BUSINESS
Adapting to a new environment
Many industries across the UK are facing unprecedented challenges amidst Covid-19. Chris Windass, managing director of Incentive Tec, reflects on how a leading building services company has continued to provide essential works during the pandemic.
A
s a building services company providing a range of maintenance services to over 300 clients across a diverse range of locations, the unprecedented
event of Covid-19 has presented a challenge like no other. We originally saw 75% of our workforce furloughed, though in recent months we have seen a significant increase in work due to the reopening of some client buildings, increasing the demand for our services particularly in air conditioning. There is no doubt that much of the advice regarding air conditioning maintenance, filters and ventilation systems has been confusing during this pandemic. Many of our clients have sought clarity from us
and often expected rapid responses to their concerns regarding preparing their buildings and building services for repatriation – this has included the servicing, cleaning and disinfecting of cooling and ventilation installations. This increased demand on our maintenance services
has now resulted in the company reducing the number of furloughed staff to just 20% of the workforce. To ensure we could continue to support our clients
during the initial phase of the pandemic we initially aimed to maintain a skeleton crew, offering clients a fantastic support from our specialist admin team and engineers.
However, as the demand for services has increased we are now operating at circa 80% capacity.
Working with the NHS One of our longstanding clients, the Leicester NHS Trust, is a key working organisation that has had to increase its
14 July 2020
buildings services efforts to stay ahead of the pandemic. It has been a great honour to see our specialist crews working extensively to make sure air conditioning and ventilation systems are clean and are being maintained to industry standards. Our contract managers have all stepped up during this time to prioritise our NHS and critical contract cleints and carry out regular servicing of all equipment on various sites as well as covering breakdowns and callouts while this pandemic is ongoing. Our teams have managed to carry out the majority of works while observing health and safety guidelines for PPE and social distancing whenever possible. Our engineers have often flexed their working day to meet the challenges of the environment they are working within. One approach has been to arrive on sites early in the day to carry out key tasks and minimise the risk of coming into contact with others. This has allowed us to make good progress across much of our client portfolio that now includes leading operators like Lakeland and Ealing Broadway. As many commercial offices begin to stagger their
return back to the ‘normal working’, our engineering teams and customers need to have confidence that the unseen aspects of managing and maintaining healthy buildings are in good hands. For everyone in the building services industry, Covid- 19 has tested every aspect of our service delivery to the limit. However, with a clear, adaptable plan, and open communications with clients, engineers and administrators, we have found that success has still been possible for us, and our customers.
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