Bidvest Noonan

A market leading provider of facilities services and solutions

security

A day in the life of a security officer

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It’s International Security Officer’s Day. At Bidvest Noonan, we want to take this special occasion to share the experiences of some of our colleagues in the industry to show what amazing people they truly are. Here, we’re sharing a few stories from some exemplary people in the business about what an average day in their life can be like. We take a little glimpse into the journeys of people to understand what inspired them to dedicate their careers to protecting others.

photo of Marzena

Marzena Jakubowicz :

Many people think that a security job is just sitting in a chair and looking at a monitor, but it is much more interesting than that. Every day is different, you never know what awaits you. I am very happy that I get to work with people, I can help them and take care of their safety. They are always so grateful for it. Sometimes, it can be dangerous. But the most important thing is teamwork, so the kind of people you have around you really makes all the difference.

I have been working in security for about 4 years. At first, I would only work at clubs on the weekends, but as time went on, I realised that I really enjoyed it and decided to work full time. This wasn’t out of character for me. Back in Poland, I attended a military school, so when I moved to the UK, working in security was something that I wanted to try.

This job has taught me patience, empathy, resilience, and problem-solving. Regardless of how small the matter is, you must always look for the most suitable solution for everyone involved.

Bidvest Noonan offers a lot of courses for people who want to get even better at being an officer. This is incredibly valuable because the company actively invests in their staff, prioritising our personal and professional development. It means that we always have room to grow.

About 2 months ago, I had the pleasure of taking part in the FPOSi advanced medic course with the aim of joining the Quick Response Team. It is a new position in our company, and I am very happy and grateful that I was offered this course. During this, I learned many useful things about first aid, which I can use not only on the job but in everyday life. I’m so pleased to say that I’m part of the QRT team and Bidvest Noonan.

Andras Szabo:

As the day begins, I know that it’s going to be full of surprises because no two days are alike in this role. Having started as a security officer, I have really enjoyed my progression at Bidvest Noonan.

Arriving early gives me the opportunity to discuss the previous shifts and plan ahead. I always enjoy the handovers as they give me the opportunity to meet my colleagues who work other shifts and it gives us the time to discuss and share ideas.

After the handover, I prepare the daily rotation schedule before briefing my team. I am always ready when my officers turn up for their shifts, so I can welcome them and issue them with the equipment they need for the day.

After the briefing, I visit the estate management and the trades on-site, as it is always good to keep a good relationship with the client and the retail businesses.

I visit all positions and make sure that my officers are well prepared for their posts. I like to be friendly and approachable, so they are open to sharing any of their concerns. This is important, as I can provide support and deal with problems before they get escalated.  

Usually, the security life in Battersea is busy considering the 25,000 footfall visitors, 30+ retail spaces, 2,300 parking facilities, and 3,000 residents living on the estate. Dealing with a day-to-day security operation of a large-scale estate can sometimes be challenging.

During the day, I get the opportunity to meet familiar faces and stop for a nice, quick chat with the residents. I know most of the people since they moved in 2017. I have never known any celebrities before but now, they are a part of my Battersea life. The estate feels like a big family, you cannot pass by without someone greeting you with a smile on their face.

Furthermore, I deal with different tasks from the client – accidents, and alarm activations on the estate. The most complicated incidents are easy to deal with, as the whole team works together to achieve the same goal.

Time goes by quickly. I close the day after completing paperwork and handing it over to the duty manager on the next shift.

Driving out of the estate, the team says goodbye. You look back on this the majestic power station on this beautiful estate, reminding you of the beautiful day that you leave behind.

Gillian Sinclair:

My journey into security began in 1996 and it caught me by surprise. I was about 29 years old, and although I was working with the local council for about 10 years, I really wasn’t fulfilled in what I was doing.

I happened to see that people were wanted to cover a Golf Championship and I went for a job interview. This was my first security role and I really enjoyed it. I hadn’t a clue what to expect but with the training and experience I got, I grew to love what I do on a daily basis.

What I enjoy most in security is that no one day is the same as another, it’s forever changing and this keeps me motivated. I don’t like to be inactive, I like meeting and helping the client I work for and the public who shop in the store I’m in. Giving good customer service is key to any role for the client you work for, it’s also important to be approachable and listen to what the client needs from you.

