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WORKPLACE have supplied plants and Christmas trees for offices, shopping centres, schools & universities for many years. Our Clients request their Christmas decorations from us year after year commending the quality of our service. Our real Christmas trees are sourced from a local grower and we supply Nordmann Firs which is known for its needle retention properties. WORKPLACE can supply real Christmas trees up to 16ft (4.8mtrs) from the first week in December. All our festive trees are decorated with beautiful white lights and a large selection of co-ordinating decorations which can be tailored to your company or school colours! You can place an order through our Specialist Services department before 1st December in time for delivery. #Christmas #OfficePlants

The real Living Wage is an independently calculated rate of pay that is based on the cost of living. At the heart of the Living Wage movement is a simple idea - that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. In 2016 the government introduced a rise in the minimum wage for over 25s, they called this new statutory minimum the ‘National Living Wage’. However, this is not based on the real cost of living. That’s why thousands of UK employers have voluntarily committed to going further, by paying all their staff the real Living Wage. The real Living Wage is based on the actual cost of living, taking into account the cost of housing, food, travel and other essentials. It enjoys cross party support and is paid by thousands of employers, including over one third of the FTSE 100. Living Wage Foundation Recognised Service Providers – ending low pay one contract at a time. We are a Recognised Service Provider proudly working with the Living Wage Foundation to promote the real Living Wage. We believe in paying a decent wage to our staff, who carry out vital work for many organisations, and therefore always provide a Living Wage costed bid to all our clients. This gives you the chance to decide if the Living Wage is right for your organisation. Low Pay In The Service Sector Full time workers on the real Living Wage earn £35 a week more than over 25s on the government minimum, or £90 a week in London. Cleaning, security, catering and other service professions have some of the highest levels of low pay in the UK, 83% of waiting staff and 70% of cleaners earn below the Living Wage. We want to change our industry for the better, and that’s why we champion the real Living Wage through our contracts. By accepting our Living Wage costed bid, you’ll be making a huge difference to workers like Jodie. “As a single parent, there isn’t always a great deal of money left over once the bills have been paid. The living wage has allowed me to regularly pay into a savings account which my son can access when he is 21. It may not be much, but it’s allowed me to help plan for his future financially.” Jodie Benefits to Your Organisation As well as being the right thing to do, paying the Living Wage has been proven to have business benefits. With the staff working on your premises paid the Living Wage, you can expect to see reduced absenteeism, increased staff retention and increased staff motivation. More than 80% of employers believe that the Living Wage had enhanced the quality of the work of their staff, while absenteeism had fallen by approximately 25%. Becoming a Living Wage Employer By paying the Living Wage on this contract, you’re one step closer to being able to accredit as a Living Wage Employer. Living Wage Employers pay all their directly employed staff the real Living Wage and commit to ensure all their third party contracted workers are also paid this rate. There are now over 4,500 Living Wage Employers including organisations like IKEA, Nationwide, Oxfam, ITV, Nestle, Aviva and LUSH. If you’d like to find out more, please go to: www.livingwage.org.uk/become-a-living-wageemployer #LivingWage

According to the Environment Agency more than 330 million tons of waste is produced in the UK each year, 23% of which comes directly from the commercial sector. Fortunately, this figure is decreasing year on year, but we’ve still got a long way to go. In our own homes we have been separating our general household waste from our recyclable materials for years, but it seems to be harder to convince people to adopt this in the workplace. One of the biggest reasons for this is due to each desk having its own bin. It’s so easy for staff just to throw everything into the same bin without thinking, it’s become a bad habit. By removing desk bins and moving to a centralised system colleagues are held more accountable for separating their waste. The decision to remove personal desk bins and to only use centralised bins is not always an easy one. In a straw poll of Facility Managers conducted by the FMJ it was revealed that removing individual desk bins was the one thing that was guaranteed to incense staff! We have worked with many clients to implement central collection systems. Each time we see the centralised system implemented, we find there is initial employee push-back with the removal of desk bins. However, as with any new program, employees get used to the new system, especially when they learn that their efforts are really working. Besides being positive for the environment, centralised waste bins will save money, break negative recycling habits and allow staff to focus on other tasks. Currently, there’s no reason for people to be lazy about recycling, especially when there’s so much at stake. At WORKPLACE we encourage all our clients to move towards a centralised bin system. The system works because it makes people get up (literally) and think about what they are throwing away. With desk bins, busy employees are not paying as much attention to the items they were discarding and whether they could be recycled. The decision to move to a centralised system is often a fantastic way to kick start an environmental awareness campaign, as it directly affects everyone in the building. It could count towards your CSR and have an impact on your companies’ carbon neutrality. Additional benefits to the centralised collection system: a reduction in labour for collection of trash and recyclables (cleaning staff no longer need to spend time emptying bins across the floors), and a significant reduction in the use of small bin liners #recycling #employeeengagement

