remotely close” to the levels of accountability and support provided by the automotive sector.
“Notwithstanding the importance of the new regulatory framework that will very soon be fully in place, I continue to believe there is a need for some market mechanisms to differentiate between those who approach this with the right frame of mind and those who don’t,” she continues. This would allow the companies performing to high levels of responsibility to market themselves accordingly and gain the confidence of their customers and their financial backers.
A successful independent assessment on the safety of the building being sold is described by Dame Judith as something that should be used to provide reassurance to customers. She states that there is an urgent need for the industry to do as much as it can to restore the confidence levels of those buying and leasing property.
“Getting the industry to the point where everyone is at least in compliance would be a major step forward. But I believe we can go further than that because consumers deserve to have the confidence that those who are building our houses, apartments and highrise buildings for us are committed to constructing
buildings that are going to be safe to live and work in for decades to come.”
She further emphasises that ensuring the building is compliant at the point it is finished is not enough and the industry needs to look further ahead than this. When all the aspects of the act are in place next year, Dame Judith believes this will then contribute towards significant increases in consumer confidence as a result of all duty holders in construction projects having to comply with the requirements of the various Gateways within the act.
“The responsibility now lies with the duty holder to prove to the regulator that they have built something which is safe,” she continues. This means that it will no longer be possible for any company to bend the rules and regulations to suit their own aims, with everyone required to demonstrate compliance to the regulator.
Planning Gateway One had been in place for approximately 18 months at the time of the interview, with around 50% of submissions failing to meet requirements around fire safety in the early days of its introduction. This led to the regulator publishing a list of the main concerns voiced by applicants and Dame Judith reports that this has led to more recent submissions meeting the requirements more effectively and providing hope that more improvements will follow.
Getting the industry to the point where everyone is at least in compliance would be a major step forward
However, should the introduction of additional later-stage Gateways indicate that there is “still massive amounts of change going on between finished design and completion, and it’s not possible to account for why those changes were made, then I think improvements to levels of confidence will be a long time coming”, she says.
With work ongoing to decide the details of additional legislation within the act, Dame Judith emphasises the fact that the performance of the construction sector and its levels of compliancewith the initial requirements will determine the details and extent of this.
“What we will have in the new regime will be a regulator who will be able to report on what they have seen and experienced. It really is a case that the chance to regain the trust of the consumer is only partly in the hands of the regulator, and it is very much more in the hands of those who do the design and construction of the buildings themselves.”
Companies committing to accreditation with initiatives including the Building a Safer Future charter will be able to demonstrate their support for and engagement with the new regulations, she continues, while providing the levels of reassurance necessary to rebuild trust with customers. Another benefit emerging from this will be the opportunity for companies to use their accreditation to market their services as preferred suppliers to gain more business in future.
Given the fact that the industry has failed to provide assurance of the safety of occupants to date, Dame Judith feels that it will not be unreasonable to identify the companies that continue to attempt to flout the new regulations in future.
“We’ve already seen the Secretary of State name and shame those who have been unwilling to step up to right the wrongs of the past in terms of remediation on existing buildings. I think it will fall to the regulator to identify those who have failed to prepare for and deliver on the new regulatory regime.
“Sadly, I think there will be some who will be held to account by the regulator and that will become public knowledge,” she says. “Because they will not allow buildings that are not safe to be occupied on completion. There are likely to be some high-profile cases as a result of that, which will be very damaging for those who have been involved.
“That doesn’t mean, of course, that they shouldn’t continue to press ahead, even now with the limited time available, to get ahead of the curve because that would be in everyone’s best interest, including their own” she states.
Dame Judith describes the level of support received from trade associations and industry bodies as “extraordinary” in terms of offering solutions, and developing competency frameworks and mechanisms to support the industry in improving its performance.
Sadly, I think there will be some who will be held to account by the regulator and that will become public knowledge
However, she also describes a level of disappointment with some of those providing accreditation for individuals due to their reluctance to display the necessary levels of leadership required to set standards of excellence.
“I think there’s a lot more they could have done and still could do to raise standards of professional excellence,” says Dame Judith.
She additionally compliments the efforts of the Construction Products Association (CPA) and Institute for Structural Engineers (ISE) for their exemplary efforts and high levels of support to assist the industry to prepare for the changes required and be prepared for more to come.
One of the most important messages within the new legislation is that it requires the entire construction industry to deliver improvements in the quality and safety of all high rise buildings, including existing, those under construction and future projects.
“Government is aware of the long journey involved in reforming the industry and that this
requires considerable levels of change,” Dame Judith continues.
“This means that it will not just apply to the main contractors. There is much more work to be done around the sourcing of materials, accreditation and testing regimes. The industry will need to deliver complete confidence that the materials being used are fit for purpose, or there will be a large gap to fill,” she says.
“One of the things that the industry needs to avoid is to continue with its old philosophy, because that has been shown to have failed, leading to the introduction of the new act. But everyone needs to realise that they need to ensure they are changing for the right reasons, not just because the law tells them to,” she continues.
“There has been a great deal of effort devoted to making sure that everyone has all the information required to start making the changes required and that this applies to both the public and private sectors. Everyone will need to comply with the same standards. The same driving factors of doing what’s right on a moral basis applies equally throughout the industry,” Dame Judith concludes.
One of the things that the industry needs to avoid is to continue with its old philosophy, because that has been shown to have failed
It is now a legal requirement to register all residential tall buildings within the UK, with a deadline of the end of September this year
The government has announced that registration for tall buildings is now open, requiring all principal accountable persons, or the person authorised to act for them, to record the details of each building under their control.
The principal accountable person is the person or organisation who owns or is accountable for the building’s safety.
If the building has more than one accountable person, the government states that the principal accountable person is the one who is accountable for the external walls and structure of the building.
High-rise residential buildings are classified as those with at least seven floors or that are at least 18m in height, with at least two residential units.
High-rise residential buildings can also contain one or more high-rise residential structures.
It will therefore be possible to apply to register two or more structures as a single building when they’re connected by a walkway, lobby or basement, that contains a residential unit, or have an internal wall containing normal use doors.
Information supplied
The information responsible persons will be required to submit about the building includes the number of floors at or above ground level, its height in metres, the number of residential units, the year it was originally built and its address or addresses.
If the building is made up of more than one high-rise residential structure, applications must provide the information for each structure. Details
of the principal accountable person and any other accountable persons will also be required to be submitted.
To complete applications, a payment of £251 for each building will be required. Once the application has started, it will need to be completed by the end of September.
Following the completion of the application, responsible persons will be asked for more detailed information about the structure and safety of the building. The intention is to assist responsible persons in their safety assessments prior to completing safety case reports at a later date.
Those registering buildings on line can only provide information about one building at a time, but can return to the online registration service as many times as needed.
While relevant tall buildings to be registered are classified as any structure 18m in height or with seven floors, containing at least two residential units, it will not be necessary to register facilities that are entirely used as a:
Hospital care home
secure residential institution
hotel military premises
prison.
A principal accountable person can be an individual or an organisation such as a:
housing association
local authority company.
If the principal accountable person is an organisation, then someone within the organisation should be the single point of contact for the Building Safety Regulator. This individual should have authority or duties relating to the safety of the building, but this does not make them the principal accountable person. It is the organisation that is the principal accountable person.
The principal accountable person can authorise in writing someone else to register the building on their behalf, for example a managing agent or legal representative. This does not make the authorised person the principal accountable person.
With all occupied high-rise residential buildings required to be registered by 30 September 2023, after this date it will be an offence if a building is occupied but not registered. New buildings completed after 1 October 2023 must have a relevant completion certificate or final notice and must be registered before the building is occupied.
When applying to register a building online, registrants will need:
a credit or debit card to pay the £251 registration fee per building
the building’s name, address and postcode information about the building, including height in metres, number of floors and residential units, and year of completion
the names and contact details of the principal accountable person and accountable persons.
Following the completed registration, further information will be required to be submitted within 28 days of applying to register the building or by 30 September 2023. Those registering a building on 30 April 2023 will have until 30 September 2023 to submit the structure and safety information, while those registering their building on 29 September 2023 will have 28 days to submit the information.
Following the completion of the registration, responsible persons or their agent will be required to notify the Building Safety Regulator if there are any changes to this or the building information they have submitted.
The government has provided extensive information online to assist those submitting application, including details of how to include floor numbers at or above ground level. These should be counted from ground level to the top floor, whether they have residential units or not.
Mezzanine floors that are 50% or more of the area of other floors should be included within the information supplied. If a mezzanine floor is less than 50% of the area of any of the other floors, it should not be counted as a floor. Information on floors below ground or the roof will not be required.
Ground level is considered to be the level of the land immediately next to the building. If that land is uneven, it is the lowest part of the land immediately next to the building. Any floors below that level are below ground level, says the government.
When including information on residential units, all of these should be included regardless of whether they are occupied or not. A residential unit is a place where anyone can live, such as a flat, apartment, maisonette or a room in student accommodation.
Details of the building’s completion will be required, but if the exact year is not known, applicants will be able to select from a range of choices. When registering buildings completed this year or in the future, responsible persons or their agent will be required to include the name of the building control body that issued the completion certificate or final notice and the certificate or notice number.
For buildings completed before 2023, applicants will be required to take all reasonable steps to submit the completion certificate or final notice information. Further information and access to the registration portal can be found here:
Applying to register a high-rise residential buildingwww.gov.uk/guidance/applying-to-register-a-highrise-residential-building
With all occupied highrise residential buildings required to be registered by 30 September 2023, after this date it will be an offence if a building is occupied but not registered
Having started work as an MOD apprentice electrical fitter in 1980, Ian Symonds has enjoyed a career of continual learning and development that has not only provided high levels of job satisfaction, but has additionally delivered considerable value for both the organisations he has worked for and their clients.
FM Director spoke to Mr Symonds as he prepared to retire from his role as National Library of Scotland
(NLS) Head of Estates. His considerable efforts in this position have not only saved the library large sums of money and greatly reduced its carbon emissions but have additionally resulted in both national and international attention for the cutting-edge methods employed.
“My first role was as an apprentice electrical fitter at Rosyth Royal Dockyard, the four-year course was highly regarded and I was Apprentice of the Year for each year of my apprenticeship,” he recalls. Comparing
his initial impressive levels of success with those achieved throughout his career, it can be seen that Mr Symonds has surpassed his potential in all areas.
He further states that the privatisation of the dockyard in the mid-1980s provided opportunities within the private sector that saw him working as a diagnostic technician for radar on shipping. This additionally allowed him to further expand his knowledge of both public and private sector operations which has been put to good use in the years that followed.
Ian Symonds has continued to gain skills and qualifi cations throughout his impressive career and his achievements have exceeded all expectations as a result
Further evidence of his rapidly expanding prospects was provided in 1987, when Mr Symonds was invited to apply for the role of lecturer at Edinburgh College by the head of their technical department.
“I moved to Edinburgh and spent the next three years at the college teaching HNC and HND courses and also developed my interest in fibre optics. After attending Norwich College to gain further qualifications and knowledge, I returned to Edinburgh and helped to establish the first national installation courses in Scotland.”
Having continued to further extend his own qualifications, Mr Symonds was then offered a position as a consultant in a local building services company. “I went from setting radars to work, to electronics and electrical engineering – which I really enjoyed – to working in building services consultancy. During this time I’d completed an Open University degree and received a 2:1 honours degree in computing & electronics and that allowed me to become a corporate engineer.”
This additionally provided him with a route to achieving his long-held ambition of becoming a chartered electrical engineer. “The next stage was to study for my master’s degree and I began to work my way up in the company to become an associate, and was made responsible for the Safeway stores key account in Scotland and the North of England.”
Mr Symonds combined his career success with studying for his master’s degree at Herriot Watt
University and beginning a relationship that continues to this day. “I was in Dr Fan Wang’s class and completed a master’s degree in building services engineering management that allowed me to apply to the Institute of Electrical Engineers to become a chartered engineer member.”
He found that his studies and work duties – which frequently involved travel around Scotland and Northern England – allowed him to spend less time with his wife and two young sons. This was brought into sharp focus when Mr Symonds’s youngest son caught meningitis at the age of only 18 months in December 2002.
“Thankfully my son pulled through from his influenza meningitis, but at one stage the consultant surgeon told me: ‘In the next 48 hours, Mr Symonds, your son will die.’ This was followed by ‘your son will have brain damage’ as it became clear he was on the mend, and you can imagine our relief when he made a complete recovery.
“However, I then began to re-evaluate my life balance and that coincided with a job opportunity with Fife Council as an electrical engineer. I’d just qualified as a chartered engineer and the job allowed me to move back to Fife.”
With less travelling and more time spent with his family, Mr Symonds continued his studies and completed another master’s degree, this time in construction project management. Fife Council additionally recognised his potential and encouraged him to take more senior roles.
The next stage was to study for my master’s degree and I began to work my way up in the company
“So I’d achieved chartered status, two master’s degrees and started to progress up the management ladder, but it became clear that there were few further opportunities within the council coming from a building services background that I could apply for. During my time as a consultant, I’d worked with Barr Construction, a nationally accredited business that did a lot of football stadiums and worked with retail organisations such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
“I’d been able to watch my sons grow up and the chance to work with Barr Construction came at the right time so I accepted the job as building services manager and headed up their building services team. My experience with Safeway allowed me to apply this to the work with Tesco and I stayed there for five years, becoming building services energy manager and also becoming accredited as an energy performance certificate (EPC) provider, which was my introduction to energy management.”
His work with Barr Construction and Tesco in particular again led to Mr Symonds travelling extensively and his days became increasingly intense. Although the work itself and the contact with many of his colleagues and clients were highly enjoyable, he felt the need for a new challenge after five years.
“I found myself falling asleep on the plane to London and one time only woke up when passengers began boarding for the flight back to Scotland, so thought that showed it was time for a change,” he says. “The way we managed the Tesco account had also changed so I explained to everyone and they were very supportive and appreciated all the work and the various achievements.”
His next role was as the national maintenance manager with the blood transfusion service within NHS National Services Scotland in 2012. There was considerable interest in improved energy management and Mr Symonds’s experience led to his first involvement in the creation of an energy management platform.
“I really enjoyed working in the NHS and particularly the people, many of whom were very dedicated, although the high levels of bureaucracy began to detract from that after a while. Nevertheless, I felt my first energy management role went really well.”