On a typical day, I begin by finding out who the manager is for the day. I find out if there have been any incidents before I start as the store is open at 9 am and I start at 10 am. I have a quick catch-up for any security issues I need to know about before patrolling the back areas and stock room to log any health and safety issues.

I check that the CCTV is in working order and station myself in front of the store and watch for anything suspicious. Every hour, I do a patrol of all 3 floors. The biggest challenge of my role is how busy the store can actually get and you’re constantly looking for suspicious activities.

To be good at this job, you need to be approachable, vigilant, and have pride in your appearance. But most of all, it is important to love what you do. It’s not just about standing at a door, the job is what you make of it. The security industry is forever changing and you need to keep rolling with it to excel at what you do.

Ishtiaq Shah:

I’ve started my career in the security industry 22 years ago, and my first job in Security was to patrol a warehouse complex. I then ended up at font of house in the corporate world. After a few years, I was asked to be part of a supervisory team and became a security supervisor in a bank. I stepped down due to family commitments and went back to front-of-house duties.  Now I work as part of the retail team assisting the client being involved in unit/tenant inspections, first aid, and anti-social behaviour incidents, assisting visitors and contractors, and public safety.

What I enjoy most about my career is the people I have met and the trust I have earned from colleagues and clients in keeping people and places safe. I have also very thankful for the responsibility and knowledge I’ve gained in those years in the security industry.

My job centres around relationships and customer service. I try and build a good relationship with all the tenants, clients, contractors, and the public and fulfill their needs in the best way I can. I believe that using the learnings of different trainings and experience gained are the most important things to build up a good rapport and go above and beyond to provide the best service to clients and the general public.

My shift involves a lot of organising and planning. Being experienced in the security industry, I need to make sure I stick to a routine and plan my day methodically. I have a lot of interaction with the client, public, and unit tenants. I survey units and carry out fire checks for the client. I assist with contractors in shop refits and vacant unit inspections, plus any day-to-day queries raised by tenants.

I am proud that I have helped implement a structured auditable system in place, with the client relying on the work I do, the tenants are very happy with my interaction with them and find me approachable.

I believe that any candidate for a security officer role would need to be able to plan and execute a tried and tested system, keep up with innovation, provide excellent customer service, be able to interact with people, show empathy, and work with them to achieve their goals.

Marie Fry:

My day starts early in the morning on a Monday. That’s when I put my work face on. Since I’ve not been on site all weekend, I check reports, make sure all the phones, radios and tablets have been charged, check for any missing keys and make sure that the CCTV and other systems are working.

We get the office ready for any visitors. If you are in the area, you’ll overhear me howling a ‘good morning’ to the half-asleep tenants arriving or to the regular shoppers and dog walkers that pass by. It is great to have contact with different walks of life with different stories to tell. A majority of the visitors who come in first thing in the morning to our site love to stop and have a chat, it’s a big part of the job because sometimes people just need someone to talk to.

With the computer fired up, I catch up on emails and start managing the contractors and visitors that turn up at the beginning of the day. During my walkarounds, I check for any faults or incidents. You hit your 10,000 steps well before lunchtime!

Back at the office, I have a cup of tea with the site cleaner and make sure he’s happy. The local Police team usually pops in at this time and we catch up and report any issues.

During the day you never know what awaits you. I usually deal with different incidents from shoplifting to first aid emergencies and missing persons. In the last few hours, I take one last walk and make sure all the reported issues are under control. Eventually, I head back to the office and pack up to leave.

I’ve been doing this for 17 years and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

An Award-Winning Security Journey

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In this conversation, we caught up with Marc Duberley who is our Security Supervisor for our customer, Bosch Worcester. Marc talks about why he began his career in security, the challenges he has faced and what he has planned for the future.

At what moment did you realize you wanted to become a security professional?

From the age of 17, I wanted to work in the security industry. I had a good friend who worked in corporate security. He used to travel across the world providing security for high-level executives and events for large businesses. Travelling at a young age, seeing different countries, and meeting new people has always appealed to me.

Tell us about your journey

I knew that if I wanted to get a career in security, I was going to need some experience. So, at 18 I took myself to do a three-day course to gain my SIA license.

Once I had the license, I had the exciting job of working on the doors at some of Birmingham’s biggest nightclubs. Providing security for a nightclub with over 3000 people was eventful, to say the least.

After I gained the experience, I started work in corporate security where I secured events for businesses around the country.

