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Last month, we wrote about how interviewers can ask the best questions to really understand the people they are looking to hire, and how to interpret the answers to see if the person sat in front of them (in person or via Zoom!) would be a good fit for their organisation. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Now we’re turning the tables and looking at how an engineer can ask questions that will give a true reflection of the company they might join. After all, in this time of skills shortages (and yes, despite the pandemic there is still a shortage of qualified maintenance engineers on the market) interviews should be a two-way street with every interviewer being willing to promote themselves as an employer of choice. In reality, however, it appears the balance of power still lies with the employer when it comes to interviewing situations, with a lack of confidence in asking questions about the company’s values and future prospects. Prior to writing this blog, we conducted a survey of over 6000 maintenance engineers from the FM sector. We asked them how confident they were when it came to questioning potential employers. Although 97% of our respondents said that it was quite or very important that a company’s values, prospects, environment and ethics match their own, and yet only 41% said that they were confident to ask questions about these during their interview. We’ve outlined below 5 top questions that an Engineer can ask their prospective future employer to help them understand more about their potential fit, and why these questions are important! 1. Why is this position available? Asking this question is absolutely vital; you absolutely need to understand why the company is hiring right now. The answer you get can give you a lot of information that will help you make a decision to accept an offer. If the answer is due to expansion/ new contract wins, this is a huge plus. The company winning business and expanding its workforce is one that is on the up. However, if the role is to replace someone who has left don’t be shy in asking follow up questions like: ‘Why did the last person in this job leave?’ You’ll learn a lot about the company and your interviewer depending on their answer.                                 2. What support is in place for your Engineers? If you are looking to work for a company that has a good support network in place for its Engineers then listen out for how easily your interviewer finds this question to answer. Our best clients often talk about how experienced and agile their contracts Admin team are. How they go out of their way to help Engineers out on the road; most companies are especially proud of their management mentors and employee wellness schemes. If however, your interviewer finds it challenging to come up with real examples of support within the organisation you may find that they are of the ‘sink or swim’ mentality. It won’t necessarily be a bad place to work, but it may be an organisation that better suits very experienced Engineers who are used to working entirely self-sufficiently.                                     3. What are the expectations required of someone in this role? This is different from asking about daily tasks and SLA’s. This question will help you understand more about what kind of character and responsibility your potential future employer is looking for. When your interviewer replies, listen out for how they describe what they are looking for in your personality, problem-solving skills, attitude etc. It will tell you a lot about what kind of environment you could be stepping into. If they explain that their expectations are, for example, you to check in regularly with the office, work late when needed and stay calm in difficult situations, you can reasonably expect that the contract you’ll be working on will turn out to be a challenging one.                                     4. What is great about working here? Great employers will have great answers to this question. Your interviewer should be the best ambassador for the company (after all, they're usually your first upfront experience of what/ who the company is!). So, if it is a truly great company to work for they will be prepared for this question. An enthusiastic answer with lots of examples about living and breathing their company values, good additional benefits packages, and flexible working policies. Mediocre employers will not find this as easy to answer – if your interviewer struggles to come up with anything concrete, or only talks about how good the salary is, be wary. Follow up with questions about why your interviewer likes working there, and why they took the job.                                       5. What future opportunities are available for me? Bear in mind that ‘future opportunities’ can be a wide variety of things, from promotions and gaining managerial experience to undertaking additional training and skills/ tickets. Lots of companies will consider that helping their Engineers become ever more multi-skilled (and paying for the training) is a fantastic opportunity and investment. Others will want their Engineers to be the succession plan for future management opportunities. The key with this question is again how easily your interviewer finds it to answer – if they have no concrete plans for your potential future development, this will be obvious. Again, it does not mean that you should not take the job if offered – it all depends on what your ambitions are. It can be easy to make a decision on accepting a job based on facts and figures such as salary and additional benefits, but ultimately it is questions like the above that will help you decide if the company you are interviewing with fits with your expectations and ambitions in the medium and long term. Do you have a killer interview question to share with our community? Leave a comment below!

A lot has been written recently on how to prepare for video and telephone interviews in the time of Covid-19, but not much has been written about the actual questions you should be asking. In this blog, we'll look at the top questions our clients ask in their interviews and how you can make the most of them in yours. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Technical based questions like these (betterteam.com/maintenance-engineer-interview-questions) are great for delving into the skills and experience of your Engineers, but what do you ask to find out what makes them tick? Or what their personality is really like? After all, your interviewee is on their best interview behaviour – how do you figure out if they will act the same when they are on the job? If you are interviewing Engineers over the phone or on a video call, it’s even more important to get these questions right. Remember you may not have the opportunity to take into account the nuances of body language and facial expressions as you would in a traditional face to face interview. Considering that your engineers are often the public face of your company, it’s so important to find out if they will fit with your culture and values. Here at Thorn Baker EFM, we all have our own opinions about the best questions to ask engineers during an interview, but we thought who better to compile this list than the hiring managers themselves? So we spoke to our clients and asked them to nominate their favourite interview questions. 1. 'What can you bring to our company?' Nigel Tomlinson, Horbury Property Services What to look out for: A great way to find out if your interviewee has researched the company and their practices, their ambitions for the future, and their ability to self-analyse. A good answer would show that the engineer knows how their skills could match and benefit different sectors your company works in; a great answer will highlight that they’ve read your company values and can provide examples of their own experience that matches those values. What to be wary of: Vague, non-committal answers to this question show that they may not have done their homework on your company, showing a lack of enthusiasm for the role or may not be great at self-analysis which can provide barriers when managing performance issues down the line. Follow up questions include: What attracts you about working for our company? What’s your impression of our company culture? 2. 'What part of your job do you most enjoy?' Graham Wheatley, Wheatley FM What to look out for: This question will give you an insight into their real enthusiasm and motivation for the job – if their answer focuses on making the client happy, then you can reasonably assume that they will be a good ambassador for your company. If it’s about problem-solving and fault finding, they could be your next technical superstar. What to be wary of: If your interviewee struggles to answer this question, or they give a flippant answer like ‘Getting Paid!’ they might not be the most committed employee, and will struggle to maintain a can-do attitude. Follow up questions include: What training have you most enjoyed? What part of the job do you wish didn’t exist? 3. 'What is the best piece of feedback you have received that has gone on to help you in your career?' Sarah Shardlow, The Coal Authority What to look out for: People who remember (and take on board) good advice tend to be forward thinkers, good planners and cope well with change, so good well-rounded answers to this question with real-life examples is what you are looking for if you want someone who can take on responsibility and adapt easily to changing environments (great if you have a big portfolio of different clients) What to be wary of: We’ve asked this question many times, and occasionally we’ll get answers along the lines of ‘Nothing really, I’ve always made my own way’. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with being self-sufficient keep an eye out for red flags that could indicate a lack of critical thinking, or an inability to take on criticism and advice Follow up questions include: Who has been your most influential manager? What do you wish someone had told you at the beginning of your career? 4. ‘How important do you believe it is to achieve a good team spirit, and what type of things might you be able to do within your role to ensure a good team ethos exists?’ Paul Cronin, Cambridge Maintenance Services Limited What to look out for: This is particularly important to ask engineers who could be working on static sites in a team of mixed experiences and backgrounds – a good team player will give an enthusiastic answer with real-life experiences of where working in a great team has benefited the whole operation, and will talk about friends and connections they have made on the job in the past. Great answers will include examples of where they have helped younger or more inexperienced team members to grow in skills and confidence. What to be wary of: Candidates who struggle to answer this question might still turn out to be great team players, but may not have had much experience working in a team, especially if they have worked primarily a mobile role or on single person sites - they may take longer to settle into a team environment.  Explore further by asking about how they communicate with their managers and other engineers. Follow up questions include: What’s the best team experience you’ve had in your career and why? What role do you think you take when working in a team? 5. 'Have you ever had to handle a difficult customer? How did you deal with it?' Matt Price, FES FM What to look out for: An Engineer who gives real examples and explains what the initial problem was and how it was solved demonstrates that they can learn from their experience as well as having the confidence and interpersonal skills to deal with your tricky clients in difficult circumstances – especially important skills for mobile engineers who might have to fault find and fix at short notice. What to be wary of: Vague and uncertain answers to this question (look out for ‘we would usually do….’ instead of ‘I did…’) demonstrate that they may have little practical experience of these situations or maybe unsure or unaware of how to handle angry and upset clients. These Engineers would likely need more hands-on and in-person support when dealing with challenging clients and difficult situations. So be careful about what contracts you may choose to employ them on in the first instance. Follow up questions can include: What preventative measures help diffuse difficult client situations? What support would you need when dealing with difficult clients? Of course, these are just the top five questions that we picked for this blog – there are many more and we’d love to hear your suggestions and comments on the above.  Want to know more about how we help our clients? You can read about how our Proven Process will overcome your recruitment challenges right here. If you'd like to have a chat with the team about your upcoming interviews you can contact us here or you can complete our enquiry form and we'll contact you. Enquiry Form Look out for our follow up blog, where we turn the tables and list the top questions Engineers should ask their prospective employer during an interview!

The current situation we're facing with the new 3-tier system is a reminder of how quickly our current restrictions can change. Especially with restaurants, pubs, and gyms facing tough restrictions if your area goes into tier 3. Do you have a plan in place for your business? In this blog we’ll look at some of the provisions we’ve been helping our clients put in place and how working with a specialist recruiter can be the key to providing the additional support when you need it most. Richard Carey Principal Recruitment Consultant Facilities & Estate Management Now more than ever we, as a business as well as our clients, must be able to adapt. COVID-19 has made us all aware of how not being prepared can have a drastic effect on your workforce and business – but how could anyone have been prepared for an event like this? Temporary staff have historically been a means of providing a solution for sudden drops or increases in business. In these unique circumstances we’ve found ourselves looking at our current recruitment process – where can we improve? What else can we be doing for our clients? How can we help our candidates more? Flexibility is a term used a lot these days but it truly is something that the teams have excelled in during the last six months. And the proof is in the pudding as they say, to their credit our teams have 65% more people working right now when we look at a year on year comparison. Given the circumstances, you might be surprised but the reasons why are clear… Bespoke Recruitment: When One Size Doesn’t Fit All Every business and every site are different. You have different products, systems, machinery even down to simple things like your canteen. As we navigate our way into a ‘new normal’ I’m proud to say that our teams have succeeded in supporting the bespoke recruitment needs of all of our clients How have we achieved this? Supplying cleaners and maintenance staff with as little as 12 hours’ notice for short and long term contracts nationwide 91% off temporary workers provided are tried and tested temps  Amending working hours of all consultants to enable out of hours on call service  Negotiating cost effective charge rates  Interviewing, vetting and qualification checking all candidates to ensure compliance with Electrical, Plumbing and Gas legislation  Implemented electronic signing of timesheets Implemented client’s shift management system into our own process  Implemented regular service reviews with all sites and provided management information centrally  By continuously recruiting and inducting candidates we can ensure that should a lockdown occur, like it just has, we are fully prepared. Thanks to our recruitment process we have additional staff ready to start, the result is that our clients will have no disruption to their business. Temporary to Permanent: The Best of Both Worlds The REC reported that: Employers’ intentions to hire permanent staff in the short term (over the next three months) improved by 11 percentage points from May, and returned to positive territory at net: +6. Although it might not seem the right time to make any big hiring decisions this really could be the perfect time. Over the last year, 24 of our clients have taken temporary workers on permanently. In perspective that’s 68 people that have found their perfect job, people that made a great impression with our clients and helped improve their business output. Great news – how have we helped our clients and candidates get to this point? We offer clients the opportunity to recruit take workers on a temporary to permanent basis Supplying thorough Key Information Documents so there are no surprises when someone arrives on-site Candidate health screening Video interviews Interview prep Up to date with how to use video software Helping candidates be fully prepared for starting and assignment or for an interview is just the norm for us – technology and inductions may have changed but our core values of being solution-focused, positive-minded and people-focused remains a solid foundation. Jade Simms, Temporary Consultant commented; ‘Candidates need a lot of support right now – people don’t always think of it this way but they’re our clients too. I have a candidate that has an interview this week for a permanent job but they want to use Microsoft Teams and she didn’t know how to use it. So if I need to download it and figure it out so I can explain it to her and support her in her interview that’s what I’m going to do. It’s not an issue for me I just want her to do well in her interview.’ As a business we’ve been building our database for over 30 years and having access to that is priceless. Combining this with local market knowledge, bespoke recruitment, and our Proven Process you can be sure that your business really will have the best people working for you. Of course, there’s no obligation to take your workers on permanently. The benefit of temporary workers is that we look after everything for you. 

TC FACILITIES MANAGEMENT WORKING WITH THORN BAKER EFM We commenced supply to TC Facilities Management in March 2020, supplying temporary cleaners to a large multi-site client in the Logistics industry. This client increased their cleaning schedules by 30% within the first 24 hours of lockdown, requiring 100+ extra cleaners across 16 sites from Teesside to the South coast.  THORN BAKER EFM SUPPORTED OUR CLIENT BY: Mobilising a nationwide recruitment campaign in 12 hours  Amending working hours of all consultants to enable out of hours on-call service  Supplying 100+ cleaners within 72 hours across 16 sites on a three-shift pattern Negotiating cost-effective charge rates across 20+ different pay schedules  Interviewing, vetting and DBS checking all candidates to ensure compliance with the clients' security requirements Implemented electronic signing of timesheets across all sites  Implemented client’s shift management system into our own process  Implemented regular service reviews with all sites and provided management information centrally  As a result, we were able to ably assist TC Facilities Management with their client’s urgent requirements, and we are now a recruitment partner for various other clients in TC Facilities Management portfolio.

As an employer, you’ve probably already considered the benefits of using a recruitment agency to handle your staffing needs. You need to choose the best-suited agency for your business - but how do you know that you’re partnering with the right one? In this blog we’ll look at how choosing the right agency is the key to finding and recruiting the best talent for your business. Richard Carey Principal Recruitment Consultant Facilities & Estate Management While it’s true that all recruitment agencies perform all of these basic functions, it doesn’t mean that every agency is created equally. Here are our top tips to help you choose the best recruitment partner for you: 1. Specialist VS. Generalist Working with a generalist recruiter can help you to cover a range of job roles – but working with a specialist will ensure that you have the very best workers right at your fingertips. By working with our specialist teams you’ll be working with not only sector specialists but geographical as well. This means that not only will you benefit from our team’s knowledge of the hiring market; you’ll be working with skilled staffing professionals who understand what you’re looking for regarding skills, experience and team fit. Working with us is simple; we are passionate about FM Recruitment. For 30 years, we’ve been finding candidates for clients in Building Services & Maintenance, FM & Soft Services, Helpdesk & Support and Estates & Property Management. 2. Recruitment Process Most agencies use pre-screening tests and candidate verification steps to ensure that their candidates are as skilled as they say they are, and asking to review these steps and strategies can give you great insight into how well a potential recruitment partner will work with you. If you feel that these strategies aren’t up to your standards, it’s time to move on. This Is where our Proven Process shines. We understand that finding the right talent is the biggest issue our clients face, while our candidates may have so far struggled to secure the perfect role. Taking the legwork out of matching the candidate with the client, you can be sure we always have your best interests in mind and the results speak for themselves 3. Reputation Matters Like any business, reputation in the recruitment industry is essential and it’s something we take pride in. It’s easy for an agency to boast about its hiring skills, but what matters to us is what our clients think. 'We have worked with a few other agencies in the past and I find them to be a bit of an annoyance at times, you get candidates who are really not vetted or checked before being dropped on your doorstep.  Speaking with Jade lead me to build a trusting relationship and drew me to Thorn Baker.' Graham, Wheatley Facilities Management 4. Customer Service As a client of a recruitment agency, the quality of customer service that you receive should be high. You shouldn’t feel abandoned or confused during any part of the hiring process, and the communications stream should always be open. We’re people-driven, positive-minded and solution-focused – from the moment you start working with us, you'll benefit from how we approach everything we do with a positive mindset. These core values provide an ideal foundation for the Thorn Baker EFM team to successfully link people with jobs. Our passion for the industry is clear from the moment you begin working with us. We don't just find and fill temporary jobs; we our candidates into rewarding and long-lasting careers. It means that you can rely on us to make things happen; turning candidates into trusted employees and jobs into careers. 5. The Candidate Pool Recruitment should come without compromise, shouldn’t it? It’s why our team's recruit candidates for a host of jobs across the country. With our positive and passionate approach to your business, you can be sure we’ll meet your requirements. We’ve been connecting companies to the right candidates for over 30 years, our database is bursting with qualified people. Our extensive knowledge of the local labour market ensures you can trust us to find the best people for your jobs – quickly. Ready to talk to us about how we can help take a load off your mind when it comes to recruitment? When you’re looking to work with recruiters that specialise in Building Services & Maintenance, FM & Soft Services, Helpdesk & Support and Estates & Property Management we’re proud to be your go-to recruiter. Contact your specialist team today to discuss how we can support your temporary and permanent staff needs.