His NHS experience led to Mr Symonds returning to Rosyth Dockyard in the facilities management division of Babcock Engineering, working as energy manager and ESOS assessor and included recommendations for a wind farm to offset a significant amount of carbon emissions. After 12 months, he experimented with positions within the prison service and retail, while considering his options in other areas.
This led to the offer of employment with the Scottish National Library as head of estates and Mr Symonds began his highly successful tenure in 2017. “I’ve been here for five years, and we’ve been national awards finalists seven times and we’ve won five national awards. When I first joined there was very limited capture of assets, so I drew up a five-year action – which didn’t include entering awards,” he continues.
His plan has proved highly effective and could not have been created or implemented without his extensive knowledge and experience. The capture of
assets also included numerous additional areas, such as procurement of improved energy management systems and creation of a new FM contract and consultancy framework for the library’s estate.
“I also established building user groups with the aim of improving communication with library staff and improving the use of buildings for the library. We could also see the need to raise the profile of the estates team within the library.
“Another requirement was to replace the library’s building management system Trend 963, which was antiquated and the controllers were saturated, so it was a case of looking at something new. We came out with a new front end called IQ Vision, which used the Internet of Things (IoT). We were the first to embrace this in Scotland and were the third in the UK to actually implement it.
“It was all about taking a closed protocol system and making it an open protocol system. We had around 100 controllers that were well out of date and could have collapsed at any time and needed replacing.
“We spent £35,000 creating the open protocol system and that saved us having to spend £350,000. It was a bit of a no-brainer but it was all about taking that leap of faith and using my technical knowledge.”
The dramatic success achieved resulted in Mr Symonds being allowed to work on a largely autonomous basis and he then began to consider entering national awards. Having presented his thoughts to the library leadership team and receiving a positive response, Mr Symonds was delighted to receive the library’s first accolade within two years.
Partnering with Craigalan Controls, the NLS won the PFM Partnership Awards 2019 Partners in Smart FM category, a significant achievement for the company’s first award entry and very much down to Mr Symonds’s leadership and effort. The awards judges additionally decided that the entry was the best of the year, which resulted in the NLS and Craigalan Controls being presented with the coveted Overall Winner trophy at the end of the presentation ceremony.
We were the first to embrace this in Scotland and were the third in the UK to actually implement it
“We were blown away, particularly coming from the public sector where we have a lack of funding and competing against much larger organisations with a lot more finance. So that was how we started with industry awards, which were almost a side product of all the other work we completed,” he says.
Within a few months of receiving the trophies, Mr Symonds was faced with dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the closure of some buildings and approximately 70% of staff placed on furlough. Due to all the previous efforts in establishing modern methods of monitoring and control, however, the library was able to maintain all its environmental controls and protect the vast collection of artefacts.
Like many FMs and estate managers, Mr Symonds sourced face masks, hand sanitisers, and plastic screens and arranged for these to be made available and installed to protect staff and members of the public within a short period of time. Having caught the virus at the start of the first lockdown and having to deal with the long-term physical and mental health impact, he was nevertheless able to return to work in April 2020 and assist the library in dealing with all new requirements.
Once everything began to settle down, the task of entering – and winning – more industry awards was able to resume, resulting in the library achieving further success in both the IWFM Impact Awards and the PFM Pa
Looking back on his five years of work with the
library, Mr Symonds states that this has been “a journey that has been quite frustrating at times, but also incredibly rewarding” and he feels that 2023 is the right time to step down. Depending on how he feels in a few months, he may consider options to return to consultancy work on a part-time basis, which would allow him to continue to pass on as many aspects of his highly valuable knowledge and experience as possible.
There have no doubt been many more opportunities at each stage of Mr Symonds’s career that would be highly relevant to his extensive list of qualifications and considerable experience and he continues to believe in the benefits of achieving and further developing academic qualifications. “I’d also advise anyone starting out on a career in FM to remain aware of the importance of being adaptable. The industry is always changing and it’s very important that you keep up to speed with any changes and adapt to them as quickly as possible,” he says. “I also cannot understate the importance of developing your team and the need to take them with you. Your team members also have aspirations, and without doubt, the time I have spent with them in helping them develop has been more rewarding than any accolade”.
Regardless of any future achievements, Mr Symonds has the satisfaction of looking back on a career that has delivered considerable advantages and change for the companies and organisations he has worked for. The NLS has been the pinnacle of his decades and effort and will continue to receive the benefits of his achievements for many years to come.
MSc in construction (project management), Heriot-Watt University
MSc in building services engineering management, Heriot-Watt University
Teaching certificate in further education, Strathclyde University
BSc (hons) in computing and electronics, Open University
Diploma in computing, Open University
HNC in electrical and electronic engineering, Fife College
ONC in electrical and electronic engineering, Lauder College
Ian Symonds’sDespite the best intentions of all stakeholders, use of the most appropriate technology and full compliance with all legislative requirements, the reality of managing facilities is that occasionally something will fail, break down or stop working.
This may include or affect crucial items of plant and equipment, such as heating or cooling machinery, or the systems that control them. The majority of these will be easy to identify and
rectify, but all FMs and service providers will be able to provide examples where this has not been the case.
These instances are often regarded as the ultimate test of the processes in place to provide disaster management support.
After speaking to FMs around the UK, it can quickly be established that the differences in disaster management can vary from lists of contacts and service providers to approach in the event of failure of relevant equipment, to others that have
alternative, fully-equipped premises to move to if needed.
While cost will be a major and understandable factor within these plans, all facilities will need to have something in place to deal with unexpected issues.
There has been increasing appreciation of the role of technology in alerting staff to potential or actual issues, as another example, which is used to provide reassurance of the safety levels within each facility.
ahead and having relevant processes in place are deemed to be the best ways to prepare for worst case scenarios to protect facilities and clients when issues occur
Must provide a resilient two-way emergency communication connection to their lifts.
Fibre landlines will fail in the event of a mains power failure! RESILIENT
PRO
MANAGEMENT
However, it is never possible to predict when users of facilities will trip, slip or fall and disaster management plans will need to include processes to deal with these instances whenever or wherever they occur within the building or its surrounding area. Perhaps the worst case to consider is a direct attack on the building or those using it, but these can also be included within disaster management plans.
Those tasked with managing high-rise or landmark facilities may also find that another challenge to deal with is that of so-called urban adventurers, who are typically described as those with large numbers of social media followers with whom they are eager to share their most recent daring exploits. The concern of FMs and service providers is that these may include climbing or accessing their building, creating a number of potential hazards for staff and the general public in the surrounding area.
Advanced planning and having the best processes in place will allow responsible persons to react and deal with these issues as quickly as possible, ideally before they occur to limit the impact on daily lives and business operations. Early identification of faults or undesirable individuals is seen as the best outcome, with discussions continuing about the best means to deliver this.
The majority of FMs agree that close working with their local police force and other emergency service providers will be an essential element of dealing with
the issues described above. Further discussion has also been devoted to the use of technological means, such as facial recognition cameras to identify the individuals most likely to cause problems.
Having established the most suitable plans for the facility in question, the next essential step is to ensure that all stakeholders have a detailed understanding of how they will be implemented. High levels of communication will be a basic necessity within this area, along with the completion of practice drills to test the effectiveness of the established processes and help to refine them where necessary.
Experienced FMs and service providers will be wellpracticed in creating the most effective disaster management plans for their facilities and estates and those requiring assistance with these have a number of resources at their disposal. An example of this is provided by the government’s emergency planning and preparedness portal, which can be accessed free of charge. The website has been established to provide examples of how to run exercises and training for emergency planning and preparedness, while also providing an introduction to the Central Government Emergency Response Training (CGERT) course. The website states that the government aims to ensure all organisations are fully prepared for all types of emergencies.
Integral to that is the practising and testing of all the elements of emergency plans, it states.
Early identification of faults or undesirable individuals is seen as the best outcome, with discussions continuing about the best means to deliver this
The guide outlines different types of exercises that can be used to help test the effectiveness of plans, while additionally including examples of exercises that take place at all levels of government and some specific examples of the most recent exercises.
It clearly states that the training of staff who are involved in emergency planning and response is fundamental to an organisation’s ability to handle any type of emergency. Its guide also outlines the aims of training in this context and describes different types of instruction.
These exercises should be completed within the requirements of the Civil Contingencies Act, says the government, and the CGERT course can be used to assist with ensuring that all stakeholders are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness necessary for their role in crisis management at the national strategic level.
Advice is also available on the staging of different types of exercises to test the plans and process in place to deal with emergencies as and when they occur. In addition to validating these, exercises can also be used to ensure that all stakeholders have the necessary understanding and skills required, with options in place to assist those requiring further instruction or support.
The portal further states that it is important to appreciate that the plans in place to deal with emergencies cannot be considered reliable until the exercises have proved to be workable, especially since false confidence may be placed in the integrity of a written plan.
Those participating in exercises should have an awareness of their roles and be reasonably comfortable with this, before they are subject to the stresses of an exercise. Exercising is not to catch people out, the website states, and should be used to test procedures, not people.
However, if staff are under-prepared they may blame the plan, when they should blame their lack of preparation and training. An important aim of an exercise should be to make people feel more comfortable in their roles and to build morale, says the government.
The three main types of exercise range from discussion-based and tabletop initiatives, with the third option consisting of a live simulation. There is also the option of including a fourth category, which can combine all three elements in a single exercise.
The choice of which one to adopt depends on what the purpose of the exercise is and will also depend on the amount of time and available resources.
Discussion-based exercises are considered to be the most simple to organise and cost effective to run and therefore regarded as the easiest to prepare. They can be used at the policy formulation stage as a ‘talk-through’ of how to finalise the plan, but are more frequently based on a completed plan and used to develop awareness about the process through discussion, which may also lead to or include training.
Tabletop exercises are based on simulations and can be delivered using a variety of means, including online communication portals if team members are not present at the same location. The government states that these can include realistic scenarios and timelines, which may be real time or adjusted to meet the aims of the organisers.
For exercises where all team members are present, tabletops can be held in a single room, or in a series of linked rooms to simulate the divisions between responders who need to communicate and be co-ordinated. The players are expected to know the plan and they are invited to test how the plan works as the scenario unfolds.
This type of exercise is useful for validation purposes, says the government, particularly for exploring weaknesses in procedures. Tabletop exercises are also relatively cheap to run, except in the use of staff time, but will require detailed and careful preparation.
If staff are under-prepared they may blame the plan, when they should blame their lack of preparation and training
Live exercises provide rehearsals for implementing a plan and are considered to be particularly useful for testing logistics, communications and physical capabilities.
They also make excellent training events from the point of view of experiential learning, helping participants develop confidence in their skills and providing experience of what it would be like to use the plan’s procedures in a real event. Where the latter purposes are, in fact, the main objective of the exercise, then it is essentially a training exercise or practice drill.
Live exercises are the most expensive of the three options to set up on the day and additionally demand the most extensive preparation.
The government further advises that it has in place a co-ordinated cross-governmental exercise programme covering a comprehensive range of domestic disruptive challenges, including accidents, natural disasters and acts of terrorism.
This is designed to rigorously test the concept of operations from the coordinated central response through the range of lead government department responsibilities and the involvement of the devolved administrations, from central government to local responders. In addition, local authorities and the emergency services develop their own programme of exercises to test capabilities at the local level.
This nationwide rolling programme of exercises is designed to ensure that the UK has the best possible contingency plans in place to respond to a whole range of civil emergency scenarios, many of which will affect FM operations at various levels.
Another consideration to appreciate is that the UK government observes or participates with international partners in exercises, either through multilateral fora, such as the G8, NATO and the EU, or on a bilateral basis.
Those wishing to understand more details of the Civil Contingencies Act Regulations are told that it requires Category 1 responders to include provision for the carrying out of exercises and for the training of staff in emergency plans. The same or similar requirements for exercising and training also apply to business continuity plans and arrangements to warn, inform and advise the public and facilities users.
This means that relevant planning documents must contain a statement about the nature of the training and exercising to be provided and its frequency.
There are numerous elements to appreciate with all aspects of disaster management and FMs and service provider partners have a significant number of resources at their disposal to assist with this, including that of the government portal described above.
Live exercises provide rehearsals for implementing a plan and are considered to be particularly useful for testing logistics, communications and physical capabilities
You can now complete DBS and right to work checks without having to verify the applicant’s original documents in person. Digital identity is built into the existing DDC platform and can be simply turned on/off as required.
Right to Work
Digital Identity
Criminal Record
Employment References
And more...
If your employees have access to government assets then you will be required to screen individuals to the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) BPSS is also commonly accepted as the ‘baseline’ of background screening policy. Therefore, If you are looking to implement a pre-employment screening policy or grow within the public sector, BPSS is a great place to start.
How
integrate
background screening into your onboarding process
27th April 2023
26th April 2023 Optimising BPSS & background screening: Technology, compliance and digital right to work
Applicants can easily verify their identity from the comfort of their own home
Less chasing your applicants, fewer back and forth interactions and faster processing times.
Digital identity provides a more accurate level of check for both visible and nonvisible data (NFC chip data)
Sarah Dixon explains how looking at all aspects of diversity and inclusion will deliver higher levels of value for businesses
There is a noticeable movement within all areas of the business community to place social considerations at the heart of their enterprise. Among the numerous implications of this is an increasing consideration for diversity and inclusion (D&I). FM Director spoke to Johnson Controls’ enterprise sales and commercial director UK and Ireland Sarah Dixon, who has championed the strengths of D&I throughout her career.
“My take may be slightly different than others on D&I,” she begins. “For me, it’s not a male and female thing, it’s more diversity of thought and I’ve really seen the impact of changing the conversation in teams.” She further explains that this has been noticeable in all the teams she has worked within over her career, which has ranged from manufacturing, supply and servicing of lifts to fire suppression and all aspects of her current employer’s business. One of the pitfalls to avoid within D&I is to approach it from a statistical point of view, she continues.
“We can confuse the conversation sometimes when people say they need more women in their team to balance their metrics. It’s not about the male/ female mix, it’s about right person, right job,” Ms Dixon states. “That’s something we’ve been talking about more and more, to make sure you’ve got the correct mix of thought, diversity, ethnicity, etc, within the teams, because of the way that changes the course of conversations and the way you look at things within the business.”