Next, I moved on to close protection work. This is were I was able to start travelling with work. I looked after high-end executives for multiple blue-chip companies as they travelled the globe for business. During that time, I travelled to 16 different countries one of which being in the Caribbean which is always a bonus.

I have always had a good instinct for customer service, so this role fitted me well. I got on great with many of the people and their families I was protecting even to the point where I would be invited to go on holiday with them on occasion.

As I got older, I wanted to settle down and stay in the UK. This is when I joined Bidvest Noonan in 2015 and began working with our customer, Bosch. I worked my way up from being a bench officer, to team leader and now becoming the supervisor.

What do you enjoy most about your career in security?

One thing I really enjoy about working in security is the diversity of the job. There’s not one day that’s the same and there’s always something for us to do. Bosch has a variety of different requirements from their security provision, and we always want to give them the best service possible.

I also love the customer experience aspect of security. You can make someone’s day by going the extra mile or even just helping them with a small task. It might seem like a small task to us but it really helps them and the operation with their work.

We also help to create that positive atmosphere in the workplace. We are the first people employees and visitors see when they enter the site so it’s important that we set a happy tone and environment.

When people think of security they think about aggression and combativeness but it’s not all about that. There is a lot of customer experience and looking after people when they visit us. People see the tattoos down my arms and are a bit worried when they first meet me but once they get to know me they realise I’m a nice friendly guy. I always try to be kind to everyone I meet.

We get recognised and rewarded for the work we do by both Bidvest Noonan and Bosch. My team and I have won multiple awards and recognition for the work we do. We’ve had amazing feedback.

What was the biggest challenge you faced?

The biggest challenge I have faced was losing my son, Lukas, to cancer in 2019. That was the hardest thing I have ever been through.

I came back into work in January 2020 and still found it extremely difficult to deal with but the support I got from the Bidvest Noonan team and everyone at Bosch was amazing. Everyone from our directors, managers, and team members to Bosch’s CEO, senior execs, and shop floor workers. Their door was always open to me if I ever wanted to chat or have a coffee.

I would get regular text messages from the team to keep checking in on me. Or I would receive cards from people across the company. They seem like small things but it was good to know that you’re not alone and that you had a whole building full of people there to support you.

The support from everyone was astounding. It’s great to know that I have this great team of people there to help me no matter what I’m going through. It really demonstrates what a family atmosphere and the relationship we have at the workplace.

What are you looking forward to in the future.

I’d love to keep progressing in my career in security and become operations manager. I have been completing qualifications in my own time to make sure I’m ready for the next step when the opportunity arrives.

I know a lot of the management team at Bidvest Noonan have had a similar career path as me. Many of the operations team and directors started on the frontline as security officers and worked their way up. My manager here at Bidvest Noonan has been incredibly supportive, talking me through his journey and the steps I need to take to gain the right qualifications.

Can you tell me more about the award that you won?

In 2021 I won the Bidvest Noonan Security Manager of the year. I was so happy just to be nominated but to win was brilliant especially after everything I had been through.

It was nice to know that the work we do at Bosch has been recognised. We consistently outperform our SLAs and KPI scores delivering a first-class security provision.

We also organise an annual charity football match in memory of Lukas with all the money raised going to the Grace Kelly foundation. The Grace Kelly foundation is close to my heart as they supported me so much during our time in need. I just want to give back.

What brings a smile to your face on an average day at work?

I really enjoy seeing the people here and making a difference to their day. Everyone here really appreciates the job we do. The feedback we get is great.

We have a fantastic relationship with all the departments so when we’re patrolling, we can drop by and see if anyone needs our support. When we’re walking by you can see their faces light up. Everyone is always happy to see us. It makes our job easier as all the employees know that no matter what they need we are always here to help.

Leading the Way in Social Responsibility

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Photo of Sarah Jane Cork, Managing Director

Managing Director, Sarah Jane Cork spoke to TPSO and shared her perspectives on social responsibility and discussed how Bidvest Noonan’s work with Employment 4 All is enabling disadvantaged and underrepresented groups to access training and employment opportunities.

TPSO: Bidvest Noonan have a well-developed social responsibility program; can you tell us a bit about that and some of your achievements?

Sarah:

We are committed to social responsibility; for us, that means acting ethically, minimising our impact on the environment while maximising the good we do for society. We have achieved a lot in this area.

