People in FM
Workshops and project groups are excellent ways to open dialogue and in 2025, Samsic launched a Cultural Transformation programme, with a focus on co-creating new values, behaviours, and beliefs alongside frontline voices. This wasn’t a top-down initiative - it was built through employee workshops, listening sessions, and feedback loops that directly influenced the company’s new direction. In line with this, Samsic UK established a Workplace Council with representatives from different roles and regions, trained in communication and peer support. These members act as safe points of contact for colleagues to raise concerns or ideas, and they meet regularly with HR leadership to escalate themes that matter to the wider workforce.
It is important that the council members are accessible during work hours and can be approached if colleagues need help or want to discuss issues or share ideas. These representatives should then have the opportunity to share views in a safe, structured meeting, essentially by reporting directly back to HR or the managing director.
Varied methods of translated communication such as WhatsApp groups, SMS, emails, posters, screensavers, newsletters and notes can all be utilised, ensuring every team member is reached, regardless of shift or site. Such tools can effectively deliver messages and provide ample opportunity for feedback, ideas and thoughts. They can help to prevent people feeling isolated, and reassure them that they can speak up about work and their feelings knowing that support, such as mental health first aiders, is there to help them, and strengthen that emotional safety net.
Continual reinforcement that the line managers are listening, taking action and supporting people therefore helps to create the right psychological space for people to feel empowered to speak up. It means people can be encouraged to speak out on all aspects of the business, including processes, ESG, employee welfare, charity work, recognition, and personal issues.
After that, it is a case of actions speaking louder than words. There is no point having people put ideas forward if nothing is ever acted upon. This could become deeply demoralising and result in people becoming silent and disengaged. Listening to ideas, putting them into practice and letting people know about it is therefore essential. As a result, staff turnover at Samsic has decreased, and there has been an uptick in employee engagement metrics across key accounts. Clients have commented on the improved morale and stability of teams - showing that internal voice and external performance are deeply connected.
Importantly, the Work Council is not just a platform to hear issues, but also listen to ideas as it gives the business essential insight. By exploring communication avenues, a support structure can be created, from surveys, work councils and mental health first aiders to open line management structures, whereby people can share their feelings, concerns, and ideas. Managers also feel valued to share workload concerns or pressures because their staff are going to be heard and their thoughts valued.
Samsic UK also implemented feedback loop training for line managers - helping them acknowledge staff input, communicate what is being done, and publicly celebrate suggestions that lead to improvements. These micro-moments build long-term trust.
It is also important that all areas of the business regularly meet, as the meetings provide another opportunity to listen, to discuss what’s happening, what’s missing, what’s wrong, what’s right and provide a constant opportunity to check-in. At site level, internal meetings and surveys are invaluable. Regular meetings therefore offer space to listen, surface challenges, celebrate success, and maintain continuous feedback loops.
Company conferences give directors a perfect platform to
share what is happening, what ideas are being activated, and the results. They also provide an opportunity for staff at all levels to ask questions and help shape the future of the business through feedback and ideas. It is essential that all feedback is seen as a gift, especially any negative comments, as this is where improvement lies.
In facilities management, there are often additional logistical challenges and language barriers to overcome. Cleaning and security staff don’t always work nine to five, with varying shift patterns, full- time and part-time, and people are often spread across different sites; so simply calling a meeting does not always work.
Consistent messaging from leadership can also be reinforced, making people understand that there are no wrong questions or bad ideas. A ‘no blame’ culture can be promoted, focussing on improvement, not fault. Psychological safety can therefore become the cultural norm embedded through sustained leadership behaviours, the use of structured mechanisms to hear and implement ideas and by providing visible follow-up. If people truly feel they are being heard and the company is listening, it can have a direct impact on motivation and loyalty, measurable by their performance for their clients.
At Samsic UK, we have learned: ● Giving people a voice works only when action follows. ● Feedback needs to be gathered in formats that work for your workforce - not just HR. ● Culture doesn’t change in the boardroom - it changes in break rooms, WhatsApp chats, and toolbox talks. ● And finally, the more visible your follow-through, the more likely your teams are to speak up again.
Giving people a voice can help to create a synergy between a happy, well trained, and motivated workforce and the delivery of a first-class service which, in turn, can grow market position.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.samsic.uk/
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