One of the potential barriers to achieving D&I to avoid is the tendency for people to recruit candidates who are similar to them, and Ms Dixon has seen this in all areas of her work over the last 25 years. “We often say we need someone with lots of
experience in a specific area, but do you?” she asks. “Perhaps you need a person who can see what the next big thing is, or can drive the team’s productivity, or provide other valuable insights.”
Taking this line of thought further, Ms Dixon says she is now using it to challenge those tasked with recruiting new colleagues to look beyond the basic requirements. Describing those candidates with long experience as “fantastic”, she encourages recruiters to look at what a new recruit can bring to the team as a whole and how they can deliver even more value to the business.
She has significant personal experience in this area, having been the only woman on the management team in her previous role when she first joined. “And everyone had 20 years of experience or more, which is an amazing business to be part of, but what they were really challenged with was what direction they could move in and how quickly they could adapt,” she explains.
Ms Dixon openly states that she was brought into the leadership team and did not “have a clue” about fire suppression or sprinklers, but found this allowed her to bring new elements and a wider focus to conversations, including the need to deliver growth and sometimes asking what she now regards as “silly questions”. While projects continued to be delivered to the correct technical standards, she identified areas where adopting a slightly different approach allowed this to continue while also providing more areas for potential expansion.
“As people retired and we brought new people in, I was able to mix the team up and without really trying, and we’ve now got a more or less 50/50 male/female split on the leadership team,” she continues. “This was the result of looking at the requirements of the team as a whole when recruiting new people.”
What they were really challenged with was what direction they could move in and how quickly they could adapt
She further explains that the recruitment strategy involves considering whether a candidate would improve levels of collaboration, assist in the delivery of growth or be particularly adept at working with others to develop high-performing teams. By avoiding the “potentially dangerous” practice of simply employing people to achieve a better male/female ratio, Ms Dixon says that significant growth for the business has also been delivered over the last two years.
“We’ve changed the conversation within the business, and we’ve adapted to that culturally, and our pace has increased. That all began by changing how we do things and we now step back before hiring someone and look at what we need in the role, which might not be an exact replica of what we’ve always had.”
Speaking to FM Director on 8 March this year and celebrating International Women’s Day, Ms Dixon further states that although she considers it important to change conversations and introduce new thought processes, these may result in confirming that what is currently in place is correct and does not need changing in any way.
“It can become a tick box process if you’re not careful, but the benefits to an organisation are phenomenal if you do it in the right way,” she states.
Another example of delivering D&I can be recruiting all-male or all-female teams, but ensuring they come from different backgrounds, with different experiences and from different industries with the result of an increase in diversity of thought.
“It’s not just about the male/female mix, it starts with apprenticeship intakes, developing your own people and how you look at talent acquisition as a whole. And we still have a lot of work to do,” she continues.
Engineering is not the first choice of career for university graduates, says Ms Dixon, and her
company continues to put considerable effort into recruiting 90 apprentices this year, with approximately 150 employed throughout the Johnson Controls business. This includes apprentice engineers, and design and project managers working in the field, which she describes as “tough, physical roles” particularly suited to male workers.
“But we have brought in our first two female engineers in construction, who are fitting sprinkler systems, in the last 12 months and we have more female apprentices coming through. It’s all about training, coaching and creating the understanding of what benefit it can bring when you have diverse teams of people,” she says. It is essential to understand that the majority of people will happily continue to follow the same processes and maintain the attitudes they have become comfortable with, but Ms Dixon emphasises her message that it is important to challenge these in order to avoid settling into routines that can become stale. This becomes easier when colleagues of different backgrounds work together, she states.
“Of course, you need a core of people who are fantastic at their jobs and continue to do what they’ve always done, but you need the mix of people as well, and I’m a firm believer in the strength of different personas in the workplace. Looking at the characters in the team, you can’t have everyone working as a driver because then you’re on a hiding to nothing,” she continues.
“You can have both male and female alpha personalities, but I would hope that we’re seeing less of these types of leadership teams today. You now have to be able to flex, bend and adapt and you need more emotional intelligence, but if you have 10 people with high levels of emotional intelligence that’s also unlikely to work, because you need that mix and that will include the drivers and other character types, too.”
We have brought in our first two female engineers in construction, who are fitting sprinkler systems, in the last 12 months
Ms Dixon further states it is essential to recognise that all project deadlines still have to be met and the usual pressures continue to exist on construction sites. While these are unlikely to disappear, she adds that another strength of diversity within teams is that this can allow them to discuss alternative means and processes within project delivery that will avoid the “race to the bottom”, including cutting corners and making mistakes.
Acknowledging that the construction sector can be “brutal” in the drive to meet deadlines and avoid the penalties that can result if these are missed, Ms Dixon describes how she witnessed some companies change things for the better through working in close partnership with all those on site. “Everyone always talks about the benefits of partnerships, but some companies established teams of people that worked really well together.
“They deliver on wellbeing and improve the delivery of work schedules on site, all by engaging with the managers and other teams,” she continues.
“We all know that this can work well, but you need to have really good project managers, who can be either male or female, to oversee this process and bring everyone together.”
Ms Dixon accepts that not all new approaches will succeed immediately, although these may provide opportunities for learning new methods even if they are not considered outright successes. “The important thing is to try it, if it fails it fails, but you need to try something different or look at things in a different way, and that’s the conversation,” she concludes.
We all know that this can work well, but you need to have really good project managers
Questions continue to be asked about the development and increasing use of technology and its future impact on the workplace
There has been a continuing discussion throughout UK and world society on the potential impact ofthe increased use of technology in all areas and particularly that of the workplace.
This follows the remarkable developments over the last three years, which has ranged from the emergence of the global coronavirus pandemic to supply chain issues, increasing inflation and labour shortages, along with various other occurrences. While technology has provided solutions to several of these, there is further discussion on whether the time is now ripe to rein back on its development.
Concerns have been raised more recently by
leading entrepreneurs including Elon Musk and others, combined with previous warnings issued by scientists including Stephen Hawking before his death in 2018. While the majority of experts continue to believe that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to add considerably more benefits to all areas of society, including the FM industry, there have been increasing numbers of calls for more effective legislation to avoid any negative developments.
Professor Hawking said: “Everything that civilisation has to offer is a product of human intelligence; we cannot predict what we might achieve when this intelligence is magnified by the tools that AI may provide, but the eradication of war, disease, and poverty would be high on anyone’s list.”
He also warned of the potential for AI to be developed to the point where it destroyed life, stating that the best means of avoiding this and continuing to create more beneficial outcomes was the use of effective legislation. While many experts continue to support Mr Hawking’s comments, questions continue to be asked on how to achieve the most effective balance between the two elements.
These discussions remain highly relevant to the FM sector and, for the purposes of this feature, focus on whether technological developments will replace front of house personnel in the near future. It is already possible to attend facilities and gain admittance without speaking to another person, of course.
Automated login procedures are increasingly available and easily accessible, including bar codes, use of tablets on reception desks and recognition technology. These are typically designed for ease of entrance for visitors, while including the necessary levels of security to ensure that those gaining access to facilities, including specific areas, have the correct permissions and official invitations.
Sentinel Group Security (SGS) projects director Rob Whiffing states that front of house plays a vital role in delivering the first impression of a business.
“Up until now, it’s been the norm that clients and visitors are greeted by a friendly receptionist, who makes them feel welcome, directs them where to go and offers them a cup of tea or coffee,” he continues. “But will more organisations adopt visitor management systems in place of a human receptionist?”
He further explains that visitor management systems can create a slick, welcoming sign-in experience for the company’s clients. With a personalised greeting and their own parking bay, they know they are expected. The whole experience creates a first impression that the business is modern, wellorganised and innovative.
“But a personalised welcome relies on the hosts inputting the correct information ahead of time. And if it doesn’t all work flawlessly, it can cause confusion and frustration. On the other hand, a human receptionist deals with any problems as they arise. Good receptionists will always give a great first impression of your business,” says Mr Whiffing.
His comments align with those expressed by client-side FMs, many of whom have found that replacing staff members with technology can lead to embarrassing developments. While sophisticated algorithms can predict many of the potential issues that may arise, industry experts believe it will never be possible to prepare for every eventuality due to the wide-ranging attributes, faults, expectations and abilities of humans and human nature.
Although many agree that staff members can represent the most valuable assets within any business, there is very likely to be a balance to achieve to ensure that the best service is provided at the most effective cost. When applied to the current workplace conditions, for example, it may not be necessary to have a fully staffed reception desk if the facility is not being used on a Monday or Friday.
This could result in the hours of attendance of reception staff being reduced, with technology applied to provide the necessary levels of cover and support more cost-effective outcomes. It is, of course, important to meet the expectations of clients and facilities users to avoid the more negative potential outcomes within times of reduced on-site activity.
Mr Whiffing makes further relevant points on this topic by stating that businesses that have embraced visitor management systems tend to be organisations that pride themselves on adopting futuristic technology, like tech firms or innovative start-ups. “Or they are businesses whose premises don’t really need a receptionist. For example, businesses in the manufacturing and industrial sectors,” he continues.
“For those organisations who rely on the strength of their personal relationships, nothing beats a friendly human welcome at the front desk. So will technology cause the demise of human receptionists? Yes, possibly… eventually. We are all becoming more accustomed to this sort of tech in our daily lives, and it won’t be long until visitor management systems are commonplace.
“But it’s all about the experience you want to give your clients, and how that first impression reflects on your business,” says Mr Whiffing.
The delivery of the best levels of experience and meeting of client and facilities user expectations seem to be the determining factors within this discussion. Given the numbers of businesses around the world and particularly within the UK, it seems unlikely that technological solutions will continue to develop to the point where every front of house member of staff is replaced.
While there is no doubt that reception areas will experience radical change in the years ahead, there are no certainties that these developments will not require human interaction and support. The points made by Mr Whiffing support the view that there is currently a considerable difference between being greeted by another person with a warm, friendly smile, who is able to quickly and efficiently welcome each visitor to the facility, guide them to the appropriate area and alert their business contact of their presence while answering any questions and providing assistance where needed, compared to those attempting to find their bar code on their mobile phone and negotiate the various steps necessary to gain entry and find their meeting room or locate the person or persons they expect to interact with through interaction with the facility’s entry system.
Although many agree that staff members can represent the most valuable assets within any business, there is very likely to be a balance to achieve
Perhaps the final point of discussion should include the identification of front of house staff, who are typically employed as receptionists, although some businesses include security staff among their teams. As previously discussed above, the levels of staffing are usually governed by the type of facility and numbers of attendees at the facility in question.
While large commercial buildings with thousands of staff members in attendance will typically see several dedicated receptionists working with security personnel to meet and greet visitors in the most professional, helpful and welcoming manner, this is unlikely to be the case for other facilities. Smaller buildings with considerably lower attendance numbers are more likely to see less security staff at the main reception, with either a single receptionist or a telephone to alert a member of staff of a visitor’s presence.
In all instances, it will be essential for front of house staff to be able to communicate on a high level with visitors and attendees, with the aim of creating the best impression of the company and its services. While the majority of staff are stationed at the reception desk, there has been a notable change to this model in recent years, with the 22 Bishopsgate, London facility providing one of the best examples of this.
Officially opened in 2020, front of house staff include both security and reception personnel equipped with mobile phones and tablet computers linked to the building’s intranet and providing rapid access to the most important aspects of the building. As visitors arrive, they are greeted by a member of staff, who will then alert the people expecting them or direct them to the area most relevant to their requirements.
Rather than being stationed at a single location, staff members enjoy considerably more freedom in their daily routines. The atmosphere is relaxed and further supports the best levels of the ‘meet and greet’ aims of the managing agent.
Taking the 22 Bishopsgate model into consideration, it seems highly unlikely that technology will be able to replace the exemplary personal greeting model that has been established since its opening and appreciated by the majority of attendees. Depending on the type and size of facility in question, however, the model and approach to front of house services is very likely to continue to vary greatly.
Those with the more traditional approach may well see reducing numbers of staff due to the increased use of technology, while others are more likely to see little impact. Perhaps one of the most important aspects to consider is how to maintain the best levels of service in all instances, either with or without increasing the use of technology.
Depending on the type and size of facility in question, however, the model and approach to front of house services is very likely to continue to vary greatly
The hospitality sector has seen little respite from challenges in recent years, and indeed, in the short term, this looks to continue as we enter 2023. As we optimistically saw an end to the high impact of Covid on the sector, new threats further instability to our economy whilst the UK continues to navigate the impact felt by Brexit.
The sector is incredibly resilient, but the shortand medium-term challenges we face are significant and can be felt across all businesses throughout the industry.
Following the severe impact on employees in our sector, and the ‘great resignation’ post-Covid, the industry has seen a growth in recruitment at a junior level, which is positive. The impact is still being felt at more senior levels, however. Combining the above with Brexit - which impacted significantly - the skills shortage will remain a significant issue into 2023 and beyond.
There is also the issue of recruitment and retention. The industry typically offers little hybrid-
working flexibility, something which is becoming increasingly sought after following the pandemic. Attracting the right talent to our industry will be vital in the short and longer term but may require some creative thinking.
We must evolve with the workforce by developing roles that offer excitement, variety, and a commitment to career progression. Currently, the industry is seeing a reliance on offering inflated salaries to attract candidates, which is already becoming increasingly unsustainable.
As recession looms and inflation remains high, the perfect storm continues to rage on through the sector. It has been incredible to observe our clients and other organisations in the industry pivot, adapt and evolve to navigate the issues we face. As costs continue to rise, we will likely see operations adapted to reduce energy and operational costs.
Working patterns have changed significantly to appease the hybrid-workforce and mitigate rising costs. Recent reports have shown that office usage is declining, particularly in urban city locations. This
has tested our sector’s ability to be adaptable, with headcounts higher between Tuesday to Thursday, allowing workers the opportunity to work from home to act as an extended weekend.
However, we risk losing the value of connection. The sharing of ideas, camaraderie, and the watercooler moments that have delivered some of the greatest innovations in business risk becoming a thing of the past.
We cannot accurately predict the medium and long-term future of the sector - the last few years have proven that. But we must ensure that the workplace is attractive and that we continue to motivate people to spend time as teams to build and develop strong connections to allow for creativity and advancement to thrive.
