This month our CEO Paul Connolly was interviewed by the charity Mindful Employer Leeds to allow them to gain insight into how one small business has prioritised staff wellbeing during the pandemic. As a Mindful Employer, it is really important to us to be able to share our knowledge and promote healthy work practices we use to assist other companies in supporting their staff. To find out how we have kept up team morale and ensured everybody’s safety over the past 14 months, please read on.

The UK government has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050. Made in 2019, it was the first legally binding net zero carbon pledge for a major global economy. In order to achieve the status carbon neutral, the UK has now put forward a series of funding options to assist in the effort to reach this pledged target of 2050. Included in this is the £213 million investment in seven of the UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) research councils which will allow them to provide sustainable energy infrastructure upgrades, research carbon neutral technologies and regenerate older spaces. There is also £170 million of funding for the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge, which is looking for carbon neutral technologies and infrastructure solutions that will create a large scale reduction of carbon emissions in a way that can be reproduced efficiently across the UK, and the world.

At 300North we specialise in Facilities Management, Construction and Property Recruitment. We pride ourselves on being able to deliver quality candidates to companies across the industry regardless of the challenges we all collectively face. This year has been particularly challenging, but we have continued to support the needs of the market and have maintained our people focused approach to recruiting. The FM sector has had a vital role to play during the pandemic and thus a continued need to recruit both temporary and permanent staff. We have seen a noticeable increase in clients looking for short term temporary staff to cover employees having to isolate for two weeks, particularly across the healthcare sector; and given it’s currently a busy time for FM post a second national lockdown and with businesses and workplaces continuing to reopen, this has led to some tight turnarounds for our team who have risen to the challenge!

FM is already paving the way for UK recovery in the jobs market, with vacancies in workplace relocation, workplace management, security and sustainability opening across the sector. Cleaning alone has seen a 14% increase in job postings. This flexibility in FM and the willingness to train new workers from outside of the sector means that they are set to remain at the forefront of the UK’s economic recovery.

In the current market, FM companies can work to employ talented new workers with a diverse range of skills gained from previous employment. Transferrable skills such as strategic planning, project management, leadership and adaptability are all vital in FM, and could be gained in a range of other roles. FM can also be a great starting point for young people coming out of education, and a drive to recruit the best of those would be beneficial to the sector in the short and long term.

What is sustainability?

Sustainability has had an increasingly significant impact in the minds of both consumers and businesses in the past few decades. Consumers now more than ever expect the businesses they buy from to acknowledge their corporate social responsibility and maintain overt sustainability practices. In 2019 the GlobalWebIndex found that “42% of U.S. and UK consumers say products that use sustainable materials are important in their day-to-day purchasing”. This is important as data from the WorldBank in 2018 shows that these countries are respectively the fifth and first largest consumer markets globally. Even more crucial is the 2020 reporting from GlobalWebIndex which found that “84% [of consumers] say a poor environmental track record would or might cause them to stop buying from a brand”.

300 North Statement on Covid-19

As the world continues to navigate the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, we want to provide reassurance to our clients, candidates and our wider network in the FM & Construction sectors, that 300 North remain fully committed to supporting you.

Earlier in the year we were delighted to become an official supporter of Smart Works Leeds, a charity that supports getting unemployed women into work. Since then we’ve been busy raising money for Smart Works by cycling many miles in the run up to International Women’s Day, and attending the powerful ‘Reigniting the Fire’ Smart Talks event.

At 300 North, we like to feel on fire about the issues and causes we're passionate about.

Well it certainly has been a whirlwind couple of weeks hasn't it! The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt in every corner of business & society all throughout the world. From the outset, the wellbeing of our team, our clients, our workers and market colleagues has been of utmost importance.

At 300 North, our team has been working remotely since the 17th March as we have always been set-up to do so. Thankfully for us there was little change allowing us to immediately continue our normal service. Of course we have truly missed the physical presence of our team and our peers but we’re finding new ways of working and socialising and benefitting at the other side from spending time with our families. We’re choosing to make the most of this time, press the pause button on other aspects of life, enjoy the small things and looking forward to sunnier days.

We want to send a message of support from our team to yours, to let you know we are here if you need us. From a business perspective, we appreciate that everyone is facing different hurdles and it may be particularly challenging for you and your colleagues at the moment. Please be assured that we are here and ready to support and help you in any way that we can. We are in contact with all of our clients and contractors, checking in on their health and wellbeing on a regular basis.

We are also keen to help ensure the continuation and safe working environments of buildings, estates and facilities that we support. We would encourage our colleagues on critical infrastructure sites to get touch if they need help with maintaining staffing levels at this challenging time. We are already working to support our Hospitals, Schools, Local and National Government sites, MOD, Fire and Utilities among others – please get in touch with us if you can offer help or need further resources for your teams.

We hope that you are all safe and well, and continue to be so.

From all the team at 300 North

300 NORTH - THE EXPERTS IN FACILITIES MANAGEMENT RECRUITMENT, DELIVERING THE BEST PEOPLE HASSLE FREE.

WE BELIEVE IN BEING A PEOPLE BUSINESS THAT ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT PEOPLE.

GET IN TOUCH TO FIND OUT HOW WE CAN HELP YOU WITH YOUR RECRUITMENT NEEDS BY VISITING THE 300 NORTH WEBSITE OR CALLING 0113 336 5161.

300 North are delighted to provide this guest blog, written by Baskar Sundaram at Bacchu RAIN, market development and strategic research specialists for the built environment. We would like to thank Baskar and his team for providing these insights to our clients and candidates in the Facilities Management sector.

Joe Firth

I am the Director of 300 North's Construction & Engineering team. I work within the MEP Contracting, FM Lifecycle, Capital Works Projects and Construction sectors. I also manage the Hard Services Engineering covering Engineers & Back office support plus our Specialist Fire Engineering team. We recruit both freelance & permanent hires for our clients.

Tell Us About Your Professional Background

I started my recruitment career working on M&E trades, initially recruiting electricians, plumbers and pipefitters on sites around Yorkshire. I then progressed to white collar M&E permanent placements and gradually moved into FM along the way.

What Do You Like Doing Outside Of Work?

Outside of work I love spending time with my wife and young daughter. I'm also keen on a spot of gardening, with a hidden talent for making a mean hanging basket!

Tell Us Something About Yourself That People Won't Know

I'm originally from Essex for my sins!

If You Won The Lottery What Would You Buy?

Definitely a ridiculous supercar like a Bugatti.