In support of Gas Safety Week (14-20 September 2020), we're participating to highlight gas safety issues and to remind everyone of the importance of having an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance This Gas Safety Week we're celebrating the tenth year of keeping people safe and focusing on how you can help your local community to stay gas safe during these difficult times, what to do if you suspect your gas engineer is an illegal fitter, and advise not to DIY when it comes to gas - leave it to a Gas Safe Registered engineer. Gas appliances that have not properly been maintained can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ because you can’t see, smell or taste it. Therefore, it is highly important to have your gas appliances checked by an engineer who is listed on the Gas Safe Register. Jonathan Samuel, chief executive for Gas Safe Register, said: 'In these uncertain times, it’s important to regard the safety of our local communities. This Gas Safety Week we’re delighted to have the support of Thorn Baker EFM and by working together we can keep the public informed of gas safety and help reduce the risk of dangerous gas appliances across the UK, helping the whole nation to stay gas safe.' Top tips on how to stay Gas Safe this Gas Safety Week Know the symptoms of CO poisoning; headaches, nausea, breathlessness, collapse, dizziness and loss of consciousness. If you smell gas or think there might be a gas leak, call the free 24-hour national gas emergency number immediately on 0800 111 999. Never attempt to work on a gas appliance yourself, always seek the help of a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer who can work on your gas cooker, boiler or fire in a safe way. Don’t cut corners - only employ a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer when having gas work carried out in your home. Always ask to see your engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. Make sure you check the back of the card, which will state which gas appliances they are qualified to work on. Gas Safe Register is the official register for legally qualified engineers. You can find a registered engineer in your area by visiting the Gas Safe Register website at GasSafeRegister.co.uk.

Applying for a job can be overwhelming at times – especially if you’re facing redundancy, feeling pressed for time or you haven’t been in the job market for a while. In this blog, we’d like to share with you three quick tips to help you check your application and make sure that you’re successful in your job search. Richard Carey Principal Recruitment Consultant Facilities & Estate Management 1. Spelling & Grammar: check, check and check again Spelling and grammar are so important. Double-check your application, CV and cover letter for errors can help you make the best first impression possible. Take your time and read carefully through what you’ve written. One way to do this set it aside then come back to it with fresh eyes – you could even try reading it out aloud. Of course, you can’t rely on spell check to be completely accurate, and everyone struggles to proof read their work. It’s a good idea to have someone else to read through before you send it off – often another set of eyes will pick up things you’ve missed. Alternatively, software like Grammarly can make light work of checking your documents. 2. Attachments: What’s in a name..? Please find attached my CV. Essentially there’s nothing wrong with that sentence if, in fact, your CV is attached. As recruiters, our teams receive a lot of applications every week so we can tell you that CV’s aren’t always attached. Save yourself from having to send an immediate follow-up email and take your time before pressing send. Another thing to consider is how you have named your files. You can label your CV simply CV.doc but how professional would it look if you named it as your full name, and even the title of the job you’re applying for and the area? For example: Joe Blogg_CV_Gas Engineer_Northampton.doc 3. Final checks: Just before you press send Double-check that a) you’ve included your contact information, b) it’s up to date. It might seem obvious but this is an easy one to assume that you’ve updated already (and you know what they say about assuming…). Make sure it’s easy for the employer or recruiter to call you back – check that your contact details are correct and easy to find. A top tip would be to add them in a couple of different places, for example on your CV, cover letter and maybe even within your email as a signature. It’s really easy to rush through the process and forget to apply some small tips to help you stand out from the crowd. Before you press send take a few minutes to look back through what you have written. Have you checked your spelling and grammar? Have you labelled your documents? Have you attached everything required to apply? All looking great? Press send! We wish you the best of luck.

Making a permanent hire right now can seem like you’re taking a risk. But, what if this is really the perfect time for hiring the best talent? Ensuring you have the very best people working for your business is everyone’s goal. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at our top tips to ensure you bag the best talent during the pandemic. Richard Carey: Principal Recruitment Consultant Facilities & Estate Management People are available that wouldn’t normally be… Great talent won’t stay available for long. We all know some people by reputation as big hitters in their sectors and they rarely become/ stay available for long. For a long time, job seekers have had the upper hand when it comes to employment but this is shifting to employers. It’s sad to see any business have to make redundancies but you can support people who are facing this reality by snapping them up for your team. Deciding to hire someone permanently right now can seem daunting – everyone is watching their cash flows, what if you have to make redundancies? The Labour market overview, UK: August 2020 has said that ‘Early indicators for July 2020 suggest that the number of employees in the UK on payrolls is down around 730,000 compared with March 2020.’ It can be easy to focus on the negatives and forget that there are positives – whilst quarter on quarter employed levels are down, by comparison, year on year they are up. Lean on your recruitment partner so they can ease the pressure We work in an industry where service level agreements, procedures and deadlines determine what we do every day and in what order. So why should your recruitment process be any different? Agree with your internal recruitment team, your specialist agency and most importantly yourself what service levels you will work too. For example: 24 hours to respond to a CV/application. Three business days to arrange an interview. One week to get an offer of employment out. Whichever part of the process you are at you should have a relevant service level, which has been agreed and communicated to everyone involved. This will prevent frustrations with the expectations set for yourself, your internal and external recruitment team, and most crucially - your candidates. Don’t forget that as specialist recruiters this is what we do – all day, every day. Looking for someone specific? Chances are we already know them – don’t miss out on having the very best talent available on your team… Reassess your recruiting strategy and talent criteria Many companies will need to quickly pivot their recruitment strategies from we can only find a few to how can we deal with so many? Our tips to help you deal with the volume applicants would be: Give applicants a variety of ways to easily apply online – can they apply with their LinkedIn account? Assess your role requirements – could someone from another sector have transferrable skills? Aim to lower your time-to-hire – this is usually seen as a huge roadblock, how can it be improved? Get people in place quickly to support critical functions – this really is what it all comes down to. Most of that is sound advice but is it always within your control? Another way you could make your hiring life a whole lot easier is by making the most of a specialist recruiter. Whilst we’re not trying to make this about the sell a great specialist recruiter is worth their weight in gold. They will understand your business needs, already know the best people who are becoming available (because they go to them for help) Some positions will always be needed to make sure you’re one step ahead of your competition and making the most of the current talent pool. Give me a call on 07814 516 220 or pop me an email here and we can have a chat about making sure you don’t miss out on the very best talent available.

Working from home as a Recruiter didn't seem possible pre-COVID-19. Businesses have embraced the change and are now finding that they can work this way - but is it best business and employees? In this blog, I’d like to share with you what we've found both positive and challenging working remotely and how our future way of working is looking. Richard Carey, Principal Recruitment Consultant Facilities & Estate Management As a team we're all starting to head back into the office - this is a mix of full-time, part-time and even one day a week, all combined with remote working. Are you finding your staff don't want to go back to office life? Have they taken the opportunity to work more from home, or perhaps for your business it's key for them to be in the office? (COVID-19 safely of course). We recently conducted a survey of our own staff to find out how they were doing during lockdown. How were they coping with working from home, did they prefer it? What had they found challenging, what did they like? Of course, these conversations can be had with someone’s Manager at any time but a survey does allow time to reflect before commenting. Our results were interesting and have definitely given us a lot to think about regarding what our ‘new normal’ will look like. Some highlights from the survey include; 91% of people said that they had minimal interruptions that didn’t materially affect their ability to work from home 90% of people said that whilst lockdown remains as it is they would like the option to continue working from home as much as possible 84% of people said that post lockdown they would still like the flexibility to work from home regularly Positives they had found working from home: No commute/travel time to and from work Better work/life balance More productive at home Less distractions/interruptions Flexibility to deal with childcare issues But is remote working bad for business? Three of the main issues to come from remote working are: Communication issues Distractions Loneliness/ Isolation A recent article from Executive Grapevine has said that communication between colleagues has suffered in some business as people are now working different schedules to accommodate their new working from home life. These distractions come from simply answering the door, moving cats from their laptops to dealing with a lack of childcare. And the other aspect is 'cabin fever' - feeling like you need to get out and see something other than your own home is a very real feeling for some people and can be a big distraction when working from home. Has COVID-19 has really only expedited what was already on the horizon? It’s important to look at how we work currently in terms of offices and remember that ‘cubicle style’ offices have only been around since the ’80s. And even before Covid-19, this style of work was already being questioned and its future wasn’t too bright. In September 2019 The HR Director wrote an article stating that ‘According to the 1999 Labour Force Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the percentage of people working flexible hours in the UK was 9.5% at that time. Recent statistics from CIPD, however, show that this number has drastically increased, with 54% of workers currently having the option to operate outside of typical nine-to-five office hours.’ We'd like to get your feedback and to share ideas, best practices, and general feedback on how you're finding the 'new normal'. What did you as a business see as scary but you’re now embracing? Do you have positives that you can share? Contact the team today, we'd love to get your feedback. ​

PM Boris Johnson has announced the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War. So if you’re looking for a new project to get stuck into now could be the perfect time to spruce up your CV and we’ve got 5 top tips on what all Facilities Engineers and Managers should be including in their CV’s. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance   There’s no shortage of CV writing tutorials, we understand that as a busy Facilities Engineer or Manager you just don’t have time to wade through all of the advice. So we’ve put together a quick top 5 tips on what to include in your CV. 1. Profile: simple and to the point It is important to keep this section brief and to focus on your experience and personality. Using generalised comments such as “I am a hardworking, pro-active, honest person” won’t make you stand out - everybody says that (but you’re not everyone!) This section is your chance to demonstrate what makes you uniquely suitable for the roles you’re applying for. Try turning the tables, if you were hiring what would you be looking for in that person? You should always include: Skills that are significant to the role you are applying for Personality traits that would benefit the job and the company Areas or sectors you’ve worked in previously that are similar to the project Remember the person hiring may have to read a lot of CV’s. Simple, clear, and to the point. Avoid CV cliché’s and you’ll help yourself to stand out in the crowd. 2. Skills/Expertise: expand but keep it relevant Do you feel like you have more skills to talk about but you couldn’t get them into your profile? This is the perfect place to put them. Bullet points are your friend here, list out all of your skills that would perfect for the role. Again keep it relevant and bear in mind the person reading this, it’s a great area to make their life easier. 3. Education/Qualifications – keep it simple This might feel more significant if you’re looking to get your foot on the career ladder, but it’s important to include this information whatever your level. Reference as a simple, chronological list: what you studied, where, and when. You don’t need to include all of your GCSE/ O Levels. Keep it concise, for example, Eight GCSE’s inclusive of Maths and English. Those are the two main things people are looking for so make reading your CV simpler where you can. 4. Experience: consistent and mind the gaps This should be brief and chronological. You don’t need to go in-depth on every project you’ve been involved in or the company you’ve worked for. A good idea is to focus on your last five projects or the last three companies, include your other work history but expand on these. Again make use of bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions. Highlight the major achievements of your job. Did you complete the project on time/ early? Was it on budget? What kind of budgets are you used to working with? A simple format that will hit all of the bases is: Dates Company name (if you used an agency ensure you use the company name, not the agency) Job title Key duties and projects Be sure to include any promotions, they’re achievements and companies want to know what you have done successfully. 5. References: show that you’re confident Don’t be afraid to name people on your CV. Add their job title as well, if you’re not comfortable adding phone numbers just say that you can supply contact details on request

At the end of last week, the government reported that 1.1million companies were using the furlough scheme – it’s currently helping to keep 9.4million jobs secure. But how are the people still working coping? Whether staff have been furloughed or they’re still at work they will be accruing holidays. Do you have a plan in place to ensure your staff take their holidays, how will you help to avoid your staff burning out? In this blog, we’ll share with you our top tips to avoid employee burnout. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance This is the other side of furlough that is becoming more of a hot topic, the well-being of furloughed employees was spoken about at the beginning and during lockdown, but what about the people who were still working? The reality is that employees are still accruing holidays whether they have been furloughed or not. Redistributing staff to other areas of the business was an essential task during lockdown initially for one of our clients, but now they’re back in their original positions it’s left a gap in areas and them needing more staff. This is where working with a specialist, local recruiter can be a real lifeline. Below is a list of the real pro’s our working with our team: ​ We are specialists. Your consultant is an expert in their Estates, Facilities & Maintenance sector.  Experience: Our recruitment consultants come from facilities, property and maintenance. Our specialists really understand your needs. Reliability: If we say we can help you, it’s because we can. You can rely on us to find you the best Maintenance Engineer, Cleaning Manager, Helpdesk Operator or any role on the market.  Trust: Because we live and breathe our People-Driven core value, you can trust our specialists to fulfil your needs. 93% of our clients tell us they trust us to look after their recruitment needs. Award Winning: We're a 3 star Best Companies organisation, and a Sunday Times top 100 Best Small Companies, embodied by our Positive-Minded core value. You'll be working with happy and engaged consultants who go the extra mile. TalentMatch: Our unique and bespoke sourcing system guaranteeing you a fast, accurate and efficient candidate and job matching service. Focused: Our 15-point TalentMatch, our knowledge and our market-leading Adapt database driven by our Solution-Focused approach gives you the fast, accurate access to the candidates or jobs you need.  Proactive: Recruitment planning ensures that we can source skills and talent in advance for your seasonal uplifts, contract wins, and expansions. Reactive: We react quickly and efficiently within existing Service Level Agreements, as well as emergency requests, to give you a faster turnaround, minimising your downtime and costs. Unrivalled levels of communication within the industry for our clients and candidates – we'll keep you informed, updated and supported throughout the recruitment process. SLA's: Our client and candidates value our commitment to all applications and jobs within one business day. If you have an active vacancy or job application with us, you’ll hear from us every two business days until your process is completed. Toolbox: We'll give you a collection of crucial resources. This includes CV and interview prep support, bespoke technical and psychometric testing, salary surveys, and up to date market information. Transparency: Our People- Driven core value is based on trust, honesty and complete openness about the job search process. This means you will always be informed throughout your journey with Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance. For 30+ years, we’ve been finding candidates for clients in building services & maintenance, FM & soft services, helpdesk & support and estates & property management. It’s what we do and what we know. We’re just past the halfway mark for the year and a lot of our clients have spoken with us about their concerns covering all of their staff holidays. By working with our specialist team you can relieve the pressure of recruiting staff to cover these holidays. Our team is available to help your business 24/7 -contact us today or click here to request a callback.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve spent a fair amount of time engaging with our clients, talking about how they’re returning to their working environments safely. As of this week, we’ve got 90% of our typical client base back open and using workers from our Industrial teams. In this blog, I’ll be sharing the top 10 best practice tips we’ve identified… Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance We've been looking at effective ways that all sites could get their message across to their workers regarding social distancing at work. And we’ve been having a lot of conversations with our clients about some of these tips; have they found them useful? Were they already in place? What else are they doing on their site? And as promised we’re going to share the results with you. The majority of our clients operate in the building services & maintenance, FM & soft services, helpdesk & support and estates & property management sectors. Although there are different requirements on each site there is definitely a common theme Here the top ten changes our clients have been making on their sites: Providing their workers with individual hand sanitiser and/ or hand sanitiser stations Staggering their breaks with a maximum capacity allowed in the canteen and smoking shelters Providing their staff with additional PPE: masks, snoods, face visors and gloves Staff health check-ins including questions about the workers’ family health Adding signage throughout the site and marking out work areas Added more/ staggering shifts Temperature checks when entering the site Increased cleaning, this included: staff cleaning their personal work stations and crockery, contact points cleaned throughout the day and hourly cleaning of common areas Re-inducting workers with the updated Health & Safety policy No visitors to the site Additional answers we received included; Schedule for hand washing Reduced delivery service Screens in place for reception One-way system Ensuring all employees follow the WHO and GOV.UK guidelines and instructions No business travel outside of the UK Requesting workers to have the flexibility to cover shifts Does this sound familiar? Have you implemented anything different on your site that you think other businesses could use? Let us know! The Government announced this week that from the 4th of July the social distancing measurement from ‘where it is not possible to stay two metres apart, guidance will allow people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’. How will this affect your current set-up on-site? Will this make your day-to-day running easier? Will you keep the same measurements you’ve put in place? We’d love to hear from you. We'd like to continue getting your feedback so that we can share ideas, best practices, and general feedback. If you’d like to have a chat with your Consultant feel free to call us or ask for a call back (at your convenience).