The demand for more ethical business practices has evolved beyond the boardroom and become engrained in business culture. In the medium term, this will present growing challenges for us to ensure we attract the right customers, employees, and partners.
Following our front of house feature, Anthony Laser provides his thoughts on the hospitality sector, including the challenges and prospects for the future
The effects our operations have on the environment has been a considerable focus for the sector for many years. Still, the cultural shift in the importance of social value has significantly increased since the pandemic. Society has moved beyond policies and mission statements, to requiring demonstrable results, tracking, and reporting. Stakeholders observe businesses much more intently around equality, diversity, and inclusion.
We are seeing an increasing number of partners across the supply chain coordinate their efforts to deliver exceptional results. These collaborations have seen businesses combine their ESG efforts to bolster each other and deliver new and, frankly, quite exciting results.
It is vital that we have a clear vision for the future of the business. For the sector to adapt and evolve to combat these challenges, we need to be innovative, adaptable, and able to stay aligned, or even ahead, of future trends.
The sector will see increasing numbers of remote and hybrid workers, with demand for flexible working. We need to jump this hurdle as interest in administrative roles improves, but frontline roles continue to be a test for the sector. Those applicants who have the passion for providing the exceptional level of customer services that we demand for our customers - whilst also ensuring the role offers enough flexibility to fit around their aspired lifestyle. The task is to ensure that those applying are more than chasing a pay packet and will show the passion, diligence, commitment, and personality to deliver the high standards expected by our customers.
We’ve also had to improve how we recruit and to be more proactive and considered in the marketing of roles, ensuring all vacancies are attractive and financially realistic to support candidates with rising costs, but still offer the value required to attract new customers. Our team has been meeting and networking with key industry people to widen our outreach and take learnings from across the sector.
There has been an increase in the value of technology within recruitment. We have been able to adopt solutions that have made organising recruitment meetings quicker whilst making decisionmaking much more efficient.
Technology is crucial in the modern world, but more so now than ever. How can you improve efficiency, enhance business solutions, and get the information when you want it, whenever you like it? This can only be achieved through technology.
Technology needs to work as an ecosystem. Early adoption of technology across the sector showed that all systems required to integrate, talk to each other, and deliver instant reporting. As such, innovations in API technology have allowed processes such as reporting data, payroll, employee rotas and visiting schedules to be more efficient and accessible for all required stakeholders.
Technology can enhance the customer experience to offer a more personalised service, as specific information on their files - their name, where they are from, their favourite drink and so on – means we can prepare for their arrival. Using modern technologies
such as scanning QR codes or automated booking in systems take the mundane tasks from our colleagues, allowing them to keep their primary focus on the guest in front of them.
Back office systems also allow our teams to spend more time reviewing processes with their teams or customers rather than basic administration.
The advancement of application-based systems is an evolution from which we can all benefit. Integrated systems, often controlled by remote application, have and will continue to improve customer experience. From temperature management, air quality, visitor management, and important notifications, it is exciting to see this evolve and be implemented more across the sector.
The advancements in technology have allowed us to improve communication and interaction with our teams. Internal communication has seen improvements in two-way communications at all levels of the business. Newsletters, key announcements, appointments and even work anniversaries all form strategies that enhance employee engagement and deliver excellent workplace culture. One of the significant benefits of technology is the ability to use various solutions that work for the increasingly diverse workforce, including inclusivity for those with disabilities.
We are seeing a period of unrest, disruption, and political uncertainty that we haven’t seen since the 1970s. The sector has shown we can adapt quickly and evolve, even when thrown a curveball when government policy changes almost overnight. The strikes across the public sector, particularly around travel, will continue to pose a threat to urban locations as fewer people are able to get into the office, further reducing occupancy.
Anthony Laser is managing director at Office Concierge
The demand for more ethical business practices has evolved beyond the boardroom and become engrained in business culture
There was considerable emphasis on changing behaviours within the construction industry to improve the safety of tall buildings throughout the UK at the Leading Building Safety Conference
Held last month at the QEII Centre in Westminster, London, the Leading Building Safety Conference included a wide range of presentations from leading industry figures, including Dame Judith Hackitt, with the overall aim of improving the safety of facilities.
Although focused mainly on the construction of tall buildings, the message applied to all areas of construction and FM. Several of the speakers emphasised the need for all companies and individuals to behave in the most responsible manner to avoid the mistakes that led to the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2016.
There have been numerous comments, both before and after the 2016 disaster, that have highlighted the issues affecting the construction sector. Many of
these have pointed out the focus on cost, rather than quality of work, which has seen many companies involved in the ‘race to the bottom’ and delivery of the cheapest price.
One of the first to emphasise the need for change was Building a Safer Future (BSF) non-executive chair Steve Elliott, who explained the various efforts of his organisation to rectify the negative issues affecting construction, with the aim of rebuilding trust with residents and occupiers of tall buildings. He said 370 companies had registered with the BFS, with the aim of delivering continuous improvements in their working environment.
The overall intention of all aspects of the BSF scheme and the conference was to improve safety within buildings, Mr Elliott stated. He further explained that if buildings are built to better
standards, their value will increase and justify the increased efforts of everyone involved.
His message was further extended by Dame Judith Hackitt (see front cover interview) speaking from the position of chair of the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. She explained how the Building Safety Act had been introduced this year, with the intention of including further legislation and coming into full force in 2024.
Dame Judith stated that the construction industry could choose whether to embrace the legislation and make the necessary changes now, or wait until the Building Safety Act came into full effect next year. The regulator’s perception of the industry’s reaction to the act would determine the extent to which further legislation is added and there was still time for the industry to make a positive impact on this, she said.
She added that she very much hoped that companies would see the need and benefits of changing behaviours and working to the highest moral standards. While “pockets of the industry” had reacted “very encouragingly”, others had displayed “no real sense of purpose”, she said, indicating the need for considerable increases in effort throughout the construction sector.
“There are still companies doing the least they can in order to comply with legislation and only make changes when they absolutely have to,” said Dame Judith. “In the meantime, we’re still building high rise buildings that don’t comply with the existing legislation, let alone the new.”
Companies and individuals needed to think about how they could improve their standards, said Dame Judith, stating that it was the morally correct thing to do to ensure each building could be safely evacuated in the event of a fire or any other emergency. Many residents and occupiers felt betrayed and the construction industry needed to make the effort to rebuild trust levels with their customers, she added.
On a more positive note, Dame Judith praised the efforts of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) in encouraging companies to act more responsibly to improve the safety of buildings and sharing of information on correct standards and behaviours. She stated her delight at being present when the first 10 construction companies received accreditation
for improved standards, while reminding delegates of the Secretary of State’s commitment to changing the culture toward building safety in all areas of construction.
Now is the time for the industry to demonstrate real leadership, she continued, which should include behaving in the best ethical manner to regain the trust and confidence of clients. Dame Judith described the Building Safety Act as merely the start of the process to deliver the changes required, with much more effort necessary in the years ahead and more sectors to include, in addition to construction.
Following Dame Judith’s clear statements on the need for improvement, The Building Safety Regulator deputy chief inspector of buildings Chris Griffin McTiernan delivered further explanation of how his organisation continues to work with the BSF “to make sure Grenfell never happens again”. While admitting the former building safety regulations had not been perfect, he stated that many issues continued to emerge from the disjointed approach of the construction sector.
However, the regulator had been given the support necessary to make the interventions required to highlight poor standards and prosecute those refusing to change. “The industry has to change now and how that happens is down to the companies within the industry,” he said, continuing Dame Judith’s message that the reaction of the industry would determine the level of additional legislation introduced next year.
Mr Griffin McTiernan encouraged all construction companies to sign up to the Buildings Safety Campaign website – https://buildingsafety.campaign.gov.uk –and follow this with the necessary actions and change of culture. All three presenters delivered the very clear message that all governing parties agreed that change within the construction industry is essential, with the placing of safety at the heart of all operations the most important consideration.
The next session included presentations from four tier one construction companies explaining their efforts to become early adopters of the new regulations and supporters of the BSF, with the aim of achieving Champion status.
This involved demonstrating how the necessary changes to culture and behaviours within their companies had resulted from improved leadership efforts, including the sharing of best practice, engaging with colleagues at all levels and displaying genuine commitment to making the changes required.
The final session of the morning further complemented the presentations from tier one contractors, with building safety managers from three of the major housebuilding companies outlining their efforts to make the changes within their organisations.
Delegates returned to the conference after the lunch break to receive more information on the efforts of the government, industry bodies and others on the need to improve communication at all levels of the industry, including SME businesses and consultants. The need for the industry to be more inclusive was another important message, which would avoid many of the current negative issues frequently alluded to within the construction sector.
With delegates continuing to be presented with a range of informative and educational information throughout the afternoon, the final session focused on the need for improved levels of information on the products used by the construction sector. Presentations from the Construction Products Association (CPA), Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) explained the efforts of the major stakeholders to deliver the necessary improvements.
Following this, the closing session of the day saw Dame Judith return to present certificates and awards for companies receiving accreditation as BSF Champions and provided a fitting end to the day’s proceedings.
The conference delivered a very clear statement to explain the various changes – described as the most notable within a generation – following the introduction of the Building Safety Act and why these were required.
The conference delivered a very clear statement to explain the various changes
The construction sector now has the opportunity to react positively, or be forced into making the changes by future legislation.
Prior to the conference, the BSF announced the launch of a new assessment pathway in its Champion scheme for Housing Associations and the Social Housing sector designed to help them explore and reduce their building safety risk profile, with the first Champions receiving their certificates and awards at the conference.
The new pathway is specifically designed to suit the unique responsibilities of these key organisations and makes the building safety culture change assessment scheme accessible to a wider section of the built environment industry than ever before.
The BSF Champions process gives companies detailed insight into their existing leadership and culture around building safety and equips them with actionable data and practical tools to help review, prioritise and upgrade their approach to building safety and in doing so, help rebuild public trust.
The new pathway was officially launched at the Building and Fire Safety in Housing conference hosted by National Housing Federation on 22 February. The NHF have advised and inputted into the creation of this new specialist pathway as part of an ongoing partnership between the two organisations with a shared aim of raising standards and shifting culture in building safety.
Building a Safer Future board member Teresa Ocansey commented: “As a resident of a housing association, building safety is very close to my heart. It is crucial that these organisations seize the opportunity provided by the Champions process to really put the safety of their residents first, and ensure that building safety is always top of their agenda. The process is such a valuable tool in identifying areas for development, and I would love to see a wide take-up throughout the industry.”
The assessment process is divided into two modules: Leadership and Culture (Stage 1); and Corroborating Elements (Stage 2):
Leadership and Culture (Stage 1) – An extensive survey examining the depth and maturity of the leadership and building safety culture in the company, gaining a statistically significant dataset from workers at all levels in the organisation, and clarified in one-to-one validation discussions between a selection of the respondents and a dedicated independent assessor.
Corroborating Elements (Stage 2) – A thorough self-assertion process against a comprehensive framework of expectations enabling BSF to scrutinise the company’s processes and procedures in relation to building safety.
Organisations that successfully complete both modules to the required minimum standard are awarded Building a Safer Future Champion status.
National Housing Federation head of building and fire safety Victoria Moffett commented: “It’s really positive that Building a Safer Future has launched a pathway designed specifically for
housing associations, recognising their unique role in implementing the higher-risk regime. The pathway is a robust way for housing associations to assess their readiness for the new regulations, or understand where they might need to do more before regulations take effect, creating a culture of safety within their organisations. We encourage our members to sign up to the pathway.”
BSF announced the first tranche of organisations to complete the assessment and be awarded Building a Safer Future Champion status at its Leading Building Safety conference, presented by Dame Judith as described previously.
Building a Safer Future board member Jeremy Stibbe, who is also BexleyCo Homes non-executive chairman said: “The introduction of this new assessment pathway is an excellent step forward for the BSF Champions scheme. I would encourage all housing associations to engage with the process and take advantage of the opportunity it offers. By getting to grips with building safety culture through this process they will achieve planned and more impactful results and the journey and recognition will be incredibly rewarding for their organisations.’’
Building a Safer Future (BSF) is a non-profit organisation committed to raising standards in building safety and supporting required culture change in the built environment industry. Companies can apply to participate in the BSF Champions programme by visiting the Building a Safer Future website on www.buildingasaferfuture.org.uk and completing the application form, or alternatively they can email alexander.caller@buildingasaferfuture.org.uk
The introduction of this new assessment pathway is an excellent step forward for the BSF Champions scheme
As the UK’s leading provider of specialist services for the construction and FM sectors, Premier Technical Services Group Ltd (PTSG) embraces innovation in all forms to stay at the cutting edge of the markets in which it operates. This encompasses engineering and technology, with systems and techniques that allow operatives to reach all parts of buildings to undertake their work safely, while keeping clients informed at every stage using cloud-based systems or remote portals that can be accessed from any location.
Compliance testing forms a significant part of PTSG’s services to its clients across multiple industry sectors. In PTSG Electrical Services Ltd, the use of TraQit, the company’s interactive web-based reporting system, has led to vastly improved levels of service and, subsequently, contract renewal rates.
Good practice in electrical compliance depends on taking a high-quality, continuous approach to record keeping – giving the duty holder the power to quickly and easily recall electrical records over a number of years. TraQit, the industry’s only real ‘interactive’ electrical compliance portal, is the standard medium of reporting for PTSG Electrical Services Ltd. It ensures at all times that records and schematic drawings are current, accurate and consolidated with a version history of change.
Available as a free download, TraQit not only takes away the pain of document management for duty holders but also ensures continuity in the approach to record keeping. Under a PTSG electrical testing programme, QR codes are affixed to each distribution board. The user simply downloads the free TraQit app to his smart device. When he scans over the QR code, a window will appear requiring logon details. Once connected, the most current report and DB schedule will open allowing instant site access for the relevant asset.
It enables different tradesmen to log on to realtime accurate reports on site, ensuring a safe system of working, whilst also vastly reducing the potentially endless search for existing records. The time and money savings are immeasurable.
Building access by its very nature requires engineering innovation to reach all areas of tall buildings – safely and in a way that allows services to be delivered without interruption to the client’s operations.
The Lateral Access System was devised in response to the increasing number of requests received by PTSG from customers wanting to undertake specialist services such as painting, repairing or cleaning the underside of roofs of a variety of structures such as sports stadia, airport hangars, manufacturing sites and hospitals.