In 2021, we launched Sunrise, our ESG community. Sunrise focuses on four works streams, Community, Workplace, Environment and Marketplace, to help us operate more sustainably. Sunrise is made up of a variety of Bidvest Noonan colleagues across each of our business units, who are passionate about corporate social responsibility.

Our Sunrise team have helped us to introduce a wide range of initiatives to reduce our impact on the environment and become a Net Zero business. For example, we are transitioning to a fully electric fleet and we have invested in a number of new technologies that are reducing our use of energy, water, and plastics.

As a people business, we have always valued diversity and inclusion. Last year, we launched our ED&I Council to help us develop a more diverse workforce and a more inclusive workplace. Our council has been very successful. In February, we received Diversity Mark’s Bronze Accreditation for our achievements in advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 

We are proud to support charities and social projects which make a real difference for people, especially those that help disadvantaged and underrepresented communities. Like so many companies across the UK and Ireland, we played a role in responding to the pandemic, donating PPE including hundreds of thousands of face masks. Most recently, we have shown our support for people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, donating funds to charities working in the area and supporting client and community initiatives.

TPSO: How important do you think it is that companies walk their talk?

Sarah:

We believe that there are important social and environmental challenges that need to be addressed and it is incumbent on all of us to do what we can to address them. We work together and with our suppliers to continuously improve our environmental performance and to find new ways to support people in need. We see more and more companies making commitments and following up with actions in these areas and we celebrate that. We are all in this together.

TPSO: How did you get involved with Employment 4 All?

Sarah:

We want to give disadvantaged people in our local communities the skills and opportunities they need to secure meaningful employment, financial independence and play an important role in society. That is a good thing in its own right. We understood that Employment 4 All, working with the Department for Work and Pensions, could help disadvantaged and underrepresented groups while also providing a stream of highly motivated and well-trained people for the security industry. We were happy to work with Employment 4 All and to provide training and employment opportunities for people who need it.

Security training provided by Bidvest Noonan and Employment4All

TPSO: How does this initiative help people?

Sarah:

This initiative provides potentially life-changing opportunities for participants. Employment 4 All identifies suitable candidates through a process that involves conversations and background screening. Candidates who meet the needs-based assessment, demonstrate the right qualities and show a strong interest in building a career in the security industry are invited to attend our training programme.

Candidates are given all the support they need to be successful. If required, they are provided with help to obtain the necessary paperwork and documents of identification. During our training programme, candidates are provided with a free breakfast and, if needed, help to cover their transportation costs and to obtain childcare services.

My colleagues and I provide the training and information participants need to start their careers in our industry. Successful candidates are helped with their application for an SIA licence and given the opportunity to join Bidvest Noonan as Security officers. I am proud to say we have already had our first graduates of the programme, a number of whom have been offered employment with our business.

This article was originally published by TPSO Magazine

Security Sector to March at London Pride 2022

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On 2 July, the security industry will come together for the first time to celebrate pride and LGBTQIA+ identities within the sector.

Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) at the International Professional Security Association

Organised by Satia Rai, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) at the International Professional Security Association, the groups will march at the London Pride Parade in a historic show of support and visibility for individuals within the industry.

Photo of Deborah Mills-Burns, Deborah Mills-Burns, Business Sector Director at Bidvest Noonan and ED&I advocate.

Deborah Mills-Burns, Business Sector Director at Bidvest Noonan will join Satia and the others at the pride parade with her wife and son to mark her journey as a working professional in the security sector.

ThisWeekinFM sat down with them to speak about how their own experiences have evolved within the industry and what this pride parade means to them.

Tell us About the Inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Identities in the Security Industry Over the Years.

Satia: I’m a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. The security industry is not as inclusive as I’d like it to be; however, we are making good progress. In the last two years since I became a part of the ED&I side of things, I’ve observed that there has been a lot of lip service when it comes to inclusion, but it shuns the most important parts of the issue, output and action. That’s what I’m aiming to target, and we have gotten so much better at it. The fact that we’ve never attended a pride march before was an important place to start. I remember seeing the police and armed forces at previous pride marches. I was wondering where the security sector was because we are the ones stewarding and managing the security for the whole event. I began reaching out to the associations and got various leading service providers and security associations to be on board to march together this year.