Today marks the start of National Work Life Week; an opportunity for employees and employers to reflect on how they can improve the work/life balance within their company. Created by Working Families, a charity that supports parents, carers, and people with family commitments, to achieve their full potential at home as well as at work; National Work Life Week aims to raise awareness of how important a healthy work/life balance is to both the employee and the employer. Here are just a few ideas from our staff of how we have taken part this week…. Our Head Office staff are offered the opportunity of work-flexibility to balance work and home life. This can be as simple as leaving early to attend a school performance or sporting event or in other cases, where possible we allow our staff to work flexible hours remotely, so they can work around their family commitments. Lunch time walks, or exercise/relaxation/meditation classes are actively encouraged for those who do prefer to come into the office. Getting away from your desk for just 10 mins and enjoying the fresh air can have an amazing effect on your mood. Spending as little as 15 minutes a day out in the fresh air can build up your levels of vitamin D. Our mobile workforce is supplied with tablets and mobile devices, so they can work from any location such as coffee shops or Client’s offices. They are encouraged to manage their own scheduled focusing more on their productivity rather than the hours they clock up. Participation in team building activities is strongly encouraged. Our Head Office took on an allotment at the beginning of 2018. The plot is only 500 yards from the office and can be visited during breaks and in our staff’s spare time. We have grown and shared some delicious vegetables this spring and are hoping for simple success this autumn! You can get some more great ideas and resources by visiting the Working Families website and downloading their free toolkit. You can also engage with Working Families on social media and join in the discussion on how to improve peoples’ work/life balance. #WorkLifeWeek #workplacewellbeing

One of the biggest areas of concern for those of us working within the commercial cleaning industry is the spread of infection. But who really is responsible for infection control in the workplace? The cleaning operatives? The client? The staff and their visitors? Well the simple answer is EVERYONE! Our management team have a responsibility to make sure that our operatives are appropriately trained to reduce the risk of infection using the correct cleaning products and techniques on site at all times. That’s why this week we arranged for them to attend the Infection Control Train the Trainer course at our Head Office here in Berkshire. This fast-paced training session was rolled out to help our Account Managers to consistently communicate with their teams, set clear tasks, give proper feedback on all aspects of infection control and share preventative measures. They also learnt how to demonstrate the ability to listen to the needs of their colleagues and provide coach-like guidance when required. But our Clients and their staff must also share some of the responsibility. A simple and effective way to do this is to encourage better hand washing practises. This sounds obvious but recent research suggests that only about half of people going to the toilet wash their hands afterwards – and that 11% of us have the same germs on our hands as you’d find in a dirty toilet bowl. We believe workplaces should encourage their staff, whatever their profession, to keep their hands clean, especially after using the toilet and before consuming food. Just a few simple steps such as having soap in staff washrooms and hand sanitiser available can make a big difference to staff sickness rates. Having a business with healthy staff is key in the ever-changing economic environment. According to the Global Handwashing Day website although people around the world wash their hands with water, many do not wash their hands with soap at critical moments, including after going to the toilet and before handling or eating food. The challenge is to transform hand-washing with soap from an abstract good idea into an automatic behaviour carried out in homes, schools, workplaces and communities. Could Hot Desking be to blame? Hot desking is believed to cut the running costs of an office by up to 30%, making it a popular choice with employers. But some surveys say more than a quarter of companies have reported an increase in staff sickness since it's been introduced. Given that over half of office-workers still insist on eating lunch at their desks, it’s perhaps unsurprising that keyboards can be a breeding ground for germs. A study in 2014 found that the average office keyboard, along with the mouse and phone, can contain as many as 10 million bacteria – some of which are harmful and can cause illness. However, at WORKPLACE, we believe this can be greatly reduced by simply introducing best practice which requires each employ to wipe the workstation down with an antibacterial wipe after each use. Please feel free to contact our Help Desk for more information. And it’s not just offices! According to a study carried out by the American Journal of Infection Control, ‘The use of an alcohol gel hand sanitiser in the classroom provided an overall reduction in absenteeism due to infection by 19.8% among 16 elementary schools and 6,000 students.’ This simple act of washing your hands could save more lives than any vaccine or medical intervention, preventing the spread of infection and keeping children in school and employees in their place of work. Hopefully we can also motivate our clients to embrace and share proper hand-washing practices learned at the workplace back into their homes and communities. #infectioncontrol #preventativemeasures #sickness #Handwashing #training #Hygienicworkplace