Existing techniques such as rope access, scaffolding or mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) were proving to be either impractical or too costly.
to stay at the cutting edge of the markets in which it operates
The system has been used to deliver specialist services for numerous clients, including at Celtic Park, the home ground of Celtic F.C. in Glasgow. PTSG’s engineers carried out structural inspections and painting of the steel support purlins to the underside of the East stand. Using their Lateral Access System, PTSG’s engineers carried out the works within the timescale of the closed season to the delight of the club. It took only seven weeks to complete the works – delivering a considerable time and cost saving compared to projects at similar stadia using other methods.
PTSG regularly works for CBRE and recently took part in the CBRE Supplier Partner Innovations Challenge 2022, entering the Lateral Access System. Mark Perfect (alongside PTSG’s sales team) was delighted to receive the award for Best Safety Innovation. This speaks for the quality and innovation of the system and also underlines the old adage that the best ideas are often the simplest.
PTSG Fire Solutions Ltd was created as a discrete division following the Grenfell Tower fire and the demand for building operators to adhere to more strict fire safety standards, particularly in tall buildings. Fire Solutions is now the fastest growing area of business within PTSG and includes a mechanical fire business, electrical fire and security services and passive fire services.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, PTSG put together no fewer than 16 innovative solutions for use by organisations in different sectors to keep users of their facilities safe – both staff and customers. These innovations are organised in the following areas:
This includes devices to enable people to exit and move through buildings without using their hands, including facial recognition devices at terminals. These devices remove the need for security passes and fobs and actually speed up the usual processes.
A mixture of fixed and mobile devices give organisations versatility, with innovations including handheld, portable and fixed thermal fever screening and thermal facial recognition devices –which allow access at terminals by a facial image generated by a person’s body heat.
Density control systems, audible alerts and CCTV analytics are all ways for organisations to achieve the required social distancing in buildings. These devices monitor particular areas, remind people when their distancing is not at the required level and even detect when face masks are not being worn.
Devices for the rapid dispensation of sanitiser and signage solutions are further ways to enable different organisations to take steps for stopping the spread of COVID-19.
PTSG often services buildings in multiple sites for its clients, which can be spread nationwide. For engineers in PTSG Water Treatment Ltd, they are routinely required to carry out weekly/fortnightly/ monthly flushing and samples. Managing Legionella services and water hygiene services is costly based on:
water costs – having to run outlets until they reach temperature, wasting water; energy costs – having to use gas to heat the water; engineer visits – L8 testing, travel time and fuel costs; and
all activities resulting in a heavy carbon footprint.
Using remote temperature monitoring, PTSG can combine hardware and software to perform automatic temperature auditing and data logging remotely.
How does remote temperature monitoring work?
1. Discreet sensors (with a 7–10-year battery life) are installed on the pipework.
2. Every 5 seconds, the sensors send data to a cloud connector in the building.
3. That cloud connector then sends data via secure cellular networks.
4. All the temperature monitoring data can be accessed and viewed on a mobile or computer, giving you very powerful insights.
5. Any alerts or one-click reports are delivered to our team via SMS or email alerts.
The benefits are significant: saving time; saving money;
reducing carbon consumption; and improving compliance.
PTSG Access & Safety Ltd is the original business division of PTSG and its engineers are some of the most experienced in the industry. Their role is to put measures in place to prevent people falling from height.
On the face of it, that sounds simple but innovative strategies are often required when working on some of the tallest and most unusual buildings in the UK.
Each project requires a bespoke solution that fits the unique specifications of the building – whether the brief is to fit a ManSafe system, a travelling gantry or a compliant staircase. Clients’ buildings are often in areas of historical or architectural significance, so PTSG’s specialists are also able to develop systems that fit aesthetically as well as functionally.
Having completed the lengthy accreditation process to become a certifi ed B Corporation business, Andrew Shelley says his company is already seeing the positive results of its efforts
With notable changes occurring to the way business are run in the UK and around the world, the emphasis is being placed increasingly on the creation of responsible, sustainable organisations that deliver high levels of support to clients, colleagues, the environment and communities.
In order to avoid being seen as just paying lip service to this trend, companies are seeking to gain independent verification of their efforts and business processes. One of the options gaining popularity with businesses around the world is that of accreditation by B Corporation.
FM Director spoke to one of those gaining recent recognition to enquire about the level of effort required and discuss the perceived benefits. Simply Washrooms managing director Andrew Shelley explains how his company began its B Corporation journey and its plans to continue this in the years ahead.
“We’ve long appreciated that there are real benefits to be had from looking after all team members and creating a really good working environment,” Mr Shelley explains. “This then helps us with all areas of the business and particularly in maintaining top levels of customer service by keeping everyone happy in their work and well motivated.
“It’s become the cornerstone of our business and very important in helping us to support our workforce,” he continues. “Our environmental footprint is another very important area for us and that’s been discussed in our quarterly leadership meetings for quite some time.”
Having established a positive culture within the company, Mr Shelley says that he and his team became aware that there was no official structure in place to manage this. This realisation led to consideration of how to address the issue.
“We’ve achieved lots of really good things over the years, but we wanted to implement a more clearly defined process and began looking at the options available just over two years ago. We were drawn to B Corp in particular, as we could see that would endorse all sustainable and responsible behaviours, both external and internal, within the business,” he continues.
Having decided that B Corporation certification was the best option for the company, Mr Shelley and his team began the process to achieve this just over two years ago. “It’s best to realise that you need to consider all aspects of the business and all the areas where it impacts clients and society in general,” he says.
“We also made sure we engaged with the business leaders to get them on board as early as possible. We found it really helpful to work with B Corp consultant (known as a B Leader) Camilla Barnes, who was really helpful in allowing us to make a positive start to all the work that was needed.”
One of the essential first stages to complete is that of the 200-question impact assessment when considering B Corp accreditation, Mr Shelley continues. He describes this as an “excellent framework for creating an accurate overview of the business”.
He further explains that the impact assessment provides a baseline score for the organisation that also identifies the areas where more work or improvements are likely to be required to gain accreditation. Using the framework that resulted from its early efforts, the company then began to engage with its supply chain members over the next 18 months.
“We found that process incredibly useful and it helped us to gain a greater understanding in all the ways we impact others, while also bringing us closer to our industry partners.
We also made sure we engaged with the business leaders to get them on board as early as possible
In the process of gaining a greater understanding of our business, we also found this benefited the way we work with our staff and on our contracts,” Mr Shelley continues.
As the company continued to follow the recommendations of Ms Barnes and gather the necessary levels of evidence to support its application for accreditation, it looked at all areas of its ways of working, business processes, HR policies, carbon footprint and others.
“We gained a very clear understanding of all aspects of the company and our environmental targets in particular,” he continues. “Having accurately mapped out all areas of impact within the business, we then set about adjusting and mitigating where necessary.
“It’s important that everyone realises the need for honest and accurate results to be included in these investigations and be as transparent as possible. You can then show the results of all this, including all the great achievements, or the reasons for failure if something hasn’t worked as expected, with the end result that you have an even better business.
“It’s also important to realise that you need to view this as a constant journey and that means that all these great achievements can lead to even better outcomes in the future as the business continues to improve,” he says. “It’s all about putting people before profit and moving away from pure capitalist
working, which then means the company is more sustainable over the long term.”
Mr Shelley further explains that the company’s application was greatly assisted by prioritising the areas where work was required and allocating these to the relevant team leaders, which resulted in several tasks being completed simultaneously and helping to speed up the process. Continued liaison with B Corp led to the submission sent initially to a team of three evaluation analysts, which will allow them to identify any areas requiring more information or additional effort so these can be addressed before the official application is made.
“It’s a very thorough process and there’s a lot of value behind it. We were aware from the start that it’s a global accreditation and this can mean that applicants are required to queue with others in their sector,” he continues.
“This can result in companies having to wait for six months or longer after submitting their application, but ours only took around five weeks, which I’m sure was due to all the efforts of everyone,” says Mr Shelley. He further states that the company has already seen benefits emerging in the weeks since it received its accreditation in early February.
“I can’t think of any negatives in applying for B Corp accreditation and we found value from every stage,” he continues.
I can’t think of any negatives in applying for B Corp accreditation
“But the entire process has to be embedded in the company’s culture to succeed and it can’t be left for one person to do everything.
“It has to be all members of the team and everyone in the company and you have to look at every element of the business, such as charity work, support for good causes, improvements to environmental standards, use of products and many others,” he says.
Mr Shelley states that the company plans to reapply for its B Corp accreditation in three years’ time and will continue to report on its performance in the meantime.
“We’re unbelievably proud to have achieved the status of a Certified B Corp. In getting to this point, we’ve worked extremely hard to ensure we meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability - and we’re already seeing the significant benefits this work brings across our business.
“Our clients love the fact that we’re a B Corp company and it’s achieved everything we expected and more. But this is just the start of our B Corp journey and we’re committed to ensuring our environmental and social responsibility remains at the heart of our business,” Mr Shelley concludes.
B Corporation at a glance
Certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corporation movement, the accreditation demonstrates how successful applicants have met rigorous social and environmental standards.
This is part of the organisation’s commitment to creating a more inclusive and sustainable economy, which is not simply based on company profits.
It covers five key impact areas of governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
Applicants are required to reach a benchmark score of over 80 while providing evidence of socially and environmentally responsible practices relating to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity and corporate transparency.
To complete the certification, applicants have to legally embed their commitment to purpose beyond profit in their company articles.
Our clients love the fact that we’re a B Corp company and it’s achieved everything we expected
There was a notable increase in footfall and activity within London’s Brick Lane as this issue of FM Director went to press, the majority of which was due to attendees to the London Coffee Festival making their way to the Truman Brewery venue.
It has long been accepted by client-side FMs and their service provider partners that coffee is one of the most important aspects to get right in the running of workplace facilities. It is additionally regarded as a major factor in attracting staff back to their office in the drive to increase footfall by companies around the UK.
Dealing with all aspects of the workplace was a common topic of conversation among both exhibitors and visitors to the festival, with a number of options suggested to attract staff and visitors to workplaces of all types and sizes. These ranged from pop-up shops
to vending machines and supplies of both paid-for and free food, including coffee as the major theme throughout, of course.
While the steady stream of movement outside the event indicated a good level of interest from both trade customers and the general public, moving into the show itself confirmed this without any doubt. High numbers of people in all areas further endorsed the energetic feel of the show, which was no doubt further boosted by ‘caffeine rushes’ later in the day.
Live presentations, several of which included the use of microphones and amplifiers, further added to the noise level, along with DJs in some areas whose music further complemented the festival atmosphere. With all visitors reducing their walking pace to a sedate amble to negotiate their way through the crowded aisles, everyone was then able to spend
more time appreciating the wide range of stands described above.
Styled as ‘the largest coffee show on Earth’, the event included hundreds of baristas in attendance, which has led to the organiser to include the Coffee Masters award over the 11 years of the event’s existence. This year saw 16 individuals competing for the accolade and the £5,000 top prize, the winner of which was due to be announced as this issue went to press.
Attendees wishing to know more about the art of serving the best drinks were invited to attend the Global Coffee School Live. This included a number of masterclasses delivered by industry professionals on all aspects from sourcing to serving, with the resulting proceeds donated to the festival’s chosen charity, Project Waterfall to further assist the supply of clean water to coffee-growing communities around the world.
The London Coffee Festival included an impressive range of exhibitors that ranged from all types of providers of coffee, to those offering catering and additional services and products – and even tea
Further areas of interest at the event included The Roasters Village and The Tasting Room, allowing visitors to glean yet more information on speciality coffee options from the industry’s leading roasters. Live tasting sessions were a main feature of the event and a major aspect of each area, including a wide variety of cocktails, wine, water and even tea, in addition to the main coffee theme.
International culinary experiences were enjoyed by visitors to the Feelgood Kitchen, many of whom sampled food prepared by Michelin star chefs with the intention of tempting them to purchase or sign up to deliveries of four-course food and four wines for the reasonable sum of £10. Influences included food styles originating from Morocco, India, Thailand and Central America.
Held over four days, the first two of the festival were designed to attract trade visitors, with the second half of the event aimed more at visitors from the general public. This division was further emphasised by sessions held within The Lab area of the show, divided into Industry for the first two days and Weekend for the latter half of the run.
Industry experts had been recruited to both present and participate in thought leadership discussions throughout the four days and share the latest ideas, industry knowledge and market insights to stimulate further debate on the main contemporary trends within the industry. Interactive demonstrations and workshops were main features of the Weekend
version of The Lab, including yet more live tasting opportunities.
The festival atmosphere of the show was additionally endorsed by initiatives such as live musicians and attending artists, further complementing the efforts of DJs and others within The Coffee Music Project and the long list of entertaining features of the show.
Exhibitors at the event embraced the informal party atmosphere and included a wide range of companies, products and service options.
While the majority of suppliers and coffee roasters included live demonstrations on their stands and exhibition spaces, additional choices were provided in a number of cases. One of the most notable of these was the Pelican Rouge stand, due to its aims of increasing its presence within the UK market. The Dutch business roasted approximately 19 tonnes of coffee beans in 2019, which the company states would fill 19 Olympicsize swimming pools, with the aim of explaining its presence as a major provider to the European market.
Selecta Group relaunched its 20 new sustainable coffee blends under the Pelican Rouge brand, seven of which will be available in the UK. The company offered tastings of its selection at its first UK event, introducing the range from mild and classic to dark roasts that cover the range of taste preferences across the 36 countries where Pelican Rouge is currently sold.
All blends are Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade certified and come in fully recyclable packaging. The company is committed to making its entire business process more sustainable, reducing CO2 throughout the supply chain, providing transparency in sourcing, and working directly on farm-level programmes to improve the livelihood of coffee farmers.
The renewed brand brings together five key sustainability elements: certified coffee, recyclable packaging, reduced CO2 emissions, transparent sourcing, and support for local farmers. By actively developing farm-level programmes, Pelican Rouge is creating a sustainable and stable coffee supply chain.
Having conducted extensive research, it has identified that nine types of its range of coffee beans are most suited to the UK market and included examples of all these on its stand. Its main message, however, explained its presence as a provider of coffee vending machines to provide a number of attractive options to facilities of all types.
