LEGAL VIEW
6 MARCH 2022
POST PANDEMIC RECOVERY SPARKS DEMAND
FOR WORKPLACE CLEANING SERVICES
UK businesses are prioritising the health and wellness of their employees more
than ever, as new data reveals an increase of up to 90 per cent demand for o ice
cleaners across the UK.
Research carried out by
facilities management provider,
Samsic, shows that search terms
for topics such as ‘health and
wellbeing in the workplace’,
‘wellness at work’ and ‘o ice
cleaners near me’ have increased
by as much as 90 per cent in the
UK over the last 12 months.
As the nation began to plan for
a gradual return to o ices in early
2021, Google search data reveals how business owners and decisionmakers
have been taking workplace cleanliness seriously and looking to put new
systems in place to prioritise their employees’ health and wellbeing.
Data shows how the number of people searching for ‘o ice cleaners near me’
around the UK steadily grew throughout 2021, and peaked around September
and October – just before one of the latest Coronavirus variants hit the UK.
Overall, the number of people searching for the term has nearly doubled yearonyear,
increasing by a massive 85 per cent.
Similarly, searches for ‘commercial o ice cleaning’ also increased by 52 per
cent and ‘industrial cleaners London’ by a whopping 600 per cent.
Samsic believes this trend represents a shiŠ in attitudes on how to approach
health in the workplace, and a move to prioritising employee wellness. This is
also evident says Samsic from looking at other relevant search terms – ‘health
and wellbeing in the workplace’ has increased by 52 per cent, ‘wellness at work’
by 90 per cent, and ‘sta wellbeing ideas’ by 50 per cent.
TACKLING RACISM IN
THE WORKPLACE
By Tina Chander, Head of Employment
Law at midlands law fi rm, Wright Hassall
At the end of 2021, Yorkshire County Cricket Club found its
reputation in tatters after failing to eff ectively manage historical
accusations of workplace racism made by player Azeem Rafi q,
instead downplaying instances as ‘good-natured banter’ that
didn’t warrant disciplinary action.
The matter serves as a stark warning for all employers; Take
racism seriously, or risk the consequences. So, what should
employers do to ensure these issues are handled appropriately?
Employment law
Race discrimination was introduced into UK law by the Race
Relations Act 1976 and forms a part of the Equality Act 2010.
It includes a code of practice which despite not being legally
binding, does provide a framework for employers to abide by.
There are several types of discrimination mentioned within
the Equality Act 2010, which are linked to nine protected
characteristics, one of which is race:
• Direct discrimination - being treated less positively than
another due to race;
• Indirect discrimination – If employment policies disadvantage
people due to race, eg, banning certain religious or cultural
hairstyles;
• Associative discrimination – treating someone with prejudice
because they associate with other races;
• Perceptive discrimination - treating someone with prejudice
because they are perceived to be a diff erent race, even though they
aren’t;
• Racial harassment – Diminishing someone’s dignity or creating
an intimidating, hostile, degrading, or humiliating environment,
through targeting an individual’s protected characteristic(s).
Handling incidents
All reports of racism should be fully investigated and handled in
a manner that refl ects the wishes of the complainant. They may
simply request an apology, but depending on the seriousness of
the allegation, formal disciplinary proceedings might be required.
It’s sensible to adhere to a formal grievance procedure at this
point as this will ensure that strict protocols are met when
investigating or deciding on appropriate next steps.
The complainant should also be off ered personal support,
including being given access to an external organisation that helps
victims of bullying, and discrimination.
Prevention
It’s important to have comprehensive inclusion, diversity, and
grievance policies in place, that outline the mechanisms for
reporting any incidents of inequality or discrimination.
Appoint someone to be responsible for diversity and inclusion,
and communicate a strict zero-tolerance approach towards racism
- disciplining or dismissing anyone found to be in breach.
Provide staff with diversity training, which should explain
exactly what is meant by racism in the workplace and terms such
as ‘unconscious bias’. Remind them that any comment with racial
undertones can cause distress. Wrongly labelling racist remarks as
workplace ‘banter’ is a common catalyst for legal action.
Failure to act
Not tackling racism eff ectively could lead to losing valuable team
members, or having to defend an employment tribunal claim. A
case of this kind could lead to massive reputational damage, and
in an era in which social responsibility plays an increasingly large
part in business success, this could result in the business taking
a considerable hit to the bottom line. In other words, advocating
inclusivity and protecting your employers is better for business as
well as being overwhelmingly morally correct.
www.wrighthassall.co.uk
CIBSE BUILDING PERFORMANCE
AWARDS WINNERS 2022
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) revealed the
2022 Building Performance Award winners in a recent ceremony held at the Park
Plaza Westminster Bridge, London.
Now in its 15th year, the CIBSE Building Performance Awards is the only awards scheme
to celebrate the measured performance of projects and products in use while celebrating
the engineering consultancies and manufacturers that are contributing to a low carbon
future.
The 2022 CIBSE Building Performance Awards winners in full are:
Building Performance Consultancy (up to 50 employees) - Winner: XCO2
Building Performance Consultancy (51–300 employees) - Winner: Max Fordham LLP
Building Performance Consultancy (over 300 employees) - Winner: Buro Happold
Collaboration - Winner: FairHeat
Embodied Carbon Award - Winner: Michael Lonsdale Group
Facilities Management - Winner: Hoare Lea
Learning and Development - Winner: IndoSwiss
Building Energy E iciency Project
Product or Innovation – Thermal Comfort - Winner: Knauf Insulation & Knauf Energy
Solutions – closing the performance gap
Product or Innovation – Air Quality Wellbeing category on entry form - Winner:
Signify – UVC
Upper Air Disinfection Luminaires
Product or Innovation – Wellbeing - Winner: Water Kinetics – EcoDuo
Project of the Year – Retail / Leisure - Winner: McDonald’s Global Flagship – Cyclone
Energy Group
Project of the Year – Healthcare - Winner: Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – AECOM
Project of the Year – Public Use - Winner: St John’s College, Oxford, Library and
Study Centre – Max Fordham LLP
Building Performance Engineer of the Year - Winner: Mike Burton, AECOM
Building Performance Champion - Winner: St John’s College, Oxford, Library and
Study Centre – Max Fordham LLP
NEWS & ANALYSIS FMJ.CO.UK
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