Kerry gives us a peek into FM behind the thin blue line

Next in our series of five-minute chats with Q3 people, we hear from Kerry Williams who manages our cleaning contract with one of the largest police forces in the Midlands.

“Hi, I’m Kerry Williams, Contracts Manager, and I’ve been working on this “blue light” contract for some time but joined Q3 when they secured and mobilised the contract in April of this year.

“There are over 30 police stations on the contract spread right across the county, with cleaning staff allocated for each one. It’s a huge area to manage and it keeps me pretty busy ensuring everything is right at each station.

“I wasn’t always in the cleaning business. I started off my working life in nursing but when a family came along, a move into cleaning gave me the flexibility to work around being a full-time mum. That was over 30 years ago as a supervisor with Cleaning Services UK and I have moved and TUPE’d around numerous organisations and contracts in the Nottinghamshire area in the years since then.

“For me, this business is all about people and it’s the reason I keep working in this sector. When Q3 won the contract, the client introduced me to their team and encouraged me to stay and manage the transition. I connected immediately with the Q3 senior team, liked their approach and values, and have really enjoyed taking the contract forward. One lesson I learned very early on in the cleaning sector was that to gain respect you need to earn it and I feel that respect is the foundation of the three-way relationship between my team, the client and the Q3 central team.

“Over six months into the contract things are settling in reasonably well, although we are suffering from the short staffing problems affecting so much of the industry right now. We can’t let that problem get in the way of striving to make the service even better for our client. I’m not averse to working weekends to ensure everything runs smoothly and the Q3 management team really appreciate me going the extra mile.

“Despite the staffing challenge the turnover of staff on this contract is actually very low for our industry and we have lots of long-standing members of the team who are totally dedicated to the job. Part of this is because the working for this type of client is very different to an office type contract. It has a kind of family feel, although security is much more of a priority as you might imagine. I have an access card that gets me in pretty much everywhere, but there are secure-area locations where we are prohibited from the use of watches and phones which makes communication with staff slightly interesting. Vetting is also very important, sometimes complicating what is already a tough recruitment process.

“At one of the stations, there is a full-size human dummy which is used for training in resuscitation, and I always ensure that any rookie cleaners on induction get to enter the room on their own just to see the reaction!

“The good thing about having the Police as a client, is that they tell you straight what they want and always make a point of recognising a job well done. We have a great working relationship with our client, and they treat us an extension of their team which is very rewarding.

“Outside work, I have eight grandchildren that take up most of my time. With Christmas approaching, it’s a magical time to be with the kids and it also allows me to indulge my passion for Christmas movies. Bring it on!”

With over 20 years in FM and 30 in cleaning, Stuart has a wealth of experience to share

In the second of a series of five-minute chats with Q3 people, we hear from Stuart Bellew our COO about why, after three decades in the sector, he still loves FM and cleaning:

“Hi, I’m Stuart and I have been the Chief Operating Officer with Q3 since I joined the management team that created the business, over three years.

“My connection with the Facilities Management sector began at the turn of the millennium. I entered the corporate world of FM and worked for Sodexo and OCS before moving to Mitie in 2011, working first in sales and later in operations. So, I got to know the FM business from back to front, or perhaps that should be front to back!

“However, I had been working in the cleaning business for quite some time before that. In 1990, I had started my own cleaning business Called Hampshire Office Cleaners, and we built a lucrative niche tackling many of the jobs more established companies shied away from. No job was too difficult or too small and we always tried to satisfy a customer’s request. It was an important lesson I always remember when we are looking for new business today.

“Having worked for some of the biggest players in FM in the UK, it was refreshing to revert to working for a specialist SME, with a genuine focus on quality. The Q3 name in fact stands for Quality Service, Quality People and Quality Clients and it underpins our approach.

“Of course, just as there are pros and cons to working for big corporates, the same is true in SMEs. There are many positives to working at Q3. It is gratifying to know that my efforts are making a real difference, that we are developing individuals within the team and collectively seeing them and the whole enterprise grow and progress.

