FMJ.CO.UK INTERVIEW FOCUS
FEBRUARY 2021 25
GOOD RESULTS
The results were encouraging, with
customers scores at an average of nearly
9/10 for the FM provider’s response to
COVID-19. One of the reasons for this,
according to Shorthose, is that the
pandemic has led to a narrowing of the
gap between the decision makers and
what happens at the operational delivery
level. Because of the seriousness of the
situation, where senior management are
primarily concerned in keeping people safe
and maintaining operations they’ve got
much closer to the operational side, and
this means how the way they view their FM
provider has altered significantly.
Says Shorthose: “It’s changed from the
main reason being; ‘we want to outsource
because we can focus on what we’re
good at,’ to the realisation that Interserve
and other providers can come through
with the support, best practice, and a
level of expertise that gives the client the
reassurance that when they’re in front of the
headlights there are people working and
collaborating with them who know what
they’re doing.
“I think that this big shi¤ from just
thinking, ‘we’ve got cleaners, security, front
of house’, to ‘we’re working with people who
will look a¤ er our buildings and manage our
risk during this pandemic’ is crucial.”
According to the data there are five key
drivers:
Improved and relevant communication
at all levels – which had a threefold
impact on the score.
Focus on the customer not just tasks.
By identifying the building use; e.g. in
a hospital how medical staff as well
as the patients are supported you
establish a shared purpose that creates
emotional engagement.
Flexibility – a key element in a
constantly uncertain environment
where government rules can change
rapidly. Demonstrate the ability to be
agile and flexible in terms of service
delivery.
Collaboration and partnering. Where
almost on a daily basis the FM
providers and their partners discuss
what their current priorities are, how
they respond to those changes and
what they bring to the table in terms of
expertise to guide the client.
Thought leadership, from ensuring
cleaning and hygiene standards are
met to planning for the reoccupation
of buildings in a safe manner.
Says Shorthose: “The data shows how the
drivers for client satisfaction have moved
from transactional requirements such as
contract/service delivery, SLA’s and KPI’s
to so¤ er and move behavioural aspects
like demonstrating commitment,
shared purpose, strong
communications, flexibility,
and bringing thought
leadership.”
The data shows how the drivers
for client satisfaction have moved from
transactional requirements such as contract/
service delivery, SLA’s and KPI’s to softer and
move behavioural aspects like demonstrating
commitment, shared purpose, strong
NOW, NEXT, LATER
FM providers are
o¤ en challenged
to demonstrate
innovation within
contracts, and the
customer satisfaction
survey illustrates
the importance of
demonstrating innovation
in governance and resources,
which in practice means taking
resources and reengineering them to
respond to changing requirements. For
example, within the health sector this
may mean continuing to give people the
training and front-line development they
need to cope with the latest infection
control demands, while in the corporate
ož ice realm it might be more about how
ož ices can be returned to safe occupation.
The survey also found priorities were
changing across most sectors, with 63
per cent stating customer and workplace
experience are now more important than
pre-COVID-19.
“That is a very interesting stat”, says
Shorthose, “and is backed up by latest
Leesman data which showed that over a
third of home workers (35 per cent) feel
disconnected to their organisation when
working from home.
“Psychological contract fulfilment
describes how people feel about the
organisation and their role is
created around purpose, process,
payož and people. Without
an understanding of how
connected a person feels
when working from home
to their organisation it’s
diž icult to determine if they
share a sense of purpose.
In the same way a lot of
processes are based on a lot
of people being in an ož ice
together, and when you look at
that application of process, is it set
up for people working remotely?”
Within corporate real estate, he
communications, Ɯ exibility, and
bringing thought leadership.”
explains: “Customers are looking at how
they’ll repurpose their buildings and how
their operating model will look in the future.
We’ve a workplace methodology and we’re
repurposing that slightly using our in-house
diagnostic tools and asking people how
the physical environment supported them
pre-COVID. I believe if we don’t know how
the physical environment supported people
before the pandemic hit, you can’t do it