Deborah: I’ve always encouraged colleagues to take part in pride. I was never at the forefront of it, but I have always advocated for involvement. I was a member of the armed forces at a time when it was more challenging for gay people. I spent the first three years of my service as a hidden person because of this. I never came out to my parents; it was my current wife who told my parents that I was gay. I never wanted to do it then, but I’m a totally different person now. Now, I’m probably one of the most open people you can come across because I understand that people are sometimes scared to ask questions because they don’t know if you’re gay. I always make it a point to call my wife, ‘my wife’, so I can be clear about who I am.

How Would you Say Acceptance and Allyship in the Workplace have Changed over the Years?

Deborah: In Bidvest Noonan now, I couldn’t feel any more supported. That’s not me being cheesy or promoting the brand. That’s just how I feel. Whenever I have a conversation with anybody, I openly talk about and reference my wife. There’s no awkwardness; it’s a genuinely welcoming environment. I do believe in our credo of putting people first; I think that demonstrates this kind of inclusion. But on the flip side of it, only four years ago, during our pregnancy, when my wife and I were working in different companies, everything felt a little more challenging for us even though we were going through the same thing as a heterosexual couple. During every step of the way, my wife needed to apply for leave at work because her employer at the time didn’t have policies in place to deal with our type of pregnancy. It might sound trivial, but it was hurtful. We went through a lot as a family. 

Satia: The last two years have seen a real collaborative effort. ED&I being embedded across our sector will enable it to be successful and ensure its growth. Education and visibility play a very important role. Now, people are having conversations about LGBTQIA+ history, pride, and allies. These are wonderful things to keep building on from a leadership perspective. When I started my ED&I journey as a Director, I introduced an ED&I specialist role into the team structure. It’s only a matter of time before the sector starts to create and have ED&I-specific roles in organisations who will focus solely on inclusion. We never had the special interest groups or role models that we have now. As we speak, there are about 72 countries where it is criminal to be who we are and 13 countries where it’s punishable by death. We have a voice and duty of care to raise awareness, stand in solidarity and make sure we are free to live happily in society. I’m hoping that this collaborative initiative will do more than just bringing us together to march. I hope it shows that we can come together and do more for the LGBTQIA+ community. 

What Does Pride Mean to You?

Satia: It means openness, it means joy, it means celebration. It means my niece can aspire and grow up in a world where she can be anything she wants to be, no matter what her background is. My parents were immigrants that came into this country, English wasn’t their first language. They struggled, my mum had four jobs and they did all this for me so our family could survive. I have to be the best version of myself for the sacrifices my parents made. Knowing this, I cannot sacrifice any version of my identity. So, when I try to make society a better place, it’s for my family, my colleagues, and all the diverse communities within it.

Deborah: I think a lot changes when you have children. For me, pride gives my son the opportunity to see the world from a different point of view and to normalise it in his own head, so he knows it’s normal to have two mums. For me, it is all about my son and making sure that he has the opportunity to grow up in a world that is completely different to the one I grew up in. Whichever way his sexuality goes, he can express it and be proud of where he comes from. Pride gives you a larger family and network of support.

How Do You Plan to Celebrate Pride This Year?

Deborah: We’re taking our son along with us to the pride march in London. We would not have come all the way to London if Bidvest Noonan was not going to be a part of this parade. I feel so supported in my role – the fact that I can take him to nursery and pick him up – the work-life balance is wonderful. When they asked me if I wanted to be a part of this, I thought it would be wonderful to showcase that family element. The fact the company supports that is very important to me. 

Satia: I’ve got the industry together to attend the actual parade. This year was the first time that we applied. They had a record number of applications this year. There are over 500 businesses that are parading. It’s so significant that we as a sector will be sending out a real message that things are changing. Come and be a part of this amazing sector because you are free to be who you are!

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 30 June 2022 by ThisWeekinFM

Going the extra mile for innovation: Eddie Ingram, Jon Moore, Peter Smyth

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At Bidvest Noonan, our vision is to be so important to our customers, so valuable to their business, and provide experiences so good, we are always their partner of choice. To achieve this vision, we need to stay at the forefront of our industry, leveraging technology and innovation to deliver better service and more value to our customers.

This dedication to uncovering innovation drives so many senior figures from across our business to make time in their busy diaries to visit conferences, meet our suppliers, participate in round table discussions, and conduct research to improve the services we offer.