Earlier this month in our survey EFM Industry Overview: Coronavirus, What Is Your Opinion? We asked what your opinion was on how COVID-19 has changed the way you work (possibly forever), what long-term changes you thought would happen and what support you would need from your specialist EFM recruitment team. In this blog, we’re going to share our findings and see if you agree with them. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance When we were all making predictions in January of how the year would look none of us could have predicted this. But, from this experience we can definitely take a lot of positives –I know that as a team we’ve grown and adapted not only the way we run our office, how we support our clients and candidates but how we see our friends and family as well. And we know from our survey results that you’ve adapted too... It’s shown that in times of pressure we can (and do) rise to the challenge, our core values as a business have been a strong foundation and there’s no doubt that as a team we are positive-minded, solution-focused and people-driven. In our survey results: FM Businesses Have All Pulled Together during the Crisis                     Nearly 40% of the people we surveyed answered that the positivity of colleagues pulling together was the best aspect. This result is something that we can fully relate to – it shows that in a crisis having the right people on board your team will not only produce great work but it lifts everyone’s spirits. Over the last few weeks who hasn’t needed or appreciated that? A very close second with 35% was the change of work pattern – working from home, no commute etc. As a business, this has been, forgive the slightly dramatic phrase, revolutionary. Working from home as a recruiter at one point would’ve been a scary prospect – would people answer calls, would they be as productive? The simple answer is yes. What seemed scary no longer is, we have all dropped our commutes and this has vastly improved our work-life balance. I’m sure that for those of you working from home as well would agree (as you have on the survey!). In the long term, this is very well likely to change how we work as a business in terms of being based in an office.  Goodbye to the Commute! We're All Going to Be Working from Home a Lot More                 Again our top answers are close. In terms of the long term changes you thought would happen in your business over half of you said that where possible staff would be working from home in the long term. As I mentioned above this is something we are looking at for sure, there are just so many positives to working from home compared to negatives. Employee health has to be paramount and this covers Coronavirus through to mental health. Just behind this answer was changing business to focus on new revenue streams. Being adaptable is key to making It through the Coronavirus – the companies that can adapt, learn and grow to suit their client base will succeed. Not only will they improve by offering more support where it’s needed but you may also find a new niche within the industry that you never thought you’d love. Your Specialist Recruiter Is a Mine of Information and Top Tips       ​           And finally (but most importantly for us) what would you like to see from us in the future. Asking this question is vital for us, the best way for us to grow as a team is to ask for feedback from you. By a landslide, our top response was that you’d like us to share best practice and advice from other clients. This is definitely something we love to do – and I can feel another blog coming on already from this answer alone… We’re all in this together and sharing best practice and top tips is key – do you have a great tip we could share? Maybe you’ve had some great feedback from your team about a new process you’ve put in place. Let us know in the comment section below or give us a call, we’d love to get your feedback!

Video interviews have been on the rise for a while, video tech is now being used by 60% of hiring managers, it's become essential during COVID-19. Just because people are working from home doesn’t mean you have to miss out on talent or jobs. In this blog, we share our top tips for video interviews as well some tech tips for Zoom, Skype and WhatsApp. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Setting the Stage Ahead of the interview, you need to think about and decide where you’re going to get set-up for the interview. Choose a space that is quiet, tidy and will be free from interruptions. This could be a space that is away from where you normally work from at home, does it need a quick tidy? What’s on the walls? Does the space look professional? Does it have good lighting? We would recommend thinking about the direction your camera will face and take a look at the room from that person’s perspective and make any changes you think are needed. This will help you to focus and what you’re doing and serve as a reminder that you’re taking part in a formal interview. You can show your personality for sure but if you have a secret, under the stairs Harry Potter-themed space it might be best to pick another room. The aim is to create a professional and distraction-free environment for both you and the person you are speaking with. P.S don’t forget to prepare what you’re going to wear as well! Find out the Format You need to start your preparation by knowing whether this will be a live interview or a pre-recorded interview. For both types of interview, you need to prepare yourself to get a feel for personality fit, look a little further into your experience and to get to know each other a little more. Live: Pro’s and Con’s A great benefit is that you can build a rapport together – it’s always a good idea have a look at both your interviewers LinkedIn and the businesses social media platforms. What kind of news have they been sharing recently? Make some notes on recent articles or blogs that they have written and you can bring these up within the interview. The flip side to the above is babbling. Being prepared can help to limit this, remember the person conducting the interview may have several people to speak with and running overtime with anecdotes could force an interview to be stopped short and you could miss out on highlighting your great work experience. Pre-recorded: Pro’s and Con’s A plus side to a pre-recorded interview is that you can really have a think about your answers and practice them as more often than not each answer will have a time limit. Why not ask ahead if you can have a copy of the questions? If you get a copy of the questions practice just enough so that you’re confident but not that your answers sound rehearsed. The downside is that you lose the personal experience. Meaning you won’t have the opportunity to ask direct questions or bounce off of each other’s responses. But perhaps you could turn this to your advantage and send the interviewer a follow-up email with any questions that you’d like to ask. Test the Tech It may seem obvious but this is a crucial step whether your interview is live or pre-recorded. Here is our top test the tech tips: Do you need to set up an account? Whichever platform is being used you’ll need to set up an account, make sure to do this well ahead of the interview. Login and have a look around the interface and get familiar with the features Test your audio and webcam – again do this before the interview. Could you test this with a friend or family member? Make sure everything is working so that on the day you are calm and maintain professionalism. Internet connection issues. This is something that everyone has experienced and unless you have a superfast connection you could run into problems. If you know your internet speed is not always the best make sure that no-one in the house is adding to that. Is anyone online gaming? Are downloads happening?   There are several options available these days for video interviewing and we have a top tip for the four that we have experienced the most. Zoom Did you know there’s a ‘touch up your appearance’ feature? Click on one of the icons in the top-right corner to access your settings menu then click ​Video​​. Alternatively, you can start or join a meeting, then click the arrow next to the video icon and choose ​​video settings​​. When you’re in the video settings click ​​‘touch up my appearance’​​. Skype Struggling to get a background you’re happy with? When you start or join a meeting in the bottom right you’ll see a ‘blur my background’ button, turn this on. WhatsApp Using voice notes during pre-interview or even for the interview? Instead of pressing and holding the microphone icon press and swipe up, this will lock the function ensuring nothing you say will be lost if you take your finger off. Did you know there's a desktop version? It's really simple to set up and It mirrors your account perfectly. You can read about how to set it up here.  

In what is being described as huge news for the FM industry, and for the provision of vital public services by private contractors, Interserve announced this morning that the merger of their support services business with Mitie is now complete. Read below for the breaking news story from Sky News and press release from Interserve. Last night Sky News reported;  'Two of Britain’s biggest government outsourcers are locked in talks about a merger of their support services arms that would create a business employing more than 80,000 people in the UK...  City sources said Mitie was expected to launch a £200m rights issue to help fund the deal and strengthen the balance sheet of the combined group. They cautioned, however, that a deal had yet to be formally signed and could still fall apart. If confirmed, the combination of Mitie and Interserve's support services businesses would create the largest such operation in Britain, with over £3.5bn of revenue.' This morning's press release from Interserve Group said; 'Interserve Group Limited welcomes the announcement from Mitie PLC of the proposed merger of Interserve Support Services with Mitie for a combined consideration of £271m, comprising £120m in cash and a 23.4% shareholding in Mitie to be held by or on behalf of Interserve’s shareholders. Interserve Support Services is comprised of the company’s facilities management operations in the UK and overseas across both public and private sectors. Completion of the transaction is subject to certain conditions, including approval from Mitie’s shareholders. Should these conditions be satisfied within the expected timeframe, the merger of Interserve Support Services is expected to complete by the end of this year. Mitie will also be engaging with the CMA as part of the merger process. Interserve and Mitie are both leaders of the UK FM outsourcing industry. The combined organisation will be uniquely placed in the UK market to deliver best in class, market leading services to customers. Interserve’s expertise in delivering frontline critical public services together with Mitie’s pedigree in delivering technical and business services to the private sector will enable us to share best practice, innovation and technology to the benefit of our combined extensive customer portfolio. The combined organisation will be evenly balanced between the public and private sectors and will be the largest facilities management company in the UK, employing over 77,500 people.' To read the full press release from Interserve Group Limited click here. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance comments; 'This will be welcome news for the Government, especially with the additional scrutiny on private outsourcers offering public services – stability and healthy balance sheets are what the industry sorely needs as it continues to recover positive public opinion from the fallout of the Carillion collapse. However, it is unlikely this will be welcomed by the wider FM community where this merger will only decrease competition and could drive down prices even further. There is also a worry that as the two companies combine their resources, the resulting restructure will lead to redundancies at a time when jobs are already in short supply as we recover from the Coronovirus crisis.'

There has been a lot of changes to how we work since the outbreak of Coronavirus. For us, it has meant working almost exclusively from home, but also a lot has changed in how we're supporting our clients during the crisis. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Jade has taken some time to diarise her experience of a typical day of work during the crisis.  6.30 am - Alarm goes off. I get a bit of a lie-in now that I don’t have the commute into the office! Shower, dress and feed the cats before firing up the laptop and making breakfast. Cereal and coffee this morning. 7.00 am – Start work. Doing the usual checks of overnight emails and text messages. I run a report every morning that tells me which of our temps are working today – this is essential now that we have so many candidates working 24/7. Before COVID-19 the majority of my temps worked Monday to Friday, with hours ranging from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm which was much easier to track. Now, I double-check every day so that I know who is off, who is in, and which shift they are on. This is important not only from a health and safety point of view, but also to ensure that payroll is correct each week. I’ve had a request for three more temps on a night shift cleaning a warehouse in London (starting tonight!). This is my first priority for the day. 8.00 am – Refresh our online job adverts (we always make sure we have a good stream of new applicants so that we are ready to fill urgent jobs) and call through my pre-registered list. These are the candidates that I have already interviewed and got their vetting details, and I’ve put on standby for urgent work. Registering candidates in advance means I can react quickly to fill jobs and today it's paid off as I have three people who are willing to start tonight. 9.00 am – Payroll day. Our team administrator is on furlough so that means it’s all up to me to enter payroll on time, and most importantly, get it right! Our candidates are working so hard for us, and our clients, right now - it’s my responsibility to make sure they are paid on time and correctly. Fortunately, all the timesheets have come in on time. I only have to make a couple of calls to double-check some shifts. 10.30 am – ‘Service visit’ to a client. This now takes place over the phone, usually, it would be on-site but for obvious reasons, this isn’t possible. I’m trying to convince my client to use Zoom for our service visits, but he’s shy (even though I’ve met him face to face before). Today's call is to go over all of the changes to their sites, inductions, and Health & Safety regulations. Lots of social distancing and handwashing rules to discuss, as well as PPE. Discussed how we can sort the logistics of helping to supply temporary workers with PPE – we’re going to look into ordering gloves and masks online for delivery to our temporary workers. We’ll also pass on all of this information to new candidates so that they understand the importance when they start their assignment. 12.00 pm – Lunchtime. I do 20 minutes of yoga every lunchtime, it's been a massive help to my physical and mental health while on lockdown. Spicy prawn stir fry with green veg for lunch. 1.00 pm – Time for candidate check up’s. We take a lot of pride in making sure that our candidates are happy and working in a safe environment, so we check in with them at least twice a week. Today I helped one of our workers to sort out their tax code problem. Resolved a query over missing hours and had several holiday requests to process. No issues on-site, everyone has all of the PPE they need and everyone is (so far) happy with their shifts this week. 2.00 pm – Client catch up calls. So many of my client contacts are on furlough, but I’ve found that they still want to keep in touch anyway. I always try and share as much market information, advice, and news from the industry with my clients and I think that’s even more important now. We catch up on plans for re-opening and re-occupying their buildings, go over who is still working, who is on furlough and discuss what they think will change going forward – for good and bad.  2.30 pm – My plan for this afternoon has gone out the window. One of the candidates I spoke to earlier has called me back to let me know he’s going back to his old job... tomorrow! All hands to the pump as I go back to my pre-registered list and inform the client. They're not happy, but after 15 calls I’ve found someone who can start tomorrow and we get her booked onto the induction. Phew! 4.00 pm – Team catch up on Zoom. I love our team chats. We talk about the business of the day, who we’ve spoken to and what bookings we’ve filled (and what we’ve had for lunch!). It helps to remind me that I’m not alone in all of this and keeps me sane! 4.30 pm – Finish for the day. I pop to the supermarket to do my weekly big shop. 6.30 pm – Halfway through dinner the phone rings. Mark, one of my night shift workers at a site in Birmingham is panicking. He lives with his mum and she’s got Coronovirus symptoms, he’s very upset. I advise him to call 111 immediately and take their advice. I know our client's policy – he won’t be able to go back to work for 14 days, he'll now have to self-isolate. I advise him that he can self-certify for sick pay and that I’ll catch up with him tomorrow. This is the most upsetting part of working through the Coronovirus crisis for me. It’s not just affecting people’s health, but also their families, work and finances - I feel terrible for him. 7.00 pm – The supervisor at Birmingham rings me back. They can cope for tonight but will need someone to cover for the 14 days Mark will be off. That’s my first job for tomorrow morning.

It has certainly been a rollercoaster for the Thorn Baker EFM team recently, and I’m sure you have experienced the same gamut of emotions whilst we navigate through the uncertain waters of Coronovirus! Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance A quick update from us – we continue to provide a full permanent and temporary recruitment service to our clients across the UK, and with the huge increase in requirements for temporary staff from our clients in the soft services and general maintenance sectors, we have never been busier or had a better database of available candidates. We’re always striving for improvement  - we want to understand how we can best support the industry in the coming months, so we’ve put together a short survey and we would be hugely grateful if you can spare five minutes of your time to complete it. There are just three multiple-choice questions, and we’ll use the resulting data to put together a blog next month to give an overview of the Facilities and Building Services industry that we hope you will find useful. It’s completely anonymous. Click here to take part We’ll also make a donation to NHS Charities for every survey answer we receive, so not only will you be helping us, you’ll be helping our NHS Heroes as well! Many thanks in advance.

In these unprecedented times, the spread of Covid-19 has prompted the Government to postpone the reforms to the Off-Payroll Rules (IR35) which were due to come into effect from April. Paul Jackman: Thorn Baker Group CEO Speaking last night in the Commons Budget debate, Chief treasury secretary Steve Barclay announced the reforms which effectively clamp down on disguised employment would be pushed back by one year.to April 2021 Whilst the majority of our clients and impacted workers had already prepared for the changes, they have proved unpopular and onerous for many to implement. The IR35 rules came into effect back in 2000 and the key part of the reform was that clients would now decide if a role was inside or outside IR35. HMRC estimated that as many as 9 out of 10 roles were incorrectly determined to be outside IR35.  That decision will now remain with the worker (contractor) for another 12 months. Thorn Baker welcome this decision as we have several other legislative changes to comply with from April including the provision of Key Information Documents and Written Statements of particulars to our workers. We’re very much operating as usual at the moment in our desire to keep workers working so please do get in touch if you want to discuss how we can help you. If you’d like to know more about IR35 check out the previous blog here. 

For many people, searching for a job means strictly full-time, permanent positions. Yet taking a temp job can offer many benefits. Businesses have expressed concerns to us including; temp jobs lack stability and Engineers will always be on the hunt for permanent work. But is that how Engineers really feel? This blog will explore exactly that. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Research from The Recruitment & Employment Confederation has shown that one in three people in Great Britain has worked as a temporary worker, furthermore, 41% of people would consider working as a temporary worker in the future. So, over the last month, the team and I have been speaking with Engineers to find out (from the horse's mouth) why they choose temporary/self-employed contracts. How Long Have You Worked Temporarily/ Self Employed?               Over 50% of the Engineers we spoke with have been working temporarily/self-employed for over eight years, that's quite a strong majority. It's clear from the people that we surveyed that this is definitely seen as a viable career option as far as Engineers as concerned. As a business do you offer temporary/ self-employed options? You could be missing out on hiring some of the best, most experienced Engineers by not making it an option. 'I use agency Engineers (mechanical)  as temporary staff due to the fact that I can use them when needed due to workload and also on the odd occasion send them back to the agency without any bother if I find the Engineer not suitable for the role. Also using agency staff while an on-site Engineer is on leave for a period of time as cover.' Mechanical Engineering Manager: County Hall Estate Management Ltd What Is Your Favourite Thing About Working Temporarily/ Self Employed?             The top three things that our Engineers favoured were: Flexibility Choice of contracts Being their own boss Work-life balance and flexible working is more than just a trend. Employers have never been more on the pulse with employee welfare than they are right now. This is especially important given that based on CIPD's research three in five employees work longer hours than they would like to. What First Motivated You to Start Working Temporarily/ Self Employed?             Their motivators clearly back up the work-life balance thought. Commuting time can also add a significant additional burden on the time of many workers, equating to an additional work-related time of 3 hours 45 minutes on average per week. Commuting time is longest for workers in London (on average 78 minutes a day).  We're working with our Clients to not look at a temporary/self-employed as a last resort, or not even considering an Engineer because they're not looking for permanent, the key to approaching temporary work is to change your mindset. Focus on the benefits. If you'd like to discuss the benefits of hiring temporary Engineers contact us today on 0844 406 0086 or by email here.

