7th December 2011 0 comments

New Energy Division

“I am really excited to be a part of the Rollright Team. Joining Rollright at a time when the company is looking to the next stage of growth and development is an exciting prospect and one which I am looking forward to being part of.

The creation of an Energy Services Division within Rollright means we can now offer a complete one stop shop solution for our client base, managing all cost streams associated with the facilities of a known building environment.

By utilising Rollright’s energy offering our client base can reduce its buildings carbon footprint. Rollright can offer advice, support and dedicated resource which will allow us to make consumption and cost savings to a building environment. Our in house resource can analyse existing energy data and propose a package bespoke to our client’s particular requirements and needs. Our energy solutions package can be based around traditional methods of consumption saving or renewable energies, ensuring carbon compliance is met.

On-going technical support by our team of energy technicians will ensure that only the energy required is used with no unnecessary waste. By ensuring a buildings HVAC plant and equipment is maintained at optimum levels the life expectancy of the plant is enhanced, thus offering further cost saving initiatives to our client base.

Over the coming months we will be launching the Rollright Energy Bureau which will offer the following service lines:

Utility procurement (ensure the most suitable tariffs are obtained)
Utility bill validation (ensure no unexpected billing errors)
Data collection and management
Energy Management and Financial Reporting
Landlord billing
Tenant billing

We will be holding a series of energy briefings both internally and externally in order to fully demonstrate our capabilities”.

Watch this space.

Ian Hill, Energy Manager
Rollright Facilities

By Ian Hill Filed in Energy, Facilities Management, FM Intellect, News
23rd November 2011 0 comments

Professionalising the industry – The Gulf is Widening

When I first became involved in facilities management a decade ago, FM practitioners were in the main a disparate bunch who had for one reason or another found themselves, without intending to, working in facilities management.  Those who practised at the higher corporate end of the profession in general had both a practical and theoretical grasp of health and safety.  Typically a competence in one particular field such as maintenance, and a general people management ethos that enabled them to be well regarded generalists as they moved up the management ladder.  Such individuals were hard to recruit as so little genuine management level talent ever chose to work in the FM sector.  Indeed, at the mid-range level the industry had a lot of representatives that neither saw themselves as facilities managers nor saw any clear way that this could provide a long term professional career.

How things have changed!  We are currently recruiting on behalf of a client at a prestigious location in the City and I have been genuinely surprised just how quickly the industry is transforming itself.  At last gone are the days that people almost made an apology for the sector they had fallen into!  The vast majority of applicants today have made an active choice of working in FM.  They have sought over time to broaden their practical knowledge with industry qualifications that provide a breadth and depth of knowledge that employers see as critical in the running of their department.  No longer is it a matter of recruiting on a leap of faith a good manager who knows little about FM.  Today’s candidates are academically able, driven to develop their skills and experience within a professional framework and, most importantly, show a passion for the industry that will ensure that FM will never again be seen as the Cinderella profession.

Finally, a call to action.  There is a vast talent pool of experienced FM managers in our industry who are being left behind by this new breed of professional FM manager.  One of the greatest attractions of our industry is that it will always be meritocratic and one need not have a university degree to get to the highest levels in the profession.  This however should never be a cause for complacency, for those individuals not committed to further their career development are being increasingly left behind.  At Rollright we have had as much success in bringing forward our more practically orientated managers into a professional development framework as we have our younger graduates.  So be warned, the gulf is widening and it is time to sign up to learn more!

Charlie Sinton

Director, Rollright Facilities Ltd

By Charles Sinton Filed in Employee Development, Facilities Management, FM Intellect
31st August 2011 0 comments

Double profits for Rollright

Bucking the trend of general gloom, Rollright today announced pre-tax profits  the year ended March 2011 had doubled.  In an outstanding year for the company overall, turnover and balance sheet all recorded record levels for the company.  In analysing the continued success, Charles Sinton, Commercial director, commented,

“The results are an indication of the continuing growth of the company within our core markets of corporate occupiers and managing agents.  With significant sales wins already this fiscal and an unprecedented pipeline of new work the company continues to go from strength to strength.”

By Lauren Grest Filed in News
23rd August 2011 0 comments

Total Facilities Management: A Case Study

The Client

Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP is a full service European law firm with offices in Brussels,  Düsseldorf, Hamburg, London, Manchester, Munich, Paris and Tokyo and an exclusive  relationship with the Italian law firm La Scala.