We asked Chief Services Officer, Eddie Ingram, Technology and Innovation Director, Peter Smyth, and Director of Operations Support and Risk, Jonathan Moore, why innovation is so important to our business and what role industry events play in helping us uncover new ideas and progress our innovation agenda.

Eddie Ingram, who recently attended the IFSEC International exhibition, an event that attracts over 30,000 visitors and brings together industry professionals from far and wide, said:

“Innovation is critical to our success. Our ability to challenge conventions, find better ways of working, and create greater value for clients sets us apart from our competition. Investing the time to go meet suppliers and hear from thought leaders in our industry and adjacent industries is very worthwhile. Attending industry events gives us the opportunity to meet new suppliers and catch up with existing ones too.

We recently attended the IFSEC International exhibition and had some interesting discussions around the increased use and spread of CCTV across the UK and how it might lead to a new British Standard around AI and facial recognition.

Some of the innovation happening in the security industry today is truly remarkable, and we are harnessing many of these advances for the benefit of our clients.”

Peter Smyth, who recently visited the Netherlands to attend the high-profile 2022 Interclean Amsterdam event added:

“Innovation really matters to us. We want to lead the way in our industry and use the latest innovations to help reinvent and improve solutions for our clients.

Attending some of the largest FM trade shows in the world gives us a great opportunity to see the latest products on offer from existing customers, but also allows us to meet new suppliers that are disrupting the industry with a new generation of robotics, machinery, and equipment.

The 2022 Interclean Amsterdam event gave the team and I an incredible insight into the work being done to improve how we manage waste, consume energy, and use water. I look forward to adopting the very best of these to improve the service we provide to our clients.”

Jonathan Moore, Director of Operations Support and Risk, commenting on his attendance at the IFSEC event said:

 “We met with suppliers to talk about their upcoming innovations, exploring ways in which we can work together to deploy these new products. It was refreshing to see a blend of technology, physical security, and a healthy number of organisations offering professional development routes.

At Bidvest Noonan, we aim to stay ahead of the curve, continuously finding new ways to improve the service we provide to our customers. Attending industry events and networking with thought leaders and innovators informs and inspires our own innovation research”.

Encouraging diversity in the workplace

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Discussing the impact of hybrid working on diversity

Last week Diversity Mark partnered with Bidvest Noonan, one of Northern Ireland’s largest private employers, to host a series of round table talks about how modern work practices are impacting diversity in the workplace.

The first event in this series, hosted at Invest Northern Ireland’s headquarters, brought together senior leaders from some of the most important employers, agencies, and authorities. The group discussed hybrid working and its effect on workplace diversity, sharing their expertise and perspectives to help chart a way forward. 

The sudden rise of hybrid working has been welcomed by some; however, others question its longer-term impact on our workplaces and industries. This change in working practice may create both winners and losers.

Paul Murnaghan, Head of BT in Northern Ireland and President of Northern Ireland’s Chamber of Commerce shared his perspective that hybrid working practices can be a powerful way to attract, support, and retain great talent from all backgrounds. A recent report by the CIPD bears out this view. The report found that 54% of employees expect to spend all or most of their work week in the workplace once the pandemic has passed; However, when asked about their preferences, 39% said they would like to work from home all or most of the time.

Hybrid working can exacerbate inequities, and some commentators fear that it could lead to the unpicking of hard-won gains for traditionally underrepresented groups. Research by Mckinsey found that underrepresented groups, such as people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ community members, favour hybrid working most.

There are concerns that hybrid workers, being distant from the office, will be less visible than in-workplace employees, making them less likely to be considered for promotion and reducing their impact in the business world.

These round table discussions aim to unearth issues and challenges posed by current working practices and seek to use the experiences of participating organisations to develop solutions and best practices. A number of significant themes emerged during the discussions at this first event.

Consult with your people

For Director of Employment Relations Services at the Labour Relations Agency, Mark McAllister consultation with employees is key to the success of any new working practices. “When the civil services 24,000 employees were asked about how they wanted to work going forward, 98% of staff said they didn’t want to come back to the same way of working as before,” says Head of NI Civil Service, Jayne Brady. “Working with staff and the unions was key to create a ground up formula that made sense for the departments implementing them.”