A job’s a job, right..? But how amazing would it be if you could go to work where you would love to go on your day off? Be a tourist every day, do your job and take in the sights. Matt Morgan: Building Services Managing Consultant, South East   If you’re a history buff this is the perfect job for you. From the moment you step into this building's world-famous atrium to the countless discoveries awaiting you in the award-winning galleries, you’ll experience the continuing influence of war on the world. An experience that is as compelling and thought-provoking as it is unforgettable. I'm excited to be recruiting Engineers to help maintain a collection of prestigious, historical buildings and places of interest that are visited by millions each year. If you’re an experienced HVAC Engineer, whether biased toward Heating or Air Conditioning and you, like us, see the attraction of such an environment and the importance of preserving history, I want to hear from you. This is a great opportunity for an experienced HVAC/Heating/Air Conditioning Engineer to join a rapidly expanding company, who manage some incredible sites across the City. Some important bits: The contract has recently received significant investment, so you won’t be twiddling your thumbs The basic is negotiable, £35-40,000 - depending on experience This is days only – 8.00 to 16.30, Monday to Friday The management encourages autonomy but really understand and appreciate your role; they have all worked on the tools previously and are there to help should you need support What will you need? In brief: experience, good attitude, and good communication skills. You’ll need to be an experienced HVAC, Heating or Air Conditioning Engineer – The more experience you have the better. Depending on your role, you’ll be skilled in service, repair and installation of heating systems or air conditioning systems. Skilled in either plumbing, gas, boilers, and heating systems, or VRV's, VRF's, splits, multi splits and chillers. I'm looking for high service orientated individuals, able to fault find and come up with a solution; you will need to be well presented and customer focussed. You will need the usual qualifications – NVQ Level 2 or 3 in either plumbing or air conditioning, or similar. This is a great opportunity to join an established company who continue to expand their portfolio and to have an amazing place of work. If you’re an Engineer who loves history, this company needs you! To find out more and to be considered for this position, please send your CV to me – mattm@thornbaker.co.uk and let’s have a chat.

The Facilities Management industry was a very different beast back in 2010 – I still remember my first ever placement upon joining Thorn Baker to set up a fledgling new recruitment offering (back then simply known as the Facilities Management division). Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance I placed a Maintenance Supervisor with a small outfit in Leicester (who have long since been swallowed up by one of the big boys). I had no team to celebrate with, no bell to ring announcing the placement success, no high fives around the office. But nothing could wipe the big cheesy grin off my face as I skipped home to open a bottle of wine and celebrate the sheer joy of being off the mark in my new career. My vision (created ambitiously in the middle of the worst recession in recent memory) was to provide an honest, no bullsh*t recruitment service specialising in what I knew best. I kept it simple – asked my clients and candidates what they wanted, and went out and found it for them. It was a relationship built on trust and good communication. A lot has changed since then. I’ve seen clients come and go as the never-ending merry go round of mergers, acquisitions and sadly bankruptcies and liquidations that have transformed the Facilities Management landscape. The increasing reliance on recruitment portals have challenged the communication between hiring manager and recruiter like never before. The Facilities and Property industry has seen increasing scrutiny in the media following the backlash against outsourcing after the Carillion collapse. We’ve seen faces come and go in the team (and a couple have come, gone and come back again!) we’ve restructured, relocated and re-branded along with the market trends. We’ve kicked up our marketing and social media game (if you’d have told me ten years ago that I’d be recruiting via Facebook and Instagram…) but at our very core we’re still the same straightforward, straight talking recruitment service that I wanted to create ten years ago. Here’s to the next ten and seeing what further changes we’ll experience in the future of Facilities and Property Management – who knows, perhaps we’ll be managing maintenance via drone rather than humans!

It’s generally well known that changes to the governments ‘off-payroll’ rules (known as IR35) for the private sector come into force in April 2020. If your organisation engages or hires contractors/self-employed workers then you’ll probably find this blog a useful read. Paul Jackman: Thorn Baker Group CEO As you’d expect with any change in employment legislation we’re well prepared to keep our clients fully compliant.  This blog will give our perspective on the challenges ahead and will be updated from time to time as we approach the deadline – it’s not legal advice and we’d strongly recommend you check out the suggested links for further reading at the end of this blog. What is IR35? Introduced back in 2000, IR35 is a set of tax rules that was introduced for workers (who typically refer to themselves as contractors) who provide their services via an intermediary, typically their own limited company. The aim of IR35 is to tackle tax and National Insurance avoidance by individuals who are effectively known as what is termed a ‘disguised employee’. Workers are either ‘Inside IR35’ where PAYE deductions must be made or ‘Outside IR35 where PAYE deductions do not need to be made Simply put, if the workers' relationship looks like one of an employer/employee relationship, there is a good chance they are inside IR35 and PAYE and National Insurance deductions must be made. What Changes will happen in April 2020? The responsibility moves to the end client for deciding if an engagement is inside or outside IR35. Currently, this decision is for the worker to make.  If however the end client is deemed to be a ‘Small Company’ then the responsibility stays with the worker Is My Business a Small Company and Therefore Exempt From These Changes? If your business meets at least two of these requirements you don’t need to be too concerned about the changes to IR35 Annual Turnover less than £10.2m Balance Sheet total less than £5.1m No more than 50 employees We’ll be using Companies House to verify the status of our clients accordingly. If you are a small company then you don’t need to read any further. How Do I Know Where These Types of Workers Are in My Business? Only by carrying out a thorough audit of everyone in your business that is not a direct employee and who may be in your business next April. We have discovered that many of our clients have limited knowledge of the methods that non-direct employees are engaged. For example, your recruitment agencies may be using a wide variety of vehicles to provide the people who fill your vacancies, be that through PAYE, CIS intermediaries, Umbrella Companies or Personal Service Companies.  Many clients have a significant number of ‘direct hires’ that IR35 impacts such as IT consultants, part-time FD’s or those individuals that are brought in on a project-specific basis. Things to consider: Who in your company is best placed to do this audit? Who may be joining you between now and April 2020 and what is their employment status? Deciding If a Role is Inside of Outside IR35? Making this determination runs to a level of complexity way beyond a mere website blog but a good starting point is to use the online tool CEST (Check Employment Status for Tax). HMRC will stand by the outcome providing you have used reasonable care to use it. The latest version came out as recently as the end of November 2019. There are other methods, most commonly being the use of IR35 consultants – or your own professional advisors. You’ll need to decide who is responsible and accountable within your business for making the decision (s) and how you will maintain appropriate records. If you have a HR department they should be well underway with IR35 preparations. Anecdotal evidence for the roles that we specifically recruit for in the Construction and Facilities Management Sectors suggests that they will virtually all fall within IR35 Cascading the IR35 Decision If a client makes a decision on a role, the decision and the reasons for that decision need to be passed down to all parties in the supply chain including the worker. This is usually done via a ‘Status Determination Statement’ (SDS) which the end client has to prepare and issue. We’ll have to assume that all our roles are within IR35 unless we receive an SDS to the contrary. Who Makes Deductions if Inside IR35 The Fee Payer (i.e. the organisation last in line who makes payment to the worker’s intermediary) is liable for making the correct deductions for deemed employment so clients can rest assured that Thorn Baker can operate this compliantly and make the necessary quarterly reports to HMRC. Liability If an incorrect decision is made and a worker is treated as outside IR35 when they should be inside IR35 then liability will rest with the party that has failed to fulfil its obligations – so if the wrong decision is made then the end client will be liable for unpaid PAYE and National Insurance. Ok, I’m Starting to Get This. What’s This Likely to Mean in Commercial Terms? So this is the really interesting thing – let’s examine this from two perspectives, the cost to hirer and the cost to the worker. Workers/contractors are very vocal online about how these changes are going to significantly impact their take-home pay. These are the workers who 1) currently deem themselves to be outside IR35 and thus benefit from let’s say ‘beneficial’ arrangements and 2) believe they will be deemed to be inside IR35 once the end client makes the decision. (One could argue that in this case perhaps the workers have made an incorrect determination – but nevertheless they currently are liable and responsible for that decision) We’ve done the sums and they are quite startling. For a hirer that may have a worker via a PSC outside IR35 on £25 hour x 40-hour week = headline pay of £1000/week, a typical weekly ‘take-home’ pay will be £805. Moving this worker to full PAYE employee status with Income Tax, National Insurance and Holiday Pay Contributions will increase the cost to £34.22/hour to maintain the same take-home pay. And that’s before any agency, including Thorn Baker, adds on their desired mark up. How many people can afford to have a significant reduction in take-home pay? How many end-users can afford to pay 37% more for the same individual doing the same work as before? If the end-user cannot or will not pay any more, the take-home reduction will be of the order of 20% Quite simply, the costs of end users making ‘inside IR35’ decisions may be quite alarming for many clients, especially if tied into long term contracts where the cost of workers is a significant proportion of overheads. Solutions It’s not the scope of this blog to talk about workarounds or explore loopholes but with planning, the right advice and enough time it may be possible to redesign roles to fall outside of IR35. With our first-hand knowledge of our clients and the sector’s that they operate in we expect the vast majority will deem all their roles to fall within IR35. What will then happen may include Transition to Perm (We will happily discuss a sensible take on fee) Continue to pay as a PSC but make PAYE deductions Move workers to Umbrella solutions Move workers to agency PAYE With the exception of taking on permanently, it will cost a fair bit more. Small Companies may find themselves gaining a competitive advantage as their hiring costs are impacted less. The Thorn Baker Approach As Corporate Member of the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) and APSCO (The Association of Professional Staffing Companies), we have frequent updates on IR35 and access to qualified legal support. You can be assured we’ll keep you, our clients, compliant. Because the scope of IR35 is so vast, across all of UK businesses and not just our specific sector knowledge, and carries significant liability issues we would remind you that this blog is simply our current perspective. What we are doing is talking to clients on a daily basis to ‘nudge’ them towards dealing with their IR35 challenges and our Directors and Senior Managers are putting IR35 on the agenda of every relevant client meeting to ensure we’re adding clarity and transparency to future arrangements. If you would like to discuss any of the points raised in this blog, or simply  arrange a conversation about IR35 then please contact the writer paul@thornbaker.co.uk 07970 075160 Useful Links gov.uk/guidance/check-employment-status-for-tax gov.uk/guidance/understanding-off-payroll-working-ir35 gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/employment-status-manual/esm11000

It's hard to believe we're halfway through November already,  it's almost the end of the year and it's a great time to reflect on your successes. But, before we start looking back on the year and looking ahead to 2020 I have some very exciting news to share. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance At the heart of every building are the people who work hard to maintain it. Our Building Services & Maintenance team understand the importance of a sustainable and robust maintenance strategy – they combine this with their specialist recruitment know-how to ensure they find the right talent for your project. Welcome Matt Morgan With that in mind, I'm delighted to announce that Matt Morgan has joined the Thorn Baker EFM team as a Managing Consultant with over 20 years' experience and will be specialising in placements across the South.  Here's what Matt had to say about joining the team; 'I’ve always worked across engineering industries, which for many years has incorporated building services and facilities maintenance. It’s what I know and enjoy. Simply put, covering the South East, I help clients find the right employee, and candidates find the right employer. I recruit for varied maintenance and service engineering roles to management level. Specialising in Gas, Air Conditioning, HVAC, and Refrigeration Engineers, Fabric Engineers, and Electrical Maintenance Engineers. It’s important to know what my clients and candidates need, and when but understanding why makes all the difference. For me, it’s about making a difference, and changing peoples’ lives. Helping a client solve a problem, or finding a candidate their ideal job is hugely rewarding.' We'd also like to say... Congratulations Laura! Some of you may already know that Laura will be going on Maternity from mid-December, I'd like to wish her all the best - we're all really excited to meet her new arrival! And she's very happy to know that Matt will be taking care of her clients and candidates (one less thing to worry about!). Laura commented; 'I’m really pleased that I am handing over my work to an experienced and trustworthy consultant, and look forward to returning and working with Matt post-maternity leave.'  And Matt said; 'I’m really pleased to be joining the Thorn Baker EFM team, everyone’s made me feel very welcome, and It’s great to be working with Laura before taking on the desk when she leaves for maternity.' So, you can rest assured that all of your needs will be taken care of! If you'd like to welcome Matt and have a chat about your Engineering needs you can contact him here. Also if you'd like to wish Laura good luck click here to contact her.

If you're a Contracts or Operations Manager working in the Facilities Management, Building Services Maintenance or Soft Services Industries, and you often find yourself frustrated and stressed out when hiring new staff - this is the blog for you. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance ​ 1, Create a timescale by working backwards from the ideal start date. So you need a Commercial Gas Maintenance Engineer in place for a new contract starting on 2nd December - work backwards from that date: One week for onboarding before contract start = ideal start date of 25th November. Taking into account four weeks’ notice (standard for a good Engineer with excellent work history already working elsewhere) means you’ll need to have an offer in writing to them by no later than 28th October. Two weeks to complete 1st and 2nd stage interviews will mean booking out time for the first round of interviews week commencing 14th October. You want a selection of candidates to see on the days you’ve planned for interviews? You’ll need a week of advertising (or better still, a week for your specialist recruitment agency to find candidates ready for interview on your chosen dates) – so that means having your job spec and ideal profile ready by 7th October.  Working back from the ideal start date gives you and your recruitment partners a realistic and sensible timeframe to work to. 2, Get organised. This goes hand in hand with the above – if you want to hire someone for your team you’re going to need to plan time out of your normal workday for advert writing, CV reading and interviews. Don’t try to just cram it in around your workload – this will only lead to frustration and stress. The most important thing is making sure that you have dates earmarked for interviews – great candidates can form a bad impression of a company very quickly if you can’t put aside time with a reasonable amount of notice for an interview. You can read more about candidates biggest bugbears in this great article from Glassdoor here  3, Make sure you know what you are looking for. This might sound like a no-brainer but in reality, a lot of Hiring Managers start the process without having a clear idea of exactly what they're looking for – leaving them upset when the wrong type of candidates start flowing into their inbox. You need to be able to articulate very clearly (either on an advert, to your internal recruitment team or your agency partner) what specifically you're looking for. Make sure you cover qualifications, skills, experience and personality otherwise you will soon find yourself frustrated at the amount of time you are wasting interviewing the “wrong” candidates. Ask us about our TalentMatch system and how we can help you figure out what you’re looking for – or just fill in our enquiry form here. 4, Set service levels for each stage of the hiring process. We work in an industry where service level agreements, procedures and deadlines determine what we do every day and in what order. So why should your recruitment process be any different? Agree with your internal recruitment team, your specialist agencies and most importantly yourself what service levels you will work too. For example: 24 hours to respond to a CV/application. Three business days to arrange an interview. one week to get an offer of employment out. Whichever part of the process you are at you should have a relevant service level, which has been agreed and communicated to everyone involved. This will prevent frustrations with the expectations set for yourself, your internal and external recruitment team, and most crucially - your candidates. Give us a call on 08444 060086 to talk to one of our specialists about our Proven Process and how agreeing service levels with our clients helps to reduce their hiring frustrations. 5, Enjoy it! A lot of people view recruitment as a necessary chore rather than a positive opportunity to strengthen their team. A lot of the time you’re forced to hire someone new because one of your team has left or had to be let go - it’s time-consuming and in the current climate, from the skills shortage to Brexit to worry about, it’s also very hard work! With the right positive attitude, recruiting a new member of staff can be a brilliant experience. You’ll meet new and interesting people, gain valuable market knowledge from your recruitment partners, have the opportunity to forge great working relationships with internal recruitment staff AND find someone who can actually make your working life easier in the future. What’s not to love?

With so many cleaning products on the market and more and more launched every week it's difficult to know what to choose. Do you go for value for money? Or is it familiarity, the great salesperson or a reliable manufacturer/supplier? Andrew McCafferty Facilities & Soft Services Recruitment Consultant ​Whatever the reasons for purchase they are essential to the job and your company. As a cleaning and soft services specialist recruiter, I'm always speaking to people in the industry and here are some of the products that people, like you, are talking about. UBIK 2000 Universal Cleaner Concentrate This powerful, versatile cleaner and degreaser from Clover Chemicals quickly dissolves grease and grime to leave a spotless finish. It's been highly recommended for cleaning in the food industry especially as it is great with body fats but it is as good within communal shower areas.  FreshnIT Sanitary Cleaner This is top for washrooms as it neutralises odours at the source and has a long-lasting fragrance. An adding bonus to this product is that Freshnit is safe to clean and freshen all washroom surfaces, including; sinks, taps, baths, walls, doors, floors, fittings and fixtures, toilets, bidets and urinals. If that isn't good enough it's also pH neutral. Transgel Graffiti Remover This product is highly recommended by the Transport industry. Although it is an expensive product it's fantastic at removing graffiti - designed to remove old, thick and sun-baked graffiti from porous surfaces, tarmac, galvanised shuttering and other galvanised surfaces, murals from wooden fences, road marker paint and thicker paints such as gloss paint. It can also be used for paint spillages. Vacuums Vacuums are essential for cleaning companies. Key needs are power, capacity and durability to save time and money in a margin critical industry. Not many people look passed the Numatic range especially Henry. A British Icon with over 36 years of service and still a great performer. It's one of the best value and reliable vacuums on the market and has been since Bonnie Tyler had a Total Eclipse of the Heart. Cloths Another staple of the cleaning armoury is cloths. This was a tough one to pin a favourite as many different cloths have been mentioned. One of the better cloths that is absorbent and can be used on multiple surfaces was Norwex which is also very easy to clean in just water. Other products include Zwipes and Vibrawipe. Of course, we're all different and people like different things so I accept the products listed might not be your preference. This is why there are so many products on the market. What do you think? Leave a comment below - It would be great to know what you would recommend and why. 