In addition to providing drinks of consistent high quality, the machines are always available for use and avoid the need for catering staff members to be present. The company also explains that the choice of drinks provided by the machines can be adjusted to match the requirements of the site in question.
Following the advent of hybrid working in all areas of the UK since the Coronavirus pandemic and ongoing discussions about footfall levels within facilities, the popularity of automatic vending machines is expected to increase further. In addition to reducing cost and waste of unused produce, vending machines allow staff to receive the same level of quality support regardless of when they attend their office, says the company.
Another option for customers to consider is the inclusion of smart refrigerators on site to provide more automated vending services. They are calibrated to record which type of product has been selected, take the payment and alert the company when stocks need to be replenished. Regardless of whether trade visitors were looking for options to tempt colleagues to return to using their office more frequently or source the best options for their fully-attended facilities, the event provided choices for all requirements. Reassuringly, sustainability was high on the agenda of both the event and its exhibitors, several of which displayed the potential to play leading roles in this area.
Products, packaging and means of distribution were all included within the support of sustainable business practices, further supported by the aims of some exhibitors to meet net zero carbon emissions targets well ahead of the 2050 deadline, along with numerous other sustainability elements. It has become notable that the supply of services and products has seen many include sustainable practices and objectives within their offering and the London Coffee Festival further emphasised this encouraging trend.
With the attractions, exhibitor stands and presentations all adding to the informal and party style of the event, its obvious popularity with visitors raises further questions on whether other trade and industry events would improve attendance numbers by including similar options within them. No doubt many would regard the subject matter of coffee to be more conducive to the festival theme, although the imaginative adaption of live presentations to match the themes of industry events can be seen to be already increasing in some areas.
Regardless of how much notice trade events take of the London Coffee Festival, it proved to be an interesting and thought-provoking visit for FM Director and highly relevant to numerous themes and requirements within our industry.
Having conducted extensive research, it has identified that nine types of its range of coffee beans are most suited to the UK
Having launched his consultancy service in 2020, the year the Coronavirus and its various lockdowns and reopenings hit the UK, Geoff Grateley has found his extensive expertise to be in increasing demand over the last three years.
Speaking exclusively to FM Director last month, he shares his thoughts on all the activities included in his career to date and how the industry is continuing to evolve and mature through the application of a variety of influential factors.
Having originally studied for a degree in town planning, Mr Grateley states that his post graduate search for work led him to the public sector. “I started in the accommodation team, which would be known as workplace today, which was central governmentbased and provided lots of opportunities to learn and develop.
“My role was essentially focused on workplace management and design, including my first experience of using AutoCAD, and I loved it,” he continues.
“There were so many options to explore and it provided me with my first involvement with FM as I began to develop the skills and understanding around office and subsequently data centre management, the overseeing of projects and government contracts.
“This was around the time that PFI contracts were being developed for the first time and led to my first experience with outsourced services. I worked in and around the public sector for the first 15 years of my career and have always appreciated the excellent grounding it gave me,” he says.
Having enjoyed a varied career within the civil service, Mr Grateley then joined the private sector,
working for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in the late 1990s. His initial work as a project manager led to more senior positions including service delivery manager and facilities and data centre management roles.
He then joined Stiell Facilities in 2001, before the company was acquired by Alfred McAlpine in 2002 as the construction firm looked to widen its remit, with the aim of adding PFI contracts to its portfolio, resulting in another rise in seniority that saw him take on regional facilities and operations management roles.
“My first experience of the retail sector and shopping centres came in 2008 when I started working for Europa Facilities Services as an account director,” he continues. “It was a big change from anything I’d done before and a great introduction to all the soft services and directly-employed teams.
Geoff Grateley has enjoyed a varied career and, similar to many others, has followed an indirect route to the FM sector which continues to be extended to assist a growing number of clients
“But it was a hand in glove moment and something definitely clicked, particularly when I started talking to and working with all the frontline staff,” he recalls. “We grew the retail sector business from annual revenues of around £13m to £25m in just four years.”
One of the major successes enjoyed by the team at this time included the successful retendering of the Capital Shopping Centres contract, resulting in Europa becoming the client’s preferred soft service provider. Mr Grateley became increasingly involved in all aspects of business development and overseeing the activities of a team of regional account managers.
“Europa was an excellent, family-owned business that was fairly modest in size when I joined, but very ambitious,” he continues. “The Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) contract was a major development for the business and then led to more opportunities for growth and development.”
One of the new opportunities led to further discussions between CSC and Europa, through their trusted partnership, the result of which was a joint venture to form intu Retail Services. Mr Grateley was appointed to the position of operations director and represented the interests of Europa within the new organisation’s board of directors.
His remit included overseeing the FM requirements of 15 shopping centres around the UK, including Trafford Centre, Lakeside and Metrocentre, with annual revenues of £85m that provided employment for approximately 2,000
members of staff. “We introduced the ‘right people, right place, right time’ initiative to align services with the footfall of each centre.
“This endeavour matched resources to make sure they were available where they were most needed to meet all customer expectations and avoiding overspending of budgets where it wasn’t needed. The FM side of the business was a separate entity in its own right and worked really well,” he continues.
In addition to developing customer experience and employee engagement processes, Mr Grateley found that the successful implementation of these additionally saw improving net promoter scores (NPS). He further states that all staff were supported through regular training schemes, which included encouragement for all those wishing to progress their career. Recognition came with Investors in People Gold Accreditation across the business.
“We also enjoyed some success in winning awards,” he continues. “The first of these came in 2014, when we won the PFM Awards Partners in FM, then again in 2017, when we won the Partners in Innovation award.
“Then in 2018, we won the IWFM Impact on Employee Experience trophy. All these successes really served to re-energise the mind and continue my passion for customer experience,” he says.
Further proof of his belief in the benefits that emerge from close working arrangements with customers and colleagues can be seen in Mr Grateley’s voluntary work.
All these successes really served to re-energise the mind and continue my passion for customer experience
Which has included serving as a judge for the IWFM Awards, combined with coaching and mentoring of FM practitioners in all areas of the industry.
“I still really enjoy working with frontline staff and working with them and the client to ensure that everyone’s expectations are met and achieve the outcomes that are most important to all,” he continues. “There are now lots of choices of technology and digital applications to support individuals and companies, too, although it can be quite challenging to find the best solution for the business.
“There has to be a line of sight from all employees to clearly explain the aims and culture of the business, but it’s now possible to use technology to deliver the goals of the company, including sustainability, ESG, and net zero commitments.
“One of the most important things to avoid when working with frontline teams is resorting to the use of jargon, as you need to have a clear and practical understanding of the aims and cultural needs of the business and its customers,” he continues. “It’s also necessary to make sure that the management team is properly equipped to deliver the company’s goals and achieve all aspects of social value and similar outcomes.”
The correct levels of engagement and application of processes is further emphasised by Mr Grateley, who appreciates the dangers of making these “boxticking exercises” who no real meaning behind them.
“One of the more beneficial results of the Covid pandemic has been an increase of transparency across all areas of business,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot more organisations coming to appreciate the benefits of social values.”
Having been among the first to support the provision of annual voluntary working days to staff more than a decade ago, Mr Grateley states his appreciation of the fact that this has become standard practice for many businesses. “The spirit of openness is another aspect that is leading to more engagement with initiatives such as ESG and there’s a lot of potential for this to include more organisations through supply chains.
“With the application of social values and relevant policies, we’re seeing individuals and companies holding each other to account and this adds more impetus in the drive to raise standards further. Among the best outcomes within this is greater appreciation of the value that FM can provide to everyone in the real estate sector and their customers,” he says.
Increased engagement with colleagues can also lead to the development of “reverse mentoring”, which sees benefits enjoyed by mentors and mentees, Mr Grateley explains. He provides the example of those with long experience in the industry engaging with younger colleagues, providing the opportunity for them to learn how their younger colleagues communicate and use the latest technology.
“There are lots of areas where everyone can learn from their peers in the workplace and that’s
something that is likely to increase further, as we see people continuing to work later in life and interacting with colleagues in their teens or twenties,” he says.
High levels of support for colleagues at all stages of their career is another element that is assisting companies in their recruitment drives. In addition to attracting the best people to the business, they are more likely to continue working for the company for longer periods if they feel they are valued and supported, says Mr Grateley.
Now fully engaged with his consultancy business, he states that the main aim within this is to “deliver change, develop colleagues and delight customers”, which allows him to continue with his voluntary work described above.
“I find that my personal commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions is matching the aims of many of my clients and others in the industry, combined with the delivery of all the areas of ESG and I continue to passionately believe that this is making a genuine, lasting and valuable contribution to the industry,” Mr Grateley concludes.
There are lots of areas where everyone can learn from their peers in the workplace
Virtually every organisation depends on continuous power – any failure, even momentary, can be disastrous. YorPower exists to ensure that power never fails even for a second, through its complete back-up power solutions encompassing UPS units, generators and control panels. Customers nationwide and internationally have come to depend on their service. For YorPower, trust runs throughout its culture.
YorPower is a group of companies comprising YorPower Projects, which is well known as a manufacturer and exporter of generators; YorPower Maintenance, which can be relied upon for its maintenance expertise in the UK by customers in a diverse range of sectors; YorPower Controls, the controls and automation arm of the group; and YorPower Spares, for the global and UK distribution of spare parts. All are housed in one premises in Sherburn-in-Elmet, Leeds.
The vision statement of the group is: “Be the most trusted provider of UPS, Generator and Control Panel solutions.” Each individual in all parts of the group is focused on delivering on this statement. The values that sit beneath this are Respect and Integrity, Constant Improvements and Profit and Prosperity. As an organisation, YorPower cannot be the most trusted unless every individual is acting as a member of the most trusted organisation. Extensive oneto-one sessions between Group Managing Director Stephen Peal and his staff have ensured everyone is working as one family unified in instilling trust in their customers.
Trust means going way beyond the basic transaction of supplying machines on time and to budget. YorPower views trust as ensuring its customers never have to even think about their power failing. Their trust in the YorPower team is so implicit, they know that measures have been taken not only to supply the right back-up power hardware but to design a comprehensive preventative maintenance package that replaces parts before they break – not when they reach the end of their lifespan and risk a power outage.
Trust means that customers know they can rely on YorPower to deliver value for money. That comes from the group’s culture of fair pricing.
Like any other business, YorPower needs to make a living, but all product mark-ups are fixed within their system; this never varies and is not subject to variation or individual enterprise.
Trust also means that customers can be sure that YorPower continually invests in the latest technology. At the same time, customers can look to YorPower to bring through the next generation of engineers. As members of the 5% Club, 5% of YorPower’s employees are apprentices. This applies to the wider team, including office staff, developing young people into well-rounded professionals who will grow with the company.
Finally, customers can trust YorPower to deliver back-up power solutions that are sustainable. Working with Neutral Carbon Zone, the company is on the way to becoming carbon neutral. On 18th April it achieved Silver Accreditation. This means that all scope 1, 2 and 3 of the organisational emissions at the YorPower Group have been calculated in accordance
with ISO 14064 and the GHG Protocol corporate standard and have been offset using ICROA approved carbon offset credit to ensure its currently unavoidable emissions have been balanced.
YorPower has now started to focus on its operational emissions. The next phase includes a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) based program that identifies the emissions of its services to ensure that all operational emissions have been calculated, reduced wherever possible, reported on and balanced to ensure that the services provided to its clients are fully carbon managed. The company’s aim is to achieve complete carbon neutrality for all business and service emissions.
Once YorPower has these calculations, it will only deliver services within the UK that include carbon offsetting. All staff are excited to be on this journey and hope to complete all four phases within the next year, making YorPower the first full carbon neutral company in their industry.
Mainstay Group and Sentinel Group Security have formed a close working arrangement to allow seamless delivery of contractual obligations
Mainstay Group and Sentinel Group Security have formed a close working arrangement to allow seamless delivery of contractual obligations
With questions continuing to arise for all UK businesses concerning recruitment and staffing numbers, the need to fulfil contractual obligations has emphasised the many benefits of working in close partnership with other organisations.
An example of this can be seen within the close collaborative arrangement between Mainstay Group and security services provider Sentinel Group Security (SGS). FM Director spoke to Mainstay national security manager Darren Mottram to learn more about the two companies’ close working partnership.
“I’d worked with SGS for a while before I joined Mainstay in 2018 and was happy to continue our previous working arrangement, as they had always done a good job,” says Mr Mottram. He had previously worked for Carillion, which went into administration in the first few weeks of that year, and this resulted in some of his former colleagues joining SGS.
“It was pretty clear to me that we could continue working together and it’s worked out really well,” he continues. “SGS provide us with manned guarding support, for our in-house team, in any area of the country that we needed it, as well as control room services and we’re using the MiSentinel platform on a daily basis, too.”
Mr Mottram further explains how all security
operations will experience peaks and troughs in the availability of personnel, which many FM Director readers will be familiar with. One of the most pressing issues to address is that of sickness, which can often mean staff members are unable to give more than a few hours’ notice of lack of attendance.
“Everyone knows that staff members will come down with something at some point that means they’re unable to work,” he continues. “But you have to have security people in the right place at the right time, as they’re often the people that open the building as well as protect it, which is the reason that we need the services provided by SGS.”
While the company’s ability to provide fully licensed security officers at short notice is highly appreciated by Mr Mottram and his Mainstay colleagues, the relationship with SGS has developed beyond this to form an integral part of the company’s security offering. One element of this is the use of its Sentinel platform, which provides an overview of the Mainstay security operation and is shared with all stakeholders, including the company’s clients.
One element of this is the use of its Sentinel platform that provides an overview of the Mainstay security operation and is shared with all stakeholders, including the company’s clients.
“We try to be as open as possible and the customers can see the same information as me when they click on the system,” he continues.
We try to be as open as possible and the customers can see the same information as me when they click on the system
“This shows any problem as soon as it arises and it’s then a case of following the procedures we’ve established so that this is solved as soon as possible.”
Mr Mottram provides an impromptu demonstration of the system, which provides a detailed dashboard of all the sites managed by Mainstay and live data about these and the security guards present. He clicks on one of the accounts that had experienced an issue on the morning of the FM Director visit to show the clear overview provided.
“We had someone who called in sick this morning and you can see that the shift has been covered by the team,” he continues. “So that’s been quickly resolved using our staff, but if they hadn’t been able to it would have been passed to SGS for them to supply someone.”
