SOCIAL - BLOG
Kath Fontana FRICS @kathf48
New from #WBEF Facilities Management: The
state of the industry in five graphs
https://t.co/udyhIJyMYJ?amp=1
Mark Eltringham https://www.linkedin.com/
in/mark-eltringham-2071804/
According to a peer reviewed study from
Stanford researchers, Zoom fatigue is a real
phenomenon and has a number of basic causes
https://t.co/iWtYqtBiUX?amp=1
Osmond Ergonomics @OsmondGroup
Are you looking after your #eyes? Staring at a
#monitor or a long amount of time can damage
your eyes and could cause ‘digital eye’. To help
#prevent it use the 20-20-20 rule, after 20
minutes of using a screen look at an object 20
feet away for 20 seconds.
Health and Safety Executive www.linkedin.
com/company/health-and-safety-executive/
HSE is carrying out spot checks and inspections
on businesses to check they have measures
in place to manage the risk from coronavirus.
Follow our top tips to help make your business
COVID-secure. For more guidance go to:
https://bit.ly/3lOkAlS
@BSI_UK Guidance on safe working during
the COVID-19 pandemic has been updated and
adopted into a new international standard to
help protect workers and those they come in
to contact with from COVID 19: https://bit.
ly/3dOZXVb #bsistandards #workplacesafety
Danielle Tonks www.linkedin.com/in/danielletonks
09197159/
The future workplace portfolio is changing, but
what should Real Estate leaders be focusing
on next? Our EMEA report details the key
objectives, which are interestingly already
being mirrored by our expert engineering
teams, working with our clients to leverage data
and improve existing buildings #RealEstate
#Workplace #FacilitiesManagement
Workplace Futures @FM_Conference
We start now remembering those we have lost.
1 minute silence. #wpfut21
18 MARCH 2021
BLOG FROM THEO NICOLAOU, CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR, SMARTSEC SOLUTIONS
EVERYTHING ON THE
LINE TO KEEP US SAFE
Since the start of the pandemic, a lot
has rightly been said about the role the
police, couriers, supermarket and NHS
sta have played in keeping us safe. However,
there remains little recognition when it comes
to front of house security o icers who continue
to manage near-empty high-rise buildings under
extremely taxing conditions.
They are essential workers. Despite the new
strain of COVID-19 and the understandable
fear that goes with it, they continue to travel
into city centres, exposing themselves to great
risks to ensure others are kept safe. Though the
development of vaccines promises a return to
in-person interactions somewhere down the line,
we will be moving into a ‘new normal’ rather than
back to the pre-pandemic world we once knew.
Whilst it has clearly been the right thing to do, the
latest lockdown has been a dagger blow into the
heart of security o icers who had hoped we were
edging our way closer to the end of what has
been a very dark and traumatic tunnel for them.
ONS figures published in summer 2020
revealed that UK male security o icers are at
significant risk of dying from COVID-19. In fact,
male security o icers have one of the highest
rates, with 45.7 deaths per 100,000. When you
consider that security o icers are largely having
to travel to central London via bus or the London
Underground, it puts these figures into even
greater perspective. They are risking their health
and wellbeing, both physically and mentally,
to protect people, property, and businesses. All
whilst we stay in.
Transport into work has been a consistent
concern for our o icers. At the start of the
pandemic in March 2020, our sta would drive
into London before 7am and leave a er 6pm. This
meant they would avoid any congestion charges.
However, Transport for London raised the levy
in June and extended it to 10pm and weekends
costing drivers £15 a day.
You can understand, then, why mental health
has been waning. They are putting their health
on the line every day and then facing many new
challenges and responsibilities at work whilst
traditional o ice workers from their building
remain at home. There’s also the ongoing
concern about job security. Landlords are
slashing costs, and in the long run they worry
that home-working could wipe out a significant
portion of the security industry. We have seen
one client cut its floorspace from four floors
to one and it would not be a surprise to see
businesses move out of London to business parks
where parking isn’t an issue, rents and rates are
reasonable, and people come into the o ice once
or twice a week.
Once thriving with over 2,000 o ice-based
workers, the reality is that the large high-rise
buildings we manage are currently occupied by
just 30-40 people. Front of house o icers gaze at
the large reception windows as one or two cars
Theo Nicolaou, Director, Smartsec Solutions
pass by every few minutes, and the sound of their
shoes echo eerily on the marble floors as they
walk through barren corridors without the noise
of other voices to drown it out. Loneliness is rife.
Mental health training is crucial to help
identify any early warning signs. It is absolutely
vital that regular o icer check-ins continue – they
need reassurances much like the tenants of their
buildings. This is particularly important for lone
workers and o icers on high-risk sites. It is a
much-needed figurative arm around them and a
welcome friendly face to talk to.
From the o icer’s point of view, a great deal
of empathy is also required. These are times
of high stress and confusion for everyone,
particularly for other occupants who currently
scatter high-rise buildings. Their feelings must
be taken into account too. This can impact
their own behaviour. Some might become
aggressive and security o icers must calmly
manage any situation which arises with a great
dose of understanding. People skills have
long been important in front of house but the
post-pandemic era will require a sensitivity and
empathy that goes beyond their traditional roles.
Front of house sta continue to work, putting
themselves at risk to keep the country running.
They have demonstrated incredible bravery and
competency in their roles. Now is the time to
invest in these sta . Developing new skills and
covering gaps in their current knowledge will
create a sector capable of dealing with whatever
the post-pandemic world throws at it.
It’s also important that the perception of the
security o icer changes positively. Their work
has been brought to the fore as they provide a
reassuring presence across our largest cities.
Just as people are recognising how crucial
cleaning teams are to their continued safety
and overall business continuity, individuals and
businesses will appreciate the role security and
reception teams play in supporting them through
this challenging period. The industry’s position
as key workers should not be forgotten and it’s up
to us to make sure we rise to any other challenges
further down the road. We will continue to take
each day at a time. We will continue to learn from
this experience, and better ourselves personally
and professionally. And we will continue to do
whatever it takes to keep our team, our clients,
and their workforces safe.
ADVICE & OPINION
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