FEATURE INTERVIEW SPECIALISTS The company is also planning to launch a more ambitious cleaning services businesses. Specialist services are to be aligned over the next 12 months, at present certain cleaning services are still outsourced, a situation Forsyth is keen to address. “Why is a company like Mitie not much stronger in this sector? I firmly believe in specialist delivery in cleaning just as much as catering or security for example.” THE CLEANING INDUSTRY At the time of writing Forsyth was coming to the end of his first five months in the cleaning sector. What have his other initial impressions been? “The cleaning industry is actually very attuned to the security sector’s style of thinking. It is much more interesting than I thought! There’s this view of cleaning as just mopping up and running a hoover through the building. It’s much more than this, the portering, the machinery, the people aspect. Cleaning is far too narrow a term for this weird and wonderful world that we work in.” He has become used to interacting with the industry bodies, with Mitie being particularly active with the Building Services Association (BSA) in particular, claiming that the industry is better off with these bodies than without them. He does think however that the lobbying policies and methods need rethinking. Pointing out that consistent lobbying over a period of years by the security bodies around 42 hour working weeks wasn’t just unsuccessful, but doomed to failure from the beginning. But with the margins being squeezed for several years now, what is the future of the industry looking like? “The cleaning industry has become very commoditised, as with security they are both very buyer sensitive. We need to change that outlook, instead we should be focusing on the big picture, asking what we want to achieve, asking if it is realistically achievable. Then ask whether we can deliver that service affordably and over the longer term. “The cleaning market is absolutely enormous; three times bigger than the security sector, with a huge amount of opportunities. The future is a really great place for us. We want to grow our market share but we aren’t going to compromise on standards and our long term partnership approach. 24 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY OCTOBER 2015 “With around 12,000 employees working in security and 33,000 in cleaning, Forsyth is responsible for well over 40,000 people.” CHALLENGES Of course there will be bumps in the road. For example Forsyth points out that the labour pool is becoming shallower, as the unemployment rate has been dropping for several years. The industry as a whole needs to be ready for the implications of this. Another concern that Forsyth has is that the cleaning industry’s self image needs to improve. “There is a tendency to just sit still because ‘we’re just cleaning’, but there is always room for innovation and development. Our staff need to be learning and developing. Technology will have a huge impact toward this, and the industry as a whole. Apps, online systems and mobile technology all needs to be properly utilised.” Mitie is of course in a great position here, with its in-house IT team giving them a head start on the competition. What about this competition? If Forsyth is aiming to be the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, I mean market leader… within 12 months is there anyone else he has his eye on. Who is the main competition? “No one worries me in the cleaning industry. That is not to say there isn’t great delivery out there, but price is the main differentiator and no one else is offering anything new at the moment.” STAFF TURNOVER The cleaning industry reportedly has the largest staff turnover rate of any industry in the UK, with 70 per cent of everyone working on the ground floor of the sector moving on every year. But what do Mitie need to do to address this and keep hold of their operatives? They have the advantage that Forsyth himself has been a blue collar worker. “Our team needs to feel valued”, he explains. “You can’t underestimate how far a simple ‘thank you’ can go. On top of that we have to pay our colleagues and team members on time, communicate effectively so everyone knows where they stand and make sure that everyone enjoys working with the rest of the team.” This seems effective; Mitie’s staff turnover rate is, for the industry, very low in areas like corporate accounts and transport where it sits between 20 and 25 per cent. In other areas however Forsyth says there has to be an acceptance that staff turnover is always going to be high in some areas / sectors of cleaning. “The bottom line is, if we want to keep hold of our staff, we have to care. Being such a large company is no excuse for facelessness or a lack of communication. We want to be the best for everyone involved in the whole cleaning process.” Over the last six months Mitie has not been bidding work because the work wouldn’t be suitable for their employees or their long term aspirations. “We have certain standards we expect for members of our team. We care about them and won’t put them in situations that are unsustainable or not conducive to our vision.” Forsyth suggests that this is a policy other companies could learn from. “The race to the bottom means that employees can get trampled underfoot. We value ours.” THE LIVING WAGE Both Forsyth and Mitie as a whole are delighted with George Osbourne’s recent announcement around the National Living Wage. “But if price is so important, how do we persuade people to choose Mitie’s offering. We need to show we care, demonstrate our skill, incentivise properly and make sure our teams and partners feel valued.”
Cleaning Hygiene Today October 2015
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