CONTRACTING
r – NZ Central Region
Business Unit of the Yea
Gareth Marriott and Em ma Wildon (OCS’er of the Year)
Building for the future The spotlight was on staff, service and sustainability at the inaugural OCS ANZ conference, which brought together team members and suppliers from New Zealand and Australia for the very first time. Claire Hibbit reports. The inaugural OCS ANZ conference marked the first time the event hosted both New Zealand and Australian delegates following the integration of the two businesses last year. Held in Nelson at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, the conference ran over two and a half days, and included addresses from leaders and representatives from the business in Australia and New Zealand, as well as attendees from Asia and the United Kingdom. A number of keynote speakers also took to the podium, including former New Zealand prime minister Sir Bill English, influential New Zealand businessman and previous Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe, and motivational speaker Catherine DeVrye. The event, which centred on the theme ‘Building for the Future’, provided team members and suppliers extensive business insights and valuable networking opportunities. “This year has been a challenge but it has also been an important year for the 5200 people across Australia and New Zealand,” Gareth Marriott, managing director of OCS New Zealand and Australia, said. In New Zealand, OCS is the largest hygiene, facilities management and cleaning company, employing more than 4200 staff. OCS NZ has more than 1200 clients across 3300 sites, with its key sectors including aviation, government, healthcare, aged care, education, retail and commercial. In Australia the company has more than 1000 staff working across Sydney, Queensland, Victoria and WA at more than 200 offices, shops, warehouses and airports. There were a number of recurring key themes across the three days, including simple strategy, storytelling and strong relationships, but for Marriott the overwhelming message from the conference was one focused on people.
“The strengths of our business are our people, branch network, our sense of community and our desire to be successful.” 10 INCLEANNZ February 2019
“The strengths of our business are our people, branch network, our sense of community and our desire to be successful,” Marriott said, adding recruitment and retention of frontline employees is a top priority for the facilities services company. OCS’s general manager HR Maria Steel stressed the importance of creating a culture of engagement and providing career pathways. “Engagement is about making sure our people are committed to their work and that they are achieving what they need to,” Steel said. “A challenge for us is that we are providing challenging and rewarding career paths for our people so that they do want to remain with us for the long haul.” Sir Bill English said being an attractive employer is vital in today’s business world. “The biggest challenge in New Zealand and Australia is the fact that we’re in such a tight employment market, [so] becoming an attractive and favourite employer is absolutely vital in this day and age.” From a technology perspective, Hamish Matheson, region president – Oceania, Kärcher Australia, said the development of automated technology will aid and upskill frontline staff. “What we see happening is not the ‘robot’ taking the jobs of [frontline staff] but working alongside the existing workforce. This will enable our labour force to be more productive and be upskilled to do other jobs,” Matheson said. Former Air New Zealand CEO Rob Fyfe told delegates during his keynote presentation “leadership is knowing the right questions to ask”. “The most important thing I have learnt as a leader throughout my career is that leadership is not about knowing all the answers. Leadership is knowing the right questions to ask. “You’re surrounded by the answers. Your frontline team members are the people that know what is really going on out there. They’re the ones making the difference. Your challenge as a leader is to ask the questions, draw out those insights and then figure out how to harness those insights and perspectives to improve your business and create a far superior service. “Ultimately, it is all about creating deep and meaningful relationships with your customers. To do that you need to understand your customers better than your competitors do, and that will always be the key to your success.”