Be decisive and accountable

As Chief People Officer for Bidvest Noonan, a market leader for facilities services, Janice Brannigan takes responsibility for delivering a positive work experience for the company’s 27,000 employees. Janice said “The decisions we take in this post-pandemic environment, must provide for the needs of our people and the needs of our business whilst also ensuring that we are encouraging and supporting diversity.”

Danske Bank Employment Lawyer Jenny Moore shared a best practice example from IBM. At the start of the pandemic CEO, Arvind Krishna shared the company’s Work from Home Pledge on LinkedIn, outlining a set of remote working practices to follow.

As its colleagues return to the workplace, it has now created a playbook that sets out its timeframes and principles clearly to employees. “As leaders we don’t just need to talk, we need to advocate, and hold ourselves to account too. A working charter is a good way to do that,” she adds.

Communicate your reasoning, recognise the benefits

“Communication can enable or derail any transformation,” says Invest NI’s Executive Director of People and Culture, Denise Black. “We wanted to be clear in answering the key employee question ‘Why do I need to return to the office?’ And for us, that comes down to four Cs. Connection – because we’re social animals. Collaboration – including those collision collaborations that can be so productive and are lost at home. Creation – the energy and body language of a team working in person is hard to match on screen. And Care, which is a big one for me.

There is a mental health aspect that we need to recognise,’ Denise says. “I’ve worked in this role for two years and I’ve just met two of my team face to face in the past three weeks. A scheduled 30-minute check in is a great tool, but getting to know quieter staff or just grabbing a coffee is something you can’t get on screen,” she adds.

Trust your people

While recognising the need to provide a framework for hybrid working, Denise also urges leaders to be brave and to recognise their relationship with employers as an adult-to-adult one based on personal accountability and trust.

For Bidvest Noonan’s CEO, Declan Doyle ensuring his colleagues had access to the resources they needed and felt well supported has been a top priority; “We have colleagues living and working all across the UK and Ireland. Many found working from home to be a challenge. Some wanted access to our offices because their homes were too busy or didn’t have good broadband connections. We have made sure that our network of offices are available to those people and we have seen these offices get busier and busier in recent weeks,’ he says.

For Head of International & SME Development at NI Chamber of Commerce, Tanya Anderson, creating that culture of acceptance and trust is key. ‘Our system knows who is in the office and who is out, but we trust our departments to run their own diaries, they know their workloads and they manage it,’ she adds.

Consider your business needs

However, Tanya also recognised that organisations need ‘to keep their business hats on. For many, especially small businesses or those looking to grow internationally, having people in the office is important,” she says.

“The model we work to needs to fit the work that needs to be done and to ensure that there isn’t a dilution of service for customers and the people we serve,” Jayne Brady adds.

Challenge your technologies

Before the pandemic, few around the table would have considered that a project could go from idea to completion via work on Microsoft Teams, and it was clear that technology had a key part to play in enabling successful hybrid working.

For Jayne the civil service establishing the 11 Connect2 hubs throughout NI can be a game changer for those who due to caring roles could not commit to daily commutes to departmental HQs. “Having spoken to individuals they have indicated that this was a factor in self selecting themselves out of promotion opportunities. The Connect2 hubs can be a catalyst for innovative and inclusive new ways of working and ultimately delivering a more diverse and regionally balanced workforce.”

Consider wider options

Jenny Moore and Ian Campbell, Translink Director of Service Operations, were also keen to recognise key workers who didn’t have hybrid working as an option. Some 70% of Translink staff worked throughout the pandemic.

Jenny says “NI plc needs to work hard to ensure that it looks at flexibility in its broadest sense. Businesses choose how to define ‘flexibility’ and therefore should be flexible about what flexibility looks like for all with reduced hours, asynchronous schedules, job sharing and compressed work weeks on the table too.”

This roundtable is the first of our quarterly series facilitated by Lisa Strutt, Leadership Coach & Guide and Harvard affiliated, attended by Jenny Moore, Ian Campbell, Mark McAllister, Janice Brannigan, Jayne Brady, Denise Black, Paul Murnaghan, Declan Doyle.

The Diversity Mark accreditation is awarded to companies following an assessment process which ensures they have reached the required standard of commitment to advancing Diversity and Inclusion. For Companies from all sectors the Diversity Mark is a ‘Mark of Progress’ that publicly declares commitment to building more diverse and inclusive workplaces to benefit all employees.

Find out more here.