be accommodated. Be realistic about the time you have available
and the output required, pay attention to detail and establish the
boundaries from the outset. When working with just one client, it is
easy to bend rules, but when servicing multiple clients, it is important
to be strict and to establish clear and regular communications.
Regardless of the demands being made, it is also imperative that
FMs fully understand the building in which they are working, how
the building operates and what is and isn’t possible in order to make
considered decisions and manage expectations.
A coworking environment has many nuances and FMs have a key
role to play in making it work. The rise of coworking means that
Facilities Management is no longer just about hard or so services, it’s
about FMs curating a culturally cohesive space, delivering a seamless
service and a great customer experience.
THE CLEANING SERVICES PROVIDERS’ VIEW
VINCE TREADGOLD,
DIRECTOR, GREENZEST
SUSTAINABLE CLEANING
SERVICES
The rise of start-ups as an
engine of economic growth,
combined with an increase in
the numbers of self-employed
and freelancers, has
created a demand for three
di ering styles of flexible
workspace, all of which need
a thoughtful approach to
professional cleaning. First
is the building full of SMEs wanting secure private o ices, but in a
serviced, collaborative environment. Second is the short-term renting
of space by any size of company in a serviced o ice building - the
original model. Third is the most recent phenomenon - the demand
for a meeting room, single o ice, or simply a desk in a coworking
environment, with rental by the hour or half day. Symptomatic, you
could say, of the ‘gig’ economy.
Depending on which format is in use, these environments pose two
key challenges for cleaning contractors. One is working with FMs to
manage the expectations of di erent occupiers. The other is delivering
a cleaning service flexibly enough to maintain standards across the
entire space throughout the day.
Take expectations first. In a building of thirty SMEs, there may be
just as many di erent expectations of the cleaning service. What level
of cleaning does each company want? How o en? Are they happy for
cleaners to unlock their o ices in their absence? A close relationship
between Facilities Manager and contractor is critical here to set the
service parameters and communicate these to the occupants in order
to avoid dissatisfaction or misunderstanding.
And when it comes to flexibility, how do you deal with the coworking
scenario? How does an FM ensure that a meeting room used by five
di erent customers in a day is spotless for each new user, or that a
desk used by three di erent people is sanitised and litter removed in
between each occupant? How do they match the potentially variable
demand for these services with what has traditionally been a rather
fixed supply of cleaning resource? These may seem obvious questions,
but for a cleaning contractor they characterise the di erence between
cleaning in a traditional o ice building, where sta have their own
22 MAY 2019
desk and probably know that the floor is not vacuumed every day,
versus the coworking environment where each new user is paying by
the hour and demands a spotless and hygienic workspace.
The answer to both challenges is to adopt a practical approach
to cleaning times and to harness communications technology. The
flexible workspace is crying out for the employment of daytime
cleaners, rather than the traditional early morning/late evening
format, which is not suited to this environment. To this can be added
the use of cloud so ware and wi-fi, whereby the FM’s space booking
planner is available not only to the cleaning contractor’s management,
so as to facilitate flexible resource deployment, but in the form of real
time alerts to the day cleaner on their smartphone to cater for ‘walk-in’
bookings, overruns on meeting space, etc. Face-to-face conversations
are also permissible, of course!
Naturally, it also helps if the contractor appointed to clean in flexible
workspaces already has su icient resources nearby to flex supply
when needed, but the key principle is to work together and share
information.
Do you have a question that you’d like
answered by the FMJ Clinic?
Email: sara.bean@kpmmedia.co.uk
FM CLINIC
Vince Treadgold
COMPLIANCE AND MORE
OUR ELECTRICAL TESTING ENSURES ORGANISATIONS
NOT ONLY MEET THE LATEST LEGAL REQUIREMENTS BUT
ALSO OPERATE MORE SAFELY AND COST
EFFECTIVELY.
01977 668 771
ptsg.co.uk
info@ptsg.co.uk @ptsgplc
ADVICE & OPINION
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