We are delighted to have recently awarded longstanding Cleaning Operative, David Bird, his 10 Year Service Award!
A true ‘Black Country gent’, David has been a mainstay within the regions key and most respected financial institution namely, The West Brom Building Society (WBBS)!
David Bird (C) receiving his 10 Year Service Award alongside Adele Hayward, Head of Operations, Mark Brayford, Corporate Facilities Manager, We Clean Director, Paul Concannon and Contract Manager Jane Shields.
A decade is a long period of time and over the last few years in particular the cleaning industry and the landscape within which our teams operate has changed dramatically but there certain qualities and traits that will always stand the test of time within our industry and that is loyalty and commitment.
Our staff work extremely hard, often rising early in the morning to ensure iconic venues and household names across the Midlands are ready for the working day and it gives us immense pride that nearly 30% of our employees have been doing this with us for 10 years or more.
To have such a large percentage of our 600+ cleaning staff working with we clean for this length of time is outstanding in an industry that is often recognised as being a transient workplace setting and highlights the genuine career paths that are available to all staff working within our organisation!
Kicking off his career with we clean all those years ago David was initially under the tutelage of our retired Contract Manager Lynn Gill who helped mould David into the highly skilled and diligent Operative that he is today, complimented by a wonderful ‘work ethic’ he has been able to service The West Brom’s state-of-the-art Head Office for many years achieving excellent results.
“David is a very unassuming member of our team and simply gets on with his work, day in day out. I count myself fortunate to have him within the team and I am very proud to see him join the coveted ’10 Year we clean Club’!
Another person who has witnessed David’s growth and development over this time is Mark Brayford, Corporate Facilities Manager at The West Brom. Mark has always championed our on-site staff to develop both personally and professionally, commenting:
“David is a popular member of the we clean team at the WBBS Head Office. He is well known and liked and has a reputation for his helpfulness and a passion to maintain the high cleaning standards set. Nothing is ever too much trouble and we value David greatly and congratulate him on the recognition of his 10 Years of committed service.”
David is very much we clean, his professionalism, humility and that overriding sense of integrity epitomises completely our unique Company Ethos with a desire and passion to do the job right!!
Well done David we are proud to have you in our team – here’s to the next 10 years!”
Our central Birmingham portfolio is very much at the heart of our core cleaning operations – upon our inception in 2003 it was our sole aim to service Birmingham and the variety of facilities that make our city so great!
Over the past 21 years our organisation developed somewhat and we are fortunate to serve a number of iconic venues and market leading office building facilities within the city. As we have grown, so too has our city centre contract management team…
Overseen by Contract Manager Debbie Rhodes, we have established a robust Contract Management Support System with the internal progression of Dale Brewer and Melissa Rowe.
Initially starting their career as frontline Cleaning Operatives Dale and Melissa have displayed a genuine passion and desire to evolve within our business, supporting both Debbie and our ever-growing client base.
L-R: Paul Concannon, Director, Melissa Rowe & Dale Brewer Contract Management Support and Debbie Rhodes, Contract Manager Central Birmingham
As an Investors In People (IIP) accredited organisation, we have long championed the progression of our people and we understand the importance of operational staff evolving and flourishing into the long term. Day to day experiences are key to any managerial development but we also recognise the importance of providing formal external training provision so as to remain at the very cutting edge of both cleaning and management disciplines.
A great achievement by both individuals, these courses will equip Dale and Melissa with the tools to support both our city centre cleaning teams and clients alike – ensuring we can continue to deliver the great service we pride ourselves upon!
Melissa and Dale with their certificates!
Debbie as Contract Manager couldn’t be prouder of Dale and Melissa upon the completion of their courses:
“I am really pleased for both Dale and Melissa! They have both shown great discipline to complete these courses alongside their day to day roles and I am excited to see them put their new-found skills into practice.
We have a variety of different contracts across the city and a variety of different cleaning teams, ranging from small 1 operative jobs to bigger, multi-team contracts whereby staff are cleaning at different times of the day and so having the support of Dale and Melissa has enabled us to offer comprehensive management to an array of staff and contracts.
This focus management is what sets us apart from other contractors and so I couldn’t be happier to see Dale and Melissa continue to grow professionally.
With a number of new exciting projects in the pipeline the completion of these courses is timely and we look forward to welcoming a number of new clients over the upcoming summer months as we continue to grow with Birmingham!”
Our philosophy of people development and recognising that we are a people business means the recent progression of Dale and Melissa are two fantastic examples of staff seizing the initiative to go above and beyond to enhance our service offering!
L-R: Director, David Harker, HR & Recruitment Advisor, Jessica Powell, HR Director, Gaynor Powell and Director, Paul Concannon!
It has long been our philosophy to encourage all of our employees to be the very best they can be and Jess is a fantastic example of seizing the initiative to go above and beyond within further education to enhance her day to day role at we clean!
We sat down with Jess herself to discuss her role within our organisation, the modules within a People Management Course and how this will help benefit both Jess and our staff:
So Jess, tell us about your role?
In my role as HR & Recruitment Advisor, I work closely with HR Director Gaynor within our HR Department here at Head Office. This is a busy and varied role that entails all aspects of HR and Recruitment – supporting the ever-growing number of frontline cleaning staff within the business, which we are proud to say is now over 600!
On a day to day basis my role focuses on the whole employee lifecycle, from onboarding and helping new starters, promoting and evolving the company culture and driving our ‘people first ethos’ as well as managing any Employee Relations matters that arise.
