FOCUS COMMUNICATIONS
LOST IN TRANSLATION
28 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019
The FM sector employs roughly 10 per cent
of the UK working population. By its very
nature, the vast majority of these people work
on the front line – as cleaners, security guards,
catering or hospitality assistants – with many
being paid little more than the minimum
wage. They o en work unsocial hours. English
may not be their first language. Many don’t
have an email address (or don’t share it with
their employer). They can feel distanced from
their employer, identifying more with the
organisation where they carry out their work.
Many might work flexibly across several di erent
sites, where WiFi and phone reception is patchy.
Some consider themselves to be in transient
roles – students supporting their studies, school
leavers at the start of their career, people working
in between other jobs, or new arrivals to the UK.
Some may have low levels of education. And they
o en simply want to come to work, get paid and go
home. It can be a communication and engagement
nightmare.
For FM service providers with large dispersed workforces, staying in
contact can be a problem. FM communications specialist Cathy Hayward
fi nds out how diff erent vendors keep in touch with their people