The company’s control room and all working rosters are managed by SGS. “The first port of call for all officers is to book on for their shift with the control room, so that’s where the on-call manager will be alerted about the need to provide sick cover, etc. If we can’t provide this, they can quickly source third-party cover using the system.”
With officers also using Sentinel to record incidents, Mr Mottram further explains that support for lone workers is another important feature. “It will often be the case that the security officer is working alone, and you need to make sure they are supported at all times.”
The MiSentinel system provides an overview of the Mainstay security contracts in all areas of the country, from Manchester, Leeds and Doncaster to Birmingham, Bristol and Bromley. Mr Mottram uses this to emphasise the need to have robust measures in place to avoid any issues leading to lack of service.
“It’s often the case that we’ll just need a single security officer, but they can work anywhere, and we need to have properly accredited people and we know that we’ll get that from SGS,” he states.
“They’re an accredited training provider, too, so we know that all their staff are up to date with all the latest rules and regulations.”
There have been some significant changes within the security sector, particularly those introduced following the Manchester Arena bombing tragedy, he continues. The need to ensure that all staff members are correctly accredited is now regarded as even more important as a result.
“One of the most positive benefits of our relationship with SGS is that it’s open and honest,” says Mr Mottram. “None of us are perfect and things will happen occasionally, as we know, so it’s very pleasing that we can have grown-up conversations with everyone.
“There’s a no-blame culture in place and that helps us to quickly understand what’s happened and why, then put whatever’s needed in place to avoid it happening again in future.”
He is also keen to discuss the SGS Sentinel system, which the company created and continues to maintain, offering this to its clients free of charge. “There are several options available on the market, but the SGS system is one of the best systems I’ve seen, and we get free use of it. I’ve been telling them they should try to get some return on it as it must have required a lot of investment from them to create from scratch,” he continues.
Mr Mottram states that he can see the use of technology being increased in order to reduce the number of security officers required on site. “We all know that clients are always looking to reduce costs wherever they can and that often means they look at the manned guarding aspect to see if savings can be made. Numbers of people in reception are often reduced, particularly where offices are used less and this can include security officers, too, particularly where reception desks and facilities are managed remotely. We’re likely to see more use of digital options and technology, but I believe that it will be a long time before we see the end of manned guarding,” he says.
One of the most positive benefits of our relationship with SGS is that it’s open and honest
Katie Ferrier of Achilles explores how the FM sector now has a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to build back better with a documented system for safe business practices...
We all know that the world has changed immeasurably. From the ‘pandemic effect’ to the ongoing challenges of navigating the intricacies of Brexit, everything is impacting how we manage our supply chains. And while it is important to understand these risks and complexities, they also pose real opportunities for reinventing the way we work.
At the heart of these is a documented system for safe business practices.
Supply chain risk is increasing, which is an issue at board level and of critical importance to our customers, as it can often drive their sourcing decisions.
Let us first look at what should drive us to rebuild and improve:
Growth – sustainability drives value and growth. Research shows us that companies do know this and it is within the top three priorities for most organisations.
Risk – sustainability is a business priority, but it is also a major concern for governments, where a lack of adherence to sustainable practices can result in heavy penalties. The UK Government recognises this with its latest Procurement Policy Statement, suggesting that contracting authorities should consider social value outcomes alongside local priorities and focus on creating new businesses, jobs, and skills, as well as improving supplier diversity, innovation, and resilience, tackling climate change, and reducing waste.
Supply chain disruption – the combined impact of the pandemic and Brexit means that understanding your supply chain and associated risks makes good business sense. Not doing this means that you could open yourself up to supply shortages.
Customer first mentality – finally, and crucially, all customers care. This is why including contractual conditions demanding compliance or quoting safe and sustainable processes is simply not enough. If the breadth and depth of your supply chain is not operating in an ethical, safe, and sustainable manner, customers will not want to do business with you. There are many concerning examples of reputational damage being suffered by companies based on issues such as worker exploitation. These are reported on by the media. And so, a thorough understanding of your supply chain is of paramount importance.
It is imperative to improve the quality of our supply chains, asking the right questions beyond our own suppliers and digging deep into the multiple tiers of our supply chains.
Our supply chains reflect the values, beliefs, and culture of our organisation, so, if we fail to understand and evaluate our supply chains, then it is impossible to be confident that they are demonstrating the ethical and safety focused behaviours that we want associated with our businesses.
We are responsible for asking the right questions of supply chains and ensuring the responses received are accurate and comprehensive. This source of rich data is what triggers real insights that help us to drive sustainable growth and improvement.
When you measure something, people understand better and therefore they care more, which improves outcomes. Therefore, early identification and measurement of the key drivers we have identified above will help to improve standards and business performance – through better governance and compliance. The stark reminders of non-compliance, including fines, penalties, and reputational crises, to key stakeholders will help drive their adherence to reduce commercial risk, prosecution, legal fines and avoid a decrease in shareholder price.
One significant example of data insights resulting in tangible performance improvement is Anglian Water. The company has seen a seven per cent reduction in its carbon footprint over a five-year period since working with Achilles on a carbon reduction programme.
The FM sector overlaps with so many others. You may think of your supply chain as industry or even UK centric but, when you start to map that supply chain in detail, it becomes more complex. The tarmac supply chain is one example, where the material used daily in construction projects for haul roads, car parks and footpaths includes 62 constituent products with 200 suppliers including 29 countries.
And let us consider prominent issues such as modern slavery, for example. If 75 per cent of the suppliers to one business have policies in place to tackle the issue, do you know who the other 25 per cent are without policies? Are they part of your supply chain? Are you managing this risk? Do you have these insights at your fingertips?
These questions are key in mitigating a very real risk that could cause immeasurable reputational damage. Simply not knowing is no longer enough!
In the FM sector we know that health and safety, sustainability and governance are critical.
So, maintaining a documented health and safety management system provides the foundations of a risk control strategy and can prevent accidents or incidents occurring within an organisation.
The level of documentation will often vary due to the size of an organisation, its industry, and the risk of the services or products they provide to customers. Aside from legislative requirements, or those defined within recognised standards such as ISO 45001:2018, there is no minimum standard or wrong way of documenting health and safety arrangements.
And, as we know, demonstrating to customers that documented systems are in place to control health and safety arrangements is an important part of pre-qualification and audit. Prospective customers want to understand how a company meets their requirements and the potential risk of them providing products or services.
Due to the pandemic, Achilles’ auditors have seen many innovative measures to provide COVID-secure work locations. Companies have also amended risk assessments and training programmes to ensure staff are aware of the risks associated with the virus
and know what they can do to minimise the risk of contracting or spreading the virus at work.
This understandable focus on controlling the potential spread of the virus has, in some cases, reduced the attention paid to other key areas. For example, a decrease in competent health and safety advice may have resulted in outdated legislation registers referencing superseded regulations and guidance documents.
But we can help organisations to mitigate this risk by utilising our tools to bring this data together in one place. These tools enable you to manage your lowest risk suppliers alongside those that work in high-risk environments, by delving into the right level of detail appropriate for your industry, suppliers, and the risk approach of your organisation.
In the past, using assurance standards appropriate for the services being provided has worked. But it has involved multiple systems and providers. Not anymore. We have now developed the system and tools to enable companies to manage all of this in one place.
Genuine benefits emerge from this approach, where you can report on everything from Lost Time Injury Frequency Rates and Corporate Social Responsibility to understanding where you are experiencing supply shortages.
You can benchmark and score this data across categories, geographies and even your own personal selected supplier lists.
It is encouraging to see that organisations are taking sustainable responsibilities seriously
The opportunities are tremendous, providing the ability to focus your teams on identifying and mitigating areas of real risk.
We encourage customers to actively manage their supply chains using the Achilles Score, which is based on an objective assessment of a company through its demonstrable policies, actions, and results. Evidence is gathered via supporting documentation from suppliers and third-party organisations, such as audit reports. The areas collected include health and safety policies, processes, and findings such as near misses, conviction notices, and accident rates.
For each area in health and safety, suppliers are ranked with scores ranging from 0 to 100, depending on the amount of information and documentation provided. The overall score is then computed as the average of the scores in those five areas.
Suppliers with scores of 75 or over are in the top 95 per cent of all suppliers in the Achilles Network. Suppliers with a score of 55 or more are above average.
Suppliers who score 37-55 fall below the average and we would suggest considering investigation, depending on the relationship with that supplier.
At the lower end, Achilles recommends engaging with suppliers with scores lower than 37 to improve performance, as this indicates below average performance. We share this information with suppliers and work with them to improve.
However, we know that it is not enough to just check that a supplier has a policy in place. Customers in sectors such as facilities management have engaged us to delve deeper into their supply chains. This has involved analysing all tiers of labour providers, the employment conditions of their staff, their working conditions and worker rights.
It is encouraging to see that organisations are taking sustainable responsibilities seriously. This year so far, we have conducted more than 70 responsible sourcing audits, comprising in-depth labour practice worker interviews and management system assessments, with that number increasing weekly. Buyers are becoming more responsible in their sourcing decisions, relying on site-based evidence rather than merely data collection, which is a great step forward in ensuring practices are embedded.
In summary, supply chain risk is increasing and is not only an issue at board level but is of critical importance to customers. So yes, the current global situation gives us a once in a lifetime opportunity to really build back better. To do so we need to improve the quality of our supply chains, gathering and using valuable data in a meaningful way to drive decisions and improve outcomes.
By working collaboratively with supply chains and driving these improvements, we can really initiate a step change in sustainable procurement - not just recovering from the pandemic, but building back better to create an industry we can be proud of.
The world of work is a very different place in 2023, however many people are still talking about finding their way back to “normality”. Some people may not have realised, but we are already well and truly back living and breathing the “new normal”.
Hybrid working is here to stay. We’ve proven to ourselves that the two-hour commute benefits no one, other than the transport companies of course! However, it is important that we find the right balance. While there is a lot to be said for having the flexibility to put the washing machine on between Teams meetings, popping that casserole in the slow cooker at lunchtime and juggling childcare commitments whilst you can adorn your new working from home comfy wardrobe.
But for all the things we have gained, what have we lost? I don’t believe you can ever underestimate the value of the human interaction and the benefits you get from those face-to-face meetings. Did you know we have 43 muscles in our face? All of these play a part in what you are thinking and feeling when sitting in a face-to-face meeting, but sadly these body language flags are easily lost across our 16” monitors via, Teams, Zoom, Skype and alike. You can easily miss important body language signals when meeting digitally that may have changed the direction the meeting if you’d seen these in person.
There are so many benefits that come with being present in the office. When catching up with your colleagues, and chatting about your weekend, or the match you watched, gives us that feel good drug oxytocin which is directly connected to trust. The more we can engage with our colleagues and learn about their lives, share a joke or a catch up over a coffee, the more you build a trusted relationship.
This is often the lifeblood of many businesses, and those relationships will spark conversation and innovation throughout your company, that you just won’t get from working at your kitchen table or home office.
So how do companies entice staff back to the office? Well, you must give them something that they just can’t get at home. For the young and ambitious in your company, they may need to be present in the office to feel they are being seen by their peers and managers. How are they ever going to learn and progress through their careers if there’s no one to say “hey look at me, I’m brilliant, and hungry for success and recognition” – so please as managers give them that time.
That is often an easy win, however, the more established members of staff may need much more encouragement, as a lot of them are by now self-starters. They know their job inside out and feel they really have nothing to gain from being in the office. These are the group you really need to concentrate your efforts on.
It can’t be all around free food and barista coffee, but it’s a start, and it’s about tapping into what is important to them as individuals and as a team.
We live in an age where “bring your own device” (BYOD) to work is commonplace. A lot of us have taken great pride in creating our home office during the pandemic and have purchased IT equipment, printers’ and furniture that is probably more superior to what is used in many offices. So how do you better that as an employer? Well, the answer is you don’t, you just replicate it instead!
Make your workplace inviting, collaborative, bright and welcoming. Create spaces where it is easy to meet up and “chew the cud”. Put those comfy sofas in that you never want to get out of, create a think tank space when you can take your discussions to another level. Make it a place to spark in.
The office is no longer about “work per say”, it’s not the place to go to do battle with your email inbox or to get that report written, that is very much still best done from home.
So, I am not advocating we all rush back to the office full time, but in fact I believe we need to find a balance. I would suggest a minimum of two or three days a week to be healthy balance of time spent in the office. However, it still very much remains a personal thing, some people will need more, and others can’t give more. But the most important thing is to aim to be present at least once a week, show up, catch up, reconnect, feel part of something and get excited. Your staff and your business will benefit from this for one or more days in the office massively.
Jackie Furey is a consultant for Crown Workspace
Jackie Furey discusses how to attract staff back to the office by creating a dynamic and agile destination where teams can enjoy the spark and energy of being around colleagues and peers
Make your workplace inviting, collaborative, bright and welcoming. Create spaces where it is easy to meet up and “chew the cud”
Nitrous oxide has a long history in the medical sector, with its first use being documented as early as 1844. Since then, the compound has become one of the most widely-available forms of anaesthesia and analgesia, and can be commonly found in maternity wards, operating theatres and dental surgeries.
In hospitals, the gas is most commonly blended with oxygen in a 2:1 ratio to form a safe, yet effective general anaesthetic referred to as ‘gas and air’. In the UK, this is commonly traded under the names Nitronox and Entonox, with each featuring a differing ratio of N 2O to O 2
Though nitrous oxide is perfectly safe in specified doses, too much of anything can be a bad thing. Effects of prolonged exposure include anaemia and vitamin B-12 deficiency, with the latter able to cause nerve damage in severe cases. Naturally, this is cause for concern in environments such as maternity wards.
This concern is redoubled when factoring in the working patterns of medical staff. By its very nature, shift work presents a risk of prolonged exposure, with nurses and midwives commonly working up to 12 hours at a time. Should the amount of N2O in the air exceed safe levels over an extended period, staff and patients may be placed at risk.
Symptoms can vary, though all pose a threat to general wellbeing. These include irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, heart palpitations, seizures, difficulty breathing, numbness in extremities, and even psychosis and hallucinations.
When taking into account the risks associated with long-term exposure to N 2 O, it is clear that its administration must be closely monitored. However, there appears to be a growing trend of concentrations of the gas exceeding legal limits in hospital wards across the UK.