The firm, which is ranked 30th in the UK, has over 150 partners, 220 other lawyers and nearly 300 support staff. FFW’s main areas of practice are corporate, IP, technology and regulatory law.

The Challenge

Following a strategic review of their facilities management   requirements, Field Fisher Waterhouse identified the need to appoint an FM contractor who could provide them with flexibility, greater control of costs, expertise and self-delivery of core functions

Key criteria was a proactive approach, FM intellect and a company who would listen to their needs. Additionally, FFW wanted to an FM partner who would nurture and develop their existing facilities team.

The Solution

Field Fisher opted for a total facilities management solution (TFM). With this option, transferred over 20 members of their existing   facilities team, who cover

FM management
Print room
Post room
Front of house

All core services including cleaning, security and maintenance are also managed by Rollright Facilities Ltd.

The Outcome

FFW have retained their well-regarded, high performing facilities team with the added benefit of Rollright’s training programmes, increased control of costs and flexibility regarding headcount.

Business critical functions are safeguarded via access to our 24/7 helpdesk and emergency mobile engineering service and   on-call account managers.

By Lauren Grest Filed in Facilities Management
16th August 2011 0 comments

Guide to TFM

What is total facilities management?

Total Facilities Management or TFM describes the outsourcing and management of all facilities services by a single external supplier.

What are the benefits of TFM?

TFM is best suited to larger firms who need strategic input and exemplary standards of customer service. TFM ensures that all facilities operations fall under the management of a single supplier which has a number of benefits:

  • One point of contact
  • Increased cost control
  • A unified approach
  • Training and development for facilities staff
  • Expert consultation
  • Reduced HR costs
  • Target savings of 10%

What to look for in a TFM provider?

Self-delivery

Some companies may simply appopint subcontractors to deliver key service lines, despite promoting themselves as a TFM company. By choosing a TFM company with the capacity to self-deliver, consistency and quality of service is assured.

Internal specialists 

Different service lines have different management needs and knowledge. TFM companies should have specialist managers who will oversee the delivery of particular service lines and ensure they are best in class.

Management experience

TFM is more than just supplying headcount. It can provide a reactive and proactive strategic input to a firm’s business plans. A true TFM provider will be able to adjust and plan for changes, expansions and provide high level advice on the actions the facilities department will need to take.

By Lauren Grest Filed in FM Intellect
5th August 2011 1 comment

Why law firms need expert facilities management

Law firms occupy a unique position in the business world and being a truly people-based business, their facilities needs are often more demanding and more complex than other industry sectors.

From the moment a potential client walks in the door, they are already judging the firm more heavily than a product-based business and with the fees law firms command; they are looking for superlative customer service.

Good Facilities management is key to delivering this as all core service lines have a marked effect on customer service; from how secure the building is, to the quality of receptionists to the standard of cleanliness in the office to the effectiveness of the air conditioning. If anyone of these is below par, the reputation of the firm’s commitment to clients can be called into question.

Outsourcing FM to a specialist provider can help improve service delivery by retaining existing FM teams and providing further training, access to best practise and experienced account managers. A single point of contact and accredited engineers will protect business critical systems and maintain optimum working conditions within the building.

By Lauren Grest Filed in Comment, FM Intellect
29th July 2011 0 comments

Breaking the language barrier to deliver better service

Like many London-based companies, our cleaning and security teams are culturally diverse, with staff coming from 5 out of 6 continents (though we have no objections to potential workers from Antarctica!). Although we have bi and even tri lingual service managers, it is impossible to have a manager who speaks each language and sometimes, communication can be a problem.

 Until now, we have been reliant on translation tools such as Google Translate to ensure our documents and guidebooks can be understood by everyone. But just like the comical examples of ‘Engrish’ seen on Japanese tourists’ t-shirts, we all know that as marvellous as these tools are, they are not foolproof.

Lost in translation?

 However, we have come up with a solution; the power of the motion picture. They say a picture is worth a thousand words but what about a film? We have now started the process of filming instruction videos and examples of best practise. By seeing clear actions and real-life examples of Dos and Don’ts, our support staff have the best chance of taking on board and retaining this important information. Best of all, this investment in time means we can cut down on paper forms,reduce the amount of administration hours spent on distribution and cut down on expensive travel, passing on the savings to our clients.

