Lotus landscapes erect the first Christmas tree of the festive season

 

The Lotus Landscapes team has been out spreading a bit of seasonal spirit, erecting the first of many real, Christmas trees. After such a strange, topsy-turvy kind of year, it’s nice to be getting our teeth into this kind of work and looking forward to the Christmas festivities.

We’ve installed a Christmas tree for Elvetham Heath Parish Council (EHPC) for many years and this fine 20ft specimen is now sitting in the Key Centre car park waiting for its decorations.

Our EHPC grounds team collected the tree from our regular supplier “Real Christmas Trees” and armed with some help from Wilsons Grab Hire, erected the tree in double-quick time.

The EHPC grounds team, Chris and Kieran are responsible for maintenance on the Heath and will be back in January to remove the tree and recycle it. That seems a long way off right now, so let’s just look forward to welcoming the festive celebrations.

Martyn Freeman challenges the efficiency of home working

I was on the phone today trying to sort out some car insurance business via a call centre. Over the years, I have occasionally been queued with a holding message, telling me to wait because the company was experiencing higher than normal call levels. Now, the message has changed to an apology saying, “As a result of Covid19, many of our staff are remote working and we are unable to provide the usual levels of customer service.” Really?

Many companies, notably the tech companies, have embraced the enforced shift in working patterns caused by Covid19. Even with the prospect of a vaccine becoming available, they are planning for the likelihood of a distributed workforce and flexible working as a permanent, future arrangement. Of course, many staff love home working because it removes the dreaded cost and inconvenience of commuting and it improves their work-life balance. However, no one seems to be challenging how this arrangement is working from the perspective of the businesses and more importantly, its customers.

I know that home working does work well for some business models. I have recently had a brilliant exchange via video-link with the tech-support team at Curry’s. The lady who took my call was obviously working from home and able to help quickly and efficiently with a problem I had configuring my new laptop. I could even live with the sounds of kids playing and dogs barking in the background because my issue was resolved quickly and efficiently.

But my bad experience with the insurance company made me think about all the other organisations for which home working isn’t working and the potentially disastrous affect it could be having for their business. Call waiting times have increased, customer service quality has dropped, and the excuses are growing – and I can’t accept that this all has to be an inevitable consequence of a change to home working.

What is being done to address this problem? Do organisations have a plan to manage the remote, distributed workforce to ensure business as usual? Are they carrying out their Duty of Care to these people in terms of the way that have been set up and supported? In most cases the answer to these questions appears to be, “No!”

I know of several people who have just been given a laptop with a VPN connection and told to get on with it. They may not have the quality of broadband needed to do their job, nor the luxury of a small room they can adapt as a dedicated office. They may be huddled on the edge of a bed with the laptop on their knees and the heating off to save money. For these less fortunate home workers, the novelty of home working has surely worn off, raising many questions about the wellbeing of individuals working in isolation for extended periods. I worry that this is a ticking time bomb that could result in a wave of sickness and injury claims in 2021.

The army of homeworkers has risen steadily back to one in three of the workforce during this second period of lockdown. The FM industry could be doing a lot more to support them in areas such as health, safety, and welfare. Simple DSE display screen assessments, risk assessments of the home-working area and provision and installation of ergonomic chairs, workstations and computer tech accessories, would be a simple and obvious step forward. Instead, the best I’ve heard of is an employer sending staff a box of Krispy-Kreme donuts on a Friday.

Who knows how much longer this pandemic emergency will be with us, or whether home working will become the norm? I can see that if the situation persists, then it may force a complete change in the way that we work – not just in terms of what we do, and how and where we do it, but also the nature of the relationship employees have with their employer. What if people get such a real taste for this detached lifestyle, that they strike out to embrace it completely? The last decade has seen the rise of the freelancer and the distancing that Covid19 is placing between employer and employee may stimulate a surge in portfolio workers, working on their terms to deliver their own skill or specialism. Thoughts for another blog perhaps?

A regular blog from the MF in FM – Martyn Freeman

 

I was strolling through an eerily quiet Canary Wharf this week and was struck by just how different London is right now – even before the next lockdown. I met an old friend from the FM sector, and we chatted over a socially distanced coffee about all the changes the Covid19 pandemic had enforced on his facility’s operation.

He’s now working at a senior level for a major international bank which like so many businesses based in the capital, has been wrestling with the problem of ensuring business continuity whilst protecting the wellbeing of employees and customers attending the offices.