One of my long-standing clients has seen unprecedented growth in the past few years thanks to backing from larger global brands. We've worked with them since they were a small M&E Maintenance Contractor, to becoming part of a global FM business, winning high-end contracts left, right and centre. I'm proud to be working with them. Laura Billinghurst Permanent Building Services Recruitment Consultant With the recent acquisition of arguably the most prestigious public sector contract in London, they are seeking only the best Air Conditioning Engineers to work as part of an elite team covering sites in North London. Due to the nature of the contracts, you will be required to go through a rigorous vetting process- so I'm looking to speak with the most honest and hard-working individuals on the market. So what are the best things about working about this company..? Well, where's a better place to start than asking the Engineers themselves? I've placed over 20 Engineers with them in the last three years and in that time have always received the best feedback such as: ‘It’s exactly what you said it would be Laura, which is really rare!’ ‘I’m raking in the overtime, it’s the best job I’ve ever had.’ ‘They really look after you here; I can see myself staying for a very long time.’ What sets this role apart from other positions then? All of the sites you attend are part of a contract that has parking spaces and a permit, which means you spend less time trying to find somewhere to put your van, and more time doing the job you trained in – the technical stuff! The work is on lively sites that are sociable – you need to get your work done, but in between Engineers have been known to enjoy a game of pool with clients before leaving for their next job. The contracts have just received heavy government investment, meaning you won’t be twiddling your thumbs; there's constant work and some meaty projects to get your teeth into. Fair pay for hard work – your basic will be between £34-38,000, but that doesn’t reflect the earning potential. Travel either side of the working day (8.00 am - 5.00 pm) is paid at overtime rates and there is plenty of overtime to be had – some of the Engineers have earnt an extra £20,000 annually on top of their salary with overtime alone, and when you’re taking into account the standby payments of £175 per week every six weeks, the figures soon stack up. Management have all worked on the tools previously – you won’t be working for someone sat in an ivory tower who has no idea about the job and the pressures involved – the team Manager gets on the tools himself still and knows exactly what he’s doing, so he genuinely values all of his employees… Aside from this, you’ll get the usual perks of a company van, fuel card, paid holidays etc. What does it take to get on board?! To start with you’ll need to be an experienced Air Conditioning Engineer – The more experience you have with VRV's, VRF's, splits, multi splits etc., the better, and if you have any chiller maintenance experience that will set you apart.  They are looking for high service orientated individuals – so to stand out you will need to be well presented and customer focussed… positions like this are like gold dust, so I need the best Engineers who know what makes their clients tick and how to keep them happy. Being solution focussed is what it’s all about – no job too big, no problem too small – either way, you’ll be the one to get it fixed, and if you don’t know how to, you will be the one to find a solution. You will need the usual qualifications – F-Gas is essential. Ideally, you will also have NVQ Level 2 or 3 in air conditioning, although this can be overlooked for the most competent of Engineers. Sign me up, please..! As you can probably imagine, we have seen high demand for this position, but I'm looking for that someone who can give a little extra – to find out more and to be considered for this position you need to act quickly! Please send your CV to me – Laurab@thornbaker.co.uk and let’s have a chat about what sets you apart from all the other Engineers.

It's Gas Safety Week! Organisations from across the UK are working together to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances - how are you taking part? For our participation in Gas Safety Week 2019, we’re giving away a number of Carbon Monoxide monitors for you to fit in your home or office – more info on that below... Thousands of organisations have already signed up to be part of Gas Safety Week 2019. Find out what Gas Safety Week is all about below and what kind of activities supporters can get up to. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance   So, what is Gas Safety Week and why is it important? Gas safety is important all year round, but it is not always a household’s top priority - Scott Darroch from the National Housing Federation has written a blog about it here. Gas Safety Week - coordinated by Gas Safe Register - provides a platform for the gas industry, consumer organisations and individuals to focus on gas safety in one week, generating interest in the media and having a greater impact among the public. The All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) hosted the Gas Safety Week 2019 launch in parliament last week (11th September), ahead of this weeks campaign. Hosted by Barry Sheerman MP (Co-chair of the APPCOG), the launch saw the coming together of UK wide organisations, colleagues from across the gas industry and parliamentarians in support of promoting gas safety and warning against its related risks.  During this week everyone will be sharing their top tips for anyone who uses gas in their home and needs to be aware of the gas risks and how to keep safe. Top tips this year include: Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, fix and service your appliances. You can find and check an engineer at GasSafeRegister.co.uk (check out the graphic below) or call 0800 408 5500. Check both sides of your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card. Make sure they are qualified for the work you need doing. You can find this information on the back of the card. Have all your gas appliances regularly serviced and safety checked every year. If you rent your home ask for a copy of the landlord’s current Gas Safety Record. Know the six signs of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness. Unsafe gas appliances can put you at risk of CO poisoning, gas leaks, fires and explosions. Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room. Fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm. This will alert you if there is carbon monoxide in your home.   Competition time! For our participation in Gas Safety Week 2019 we’re giving away a number of Carbon Monoxide monitors for you to fit in your home or office – to enter, all you have to do is: a) follow our Facebook page and b) leave a comment below with the correct answers to the following three questions: What should you always check before letting a Gas Engineer work on your heating equipment? How often do landlords have to ensure safety and maintenance checks are carried out on gas appliances? Name three of the signs of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning? ​Good luck!

We're delighted to welcome back our Facilities Management expert Richard Carey to help drive and develop our Estates & Property team.  As Principal Consultant Richard has a passion for making sure that the right people are in the right positions and will be responsible for recruiting senior candidates into management level roles and building long-lasting relationships within the facilities and building services markets. Typical placements will include Facilities Managers, Regional Managers, Contracts Manager and Operations Managers around the UK. On returning to the Thorn Baker EFM team, Richard Carey commented: “The chance to work with the team at Thorn Baker again is a really exciting one. As a Group, Thorn Baker has a great reputation within the market and the Estates, Facilities and Maintenance team is well established within the building maintenance and services sector. Being given the opportunity to put my 10 years of recruitment experience into practice with the best candidates and clients in the EFM market was too big of a draw to resist.” Based our Nottingham headquarters, with the opportunity for remote working from his home in Southwell, Richard is excited about the prospects ahead, adding: “As a father of two, the ability to work remotely and from within the Nottingham office gives me greater flexibility and helps enormously with getting the right work/life balance. The culture of delivering a great employee experience and a customer-focused service from the CEO down is even more evident today and as someone that places great emphasis on great service this is another great reason to be back here.” Joanne Crampton, Head of Estates, Facilities and Maintenance at Thorn Baker added: “I am absolutely delighted to have Richard back with us in the Thorn Baker EFM brand – having known and worked with Richard for many years now, I am confident that he will strengthen our position in the senior placement market within Facilities and Property Management. Richard brings with him a wealth of knowledge and contacts throughout the industry and an excellent reputation for matching management level candidates to the right roles.” If you'd like to speak with Richard about recruiting the best management staff, or maybe you're looking for a new challenge to boost your career you can call him on 07814 516 220 or email him here

Originally due to be introduced on 1st October 2019, the introduction of the VAT Reverse Charge for the Construction Industry has been delayed until 1st October 2010. This blog has been written to help improve understanding of this new measure whilst clarifying that the scope of the legislation does not include supplies of staff or workers by employment businesses such as Thorn Baker. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance What is the VAT Reverse Charge? The reverse charge is a major change to the way VAT is collected in the building and construction industry and means that in most cases, the customer receiving the service will have to pay the VAT due to HMRC instead of paying the supplier. It applies to individuals or businesses registered for VAT in the UK who supply or receive specified services that are reported under the Construction Industry CIS scheme. Why is the VAT Reverse Charge being introduced? To combat VAT fraud in the Construction Supply Chain. The rationale behind this move is to attempt to reduce ‘missing trader fraud’ – that being where VAT is charged by the supplier but not paid over to HMRC. Where do HMRC confirm Employment Businesses are not in scope? Here, on page 6 of their August Bulletin Recruitment Companies are considered an employment business under these new VAT measures and therefore the charge of VAT, and the payment of VAT should continue unchanged. What steps can contractors take to prepare for Reverse Charge VAT* Ensure your software is updated Ensure you or your accounts team are prepared for a 17% reduction in cash flow You will need to pro-forma reverse charge invoices and applications You will need to warn your own VAT registered subcontractors You will need to check if your customers are VAT registered , and CIS registered and if they are, check whether they are end users *Courtesy of the Federation of Master Builders Where can I read more? Check out the Governments own website here

There are regular debates in the Thorn Baker EFM office about the differences between recruiting and hiring hard and soft services staff – especially seeing as we have specialist consultants for both sectors!  What are the key differences between hiring someone in hard services compared to soft services? What are the key demographics? Are perks and benefits miles apart? How do qualifications and tools impact on daily working life? Is one perceived to be more important than the other? In this blog, my team and I will discuss these points and more to explore from a recruitment perspective what are the differences between hard and soft services.   Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance ​​ Qualifications:  Whilst qualifications and courses can enhance your chances of a job in both hard and soft services, the key difference between the two is legislation and regulation. For certain tasks in hard services such as boiler maintenance, re-gassing air-conditioning units and signing off electrical installations - legislation dictates that you MUST have the relevant qualification to be legally compliant and, of course, safe. Qualifications include 2391 for electrical testing and inspection sign off, F-Gas for air-conditioning maintenance and re-gassing of units, and a CCN1 or COCN1 Gas ticket (depending on whether you are working on commercial and domestic) as well as inclusion on the Gas Safe Register. Within soft services, there certainly are qualifications that look great on your CV and increase your credibility within the industry. However, these are not prerequisites - more an indicator of experience and knowledge level. Relevant qualifications include gaining an NVQ in Cleaning and courses such as COSHH, plus there are also various levels of qualification via BICs. Is it a requirement for the soft services industry? No. Will it help you progress through soft services into a more senior career? Absolutely.  Laura Billinghurst: Permanent Building Services Recruitment Consultant - South East Demographics:  The perception of hard services is one of male dominance, however, the soft services sector is very different - this is especially highlighted within the cleaning industry. According to the British Cleaning Council in its 2017  Industry Trend survey 73% of people employed in the general cleaning of buildings are female and 63% of people employed in other cleaning activities are female. In my experience of recruiting within the cleaning industry, I can reinforce these findings.  A lot of my clients would prefer BiCS qualifications but more as a 'desirable' - experience and reliability is key especially at higher-level positions. When looking at the balance of gender within the industry I have found that the scales in managerial, supervisory and cleaning operative positions across the UK are starting the level with 43% being female and 57% male. Is this a changing trend? Andrew McCafferty: Facilities & Soft Services Recruitment Consultant Tools Vs. Equipment: More often than not the vast majority of Engineers are required to take hand tools as a minimum with them to site - which have been purchased themselves and often very expensive and special to them! They also have the added issue of rising incidences of tool theft to contend with - Napit Insurance recently reporting that a van is broken into every 23 minutes in the UK – this is something that goes largely unreported in the soft services industry, if it happens much at all. An Engineer throughout his career can spend £10,000+ on tools, equipment as well as maintenance and recalibration. Soft services operatives and managers, however, have the majority of their equipment purchased for them that enables them to do their job – a soft services company will typically spend around £100 per month per Cleaner on consumables and renting / ownership of larger cleaning machines such as floor buffers.  Jade Sims: Temporary Building Services Recruitment Consultant Perception of Importance: It would appear on the surface that the perception of hard services as more important in the Facilities Management industry is based on the specific qualifications needed in hard services to enable them to carry out their role, for example, if an AC or Gas unit breaks down only a certified Engineer can fix it – as well as the cost involved. Providing adequate, safe temperatures to work in is a legal requirement in the UK, hence the importance. However if an workplace isn’t cleaned for one day, it tends to be one of the first things that staff and customers will complain about – leading to a potential loss of business and customer satisfaction (especially if they are unable to open due to health and safety concerns). Employees and customers value clean, tidy workplaces – especially when it comes to toilets; there is even now a World Toilet Day!  So for different reasons each both are equally as important as each other.  Take the industry as a whole - Facilities Management in a building is highly important. I’d go as far as to say to operate efficiently day to day, FM is more important than if your Directors or Senior Management decided to take a few days out of business.  Kimberly Leech: Facilities & Soft Services Recruitment Consultant Perks and Benefits Work in soft services has a much lower barrier to entry than working in hard services, as a result of this, it is easier to find a job within soft services with little to no previous experience or qualifications. Jobs within hard services having a higher basic salary, as more of the roles require specific qualifications and often requires specific experience.  Another factor in the higher salaries is that hard services are experiencing a skill shortage, meaning that there is always work available for a candidate in hard services. Soft services is a rapidly growing industry, growing at a quicker rate than the national average. Coupled with the fact that a lot of soft services roles have good training and progression opportunities, means it is a sustainable long term career path.  Due to the nature of work within soft services, there is often more of an opportunity for flexible working hours to be had, whereas within hard services this is much less likely (although both hard and soft services also have roles available working split shift patterns). Jacob Morley: Resourcer, Building Services & Maintenance Do you agree with the above? If you'd like to let the team know your thoughts - maybe you hire for both hard and soft services and you'd like to offer a different viewpoint or maybe you'd like to discuss your current recruitment needs you can contact the team here.

If you're a Facilities or Maintenance Manager who likes to be in the know when it comes to the latest FM, Maintenance and Buildings news this is the blog for you. The FM and Maintenance community is quite sociable, so there's definitely a lot of news out there to choose from. Narrowing down our list of favourites hasn't been easy (but we enjoy a challenge!) Below are our favourite, go-to and possibly less known sources that always ensure that we are up-to-date with what is happening in the world of FM, Maintenance and Buildings. Enjoy! Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance   Exactly what it says on the tin. Facilitate inform workplace and facilities management professionals. They're a well know and reliable source for the latest workplace and facilities management news, covering professional development, the outsourced service sector, market analysis, legislation and key business reports.   This informative Facilities Management Journal blog features regular updates on new products, tenders, surveys and company news around the UK. They also feature white papers, jobs and a great directory full of useful FM and Maintenance industry contacts.   This is a little broader but it has plenty of relevant topics and a whole section for Facilities Management. Insights recent blogs have included: flexible working, environmental policies, redesigning your office and work separation anxiety. Definitely, one to check in with.   A little different to the others as they're only in a digital format, this blog from Tomorrow's FM is definitely for the environmentally conscious! They cover the very latest news on products, service issues, advancements and events. A big bonus to this blog is that you'll never lose it and back issues can be accessed easily. ​ No top Facilities and Maintenance blog list would be complete without ours! We talk about the latest news, insights, surveys and case studies from our clients and candidates - you! What makes it different is our perspective, we're not only industry specialists but we see both sides of the coin and can offer a twist on industry opinions. Make sure you don't miss out on our latest posts - subscribe here These are just a selection of the fantastic blogs available If you'd like to let the team know your favourites, or discuss your current recruitment needs you can contact the team here.