By Lauren Grest Filed in FM Intellect, News
22nd July 2011 0 comments

Are you prepared?

Imagine you discover a suspicious parcel. Would you know what to do with it? We all like to think we would phone the police and avert a crisis. However, as a nation fond of the understatement, the reality might be different. Conscious of wasting your company’s time or the police’s, you may be tempted to ignore it or perhaps deal with it yourself by whatever means. Most people would do anything to avoid being a nuisance or seeming to over-react to a situation. Perhaps more tellingly, nobody wants to think about terrorism. We comfort ourselves with the idea that it won’t happen to us. Yet as I write this, the Mi5 issued threat level is substantial, defined as “that an attack is a strong possibility.”

Businesses are fast-becoming a preferred target for terrorist groups with those working for international blue chip companies and financial institutions especially vulnerable.

Having participated in Project Griffin, Rollright ensure our facilities staff are prepared and fully-drilled in the event of a bomb threat, offering extensive training courses and regular refreshers for all front-line staff..

For those concerned about updating their security procedures, Mi5 has prepared the following advice for businesses:

“Identify all staff who could conceivably receive a bomb threat and ensure either that they are trained in handling procedures or at least have ready access to instructions – and know where these are kept. This applies particularly to hotels, hospitals, news agencies, public transport organisations, voluntary organisations and others offering any sort of emergency service. Switchboard operators should understand their important role in recording and communicating any bomb threat; they should be routinely familiar with procedures and rehearse them regularly.

  • Draw up, ideally with advice from your local police Counter Terrorist Security Advisor, a clear and accessible list of actions to take on receipt of a call. Ensure that it can be printed off and fixed to walls or desks so that staff can see it instantly.
  • Ensure that other staff mentioned in the action list, particularly security staff, are aware of their roles and that they or their deputies are always contactable.
  • Ensure that all staff, including night or temporary staff, are familiar with any recording, redial or display facilities, and that they know how to contact police and security staff in or out of hours.
  • Rehearse your bomb threat procedures as part of your evacuation procedures.”
By Mark Browitt Filed in FM Intellect, Health & Safety
23rd June 2011 0 comments

Tell a graduate about FM

Four years ago, I won a placement with Rollright Facilities Ltd. via the prestigious Shell STEP scheme. I was 21, hungry for real work experience and completely unfamiliar with the world of facilities management. Fast forward to 2011 and I am responsible for five of Rollright’s strategic accounts covering around fifty staff with a budget of £5 million to manage. The journey from internship to manager has been exciting, rewarding and of course, hectic. But perhaps most importantly, it was a journey that would be impossible to achieve in a less dynamic industry.

As today is World FM Day and June is the month final year students embark upon searching for work in a tough market, I would urge graduates everywhere to consider a career in Facilities Management. Unfortunately, despite FM being a multi-billion dollar industry, we are still under the radar when it comes to graduate recruitment. So do your bit for FM and tell a student about our industry!

By Andrew Hulbert Filed in Comment, Facilities Management
17th June 2011 0 comments

Campfire Voices

 Retaining quality staff and maintaining morale in facilities management can be challenging when most employees are spread out geographically and spend most of their working lives within another company.

When Rollright was founded in 2002, we had a small team of 34 employees and found that building a close-knit relationship between the leadership team and the service line staff was a natural product of our small size. Almost ten year’s later we have experienced year on year growth and now employ over 250 members of staff located at sites throughout the UK.  

We are still dedicated to ensuring communication between the leadership team and service staff remains accessible, open and encouraged which is why we have developed our annual programme of campfire meetings.  

This month marks the start of the 2011 campfires and Pinder, Clive, Charlie and Mark will be travelling to all our sites throughout the UK.

What are campfire meetings?

 Campfire meetings are held in groups, chaired by a director and exclude direct line managers

  • Campfire meetings are chaired by a director who is not involved in that part of the business
  • Every employee attends
  • The staff attending set the agenda
  • Everything said in the meetings is confidential

Why are campfire meetings important?

  • Staff have a chance to have an open discussion without their line manage present
  • Helps foster a sense of company pride, something that can be difficult to obtain when staff spend their time on another company’s premises
  • Senior management can learn and resolve issues they wouldn’t ordinarily hear about
  • Gaining feedback from a group reassures staff that it is not a personal assessment of their performance and encourages honest communication
By Lauren Grest Filed in Employee Development, Facilities Management
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