With occupancy at record low levels (around 10% of staff are in the office on a typical day), I’d have expected the whole FM operation to be wound back to save cost. However, the reality here has been quite different. In particular, the cleaning team is fully operational, focusing even more intensely on cleanliness and housekeeping. The name of the game is about cleaners being highly visible, providing confidence for everyone in the building and reinforcing the perception that the company is doing the right thing for everyone.

I am really encouraged by the way that cleaning companies haves stepped up in this way, in response to the global pandemic but find it ironic that it’s taken something like Covid19 to bring about such a long-overdue change in the industry. For the first time in my memory, cleaning and hygiene services are being driven up the value chain. Who could have imagined a year ago that cost and price would no longer be the one and only deciding factor in client discussions?

At last, suppliers can demonstrate innovation and real differentiation in their service offering and can shift the discussion away from cost towards quality, effectiveness and value. As we finished our coffee, I reminded my old friend that this was the driving motivation forces behind the creation of Q3 two years ago – Quality Service, Quality People, Quality Clients. We were being pioneers had we only known, what was to follow!

I wonder when we’ll enjoy our next coffee together?

How cleaning is changing as a result of Covid19

In the last five years, the FM sector had already come to realise that its purpose is not simply to maintain the bricks and mortar of the workplace (facilities management), but more importantly to care for the people who occupy those spaces. This philosophy was reflected in the name change of our professional body from BIFM to IWFM and now more than ever, that duty of care could not be more important. Covid19 has seen to that!

Covid19 has had an obvious, massive impact on the workplace, the workforce and the way that service organisations operate to look after both. Yet, even recently there have been articles painting a picture of cleaners as the invisible army which magically appears in the dark hours to prepare and restore the office for another day’s work. This is a whimsical and outdated view. Things have changed and cleaners in particular are now as important and visible a part of the service set up as the receptionist, the chef, the engineer and the FM manager.

For those bold individuals who are venturing back into office, the sight of the omnipresent cleaner wiping down work surfaces and door handles and frequently cleaning washrooms and common areas, provides a welcoming reassurance that everything is being managed safely. But is it? The cleaner may be highly visible but what are they doing to stem the invisible threat? Surface wiping with cloths and chemicals is just as likely to be creating a cross-infection problem as removing the problem of Coronavirus transmission on contaminated services.

The pandemic has prompted a surge in specialist, disinfection (fogging) and deep clean services from cleaning companies, designed to remove the presence of Covid19 and convince building owners that they are doing their best by their people. Aside, the reality is that many cleaning companies are seizing the opportunity for a new and lucrative revenue stream. Many of these solutions are expensive and accompanied by spurious claims about the effectiveness and longevity of the treatment. Claims of 30 and 90-day protection against Covid19 simply cannot be scientifically substantiated. Similarly, a product claiming to remove 99.8% of bacteria is statistically falling a long way short of one that removes 100%, because of the rate that bacteria proliferates.

Ironically, when the focus has switched to cleaning as a highly visible activity, it’s perhaps the invisible that should now be getting our focus. Previously you could see when an area had been cleaned. But now, how does a client know that an area is really safe for staff, even after a deep clean? The answer is that they don’t. Q3 has taken the view that using evidence-based cleaning regimes is the only way forward on this issue.

Our approach in the UK utilises a product called DUOMAX deployed daily, which not only cleans but also, according to the manufacturer, kills ALL bacteria. The product destroys viruses including Coronavirus (the family of virus that contains Covid19), to the same level as bleach, but in an environmentally friendly way. DUOMAX has been tested and accredited to the highest level, including a year-long trial in the NHS and has been found to be completely non-hazardous to both people and surfaces.

The chemicals are not noxious, so do not require rigorous COSHH assessments or control measures, negating the wearing of full-body PPE and respirators as one would with some other products. With DUOMAX, it is therefore not necessary for the room to be vacated and isolated for an hour or so after application and avoids out-of-hours working.

The period for which the treatment will be effective will be determined by the number of occupants and level of footfall, but it doesn’t matter how long the product will last because essentially, retreatment is quick, inexpensive and non-intrusive. The important thing is to know when to intervene and how frequently to repeat the cleaning process.