HOW DID WE SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM ATTRACTING EXPERIENCED CANDIDATES? Andrew McCafferty: Facilities & Soft Services Consultant The Floorbrite Group are a family run business that specialises in commercial cleaning and facilities services primarily across the North West. As a business, they were struggling to attract the right calibre of candidates to their live jobs - mostly because they lacked the experience required. As a result, areas were not covered in terms of Management staff and Operatives - this affected not only their business but relationships with their clients. As a company, they pride themselves on their client relationships so this could not continue. I met with the team at their Head Office with the HR Director and Operations Director to discuss what problems they had encountered; poor rate of applicants, low presence outside of their geographical area and the overall quality of the applications they had received weren't what they were looking for. The solution was our 15-point TalentMatch system, combined with my speciality market and geographical knowledge and our market-leading Adapt database. The result is that their areas are now fully staffed and this in-turn has brought their client relationships back up to 100%. ​ HOW DID SARAH FEEL? Sarah Robersin: Senior HR and Operations Coordinator  'Our goal was to recruit Area Managers and Industrial Operatives - both had proven to be problematic. It's been great working with Andy, he offers lots of update throughout the process and we now have adequate cover in all of our regions. Due to Andy's efficiency, I would definitely recommend his services. If I had to sum up working with him in three words it would be; efficient, detailed and professional.' ​ Register for Estates, Facilities & Maintenance job alerts here​            Looking to hire?  Complete our employer enquiry form here

HOW DID WE SOLVE THEIR CANDIDATE ATTRACTION & PRE-ASSESSMENT PROBLEM? Laura Billinghurst: Building Services & Maintenance Consultant Arthur McKay - an Atalian Servest company - is a global integrated facilities management service.  As a business, they were having problems with candidates not being properly assessed for their jobs, this led to them not turning up to interviews.  The cost to them was that Managers were having whole days wasted, some days three-four interviews were no shows. They were receiving pressure from their clients because these jobs weren't being filled. As a specialist in FM I already understood the qualifications they needed, but what was really required was to understand the cultural fit, and how this could be a positive career move for a candidate. I went to meet the hiring team and sat down with them to really understand their contract and what made it a great place to work.  This, in turn, freed their Managers up to focus on their actual role instead of waiting for un-prepared candidates. The end result was a quick turnaround for the team, consistent management of the recruitment process, and most importantly they hired a brilliant Engineer for their team. HOW DID JOHN FEEL? John Belsham: Contracts Manager 'After an initial meeting to discuss the specific requirements of the contract and positions involved it was clear Laura had picked up on the important factors, 24/7 contract, flexible approach to hours, Security Clearance, Quick response to urgent callouts etc. Laura also picked up on the points that could convince candidates over other positions they were being interviewed for. i.e easy to park on clients sites, a good client that respected the engineers. CV’s started to arrive and were shortlisted to a high quality. There was good communication with candidates to ensure they were really interested in the role, all candidates selected for interview attended, something other agencies did not seem to be in control of. When candidates were selected all paperwork and information was chased in and successful candidates were all suitably briefed between Thorn Baker and our HR department for their first day’s work. How would I describe working with Thorn Baker EFM in three words? Flexible, quality and reliable.' Register for Estates, Facilities & Maintenance job alerts here​            Looking to hire?  Complete our employer enquiry form here

Summer is here (even if the weather doesn’t always agree) and I know when my team and I speak with our clients about their hiring struggles, these are the topics they are most concerned about: ​Sudden demand for more staffing resources Skills shortages Increasing concerns about the environment Planned & Unplanned Absences Keeping within a hiring budget This blog will explore these issues, how they affect facilities management, maintenance and soft services hiring managers like you and some tips and advice on how you can overcome them. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Sudden Demand: Keeping Your Clients Happy? 2018 was the second hottest summer on record, and according to this blog from E.ON about the 2018 heatwave, the top five hottest years on record have occurred since 2003. This is a trend that will keep repeating and at times, it feels like every building manager in the UK has turned their air con system on at the same moment – and then immediately puts in a maintenance request! The nature of the seasonal beast is to hire the best Managers, Engineers and Helpdesk staff and make sure they’re trained in time for your busy peak summer period – all within an already condensed timeline.  At a time like this, it’s crucial to make the right hire, as quickly as possible, the first time around. Plan for sudden surges in work requests as early in the season as you can – if you wait until July, you’ll have missed out. Get a meeting booked in with your preferred recruitment specialist now, and ensure they have an excellent network of available, proven and vetted candidates who are willing to step in at short notice. Skills Shortage: Finding the Best People A skills shortage within Facilities and Property Maintenance is a topic at the very heart of the facilities management and building services maintenance industry – so much so that a panel discussion was held in October 2018 at an FMP event, which you can read about here. Last year, my team and I surveyed the opinion of those at the forefront of the FM industry staffing problems – the Maintenance and Facilities Contracts Managers who are directly responsible for recruiting and managing maintenance engineers. You can read the results of our skills shortage survey here (including our top tips on how to still hire the best talent). ​ Environmental: Do You Offer Benefits for Today’s Green Employee? You could be asking yourself ‘We have a fantastic benefits package on offer, why do we need to add green benefits?’ Today’s facilities management and maintenance professionals are much more focused on environmental/ well-being issues and are looking to align themselves with employers who reflect these values – in 2015, an article by The Guardian (Click here to read: Millennials Want to Work for Employers Committed to Values and Ethics) stated that 42% of the workplace now want to work for an organisation that has a positive impact on the world and 35% would work harder if they felt their organisation benefitted society. By pushing for a better environmental policy within your facilities management or maintenance provider business you will have much more chance of tapping into the current and next generation consciousness and workforce. Absences: How Do Planned vs. Unplanned absences Affect Your Ability to Deliver your SLAs? This happens in all businesses; we can plan our teams’ holidays or maternity cover but emergencies and last minute requests come up – Illness, holidays, childcare, sudden departures – all of which can cause major headaches when adhering to your client service level agreements. One of the reasons why we developed our unique TalentMatch system was to make sure we could react quickly to our client’s needs in the short and long term – you can read more about this on our About Us page here. We’ve worked in the Industry for over 30 years so you can be sure that we already know the best Maintenance Engineers, Soft Services and Helpdesk staff available. Budget: Hiring a happy workforce whilst maintaining a profitable contract We work with businesses like yours who want to do right by their employees, but also need to keep an eye on budgets and profitability – with perks such as fully paid travel time, private mileage and top of the range company cars and vans being the most highly sought after benefits in the facilities and maintenance industry, offering great perks and maintenance profitability is a tough balance. By understanding what candidates really want, we successfully deliver the results needed time and time again, as shown by our case studies – we helped our clients Floorbrite and Atalian Servest Arthur McKay hire the best staff by truly understanding what our candidates desired and matching it accordingly! If you'd like to discuss your current and upcoming hiring needs with your Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance specialist contact the team here. Or you can complete our looking to hire form and your specialist consultant will call you.

The Facilities Show is back! Taking place 18-20 June 2019 at ExCeL London the annual event showcases the very best our Industry has to offer in cost-effective smart solutions and the latest FM trends and training. Here is a roundup of what we’re looking forward to – does it match your top list? ​ Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Seminars and Panel Talks We’ve been through the seminar programme, the show is jam-packed with FM know-how. Highlights include case studies across maintenance, workforce issues, design and sustainability. Not to mention the chance to hear from superstars Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards and Jonny Wilkinson! We’re particularly looking forward to hearing Kelly Howell from our client Atalian Servest speak about Flexible Working on Tuesday 18th. Workplace Wellbeing Zone This is new for 2019 and with companies becoming increasingly aware of wellbeing in the workplace – it’s a great addition. Really interested to see everything that this zone has to offer and what we can learn - particularly the Healthy Eating Café! Keep an eye out for our protein power bowls on Instagram.   FM Games Arcade Always a favourite with everyone. I’ve seen snooker champions, 3D Printers, go-karting games, ping pong, Scalextric – our Marketing Manager has even eaten a dried cricket before! I’m sure this year will be no exception, it’s a great way to network and share some friendly competition. Merchandise There is always an array of interesting merchandise to see (and acquire) we like to pick our favourite and use it as inspiration for own goody giveaways :-). A previous favourite came from Andrews Air Conditioning who had a paper fan – so simple and so effective! It caught our eye straight away. Do you have this years’ favourite???   You! Last but certainly not least we’re looking forward to seeing all of you and having a good catch up on what is happening in your business! If you’d like to pre-book a meeting with your specialist Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance Consultant you can. Laura and Kim will be there on Tuesday, and Sophie and Jade will be attending on Wednesday - if you'd like to pre-book a meeting with them contact them today! Pre-book an Appointment If you haven’t already booked your ticket there’s still plenty of time to – don’t miss out on the Facilities Show 2019 you can register for a ticket here – we’re looking forward to seeing you there!

As a busy Facilities Management professional you don’t always have time to check what is happening in the world of FM and Maintenance. Here is a roundup of the hot topics that the FM and Maintenance community are talking about. It’s definitely been a busy month in the world of Facilities Management. Below is a quick round-up of the hottest topics that Facilities Management and Building Services Professionals like you (and my team) have been talking about this month. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance   10 Ways Engineers and Their Managers Can Maintain a Great Work-Life Balance Are you struggling to maintain a good work life balance? Working in the Facilities Management and Building Maintenance industry often comes with the expectation to work long hours to get those all-important deadlines and service level agreements completed. This article looks at ways you (and your Manager!) can make sure that you reduce your stress levels both at work and home by setting realistic boundaries and whilst this focus on engineers it is easily applied to those working in Soft Services and Support roles too! To read the 10 ways Engineers and their Managers can maintain a great work life balance click here. Why Are so Many Companies Struggling to Hire Engineers? We all know there is a skills shortage across the board in the Facilities Management and Building Maintenance. My team and I set out to discuss this with the companies at the leading edge of the Facilities Management and Building Maintenance industries in the UK, and talked to the Hiring Managers to get their opinions on what has caused this skills shortage. You can read about what other industry professionals (like you) thought by clicking here 8 Things That Brexit May Mean for FM Whether you like it or not, you can’t ignore the fact that Brexit will have an impact one way or another on all aspects of our lives, and that includes the Facilities Management and Maintenance industry in the UK. This article was written back in 2016 and still applies now as the looming uncertainty continues – depending on whom you work for (a major corporation in London or an SME in the Midlands for example), there are some good indications here of what Brexit could mean for your employer. Here at Thorn Baker EFM, we work with businesses who struggle to hire every day, understanding what a business needs is what makes us great at what we do. If you'd like to discuss your current recruitment needs you can contact the team here Want the latest Facilities and Maintenance industry news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here​

I know that as a busy Facilities Management or maintenance professional your maintenance and repair team needs the very best support from its helpdesk operators and office support staff – and that’s where we come in! Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance The beating heart of every facilities and maintenance operation is the Helpdesk and Office support staff that ensure the contracts and SLA’s are fulfilled and the clients are kept well informed and happy. We know how important it is to get the right people in these seats – you can be sure you’re in good hands when you work with us.   The Facilities Management and Maintenance providers that we work with say they trust us to find the best Helpdesk & Support candidates because of our specialist industry knowledge, our in-depth interviewing and vetting and our ability to provide candidates to interview within the specified timescales. Introducing your specialist Helpdesk Operator & Office Support Recruiter Sophie Butcher is your Thorn Baker EFM specialist Helpdesk & Support Recruiter and is your go-to recruiter for the following roles: Helpdesk operators. PPM schedulers. Reactive helpdesk operators. Contract coordinators. Accounts/invoicing administrators. Contract compliance administrators. Helpdesk supervisor/manager. Technical support operator. Facilities administrator. Facilities assistant/reception staff. Post room operative. Reprographics assistant.   Read more about Sophie here… ‘I have a wealth of experience in office support and commercial roles, and I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in! I spent the last seven years in the motor trade and investments, so recruitment was the logical next challenge for me. I cover all office based and support roles across the UK so no two days will ever be the same. My favourite part of the job is definitely the diversity of everyone that I speak to on a day to day basis... I love a good story or two. I love being out and about, trying new things (mainly food). I am also a massive Marvel and Harry Potter geek; some may even go as far as to call me a recruitment wizard…’ At Thorn Baker EFM we’re absolutely committed to finding our clients the very best Helpdesk Operatives. We work with businesses who struggle to hire every day, understanding what a business needs from their support team is what makes us great at what we do. If you'd like to discuss your current Helpdesk & Support recruitment needs with Sophie you can contact her via email: sophieb@thornbaker.co.uk or you can give her a call: 0844 406 0086 Want the latest Facilities and Maintenance industry news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here

We’re delighted to have been awarded a three-star accreditation by Best Companies recognising our extraordinary levels of staff engagement. This is the highest level of accreditation that can be achieved and is the outcome of staff surveys that saw over 85% of our staff complete. Paul Jackman, Thorn Baker Group Chief Executive Officer I’m delighted to be able to share the news that we’ve been awarded the highest possible accreditation with Best Companies which demonstrates that our people have ‘Extraordinary’ levels of engagement within our business. What makes the award especially pleasing is that when our staff filled the survey it was towards the end of the largest programme of change that we’ve ever undertaken. The result is 100% derived from these staff surveys and builds on our 2-star rating from the previous year. So what does this mean? To give you some context with the Best Companies methodology and structure, the scoring covers 8 key areas which are Leadership, My Company, My Manager, Personal Growth, My Team, Wellbeing, Fair Deal and Giving Something Back. We improved our scores in 7 out of 8 areas. So what have we actually done that allows me to boldly say ‘the largest programme of change ever undertaken’ – here’s just a sample of what we’ve achieved in the last 12 months. Evolved to become one Group with three distinct Brands, Thorn Baker Construction, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment and Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance. It’s been a big structural and mental shift from what was previously Thorn Baker Recruitment with separate Divisions. Re-branded using the fantastic team at Yellowstep to support the evolution Launched four new websites thanks to Volcanic and their marvellous tech We also squeezed in our 30th anniversary in July with a week-long celebration that involved lots of cake, and more cake, and beer and more beer. Launched new core values – Positive-minded, Solution-Focused and People-Driven Changed how we run our company – our Operating System, by adopting Traction. This really is the closest you can get to a secret sauce for a complex UK wide recruitment firm and until now I didn’t want any competitors to know how this can transform your business, it’s the best takeaway anyone business owner will get from this blog. Making a plan for the future The planning for 2018 goes further back, to roughly May 2017, and we can pinpoint our Annual Managers meeting when Kevin Green made a guest speaker appearance with impact – it really got us thinking about moving to this new structure and realigning what we do. Not everything went to plan – It was particularly painful to have to close a branch in Manchester. Our High Flyers trip to Milan in June 2018 didn’t take off thanks to the Italian air traffic control strike, so we rearranged for September and all was good. As for GDPR, what joy; thanks to our Chairman John Robinson for the diligent project management and training that keeps us (and our clients and candidates) incredibly compliant. So back to engagement, If you’re still reading you’re possibly wondering if a more engaged workforce has actually increased sales? Increased the bottom line? It’s a big tick in the box for both. With the same headcount as the previous year, our sales are up around 10%, GP up around 8% and this is starting to wash through on the bottom line. Our Brands are at your service… Fundamentally I believe if our people are happy in their work then our clients and candidates directly feel the benefit. Engagement without capability isn’t much use, and our capability led to the adoption of the ‘know-how you need’ to help better communicate our offering in an incredibly competitive sector. If you’re interested in working for us then please contact Matthew Dann (Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment) Rob Ford (Thorn Baker Construction) or Joanne Crampton (Thorn Baker Estates Facilities & Maintenance) Want the latest Facilities and Maintenance industry news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here

As a Facilities Management professional, Building Services business owner, Operations and Managing Director who can’t hire enough qualified engineers quickly enough to deliver your service level agreements (SLAs) you will find this blog useful. It will help you see why the people we have surveyed think there is a skills shortage issue, and a list of solutions that can help you in both the short and long term. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance A skills shortage within Facilities, HVAC, Electrical and Property Maintenance is a topic at the very heart of the facilities management and building services maintenance industry. Taking an outside view you could see many reasons as to why the industry is facing such a shortage of Hard Services Engineers. There’s been no end of speculation and debate across the sector as to what is causing the shortage – looking at it from a recruitment agency point of view, our aim is often less of the “Why is there a shortage of Engineers?” and more of the “How do we help solve the Engineer shortage problem?” My team and I have spent the last four weeks surveying the opinion of those at the forefront of the FM industry staffing problems – the Maintenance and Facilities Contracts Managers who are directly responsible for recruiting and managing maintenance engineers. Expecting the responses to be a lot more about Brexit and millennial attitudes, the answers and opinions I received were pretty surprising.            What do Facilities Management and Building Services professionals think is causing the skills shortage? “Whilst they might be great joiners and carpenters, taking a 6 week electrical install course doesn’t make them an electrician.”   Chris Atkinson, the Mechanical and Electrical Manager for Prime Repair & Maintenance (part of Acis Group) is just one of the hiring managers we spoke to who pinned it down to the rise in ‘short course’ availability, with too many tradesmen being encouraged to do an intense short training course to bring their electrical skills up to 17th edition standards, without going through the rigours of a full apprenticeship. Does the Facilities and Building Maintenance Industry Have the Same Pull These Days? “People no longer find it as appealing to do a trade and work with their hands.”   Like Richard Birtwhistle, Contract Manager at Servest Arthur McKay, many others we spoke to feel that the pull of the Facilities and Building Maintenance industry just isn’t what it used to be. Whilst they agree that the number of people taking up apprentices has fallen overall in the last 20-30 years, there are more fashionable and appealing options for apprentices these days. The trend towards studying academic courses at University has been well documented and discussed, and not just in the Hard Services industry.  Are Training Courses Readily Available for Hard Services Engineers? “Within refrigeration there is a huge lack of training colleges, so if you’re not local to a college there’s not likely to be any engineers in the area.”  Andy Holmes, Service Delivery Manager for LH plc, a specialist Refrigeration company in London, feels it can be a bit of a postcode lottery for some trades, with a lack of support for those wanting to train to be a refrigeration engineer. When we looked to find a refrigeration training course in Cambridge for example, the only obvious example was a distance learning course. This poses a hiring headache for those of you trying to support your facilities clients based in these low-density training areas, unless they are lucky enough to find an engineer to relocate or travel extended distances to site.            Download our full infographic below:  Thorn Baker EFM Hard Services Skills Shortage Survey Infographic.png Size: 506 KB Could Brexit Affect The Hard Services Skills Shortage? What really surprised me was the lack of comments about the effect of Brexit. Whilst most agreed that their workforce has become increasingly multi-cultural and international over the last 20 years or so, since the Yes vote there has not been the mass exodus of engineers that some feared, and has been reported in the national press about skills shortages post Brexit. Less than 8% of the Facilities, HVAC, Electrical and Property Maintenance professionals we spoke to believed that Brexit was adding significantly to the skills shortage, and maintain that this is a problem long in the making rather than a knee jerk reaction to the referendum. What Next for Busy Facilities Management Business Owners and Maintenance Operations Managers? One thing is clear from the conversations I’ve had with my facilities and maintenance contacts in the Hard Services industry; the industry needs to make itself more attractive, and it’s not just about putting a few more pounds on the hourly pay rate of a Commercial Gas Engineer. To attract the next generation of Hard Service Engineers, there needs to be an image overhaul within the Hard Services industry – IWFM (previously known as BIFM) has already recognised this and have gone through a name change and re-brand exercise. Now it’s time for the Industry leaders to follow suit. As a result of this survey we’ve identified a few things that everyone can do to help with their recruitment in both the long and short term: Short-Term Solutions for the Hard Services Skills Shortage : When you are advertising a job vacancy focus on why working for your company is great: the support, flexibility, improved technology, training budget etc. Whatever it is you are doing really well – shout about it!  Spend some money on your recruitment – whether that is with agencies like us, advertising, specialist job boards, sponsored Facebook adverts or an internal refer a friend scheme etc. A free advert on Indeed is not going to get you the Engineers you want. Working with an agency? Make sure they are promoting your business (not just the job). At Thorn Baker EFM we’re focusing more and more on what Engineers are looking for – so if you want your agency to promote you to their Candidate base, give them the information they need to do so. Remember that Candidates are now in control – they have choices. If you want to hire the best, you’re going to have to treat them with respect, flexibility and sensible job offers. Long-Term Solutions for the Hard Services Skills Shortage: Talk to Colleges and Schools close to your office locations. If they know that there is demand for Engineers there is a greater chance of them offering the courses. Promote the positive image of our Industry to the next generation of Engineers on Social Media – make the most of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram - talk about why being an Engineer is such a great career. Invest in training. There’s a wealth of excellent Candidates out there with the right attitude and the wrong qualifications. At Thorn Baker EFM we’re absolutely committed to improving the recruitment process for Hard Services Engineers – understanding where the problems lie helps us to be better recruiters. We work with businesses who struggle to hire Hard Service and Maintenance Engineers every day. Contact the EFM team today Want the latest Facilities and Maintenance industry news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here