This month we became an approved signatory of the Prompt Payment Code (PPC). The Prompt Payment Code (PPC) sets standards for payment practices and best practice and is administered by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management. Compliance with the principles of the Code is monitored and enforced by the Prompt Payment Code Compliance Board. The Code covers prompt payment, as well as wider payment procedures. Cash is the fuel of growth for small and medium businesses and is crucial to their well-being. Without prompt payment, cash flow suffers, employees may not get paid and the livelihoods of many are put at risk. We pride ourselves on our ethical stance and champion the cause of small and medium businesses. WORKPLACE is a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code. We encourage all of our suppliers to adopt the Code which undertakes to: 1. Pay suppliers on time within the terms agreed at the outset of the contract without attempting to change payment terms retrospectively without changing practice on length of payment for smaller companies on unreasonable grounds 2. Give clear guidance to suppliers providing suppliers with clear and easily accessible guidance on payment procedures ensuring there is a system for dealing with complaints and disputes which is communicated to suppliers advising them promptly if there is any reason why an invoice will not be paid to the agreed terms 3. Encourage Good Practice by requesting that lead suppliers encourage adoption of the code throughout their own supply chains For more information please send us an email: sayhello@workplace.co.uk

Back in the first quarter of 2017 we signed up to TWO completely free and flexible colleague reward schemes! One was called The Work Perk and the other Gems at Work. The Work Perk believe that hard work deserves perks and we couldn’t agree more! Whilst we were working on our big company rebrand last year we came to the conclusion that we wanted to be able to give our colleagues some fun little treats from time to time. After some digging around on social media we managed to snag some amazing products from a variety of suppliers, and all they ask for in return is for us to post our staff enjoying the products via social media and answer a brief survey. These two clever marketing agencies deliver new – as well as household names & family favourites - right to your place of work. Sounds simple? Well it really is! By either opting in (or out) depending on the product they send a package of goodies for our teams to explore, try and then give feedback on. So far, our colleagues have sampled Nature Valley bars, Innocent Coconut Water, Cadbury’s Crème Eggs, Mitchum Antiperspirant sprays, Neutrogena Hydro Boost®, Clipper Green Tea, BeVita Soft Bakes, Carabao energy drinks & some rather useful Post-It notes! Looking for a great way to reward your workforce? Why not sign your team up today? #workperk #employeeengagement

What could be better than a good old cuppa? In the age of trendy coffee shops, it’s amazing to discover that tea is the second-most drunk beverage after water. Tea has long been thought to have health benefits. (One 17th-century Dutch doctor claimed to drink between 50 to 100 cups a day.) Although it is not a miracle cure, modern scientists also suggest that tea is good for you. Just last week, a study claimed that a cup of tea instantly boosts creativity. Led by Yan Huang of the university's School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, the team arranged two experiments, each with a group of university students who were asked to drink either tea or water upon entering the facility but did not know that drinking had anything to do with the experiments. In the first experiment, the volunteers were asked to build something "creative and attractive" out of blocks. In the second experiment, they were asked to come up with a "cool" name for a new ramen restaurant. Results were judged by other non-participating students for creativity and design, and researchers marked the scores on a scale. In both experiments, the tea drinkers performed better than the water drinkers. The tea drinkers’ results were found to be significantly more innovative than those who drank just plain water. It would appear that drinking tea boosts creativity. From the study's discussion section, the researchers wrote: "We observed the same effect of tea in both the spatial cognitive test and the semantic test. It seems that drinking tea has a solid and consistent positive effect on divergent creativity. More importantly, we found that the effect of tea on divergent creativity performance took place at the second half period of the experiment, revealing that the role of tea is to keep the performance of divergent creativity for a relatively long-lasting period of time." The reason for these finds are not completely clear, although previous studies linking tea drinking to innovation have found that caffeine and theanine, two biological ingredients in tea, boost attention, which could help enhance creativity. So, before you pop out for your next Triple, Venti, Half Sweet, Non-Fat, Caramel Macchiato why not re-think the humble cup of tea? Surely, we must all agree that it is the best drink ever? #tea #creativity