To achieve this, our cleaning teams are deploying ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) monitoring to provide evidence of the presence of bacteria in a test that can be completed in 30 seconds. Typically, in an office we would be looking to record less than 100 RLU (Relative Light Units) and in a food preparation area, <30RUL. Complementing the ATP test, it is now possible to detect SARS Cov-2 on surfaces using a Cov-Hygien Xpress Detection Kit. The process is simple and takes minutes to get results avoiding the normal three-day process of sending swabs to a laboratory. In comprehensive trials using our new chemicals and testing regimes, we have been achieving 0 ATP in office, kitchen and washroom environments.

Based on the data from our results, we can adjust cleaning programmes to maintain a Covid19 safe environment. It’s an approach we believe clients will find appealing, because it’s neither intrusive or costly and everything is underpinned by measurable data. The Covid19 virus may be invisible and deadly, but it can be monitored and managed in the workplace using technology and modern techniques, to ensure a safe environment for all.

For more details click here to contact Alex Gavrilovic

From an article developed for a feature in PfM magazine

Interesting, unparalleled and unprecedented are some of the overworked adjectives used to describe life and times in 2020.
Not the best time perhaps for trying to build a new facilities management business, but a period in which Q3, the company that describes itself as a boutique FM service provider, has continued to develop and thrive. From its launch in 2018, Q3 has seen a rapid growth with revenues expected to top £20m by the end of 2020.

Why has Q3 succeeded when so many FM providers hit a wall during the Covid19 lockdown? According to CEO Martyn Freeman, the secret to bucking the trend lies in the basic philosophy and values on which the company was established. The name Q3 itself, was created to summarise the directors’ desire to achieve a powerful quality blend across the three main elements that make up their business – clients, people and service. This philosophy has held them in good stead in recent months.

Q3’s senior team is proud to be part of an entrepreneurial, privately-owned company, but at the same time operate with the confidence, mentality and governance that served all of them so well previously in larger, public-quoted companies. Q3 did not accept that a complete close down was necessary in every case and they worked closely with their clients to ensure continuity. So, from the outset, they treated the pandemic threat both as a unique change-management project and as a business opportunity.

There was a conscious decision by the management team to be hands-on and proactive to help clients adapt and adjust to the new normal. Instead of telling clients what could not be done, Q3 created dialogue. The team developed workarounds and processes for ensuring ongoing support for the clients’ core activities, whilst keeping those involved in operational delivery safe and secure. Senior-level engagement with all major customers was critical throughout the early days of Covid19, as well as a pragmatic adapt-plan-implement approach. Freeman argues that larger service providers have neither the flexibility and agility to work in this way, nor the intimate client relationships to achieve their support and buy-in.

Working closely with clients in this way has been particularly successful with Q3’s public-sector clients, which represent about half of the organisation’s Q3’s turnover. Looking after people is also a fundamental value for Q3 and during Covid19 and with the support of these clients, the company has managed to retain 100% of its managers and supervisors. This mirrors the 100% contract retention that Q3 has enjoyed since its inception, which is a measure of the strength of relationship the company has with its customers. Indeed, client relationships are so strong that Freeman claims that he could call on any one of his existing clients for a reference and get a good one.

The future for the FM sector has never looked so uncertain. As a result of lockdown, home working became the norm for many previously office-based employees and even now, with workplaces operating at reduced capacity, the whole raison d’être for the traditional FM model has been challenged. Martyn Freeman is of the opinion that the traditional FM delivery models were already creaking well before the global pandemic and that the recent demise of several major industry players was a portent of what was to come. FM providers will have to reappraise their role and their modus operandi if they are to survive and more than ever, clients will be demanding solutions that deliver value. Freeman believes that the all-embracing, Total-FM delivery model has had its day for many organisations, other than the large global multinationals, and even they will be reviewing their property and service provider strategies.

Martyn Freeman has some very unambiguous views on what the future holds for the sector and in particular for Q3 as an emerging force. “No organisations can tolerate the big overheads anymore, so service providers must use technology, experience and skills to achieve a sustainable business model that works for all parties. I see a very clear role for the new breed of service providers like Q3 who don’t seek to be grand, strategic partners, but simply focus on providing key services effectively and efficiently, delivering real value with quality. That simple philosophy will take us to the next step in the company’s development.”

Q3 is delighted to welcome James Douglas to the team as Commercial Director.

Following a successful career in the Royal Air Force in which he served in Iraq, James embarked on a new direction, entering the FM industry as a Sales Executive with Lancaster Office Cleaning, in 2007. Since then James has spent 14 years selling soft services into the corporate and public market sectors.