I know that as a busy facilities management professional you don’t always have time to check what is happening in the world of FM on LinkedIn and Twitter. Hence why our FM network values our quick round-up of FM News. A lot has been happening over the last month in the world of Facilities Management. Below is a quick round-up of the hottest topics that Facilities Management and Building Services Professionals like you (and my team) have been talking about this month. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance 1. Peter Booth kicked off his fantastic initiative #noVANber click here to watch the video. The loss of a van and/or tools can severely impact on a tradesperson – if you haven’t read about the petition that is calling for an investigation into what more can be done to tackle van theft and van tool theft you can read about the petition by clicking here. 2. DMA Group Managing Director Steve McGregor celebrated the hire of Paul Dudley to lead their sales team in Solutions Development. As specialist Facilities Management and Building Services recruiters we know how great it is when you find the very best person for your team. I’d like to wish Paul the very best of luck in his new position. 3. Just about everyone in Yorkshire (myself included!) is chuffed with Channel 4’s choice of Leeds for their new National HQ. This is fantastic news for the city which came out ahead of Manchester and Birmingham in the selection process, it will create 300 new jobs by 2023. 4. David Woodford at Spie Facilities showcased their latest raft of apprentices and the importance of future proofing, training and mentoring. The Hard Services Skills Shortage is a huge topic for our industry. We recently surveyed Facilities Management and Building Services professionals to find out what they thought were the causes of the Hard Services skills shortage. 5. Jeff Dewing, CEO of Cloudfm Group went on the road with some of his Engineers and got back to maintenance basics. Jeff was getting stuck in and helping to reduce waste in breakdowns across their clients’ sites. 6. And finally, Sonia Sotoudeh showed that Integral Birmingham can put the Bake Off contestants to shame with her fantastic cakes in aid of Alzheimer’s Society. We received some fantastic feedback on last month’s  #FMBuzz – be sure to read about Cloud FM’s 12 new apprentices and one of the funniest installation fails we have seen in a while here. Want the latest Facilities Management and Maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

Well, the last few weeks have certainly been busy in the #facman community! We've rounded up for you below some of the hot Facilities Management topics that you have been talking about, and a few that have been a discussion in our office.    1. Kath Fontana, Managing Director of ISS Technical Services: Championing the new professional statement on procurement in FM by RICS.  2. Andrew Morris from FM Voice reports on the new exec board for Atalian Servest UK.  3. Laurence Allen from TWinFM reports on the comings and goings of Mitie’s pests and security businesses.  4. Jeff Dewing, Chief Exec of Cloud FM celebrates meeting his 12 new apprentices and their collaboration with Essex County Cricket Club. 5. Looks like the ladies and gents at Jaguar Building Services Ltd had a smashing end of Summer boat party. 6. And last but not least, one of the funniest installation fails we’ve seen for a while... Don't forget to read our round-up of The Best Facilities Management Events in 2018 You Can Still Attend. ​Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

The year may be past the halfway point, but there’s still time to catch some of the best Facility Management events in 2018.  These events bring together professionals and experts in the field and aim to foster the sharing of experiences in various networking moments. Check out below our the list of events that you still can attend and you certainly will not want to miss.                       1. UK Construction Week: 9th - 11th October 2018 UK Construction Week (UKCW) is the UK’s largest built environment event; bringing together 35,000 construction professionals and 650+ exhibitors at the NEC Birmingham. Free to attend and consists of nine shows: Timber Expo, Build Show, Civils Expo, Plant & Machinery Live, Energy 2018, Building Tech Live, Surface & Materials Show, HVAC 2018 and Grand Designs Live. Showcasing innovation from all sectors, and making it easier for any professional to update their CPD, get inspired by amazing people and projects, and walk away with practical information on new technologies, systems, products and collaborations from around the world that would otherwise take months to research. 2. BIFM Awards Ceremony 2018: 15th - 16th October The BIFM Awards recognise and showcase best-in-class facilities management (FM) and evidence its impact on business, the economy and society. As the industry-leading Awards, the BIFM Awards seek out the gold standard across FM and beyond. Entries come from a cross-section of organisations regardless of size, type and sector from all across the world. This means that being a finalist, or a winner, is a true achievement and testament to the great work carried out by the individual, team, project, collaboration or organisation. 3. Digital Construction Week - Partner Event: 17th - 18th October 2018 Digital Construction Week is an event series in the UK, which is dedicated to innovation and technology in the built environment. The event series features a two-day exhibition with interactive, hands-on demonstrations, free to attend seminars, workshops and classes. networking events, and a full two-day thought leadership conference programme. 4. Smart Buildings: 7th - 8th November 2018 The Smart Buildings Show will cover all key aspects of creating and managing a smart building, including; Building automation systems, energy efficiency, lighting and controls, security, HVAC, smart meters and monitoring,  networks and wireless, software, services and support, building automation and design, building energy management, regulations and consultancy. 5. University & Healthcare Estates and Innovation 2018: 27th - 28th November 2018​ UHEI is a unique event which covers facilities & estate managers across 2 sectors Higher Education and the NHS and is the only national conference and exhibition to bring these two sectors together under one roof which includes everything from design, build and maintaining Higher Education and NHS facilities. 6. International Security Expo (ISE): 28th - 29th November 2018 International Security Expo (ISE) provides a unique platform for the entire security industry to come together to source products, share experience and gain the knowledge needed to address current and emerging security challenges. Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

Here at Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance, we are supporting Gas Safety Week: 17th-23rd September 2018. The eighth annual Gas Safety Week sees organisations from across the UK working together to raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. This year, Gas Safety Week is addressing a whole range of gas safety matters throughout the week, from tackling illegal gas work to reminding people to avoid DIY when it comes to gas appliances and instead leave it the experts – registered engineers who are legally qualified to make sure your appliances are working safely and efficiently. Jonathan Samuel, chief executive for Gas Safe Register, said: “It’s great to see so many people supporting Gas Safety Week this year to help spread important and, in some cases, lifesaving advice about gas safety. It’s so vital that we help people to know not to cut corners with gas and always ask a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer to work on gas appliances at their home to stay gas safe.” Keep up-to-date with Gas Safe Register’s updates and advice throughout Gas Safety Week by following them on social media (@GasSafeRegister) and search #GSW18.  To keep you and your family safe, follow Gas Safe Register’s top tips:  Know the symptoms of CO poisoning; headaches, nausea, breathlessness, collapse, dizziness and loss of consciousness. If you smell gas or think there might be a gas leak, call the free 24-hour national gas emergency number immediately on 0800 111 999. Never attempt to work on a gas appliance yourself, always seek the help of a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer who can work on your gas cooker, boiler or fire in a safe way. ‘Don’t cut corners’ and always ask to see your engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. Make sure you check the back of the card, which will state which gas appliances they are qualified to work on. Only employ a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer when having gas work carried out in your home. Gas Safe Register is the official register for legally qualified engineers. You can find a registered engineer in your area by visiting the Gas Safe Register website at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk or by calling on 0800 408 5500. Do you need Engineers? Or maybe you're looking to change contracts... Experts within their field, our Consultants have the know-how to match companies with the Engineers, and Engineers to great companies. Whether your site is static, mobile, or critical, we’ll find the candidates who’ll fit right into your working environment and interact well with your existing team. Contact your specialist Consultant today on 0844 406 0086 or by email efm@thornbaker.co.uk Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

Welcome to Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance: Andrew McCafferty Andy joins our growing team as your specialist Estates and Property Consultant, with a wealth of previous experience (in another life, he was a Facilities Manager!) we're sure he'll have no problem helping you with all progressing in your career. A specialist in identifying quality candidates across the Facilities and Property sectors, he’ll work with you to understand exactly what and who you’re looking for. We asked him some questions to help you get to know him better:   Why did you choose Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance?  ''Having worked as a Facilities Manager and within Education Recruitment previously, joining Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance was a perfect fit for me.'' What were you doing before? ''Prior to working in Recruitment, I was a Facilities Manager for a specialist Fit-out Construction company which gave me great insight and wealth of knowledge of how things work in the facilities world. I'm focused on resourcing and placing facilities professionals on a permanent basis, specialising in internal facilities functions and public sector establishments.'' What do you get a kick out of the most in your job? ''The greatest thing about my job is that I am helping people into their dream career and finding companies fantastic new employees to enhance their business.'' What do you get up to outside of work? ''I have a deep passion for sports - all kinds. Most Saturdays I frequent the local rugby/football clubs in the winter and cricket clubs in the summer. Nothing better than watching great sport with a glass of something possibly alcoholic in my hand.'' If you'd like to discuss your current Estates and Property recruitment needs with Andy you can contact him via email: andym@thornbaker.co.uk or you can give him a call: 0844 406 0086​ ​​​Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

Approximately one in three companies (32 per cent) believe that business use of artificial intelligence (AI) will be commonplace within the next decade, according to research from TomTom Telematics. Its study found that 22 per cent believe that virtual reality will be in wide use, while around one in five anticipates the prevalence of in-vehicle working owing to the development of autonomous vehicles. But almost a third of companies (32 per cent) fear they may struggle to keep pace with the rate of technological change. Are you, as a business, already thinking about technology in your future plans? Moreover, about one in two (49 per cent) believe those that fail to embrace digitalised processes and the Internet of Things are at greater risk of going out of business. Beverley Wise, director UK & Ireland at TomTom Telematics, said: “Companies should be mindful of the pace of change and keep a close eye on the solutions and processes that will help ensure a competitive future – from smart mobility and connected tech to advanced manufacturing and design systems. Many of today’s new emerging technologies will disrupt and revolutionise commerce, and in the process become the standard for tomorrow.” Almost half of companies (46 per cent) believe that remote working has or will become the norm within the next 10 years. Remote working is currently proving more prevalent among larger companies (58 per cent) than their SME counterparts (37 per cent). Wise added: “The onus is on businesses, both large and small, to adapt to this new era of hypermobility and connected working that is being ushered in by advancements in areas ranging from telematics and the connected car to iPaaS and blockchain solutions.”​ Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

A recent article by The Telegraph has discussed how businesses are being urged to take more notice of older staff as a growing number of EU jobseekers steer clear of UK-based roles in the wake of Brexit. Millions of over-50s feel unsupported by their employer despite rising living costs and insufficient pension savings meaning they plan to retire later than once hoped, research shows. Have you been thinking ahead for your future recruitment plans, how could this affect your business? The study, conducted by Aviva, found over 6m over-50s currently in work planned to retire later than they thought they would a decade ago, but more than two-fifths felt that their career ambitions were not being taken ­seriously. In comparison, just 25pc of those aged between 25 and 35 said they felt the same way. “Employers risk creating a disheartened and discouraged over-50s workforce,” the insurer said. “With a third of the UK workforce set to be aged 50-plus by 2020, businesses are being urged to increase their commitment to older employees.” The findings coincide with a report from the CIPD, which found that employers faced a “supply shock” of staff as significantly fewer EU nationals came to Britain looking for work. According to its latest quarterly report, just 7,000 EU-born workers came to the UK between the first quarter of 2017 and 2018 compared to 148,000 the year before, representing a fall of 95pc. “There has been a significant slowdown in the number of EU nationals coming to work in the UK over the past year. This is feeding into increasing recruitment and retention challenges, particularly for employers in sectors that have historically relied on non-UK labour to fill roles,” said Gerwyn Davies, a CIPD analyst. The research, based on responses from over 2,000 employers, said 40pc of those surveyed were finding it more difficult to fill vacancies compared to a year ago due to a combination of fewer and less suitable candidates. The Government is already fighting to close the country’s widening skills gap by urging firms to fill jobs with more older workers and tackle ageism. Co-op, Boots, Barclays and Aviva are among the businesses which last year promised to increase the number of over-50s they employed by 12pc before 2022. However, Aviva’s research suggests progress has been slow in terms of the support UK companies are offering the older generation. The ability to work flexitime has only increased by 2pc since 2012, for example. “Our findings suggest that older employees have a lot to offer at work, despite the challenges they face around workplace support. To make the most of this, employers need to provide rounded support for this generation where their well-being and work-related needs are considered alongside the financial challenge of saving for retirement,” said Lindsey Rix, Aviva’s savings and retirement director. ​Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

The FMJ reported earlier this month about how Cleaners at the Ministry of Justice and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea were planning to strike for the first time over low pay and unfair working conditions. The strikes affected Kensington and Chelsea Town Halls, which took place on Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th of August and at several Health Care America locations at the end of August. Have you prepared for potential strikes in your business? The workers, who are mostly Portuguese and Spanish speaking Latin Americans and Africans from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome & Principe are members of the United Voices of the World (UVW) trade union. Currently, workers involved in all three disputes share three common grievances and have three common demands: An occupational sick pay scheme as currently workers rely on Statutory Sick Pay. SSP is unpaid for the first three days of illness. Thereafter workers will receive just £18 per day from the fourth day of sickness onwards. This means workers are being forced to come to work when sick in order to meet their living costs. Parity of terms and conditions with directly employed staff in terms of holiday entitlements, hours and overtime pay. A two-tier workforce leads to undercutting, a race to the bottom and exploitation say UVW. Payment of the London Living Wage with guaranteed annual increments. The London Living Wage is currently £10.20p/h  – compared to the National Minimum Wage, which is £7.83p/h. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) cleaners work under the OCS contract at three MoJ sites including the Headquarters at Petit France. The strike ballot and vote there saw a 100% turn out and a 100% vote in favour of industrial action. UVW members employed by Compass for Health Care America (HCA) clean eight hospitals and care centres including The Shard, Guy’s Cancer Centre and Harley Street Clinic. HCA is the biggest private healthcare company in the world. Dave Wilson IFMA Fellow and a Director at Morphose commented; “When contractors are prepared to pay minimum wage and clients are prepared to let them, it’s no surprise we have had a race to the bottom on staff wages from outsourcing. This has to stop if we want good service and staff retention.” He added: “Since RICS launched its FM procurement guidance with an emphatic on ethical buying, I firmly believe that fair pay for staff is a critical issue for our industry. It is, in my view, as much of an issue as making sure that contractors don’t routinely underbid and then go bust.” Read the full article from The FMJ here Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