Please join us in extending best wishes to our Thames Valley Account Manager Brenda Pithers, who officially retires from WORKPLACE on 30th March 2018. Brenda has been a well-respected member of the operations team for over 10 years, and she will be greatly missed by clients and colleagues alike. With more than 30 years in the industry there is little Brenda doesn’t know about commercial cleaning! She joined WORKPLACE in 2008 through an acquisition of her former company Endless Cleaning. She brought with her a long list of loyal clients and devoted staff. ‘Being out on the road, facing new challenges every day,’ has been one of the biggest highlights for Brenda over the years. She goes on to say ‘I’ve been lucky enough to work with some amazing people whose commitment to their Clients and myself has made the decision to retire that much harder.’ Operations Director, Martin Wells commented that 'We have all benefited from Brenda’s wealth of experience and knowledge, which has made her one of the most popular Account Managers in our team. She will be sorely missed and impossible to replace.’ Brenda will however, remain with us in a less formal capacity for a while longer until her successor has been found and settles into their new role. We know you will all join us in wishing Brenda well as she starts a new chapter in her interesting life. We understand she is eager to catch up on travelling and spending more time with her grandchildren which she loves so much. We hope you will be able to join us as we express our appreciation to her. #Retirement #employee

The spring tradition of cleaning shouldn’t just be confined to your own home. Let us tell you why you should consider a deep clean of these 10 key areas in your workplace. 1. Windows When the beautiful early spring sunshine starts to make an appearance, the temptation is to fling open the blinds to make the most of it. Unfortunately, the harsh winter weather can leave them looking smeared and ‘cloudy’. Consider starting a periodic cleaning schedule this February so you can maintain a higher standard all year round. This can include interior windows & partition glazing as well as exterior cleans which make a world of different in highly populated areas. 2. Carpets Spot cleaning your carpets can be a quick fix. This works great for coffee spills and muddy foot prints but for higher-traffic areas, you’ll need to consider a professional carpet clean three or four times a year. Spring is a great time to start although once you notice that your carpet's looking dirty, we’d suggest you have it cleaned for health and hygiene reasons. 3. Electrical Devices Telephone and keyboard sterilisation is a must after the cold & flu season. It will improve hygiene standards which is particularly useful in a ‘hot desk’ environment. You could arrange for this to be done as part of your periodic cleaning schedule or we can supply wet wipes for your staff to use at the end of their shift? 4. Gutters If you didn’t get them done before the winter now is a good time to think about having your gutters cleared. Using an industrial specialised vacuum system, we are able to reach 40 feet or more in the air whilst our operators work safely from ground level. Where required we have a high-tech cctv cameras mounted at the top of our vacuum system or on inspection poles giving the perfect viewing angle for our operators to get to even the most difficult angles. 5. Entrance Ways The entrance to your workplace should be inviting for all that cross the threshold. Staff, clients, contractors and visitors all have to step through your main entrance to gain access to the building. Clean door glass and push plates certainly give the right impression and are such a simple thing to achieve. Personalised welcome mats are also a great addition to your reception area and can successfully promote your business and corporate identity. Often the first (and last) opportunity to reinforce company branding, promote your corporate colours and advertising slogan, they can be scheduled for collection and cleaning on a rotation basis. 6. Painted Walls Maintenance is crucial to keeping a crisp paint job looking fresh. To do this, Martin Wells, Operations Director of WORKPLACE, suggests adding spot cleaning of your walls to your weekly specification. Our team will then do a sweep while they are carrying out their daily tasks. If, on the other hand spot cleaning just won’t cut it, then consider a refresh of the paint itself. Our painting & decorating services can be completed out of business hours. 7. White Goods Refrigerators & dishwashers in kitchenettes and break-out areas can really be put through their paces on a daily basis. But have you ever stopped to think when was the last time they were thoroughly cleaned? To ensure these heavy-duty appliances continue to work efficiently we suggest a full clean is carried out and then a follow up is scheduled on a quarterly basis starting this spring! This means the outside and inside. What about adding a full annual service to your schedule at the same time? 8. Floors Floor surfaces are exposed to abrasion from foot traffic, spillages and dirt which, without protection, can cause dulling of the floor surface and eventually wear it away. Now the harsher winter months are behind us, you should consider a complete strip & seal of the main areas. Using a permanent sealant early in the year will prevent the requirement for similar costly procedures at a later date. Once the ingrained dirt has been removed, the colours of the floor are enhanced and the floor will have a higher and more even shine. An annual deep clean should be all that is required. 9. Outdoor Furniture If your workplace is lucky enough to have some outdoor space, now is the time to start thinking about having all of the benches, tables and paving slabs pressure washed before the outdoor season begins! Our grounds maintenance teams can also help with littering picking, sweeping, weed killing, hedge trimming and flower bed design & care. 10. Air Conditioning Units And finally, in anticipation of the warmer weather it would be worth considering having your air conditioning system cleaned and serviced. It is important to maintain and clean the units regularly, as having a clean air handling unit and clean duct-work will remove any pollutants. Failure to keep the units clean can also lead to corrosion inside the system’s components which can lead to contamination or even moisture levels mounting up creating mould, both of which can be deposited throughout your workplace. To book in for a free consultation with one of our experts for any these services please email services@workplacesolutions.co.uk #springclean #Top10 #windowcleaning #carpetcleaning #specialistservices