For instance, nitrous oxide levels as high as 5,000 ppm – 50 times over the legal limit – were recently recorded at Watford General Hospital’s maternity suite. Meanwhile, Basildon University Hospital suspended the use of gas and air in late 2022 after some staff were exposed to high levels of the gas.
The scale of this issue resulted in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) receiving 11 notifications between August 2018 and December 2022 from seven NHS trusts and one private facility in relation to the gas.
Here, hospital FMs appear to be stuck between a rock and a hard place – while the uses and benefits of nitrous oxide are apparent, so too are the risks associated with long-term exposure. However, this is not to say that the gas cannot be utilised both safely and effectively.
One potential solution could be to introduce gas analysis technology to closely monitor the amount of N2O present in the air. In this instance, the delivery of Entonox or Nitronox can be rapidly suspended should ambient levels approach or exceed the legal limit. It can then be re-enabled once levels return to an acceptable concentration, allowing the gas to be used without inviting long-term health risks.
For any FMs concerned about the presence of nitrous oxide on site, seeking expert consultation is an excellent starting point to broach this issue. By seeking advice from a gas analysis expert, they can identify the best solution for the specific needs of their facility.
Yolanda Garcia is customer service representative at QED Environmental Systems
One potential solution could be to introduce gas analysis technology to closely monitor the amount of N2O present in the air
Following the news of his promotion to the position of chief executive offi cer (CEO) with Principle Cleaning, Tom Lloyd spoke to FM Director about his journey and ambitions for the future
Following the news of his promotion to the position of chief executive officer (CEO) with Principle Cleaning, Tom Lloyd spoke to FM Director about his journey and ambitions for the future.
Having worked for the company for seven years, his long experience in the industry can be seen to have supported his rise to lead the company. His previous roles include those of operations director and deputy CEO to former incumbent Peter Smith.
Mr Lloyd expressed his appreciation for the fact that Mr Smith will remain with the business and continue to provide the benefits of his 12 years of service with the business, working more in an ambassadorial role for two days per week.
“I’m very pleased to have accepted the role of CEO and I’m looking forward to all the exciting challenges ahead,” said Mr Lloyd. “There’s a fantastic team at Principle Cleaning and the culture established by founder Douglas Cook, who is still active in the company, is second to none.”
Having established focuses on people, innovation, technology and sustainability, the company plans to continue its investment in on-site and head office teams. Its medium-strategy includes the further expansion of its vertical and specialist cleaning division.
Mr Lloyd has 20 years’ experience in the industry and stated that this has including working for large companies and smaller, family-owned businesses.
“It feels that the CEO role for Principle Cleaning has come at the right time for me and I intended to take all the best aspects from the companies I’ve worked for in the past and apply them in the best way for our business,” he continued.
“Over the years I’ve found that I’m able to learn from both my own and other people’s mistakes to deliver improved outcomes for the business and everyone around me.”
“Principle has evolved to become a major brand in the cleaning market and this is an exciting new phase for the company, but with the same family style values it was founded on.
“I have a first class team behind me helping to deliver our strategic growth plans, which include new innovations, enriching client partnerships and driving sustainability - not just for us as a company but leading the industry,” said Mr Lloyd.
FM Director will publish an overview of the industry’s latest senior new starters and details of their roles in each of its monthly publications
Lambert Smith Hampton is committed to a streamlined leadership structure around three service lines: operational, transactional and consultancy services. Its core leadership group comprises the heads of each service line: Ryan Dean (transactional), Adam Ramshaw (consulting) and Sophie Wisdom (operational) alongside chief executive officer Ezra Nahome and chief operating officer Massimo Marcovecchio.
“This flat structure breaks from the hierarchies normally associated with large advisory businesses and frees up fee earners to focus on growing their own businesses and client bases,” explained Mr Nahome. “This not only increases efficiency throughout the business but is also a useful point of difference when it comes to the recruitment and retention of key personnel.”
Tilbury Douglas, a leading UK building, infrastructure, engineering and fit-out business, has announced the appointment of Ben Hull as national education director.
With more than 20 years of experience within the company, most recently as regional design and planning manager, he has extensive knowledge of the sector and industry. Having started his career at the company as a sponsored undergraduate, he has worked through a range of operational roles.
Mr Hull said: “It is great to see the education sector embracing recent technological advances
and leading the way in several areas, including carbon reduction and the use of modern methods of construction, providing real opportunity for construction innovation. Within my new specialised role, I will have the opportunity to help push these innovations further forward.”
Pinnacle Group has been awarded silver status from Investors in People following a period of considerable change and organisational development since the last assessment in 2019.
This is the 23rd year that the accreditation,
which reviews a company’s ability to lead, empower and grow its employees, has been awarded to the company. Out of the survey respondents, 74% agreed or strongly agreed that they are trusted to make decisions within their roles, with 79% either agreeing or strongly agreeing that their behaviour within their roles reflects the values of the business.
The assessors found that the company displayed ‘advanced’ qualities in areas of organisational values and behaviours, colleague empowerment, sustainability and setting a culture of continuous improvement.
Principle Cleaning Services has appointed Juan Camara as its specialist services director.
He has over 27 years’ experience in performance improvement and is an expert in data centre cleaning, having spent many years in the sector.
Mr Camara will be responsible for leading and expanding the specialist services division as part of the company’s medium-term growth strategy and will also work alongside the vertical cleaning team.
He said: “I am delighted to have joined Principle at an exciting time in the company’s development. My priority has always been to ensure that clients receive the highest standard of technical services, delivered by a well-trained and motivated team. Specialist cleaning requires high standards, specific sector knowledge to protect the integrity of data and a focus to achieve the most appropriate levels of cleanliness and hygiene.”
Vertical and Specialist Services managing director David Saville said: “We are delighted to welcome Juan to our team, he will be a great asset in developing the Specialist Services division. He comes with a proven track record in his field and we are looking forward to enhancing our reputation in specialist services work further.”
Savills has retained its position as The Times Graduate Employer of Choice for Property for the 17th consecutive year, a position it has held since the category’s inception in 2007. The results were announced at the 2023 Graduate Recruitment Awards held at 30 Euston Square on Tuesday 28th March.
The awards reflect feedback from on campus interviews with over 10,000 final year students at the UK’s leading universities.
The firm also ranked 76th in the Times Top 100, remaining the only real estate company to feature.
Chief executive officer James Sparrow said: “It is a fantastic achievement that Savills has once again retained this highly valued and prestigious award. Huge credit must be given to the future talent team who work tirelessly to provide a best in class programme, which is why we continue to attract the very best people to the business.”
Cloudfm is accelerating its ESG plans with the promotion of Carly Hall to the new role of sustainability lead.
She retains her responsibilities in health and safety but will also be responsible for working with clients to establish their ESG goals, develop a strategy and support a focus on the area. She previously held roles safety roles at Linklaters and Burberry.
Head of ESG Katrina Christopoulos said: “Carly brings a wealth of experience to this new role, where she will support Cloudfm in our goal to decarbonise the business and improve externally verified ESG scores. The role will also encompass helping clients and suppliers achieve their own ESG goals.”
The company aims to lead the FM industry with a full-scope net zero emissions target for 2035. The company has already met its scope 1 and 2 sciencebased emissions targets and is now setting its sights on scope 3.
Yorkshire-based sustainable coatings distributor CorkSol has recently appointed Richard Hitchcock as operations manager with responsibility for identifying and activating new strategies to accelerate the company’s presence within the building sector.
Previously an independent consultant, he has extensive experience of senior management roles across a wide range of industries from retail and manufacturing through to the charity sector, and has successfully provided strategic advice to a number of similar sized organisations looking to supercharge their growth plans and streamline their development.
In his role, Mr Hitchcock will focus on supporting the company in achieving its ambitious goals by developing and implementing a strategic growth plan to ensure the business can succeed within the constantly evolving green build sector.
Government service provider Serco has appointed Doug Umbers as managing director of its UK Defence business.
Prior to joining, he was the chief operating officer at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), the Ministry of Defence’s £1bn science and technology arm, where he also spent 11 months as the interim chief executive officer.
Previously, he has led private sector businesses that design, build and operate technical and technology services for customers such as the Ministry of Defence, the intelligence services, the BBC, foreign governments and the mobile operators, both in the UK and overseas.
He was on the executive teams at VT Group (now Babcock International) and Arqiva, a broadcast and telecoms infrastructure provider. He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and is a chartered accountant.
ISS A/S has announced the appointment of James Sharkey as head of group marketing.
He brings over 20 years of marketing experience and an outstanding track record in building and leading multi-region marketing teams and deploying robust marketing strategies.
Mr Sharkey has spent the last 15 years in the marketing team of another global facility management company, where he played a key role in globalising and professionalising the function to support the business across key commercial segments. Prior to this role, he worked in various marketing and operational positions for Enterprise Inns and General Electric (GE) among others.
300 North is a team of Facilities Management (FM) recruitment experts who source permanent, temporary and fixed term contract solutions for the UK Facilities Management, Mechanical & Electrical and Construction sectors. Marketing@300nr.co.uk
https://www.300northrecruit.co.uk
0113 336 5161
360 Sport Finance and Mentoring is dedicated to helping professional and semi-professional sporting clubs and venues with sustainable financial growth, including non-event day business. help@360accountants.co.uk www.360accountants.co.uk
01482 427360
Specialist contractor Composites Construction UK operates throughout the UK and Europe. Using innovative methods, we carry out structural strengthening and repairs to concrete, timber, and masonry structures. contact@fibrwrap-ccuk.com
www.fibrwrap-ccuk.com
01482 425250
When it comes to pest control in London, Dyno-Pest understands how to handle your problems. We offer a simple solution, using the latest methods to deal with pests effectively and responsibly. info@dynopest.co.uk
www.dynopest.co.uk
0800 802 1246
FASET is the established trade association and training body for the safety netting and temporary safety systems industry. We support members with guidance, training, and exclusive benefit schemes. enquiries@faset.org.uk
www.faset.org.uk
01948 780652
GIND UK delivers ambitious projects in challenging environments. Our London-based engineering and design team specialises in bespoke access system maintenance for the world’s most iconic buildings. info@gind.uk
www.gind.uk
0800 448 8884
A service provider for the future, Advance Facilities Solutions Ltd delivers complete building solutions to customers in the industrial, commercial, and domestic sectors.
helpdesk@advance.fm
www.advance.fm
01622 720 888
We create, maintain, and monitor healthy spaces –using pioneering online and apps-based technology. This includes working with suppliers and products in the marketplace to deliver long lasting and scientifically tested air and surface protection. info@envelo.solutions
https://envelo.solutions
020 7096 1941
Integral Cradles Ltd. delivers permanent façade access solutions across the UK, specialising in high buildings with unique specifications and demands. A whole life-cycle solution.
kevin@i-cradles.com
www.i-cradles.com
0845 074 2758
For almost 30 years Julius Rutherfoord has been passionate about providing professional cleaning services to some of the most prestigious organisations in the London area.
info@juliusrutherfoord.co.uk
https://www.juliusrutherfoord.co.uk/
020 7819 6700
Keytracker Ltd is the most prominent provider of both mechanical and electronic key and equipment control systems for the workplace. sales@keytracker.com
https://www.keytracker.com/ +44 (0)121 559 9000
Launched in 2008 following the merger of two 50-year-old companies, Magicccote provides a range of expert commercial cleaning solutions to customers across the UK.
info@magiccoteuk.com
www.magiccoteuk.co.uk 01482 211033
neutral carbon zone (NCZ) is a full-service platform that gives you the tools your company needs to make the transition to a carbon neutral business and beyond. gozero@neutralcarbonzone.com www.neutralcarbonzone.com 0845 094 5976
Established over 70 years ago, KCS has rapidly grown from its roots as a respected local window cleaning business, to a nationwide commercial cleaning company.
info@kingstoncleaningservices.co.uk
www.kingstoncleaningservices.co.uk
01482 648 737
Pace Security is a London-based privately owned company managed by some of the UK security industries’ most experienced and respected security industry professionals.
Lindsay@pacesecurity.co.uk
https://pacesecurity.co.uk/ 0208 529 3888
PPSPower (PPS) is one of the industry’s largest and most respected providers of generator and UPS (uninterruptible power supplies) installation, maintenance and repair solutions. sales@ppspower.com
https://www.ppspower.com/ 0345 200 9888
Premier Technical Services Group Ltd (PTSG) is the UK’s leading provider of specialist services to the construction and facilities management sectors. info@ptsg.co.uk
https://www.ptsg.co.uk/ +44 (0) 1977 668 771
Working with globally recognised organisations, we are specialists in creating Online Induction Systems, Turnkey and Bespoke Software Solutions, Websites, Mobile Apps and a lot more.
hello@res.digital
https://res.digital 01724 376002
With over a decade of experience in safety solutions for working at height, we are the ideal partner for solving your roof safety problems, and we pride ourselves on having the highest level of commitment to ensuring safety at work.
info@roofsafetysupplies.co.uk
https://www.roofsafetysupplies.co.uk
07889 572315
SAEMA has a long history in delivering the best training and guidance in the temporary and permanent suspended access industry. We are committed to advancing safety through raising the standards in best practice. info@saema.org
https://www.saema.org/ 01948 838616
At Safety Inspection Solutions Ltd (SIS Ltd) we’ve been helping companies to stay legal for over ten years. Our qualified engineers provide fair, efficient, and flexible onsite inspection services, working closely with clients to understand their needs. enquiries@sis-ltd.org.uk
https://sis-ltd.org.uk/
0800 6696 018
Seddon Management Services strives to offer the best solutions for trade associations to keep their members safe and compliant. becky@managementandauditing.co.uk www.seddonmanagementservices.co.uk 07854 226251
Safe Electric is an NICEIC-approved Electrical Contractor, serving Peterborough, Milton Keynes, and Cambridge. With 48 years of industry experience, our electricians and compliance experts can undertake any project.
sales@safe-electric.com
https://www.safe-electric.com/ 01487 813 600
SLM can provide all types of waste management tailored to meet the customers’ requirements. We deal in all types of recycling; electrical, hazardous, clinical. Anything you need disposing of, SLM can help.
lucy@slm-waste.com
https://slm-waste.com/ 01304 775000