The latest REC/Markit Report on Jobs showed that permanent placement growth had softened to a nine-month low, while temp billings increased at a faster pace. In addition, it highlights that staff vacancies expanded at the quickest rate since last November, there was a decline in candidate availability but there was a rise in permanent staff appointments. Have your recruitment needs been affected by the candidate shortage? Permanent placements continued to rise sharply in July, though the rate of expansion was the softest recorded since last October. Temp billings also increased strongly, with the rate of growth picking up from June’s recent low. ...as supply of candidates continues to drop markedly Recruitment agencies indicated that candidate shortages weighed on permanent staff appointments. Notably, the supply of both permanent and temporary candidates fell sharply in July, despite rates of decline easing to the weakest in three months in both cases. Staff vacancies rise at quicker pace... Demand for staff strengthened further in July, with overall job vacancies expanding at the quickest rate for eight months. Growth was led by the private sector, with demand for both permanent and temporary workers continuing to rise at rates that comfortably outstripped those seen in the public sector. ..maintaining upward pressure on pay Low candidate availability and robust demand for staff led to a further steep increase in salaries awarded to permanent starters. At the same time, temp pay rates rose at a marked and accelerated rate that was close to April’s two-year record. Regional variation Permanent placements rose at faster rates in the Midlands and the South of England, but growth softened in the North of England. In contrast, permanent staff appointments fell slightly in London. Growth of temp billings was broad-based across the four monitored English regions during July, with the sharpest rate of increase seen in the North of England. Sector variation July data indicated that demand for staff continued to increase at a considerably stronger pace in the private sector than in the public sector. The strongest increase in staff vacancies was seen for permanent private sector workers, while the weakest rise was signalled for public sector permanent roles.   IT & Computing was the most in-demand category for permanent staff in July. Nonetheless, steep increases in vacancies were also registered in the remaining nine job categories. The slowest rise in demand was reported for Retail workers. Temporary staff vacancies rose across all of the ten monitored job categories in July, with the sharpest increases seen across Blue Collar and Nursing/Medical/Care. The slowest, but still marked, rise in short-term roles was signalled for Executive/Professional. Sophie Wingfield, REC Head of Policy says: “The rise in interest rates for only the second time in a decade may leave some people feeling the pinch. But a new job is one way people can ease the burden on their finances. With our data showing starting salaries continuing to rise, the latest official government figures suggest that we are finally seeing the effects of a tighter labour market feed through to pay. “Following a period of turbulence and big name closures, the World Cup and heatwave had retailers enjoying a ‘summer bounce’ and basking in the sun with demand for temporary staff on the up with many businesses positively revising their hiring plans. Right now students on their summer break can make the most of these opportunities and cash-in while gaining valuable experience and new skills.”   Paul Jackman, Thorn Baker Group CEO comments: “There’s nothing in this report that would come as a surprise to any forward-thinking business who are recruiting, it’s a basic supply and demand issue that’s exacerbated by the rate of change in some of the more advanced industries. If clients want to grow in the near future they’ve got a battle on two fronts. Firstly, retain your good people – and that’s not just about remuneration, they’ll need to be engaged, developed and treated well, with sufficient opportunities for progression; if you can’t retain them you’ll do well to maintain headcount. Secondly, when looking to expand your workforce you need to be able to communicate a compelling reason why someone should join you and be able to back it up with a substance that goes beyond even the most powerful brand. Our client’s benefit from what we call recruitment ‘Know-how’ – our ability to effectively give employers access to the type of individuals that will give them a competitive advantage if you’d like to discuss further contact your local team today.” ​Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

The Dragon Boat Challenge took place on Sunday 5th August 2018 and the Thorn Boaters were among the 50 crews battling it out over the 200m race course on the River Trent at the Victoria Embankment watched by thousands of spectators. Dragon boat racing is an ancient Chinese tradition and the fastest growing water activity in Britain today – as well as the most fun! We had 10 people paddling our 30’ boat with a drummer (Samie) at the front beating time and our helm at the tail steering a straight course. The day is always a popular event for our staff and this year was no exception, with lots of food (Aqsa our IT Systems manager has the best chicken recipe!) lots of sunshine and team building we might not have won but we definitely all had a fantastic day! Managing the day Gable Events joined with Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People for the 10th dragon boat challenge to be staged as part of the Nottingham Riverside Festival, this year we helped to raise over £11,000 which is amazing. Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People Rainbows is the only hospice in the East Midlands that provides vital care and support to children with life-limiting illnesses from across the region. They also look after the wider families – mums and dads, brothers, sisters and grandparents – because life-shortening illnesses affect everyone. The money raised will help allow these families to make the most of the time they have together, making precious happy memories they can treasure forever.   Tom Stanyard, Corporate Partnership Fundraiser at Rainbows said; “The Dragon Boat Challenge is an amazing event. With up to 50 companies competing for a number of prizes the day has a great atmosphere. More amazing than the event however is what Rainbows is able to do with the fundraising support we receive from the crews taking part. With only a small amount of guaranteed funding, your support at events like this makes it possible for us to help and care for those families who need it most.”​ Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

FM World has summarised this week the chairman of BIFMs response to members voting at yesterday’s AGM in favour of a special resolution to become the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management. How did you vote, are you happy with the outcome?  Stephen Roots told members that in voting for the new name, “you have also approved the direction we have set out for the next phase of our proud and progressive professional body”. “IWFM will be the professional body for the facilities and workplace profession – working to advance the profession representing those who contribute to workplace productivity and to operating and optimising our built environment.” The four-month long debate over the institute’s ‘Manifesto for Change’ proposals set in train a debate that, said Roots, “has been hugely informative and has engaged our members with our future direction in a way which is a first for us”. To receive special resolution approval, the vote in favour of the name change required three in every four votes – a figure it achieved. “To have achieved that must, I think, be regarded as a resounding endorsement for our new direction,” said Roots. To those who voted against the proposal, or otherwise expressed concerns about it, Roots said that the institute “is today and will remain in future, fundamentally the professional body for all facilities managers”. “What we will now do both in name and indeed is to reframe expectations of the FM role, adding to it without taking anything away – and that includes our Britishness. “We are changing our name, not our geographical focus, but we do acknowledge that many of our members, including those overseas, have broader outlooks and we will continue to work closely with them as we have done for many years. ”We have been preparing the ground for some time to strengthen our foundations and fit ourselves for a future of sustained development. Our plans to refresh our brand and systems are already in progress and now that you have decided, we will adopt our new name and our new look before the end of the year.”​ Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

The Facilities Management Journal has reported on the six months post the collapse of Carillion. New data obtained by the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has revealed that almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) local authorities are not monitoring if their supply chain is getting paid within 30 days for construction work.  Are you seeing similar issues in your contracts? The freedom of information request also revealed almost half (49 per cent) of local authorities do not have, or don’t know whether they have, a built-in contractual requirement for 30-day payment. Almost one in five (18 per cent) councils also say they have no intention of building in contractual requirements for 30 day payment. The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 state that 30 day payment down the supply chain is mandatory, and that public bodies should take steps to ensure this takes place. The FoI data therefore shows that many councils are not meeting their legal requirements. Alexi Ozioro, Public Affairs and Policy Manager at the BESA, commented: “There has been much talk of the payment culture change needed in the industry, and public bodies need to lead by example. The industrial strategy calls for a fairer payment system, the Chancellor has highlighted the need to tackle late payments and a Crown Commercial Services consultation even poses excluding bad payers from public contracts. We applaud the Government for engaging with the poor payment debate, but it is about time action matched words.” Rob Driscoll, Deputy Director of Business and Policy at ECA, commented:“Non-compliance by the public sector with the Public Contracts Regulations is unacceptable. This is especially significant given the cautionary tale of the collapse of Carillion – one of the key strategic suppliers to Government – which ultimately had a wider impact on SMEs. If Government purports to support fairer payment practices, these findings show that there is work to be done. ECA and BESA will continue to work with industry and Government to deliver a fairer payments system in construction.” Carillion, a strategic supplier to Government, went into compulsory liquidation on 15 January 2018. It was later revealed Carillion owed suppliers tens of millions of pounds in unpaid fees and cash retentions. ECA and BESA are calling for Whitehall to take steps to enforce the Public Contracts Regulations. In addition, both trade bodies are supporting the progress of a parliamentary bill, launched by Peter Aldous MP, which calls for cash retentions to be held in trust.  Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

This Week in FM has reported about the Government releasing its update on 2014's Estates Strategy. Oliver Dowden, the Minister responsible for its implementation, said: "This strategy will transform how we use land and property – away from the opportunistic realisation of savings, to a more proactive approach that considers property as a platform for the delivery of government’s wider objectives." Have you read the report yet, how could the updated strategy affect your objectives? According to Dowden, the key element of estate planning over the next five years will be flexibility - citing a need to respond to how technology changes the workplace and looking to Brexit and a need to  repatriate jobs from Brussels and creating new jobs here in the UK - which may reverse the steady decline in the number of civil servants. "We therefore need to ensure we manage the overall asset portfolio efficiently but also flexibly to enable us to contract or expand the supply of property as demand changes," said Dowden. "One of the ways we are learning to match supply and demand better is to share space between a wide variety of organisations - single occupancy is fast becoming a thing of the past. "The creation of the Government Property Agency means that we can build on these ambitions with a more commercial and professional approach than ever before, providing new financial tools and a more proactive approach to risk and opportunity. This in turn will provide a property model that allows for the relocation of civil servants to well-connected Government Hubs both in London and beyond, to deliver our longer term ambition of accommodating those that need to remain in Whitehall to no more than 20 core buildings that operate as a single campus." The 2014 Government Estate Strategy promised that by 2020 it would reform how the state uses its property, by: Removing artificial boundaries between departments, local authorities and other public bodies. Working in ways that minimise the need for office space. Using property more efficiently and disposing of surplus to maximise receipts, boost growth and create new homes. The government has  raised £2 billion in sales and saved £300 million per annum in running costs through the disposal of over 1,000 properties and reduced the vacant space within its central estate to only 1.5% (the private sector average is 7.5%), with an average property cost of £493 per sq m (£40 per sq m less than the average for the private sector). To read the July 2018 Government Estate Strategy - Click Here Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

This week we have been celebrating our 30th Birthday, and it’s been a great one… From Monday's office decorations to Tuesday's breakfast and day-long raffle, 'Cake' Wednesday, Thursdays lunch and TB Quiz through to today's afternoon drinks and extra day’s holidays - it's been a great week.   We’re rounding up the week with a big thank you to all of our staff for all of their hard work in helping us to reach this important milestone. Celebrating success has always been important in our business and this week has shown just that.      Our Group Chairman, John Robinson shares his thoughts with us about reaching this important milestone; ‘I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone for their efforts this week in helping to celebrate our 30th birthday and of course for playing a hugely important part in our journey as a business. All businesses are only as good as their people and I'd like to say thanks again to everyone for your contribution to our success. We have always tried to 'do the right thing' by our people and to create an enjoyable environment and culture and I am immensely proud that a good many of you have been here a long time - indeed many shared our 20th anniversary too!  I've seen many changes in recruitment over 30 years of course but despite of the transformation in how we do business and the 'speed to market' we all now enjoy, the fundamentals of what we do continue to be the same - understand the needs of candidate and client, treat them all with honesty and respect and deliver a great service to meet the need.  Whatever comes our way in the future, I'm sure that these will still be the foundations of our business for the next 30 years too.  Thanks once again and I hope you’ve had a great week.’​​   Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

How Will This Impact on FM Contractors? The Facilities Management Journal recently reported that a decision by the Supreme Court regarding the rights of a self-employed contractor is expected to have huge implications for the gig economy. With such a groundbreaking decision being made are you thinking about how this could affect your clients? Pimlico Plumbers lost its appeal this morning against a Court of Appeal ruling that one of the plumbers, Gary Smith, was a worker rather than self-employed. Smith, who had worked exclusively for Pimlico Plumbers between August 2005 and April 2011 claimed to have been dismissed following a heart attack and the Tribunal found in his favour, meaning he was entitled to worker rights and benefits, including access to sickness and holiday pay, and reasonable adjustments.  In February 2017, the Court of Appeal found that Smith was a worker because he was required to use the Pimlico branded van for work and cover a minimum number of hours a week. Commented Tar Tumber, Director of Employee Relations International Workplace: “More and more people’s working lives resemble Mr Smith’s and are therefore increasingly difficult to define. Generally, there are three forms of employment status: employee, self-employed and something in between, called a worker. The latter have some rights, but not as many as employees. Self-employed contractors have the bare minimum.” Today’s decision will therefore have huge ramifications for anyone employing contractors. Said Philip Richardson, Head of Employment Law at Stephensons: “While stopping short of setting a precedent, the Supreme Court judgement has nonetheless applied pressure to legislators to ‘sort out’ the growing confusion surrounding the gig economy. “While some employers will argue that these casual working arrangements promote greater flexibility and independence, there appears to be growing alarm at the frequency with which these cases are coming before tribunals and the courts. Mr Smith’s case is one of a number of high profile disputes which have put the employment practices under the spotlight. “In my view, given today’s decision and the ongoing Taylor Review into working practices, it is now a matter of ‘when, not if’ legislation is brought in to prevent employers from using these gig economy models.” Added Michelle Morgan senior associate at Gardner Leader solicitors: “This decision will undoubtedly result in massive changes to the way in which the gig economy is run. Businesses will need to alter their models to minimise the risk of worker status being invoked and the rights that accompany such status. “The decision is an important one as on the one hand there is the need to protect the rights of those who work in the gig economy, whilst preserving the ethos of such a business model; with flexibility being at the heart of it.” Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

At Thorn Baker EFM we have introduced a flexible working pattern for our consultants so that they can choose to work any time from 7.00am to 7.00pm Which means we can speak to our clients and candidates outside of normal working hours without simply putting extra hours in behind a desk. Better service for our customers and better work/life balance for our consultants = happier people all around!  An article published on FM World recently talks about how companies are increasingly recruiting more flexible workers says a report by International Workplace Group (IWG). The global operator of co-working office space spoke to 1,800 professionals at the start of 2018 from a range of industries in 96 countries about how they use the flexible workspace. From this sample 91 per cent assert that flexible workspace enables employees in their company to be more productive while on the move. The survey shows 89 per cent believe that flexible working helps their business grow (compared with 68 per cent in 2016). Have you introduced flexible work and seen a rise in productivity? Another 87 per cent think flexible working helps their business to stay competitive. From the sample, 83 per cent believe that flexible working helps their business to maximise profits (compared with the 67 per cent who say it improved sales in 2016). Eighty per cent of respondents state that enabling their company’s employees to work from anywhere helped them to recruit and retain top talent (64 per cent in 2016). The report can be accessed here. ​Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

Your latest EFM newsletter is out now It's been a busy month for the FM sector; with GDPR, World FM Day celebrating everything that's great about our industry, ISO 41001 arrived - how have the changes affected your business? Joanne Crampton, Head of Estates, Facilities & Maintenance rounds up the last month for you... ''It’s been another busy month for you FM professionals. Whilst we’re still dealing with the fall out of the Carillion collapse and its impact on the industry, the discussion has now moved on to other potential disruptions to facilities management. The big talking point this month is GDPR and what its effects will be across the facilities and property sector; the emergence of ‘workplace’ as part of facilities management and a potential name change for BIFM, and the new ISO management systems standard for Facility Management. We’re also talking to hard services/building services maintenance businesses about their plans for the new 18th Edition electrical changes (published in July) and how this affects their businesses.''  Read your news in full by clicking here What else has been happening in the FM sector? ISO 41001 is here.  Do you currently outsource FM? How will this affect not only your approach to compliance but your process as well? Requirements, with guidance for use, have been published to help FM teams achieve more efficiency in their work. Drawing on international best practice, the new management system standard constitutes a benchmark for developing and driving an effective strategic, tactical and operational FM regime.  World FM Day 2018.  My team are celebrating World FM Day - are you? World FM Day will be celebrated on the 16th of May the day celebrates the importance of not only the FM profession but the people that work in it (you!). This years theme will be highlighting how facilities management plays an integral role in positive customer, client and employee experience in all sectors, whether it is residential, sport, workplace, healthcare or any other. How are you planning to celebrate do you need some inspiration? Leaner and meaner estate management.  Did you know that the government central estate vacancy rate has been reduced by 40% over the past 5 years? With a combination of vacancy reduction rate as well as a reduction in the size of the central estate the team will have seen some exciting changes in their operating costs, but how much? The State of the Estate 2016/17 report looks at all of the key numbers and facts, click below to read more.  Read your news in full by clicking here ​Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!

Italy, I hope you're ready..!  These two have just bagged themselves a seat on the plane for our High Flyers Club all expenses trip to Milan!  Well done Jade Sims and Laura Billinghurst - massively well-deserved for all your hard work and effort this year. The Thorn Baker High Flyers Club is an all-expense paid, a luxury weekend that rewards stand-out performances from the company’s most successful consultants.  This year they will be flown to Milan where I’m sure Jade and Laura will make the most of Italian shops, sight-seeing and maybe a few Aperol Spritz’s! They’ve both worked really hard over the past year and going on this trip really is proof of that. Jade Sims – An amazing performance, finishing the year as the Top New Biller across the company. Laura Billinghurst – An excellent first-year performance, finishing 2nd in the Perm Biller category and 3rd in the New Biller category. I know they’ll have a great time and I’m looking forward to seeing the photos, buon lavoro! If you have the drive and energy to do well, we can give you the guidance you need to fulfil your goals, including great training programmes, and the support and advice you require. Want to join our fantastic team? Get in touch with me today joanne@thornbaker.co.uk Want the latest facilities management and maintenance news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here!​