And right now we must live in the present. We will beat COVID-19 and we will have the satisfaction of knowing that, despite the difficulties, Ashdown Phillips and our clients kept our occupiers serviced, met their needs on a daily basis and maintained the exemplary standards we are known for.

It has been inspirational to see how everyone has pulled together; our Facilities Management and Shopping Centre Management teams, the front of house teams, the cleaning operatives, security staff, and engineers. Every one of our service partners has stepped up and delivered duties above and beyond the norm, from the hourly ‘touch point’ cleans with antibacterial wipes and email updates to occupiers on post/deliveries, to online competitions to keep our communities engaged. Above all, they have done so with a smile and have made time to have a chat with everyone who has been working with us to keep our buildings open during what is, at least for the moment, the new “normal”.

With the unprecedented reduction in occupation levels, we have undertaken a forensic review of the day to day running of the properties we manage and have reviewed all areas with potential for cost reduction without compromising service or operational standards. Small things like the weekly fresh flowers on reception have been cancelled for now, but you may still see a bunch of homegrown flowers on the desk to brighten the day. The weekly magazines are on hold but, when our occupiers return, so will they. We have reduced our internal cleaning, window cleaning and waste collections in proportion to our occupation levels, but at all times ensuring these remain appropriate to the service levels required for our buildings.

We are working and communicating with our service partners on a daily (or more often hourly!) basis and building even stronger relationships. We are sharing great ideas and initiatives, looking at the world through our occupiers’ eyes and pressing the reset button for the properties we manage and the services we provide to them. This means that when we are through this, we can collectively assure our occupiers they are able to come back to the safe, clean and well-managed buildings they love.

Julie Gunther, Senior Facilities Manager