Towards the end of 2017 we partnered with HygienEco Washrooms Limited, a UK distributed for a range of air purification products called AirSteril. These amazingly innovative devises are a cost-effective solution to eliminating offensive odour and preventing the spread of illness and infection within your work space, whether it be an office, school, medical centre or any type of public access space. They don’t need to be limited to your washroom area as their smart design would work equally well in canteens, receptions, waiting rooms or offices. THE THREAT The number of flu-related hospital admissions in the UK has tripled in a week, with one in four of those patients suffering from the deadliest strain, Australian flu. Aussie flu or H3N2 is one of the strains of flu circulating this year and caused havoc in Australia over their winter as one of the ‘worst flu seasons they had faced in decades’. According to The Telegraph The latest statistics suggest around 4.5 million people in England are suffering "influenza-like symptoms". Last week, 24 people died from flu in the UK. According to Public Health England, the total number of those with flu in hospital has risen from 1,280 to 3,750 in a week, a 2.9-fold rise. In 8 hours, a single bacteria cell could multiply to over 16.7 million. PREVENTATIVE MEASURES In the midst of one of the worse flu seasons we’ve seen in recent years employers are having to look at securing better preventative measures. A recent study has shown that average sickness absence per employee in the UK stands at almost 6 days each year, which costs the GB economy around £16 billion! AirSteril technology could bring about significant savings if applied to all workplaces and commercial premises, as well as improving the health and well-being of the users. By improving the air quality in enclosed spaces, you can offer your staff and visitors a healthier environment in which to frequent. Cleaning alone will not remove odours and the causes of odours - bacteria, viruses, mould, fungi and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in the air and on surfaces. That’s why we recommend the AirSteril system to all our clients. THE BENEFITS Removes embarrassing odours by treating the root cause Eliminates bacteria and viruses in the air and on surfaces Destroys mould and fungi Reduces absenteeism Reduces chemical usage Eliminates need for masking agents Provides fresh clean air Sanitises all exposed surfaces 24/07 Demonstrates best hygiene practice to customers For more information on the range of produces we can supply, please contact our Services Team for more information. services@workplacesolutions.co.uk #sickness #airpurification #preventativemeasures

New Year resolutions - easy to make, and easy to break. People have been pledging New Year personal & business resolutions for years. It's very easy to make resolutions in the wake of the new year but most of us are more familiar with the difficulty of sticking to them! At WORKPLACE we offer a unique Facilities Service Schedule to help you stay on track! It is possible but it does take focus, planning, and a determination to stick with the resolutions so we would like to offer a helping hand. FOCUS ON ONE CHANGE AT A TIME. Rather than trying to have several large changes underway at once, such as: bringing multiple soft services together under one supplier sourcing a new window & gutter cleaner improving the overall appearance of the main reception focusing on the outside space of your workplace arranging a high level clean of the kitchen & break area We suggest breaking down them down into smaller lots and focus on one single resolution at a time. If you would like some help setting up your new Facilities Schedule please contact us on 0844 561 1760 or email our Service Team today! #2018 #Resolutions #periodiccleaning