Most recently, James was Commercial Director with City West Services, where he was responsible for successfully securing numerous high-profile contracts including, British Medical Association, Mayer Brown, Bexley Council, and Newcastle College Group.

Commenting on his arrival at Q3, James said, “I am excited to be working with one of the most experienced management teams in the industry. Even during these challenging trading conditions, I feel Q3 are able to offer an innovative service solution that exceeds many of their competitors, whilst ensuring a transparent and safe environment for our clients and their staff. I am particularly excited about introducing our state-of-the-art technology offering to our future clients.”

Q3 has successfully passed the first step in the Cyber Essentials accreditation programme

Q3 has been working with partners Active Workspace and CS Risk Management on our cyber security strategy and we are pleased to announce that we have been successful in achieving Cyber Essentials accreditation.

The Government instigated the Cyber Essentials scheme in 2014 to provide SMEs with a framework that organisations could use to protect themselves against common online security threats.

Having achieved this level, we are already working on the next stage – Cyber Essentials Plus, which involves third-party auditing of our processes and procedures.

This is a great achievement for our business, providing peace of mind in our day-to-day activities and online interaction with out clients.

Q3 Services has been awarded a prestigious cleaning services contract within the residential areas at Chelsea Harbour

 

Q3 Services has been awarded a prestigious cleaning services contract within the residential areas at Chelsea Harbour. This contract will see the company provide daily cleaning services to six residential blocks, incorporating over 2,000 private dwellings across this high-end estate.

The three-year contract valued at around £0.3 million over three years, has a team of ten dedicated cleaning operatives and an onsite manager to oversee scheduled cleaning and ad-hoc requests that may occur from either the client or the private residents.

The scope of the contract encompasses reception areas and washrooms, meeting rooms and common areas, staircases and corridors plus removal of waste. Periodic works to be carried out four times a year include shampooing of carpets and stripping and sealing of hard floors.

This award is an on the back of our current cleaning, waste, and M&E contract within the Chelsea Harbour Design Centre which Q3 has operated successfully since 2018.

We have the pleasure to announce that Q3 Services has purchased Biofog Limited from Doug Wilson

 

We have the pleasure to announce that Q3 Services has purchased Biofog Limited from Doug Wilson.

Q3 Services (CI) Limited has acquired the shares in the Company with effect from 28th September 2020.

Doug and Q3 have already been working together during 2020 to deliver the touchless disinfection service “Sanondaf” during the recent Covid19 pandemic.

As a result, clients can be assured that the situation is absolutely business as usual and there will be no changes to the service delivery. Q3 will now look to develop the “Sanondaf” range of services within the Channel Islands.

At the heart of the Q3 philosophy is the desire to make the client experience more memorable and assist the client to achieve their key objectives, thereby improving the welfare of everyone involved.

We look forward to working for you and with you as we develop the business further.

Whilst the day to day running of the business will transfer across to Q3 specialist staff, Andre De Vasconcelos and Daniel Jardim, the original Biofog principal, Doug Wilson, will remain involved with the business.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ken Nicolle or Doug Wilson.

Q3 bags the best

We are thrilled to announce that Ian Adams joins our Q3 team as Marketing Manager.

Ian has an extensive career in marketing and communications which began with a variety of engineering and manufacturing companies, including 3M, Ringway Highway Services, Signfix and Rotork.

Ian’s first step into the FM sector began in 2001, when he joined Dalkia Energy and Technical Services and later enjoyed roles with Dalkia Plc. When parts of Dalkia were sold to Mitie in 2009, he oversaw the internal and external communications programme associated with the acquisition, as well as the massive rebranding exercise for uniforms, vehicles, forms and stationery and marketing collateral.

At Mitie, Ian headed up the Marketing team for the newly formed Engineering Services Division before joining a central strategic marketing team based at London Bridge, reporting indirectly into Martyn Freeman. More recently, Ian was Head of Marketing at Clearwater Technology, a specialist provider of water treatment and Legionella management to the Property/FM sector.

Martyn Freeman said..
We are delighted to welcome Ian to the Q3 team and recognise the impact he will have across our business portfolio. Ian has so much experience in this sector and will enhance our profile in so many ways. He is a brilliant addition and we could not be happier to have someone of his calibre join Q3.

Ian will be managing the social media, PR, and marketing across the business and I am sure you will all extend a warm welcome.