“Also, in Q3, everything is simply more personal. We know the members of our team by name, and this also applies to our clients. Communication and interaction is immediate and direct and not diluted by chains of command of helplines. Clients know they are dealing directly with a member of the senior team who has the authority and autonomy to make quick and important decisions. Being fleet footed and decisive has been particularly important during the last two years, as the pandemic has torn up the rule book for traditional ways of working.

“If there has been any positive upside to the Covid19 disruption, it is that it has highlighted the critical importance of cleaning and put it right back in the spotlight. As a result, we have been able to move the emphasis away from margin and price and focus attention on the importance of cleanliness in the working environment.

“I suppose the most valuable aspect of working at Q3, is the fun, positive culture. Ensuring people have some fun in the working day is so important for ensuring personal wellbeing and keeping everyone motivated. Over the last two years, fun has been the essential ingredient to combat the disruption and uncertainty people have felt during lockdown.

“Outside work, I believe in the philosophy of a healthy body leading to a healthy mind, so I indulge in martial arts to maintain fitness. It also comes in handy when the board meetings get heated!”

Julie Taylor, tells us about her role as Business Development Manager in the Channel Islands

This is the first in a series of five-minute chats with some of the people who work for Q3 and make it tick. Getting the ball rolling, is Julie Taylor from Q3 in the Channel Islands:

“Hi, I’m Julie Taylor and I’m the Business Development Manager for Q3 in the Channel Islands. I was born in the Channel Islands and have had the privilege of living here in Guernsey all my life.

“I have worked in the Facilities Management Industry for 18 years, originally in operations as an assistant to the contracts manager working my way up to Channel Island Operations Manager as part of OCS. I had just moved into sales in 2017 when Q3 acquired the business and since then, I haven’t looked back.

“I honestly feel I’ve got the best job in the world. Don’t get me wrong, not every day is a dream! Problems and challenges pop up because that’s the nature of our business, but it’s the people I work with who are superb and I include both the clients and the Q3 team in that.

“I suppose the one thing that UK people might not appreciate, is just how different the cleaning business in general is in the Channel Islands. It’s another world! Jersey has a population of around 108,000 and Guernsey 63,000, so both are tight-knit communities where personal relationships underpin virtually all aspects of business. We’re all on first name terms and hardly a day goes by when I don’t meet a client walking down the street or in the shop. I actually held one impromptu meeting with a customer in the sauna at the leisure centre!

“People might not also appreciate that Jersey and Guernsey are also two separate jurisdictions, so although they are only 25 miles apart, they are fiercely independent. They have very different ways of working and there is a healthy, competitive rivalry, camaraderie, and banter between the two Q3 teams.

“The last two years have seen both Brexit and the Pandemic challenge us like never before, I am so proud of our wonderful staff who went above and beyond during these difficult times making sure we were there for our community, our existing clients and being able to assist some new friends we have made along the way, some of whom have now become Q3 clients.

“Outside work, I have the beautiful island of Guernsey in which to enjoy my leisure time. Ironically, despite living on an island with over 30 great beaches, I always suffered from a phobia of open water. So, in my 50th year, I decided to confront the fear and started having swimming lessons, and it worked! I am now a member of the Guernsey Masters Swimming Club and have reached a level where I regularly swim 2 – 2.5k a session and have competed in open water swimming events. The most exotic of these took me to Lake Bled in Slovenia.

“It’s great to be working for such a fantastic team in a great place and I am looking forward to many more years with Q3…the only place to be.”

The Q3 team in the Channel Islands enjoys some quality time after a particularly busy summer

Each October there is a food festival in the Channel Islands called “Tennerfest”. Restaurants put on special menus and welcome locals as the traditional tourist season draws to a close.

Q3 took the opportunity to treat its staff to a meal at a popular seafront location after a particularly busy summer. With busy shift patterns and the team operating across multiple sites across the Island it was a great way for the staff to catch up with their colleagues.

The food was fantastic, the service excellent and all the staff enjoyed themselves.