10 Questions with... Barrie Torbett
Each month we ask a cleaning industry professional the
Tomorrow’s Cleaning 10 Questions. This month, we chatted to Barrie Torbett, Master of The Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners.
1
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? When I was 12, I had a paper round and was a weekend
market porter for the fishmonger in Bracknell Market. These experiences taught me the need for reliability, consistency and punctuality, as all of these things are essential as a self-starter, but also a team player. The downside was being followed home by cats on a Saturday evening...
2
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE CLEANING INDUSTRY? A member of my then girlfriend’s (now wife of 45 years)
family had a cleaning company, so I took a summer job doing builders cleans before my GCSE exams and never returned to school. That was 50 years ago. We set up our own company in 1981, and the rest is history.
3 4
5
WHICH THREE WORDS DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Gregarious, pragmatic, and assertive.
IF YOU COULD VISIT ONE PLACE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU GO AND WHY?
Japan. I admire their culture, architecture and the way they look after and respect their elders. We could learn a lot from their culture about delivering services efficiently the first time around.
HOW WOULD YOU IMPROVE THE CLEANING INDUSTRY?
It’s time for our industry to start saying ‘no’ to clients who want to continuously drive their costs down, when the costs of operating our businesses and remaining compliant are consistently on the rise.
Let’s stop the decline of our industry by refusing to take contracts on at ‘any price’. We must negotiate mutually beneficial agreements that deliver against the clients’ requirements, whilst enabling the contractors to maintain a sustainable business.
I also believe that we must return to being independent service providers, rather than divisions of larger FM providers.
6
IF AN INTERN WERE TO START TOMORROW, WHAT’S THE ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU WOULD
GIVE THEM? It’s important to know yourself: what your motivations are, how peers and work colleagues perceive you, understanding your strengths and weaknesses and what you need to work on in order to add value to the business.
64 | 10 QUESTIONS 7
IF YOU WON THE LOTTERY TOMORROW, HOW WOULD YOU SPEND YOUR FORTUNE?
I’d support research into treating dementia and cancer as we have lost so many loved ones to both. While working on this Q&A, my wife suffered a total heart block. Thankfully she survived thanks to the paramedics and ICU team at Frimley Park Hospital – they’re definitely on the list.
8 9
IF YOU COULD HOST A DINNER PARTY AND INVITE ANY THREE PEOPLE, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD
THEY BE AND WHY? Eric Clapton for his music and survival skills, Michael Caine for his storytelling and being an all-round nice guy, and Willie John McBride for his leadership qualities and tales about Ireland and the British Lions rugby tours.
WHAT, DO YOU THINK, IS THE FUTURE OF THE CLEANING INDUSTRY?
We must improve the perception of our industry as an employer of choice and ensure that there are sufficient qualifications available at all levels of experience, recognising employees as professionals in their field.
Alison Minter, Sales Director at InnuScience, asks:
10
WHAT TRAITS AND SKILLS
DO YOU THINK ARE NECESSARY TO BE ABLE TO SUCCEED IN THIS INDUSTRY? A strong work ethic, common sense, listening and people skills. The rest will follow. I recall a story about Richie McCaw, the New Zealand All Blacks Captain, and probably the finest rugby player ever, who was found by a member of the press sweeping the
dressing room floor after an International match. When asked why, his response was ‘because it’s my turn’.
www.wc-ec.com
Check out next month’s issue to see what Barrie asked our next industry professional...
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