FACILITIES MANAGEMENT JOURNAL JOBS
FM CAREERS - CAREER LADDER / COMPLIANCE
Name: Fiona Stewart
Current role:
Managing Director,
RFM Group
Lives: West Yorkshire
FMJ chats to a facilities
professional about how
they got into the sector and
takes a look at their career
path. This month we talk to
Fiona Stewart, Managing
Director, RFM Group
How did you progress through the
profession to your current role?
At the age of 26 I was lured into the
profession to suit my child care needs. I
started life as an area supervisor and worked
my way up the ladder achieving frequent
promotions. Over the years I have worked
across a variety of sectors and with many
people who have helped me to secure the
role I undertake today.
What made you choose FM as a
career?
Honestly, it was the flexibility & working
conditions of area supervision. Because this
was o en working anti-social hours – i.e.
early mornings or late evenings, I was able to
juggle this alongside motherhood. It was one
of the best decisions I ever made!
How did you progress through the
profession to your current role?
With lots of hard work and dedication! I
would also attribute it in part to being in the
right place at the right time, making a good
impression and being noticed. I have also
taken a fair few calculated risks over the
years.
Do you have any qualifications or
training in FM and related areas such as
health and safety? And how have you
benefited from them?
I have 25 years’ experience in the industry
and have undertaken lots of training and
development along the way. I’m also a huge
advocate of out of hours ‘self education’. So
many skills in life are transferrable and so it’s
vital to never stop learning.
What is your greatest contribution to
the FM sector, or your current role?
Becoming part of a Group business that
began with just two employees and no
clients 16 years ago that now employs
hundreds of sta‰ . We pride ourselves on
providing our employee’s the opportunity to
reach their full potential. We have a strong
culture of Accomodating People which
applies to all of our sta‰ and our clients too.
What’s changed most since you
started in FM?
IT and Communication by far… A building is
still a building but the di‰ erence nowadays is
how you gather the necessary “Big Data” and
then report on it. Being able to communicate
this information in real time is what most
people thought were pipe dreams years ago
– now it is standard practice.
What personal qualities do you think
are needed for a successful career in FM?
It depends on the position and the individual
but my advice to anyone going into any
employment and not just FM would be: Think
smart, work hard and make sure you make
a di‰ erence even if that di‰ erence is only to
yourself.
What would make the biggest
di€ erence to the FM sector? And how
could that be achieved?
Equilibrium across the board as the industry
is still very male dominated.
Are you a member of any FM
association or body and if so what
benefits do you think they provide?
No – I’m not a networker and what spare
time I do have I like to dedicate to my family
as work consumes my life and has for 20
years.
What advice would you give to young
people coming into the profession now?
Listen to the advice you are given, follow your
instincts and work smart as well as hard.
What are your long-term goals for the
next seven to ten years?
To retire from RFM Group, passing over a
good steady ship to a new captain who I’m
confident can take over my position.
What do you predict could be the
main changes to the FM sector over the
next few years?
The use of technology and the intelligent
use of smart data which we are already
witnessing. Also a move from big is beautiful
to more SME procurement. And finally, a
skills and labour shortage a er Brexit if we
don’t watch out.
What are the greatest challenges of
working in FM?
Client loyalty and helping clients to
understand cost vs quality.
What do you enjoy most about
working in FM?
The varied challenges the industry brings
and the vast array of di‰ ering people and
personalities.
COMPLIANCE
HEALTH & SAFETY
Gary Duce, MD of Reset looks at the duties of FMs to
control, manage and monitor contractors working on
their premises and sites to ensure compliance with legal
and health and safety obligations.
Most organisations have policies in place concerning the
health and safety of their own sta‰ to ensure they are fully
competent and trained to carry out the required activities.
However, when it comes to contractors, company and
individual competence is not always verified as it should be,
despite the fact that there are legal requirements to do so
- and this o en exposes an organisation to increased risks.
When that organisation is an FM provider that runs contracts
across numerous sites, utilising the services of many external
contractors, many who visit the premises daily, then there
is a genuine need and a security requirement to ensure that
workers are su‰ iciently competent and have authority to be
on site.
The Sentencing Guidelines introduced in 2016 have
reinforced that organisations must be held accountable
for their health and safety responsibilities and if they do
not, there could be severe consequences. The Courts are
now issuing larger fines than ever before where workers or
contractors are exposed to potential health and safety risks,
even where an accident or injury has not occurred. In some
cases, incidents captured on smartphone cameras have
provided enough evidence to lead to a prosecution.
Every organisation has a duty to protect its appointed
contractors and sub-contractors from harm caused by
their activities. Where adequate checks are not carried out
and an incident or accident occurs involving a contractor,
the organisation could face considerable financial (as well
as reputational) exposure. Annual statistics from the HSE
show total penalties have almost doubled since updates to
sentencing guidelines were introduced almost three years
ago. The £72.6m granted in fines during 2017/18, followed
493 successful prosecutions across all industries – with fines
in the millions for larger turnover organisations.
Services provided by external contractors can include
anything from ‘hard FM’ work, such as the repair, upkeep
and maintenance of all buildings and services (all falling
under CDM legislation), as well as external areas, grounds
and premises, through to ‘so FM’ activities, such as pest
control, hygiene services, and maintenance services.
Both the client and the contracting company have joint
responsibilities under health and safety law to ensure that
individuals are competent to carry out the work that they
have been appointed to do. Organisations need to fulfil their
requirements to comply with the Management of Health
and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 for the control of
contractors and the Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations 2015 and additionally, in the NHS, the Premises
Assurance Model. They should also be able to provide
demonstrable evidence, through an audit trail, to
defend against any potential claims.
www.rcscard.co.uk
62 FEBRUARY 2019
/www.rcscard.co.uk