With such a large frontline cleaning team, there are often queries from staff and I genuinely enjoy resolving these and I do my utmost to make them feel comfortable and supported within we clean.
From a recruitment perspective, I manage the full whole process, liaising closely with our operational teams to ensure we source the very best candidates for our clients. In recent times due to accelerated growth we can take on anywhere from 10-20 new staff every fortnight so it is essential that we are always working to meet the ever growing demand and ensure that all of these new starters are properly inducted into the business. We are always on the lookout for new talent!
Congratulations, on passing your CIPD in People Management Level 5, what modules did the course cover and how did you find it?
This qualification covers all aspects of ‘People Practice’ including:
Talent Management and Recruitment
Reward & Recognition
Organisational Culture
Employment Law
The course has offered me a really good insight into the CIPD’s standards, building to my existing knowledge base to allow me to excel in my role.
Previously I studied Law at University, specialising in Employment Law. This degree enabled me to start my CIPD qualifications at Level 5 and it was great that I could continue my educational journey – I have significantly benefited from the course and it has given me a great framework for future projects that we are looking to undertake within the HR department and the wider company.
Participating in the course has given me the confidence to carry out my role to the very best of my ability and continue to support our people function.
Whilst enrolled on the course I studied outside of we clean at college for one day per week. This was challenging as I had to balance both my professional career and workload with the course plus along with all of the extra hours spent studying. All the hard work was worth it however, and it has been really rewarding completing the course!
LHow will the course benefit both you and our frontline staff?
On the course I was exposed to the workings of other similar companies and it was great to receive insight into the functions that other HR Departments are carrying out from both a staff support perspective and in terms of business culture.
Within we clean we place great emphasis on supporting our staff, the course weighed heavily in on this facet and that means I now have a whole host of ideas to bring back with me and apply. The course has been so beneficial and I am excited to begin putting it into practice!
What do you enjoy most about working for we clean and the cleaning industry as a whole?
It is great to work for an organisation that has a strong ‘people first’ culture and genuinely cares for its staff. The cleaning industry is typically associated with high staff turnover whereby frontline staff hop from one job to the next but I am proud to be helping our organisation in bucking this trend and helping staff to form long-term futures with we clean!
Working with an experienced HR Director over the past few years has inspired me to pursue my career within HR and the cleaning industry!
I have now been working at we clean for just over 2 years and have enjoyed every second, I would like to thank Directors Paul and David for supporting me in the development of my professional career – I am keen to aim for CIPD Level 7 now and excited by what my immediate future within the business holds!
Following the recent announcement of our Dee Richards Pride Champion Award winner Nick Jeywright we are now delighted to feature our Pride Award Winners for 2023!
Nominated by their respective Contract Managers these recipients of our annual Pride Awards have shown wonderful dedication to their role whilst truly epitomizing the we clean company ethos!
Karen Rutter
We are immensely proud of our longstanding association with The West Brom Building Society and this contract more than most has encapsulated the ‘partnership approach’ required to deliver a seamless professional cleaning service!
This was particularly evident back in 2009 when we clean transferred via TUPE all the in house cleaning staff from the West Brom into our own organisation and one of those transferring staff at the time was Karen Rutter who has now completed a staggering 21 years plus service at the West Brom Building Society Shrewsbury branch.
At the end of December 2023 Paul Concannon Director and Jane Shields Contract Manager were on hand to present a very special Pride Award to Karen as she had taken the decision to finally hang up her duster for the very last time and move into a well-earned retirement!
Karen has been exemplary throughout her longstanding cleaning career and has always displayed a great passion and genuine pride in maintaining high standards within this busy branch and the presentation of a Dee Richards Pride award to Karen on her last working day was certainly a fitting end to her time with both we clean and the West Brom!
Patrick Garrick
Patrick is a highly valued member of our team at St Francis RC Primary School and Contract Manager Maureen immediately saw his potential from the day he joined the we clean, commenting:
“Patrick is loyal, courteous, respectful, helpful and a real joy to work with. He goes above and beyond with his duties and is always there ready to help the other members of team – hence he was the obvious choice to be promoted to the role of Location Manager when the position became available just over 6 months ago”!
“Patrick is very popular with all the teachers and the building manager on site. He is willing to help the clients with any work they ask him to do. He never complains and the one thing I know about Patrick is that he will always have a smile on his face!”
Althea Gordon
Up next is Althea Gordon (or Rosie as she is affectionately known amongst her work colleagues), who carries out her cleaning role in the lofty heights of RSM’s brand new, innovative office space in 103 Colmore Row. Rosie is the Location Manager for this Grade A Commercial Office space and is a credit to we clean.
Debbie Rhodes Contract Manager commented:
“Rosie will cover for me at very short notice and wherever she goes the clients ask for her to stay, testament to both her personality and the service she provides. Rosie shows compassion when needed and takes pride in every job she does. For me Rosie is a huge asset to the Birmingham City Centre operation and is well respected in many buildings”.
Rosie is also very much appreciated by our main client contact, Lisa Nash, Office Manager for RSM Birmingham who was delighted to hear of Althea’s award:
“Rosie is fantastic, nothing is ever too much trouble and she has an excellent eye to detail. We love having her as part of the RSM Team and she is always very polite, working with a smile and generally improving the office atmosphere!”
Nicole Fitzgerald
We head to the East Midlands for our next Pride Award Winner – Nicole Fitzgerald!
Nicole was nominated by Charlene Bowen, East Midlands Contract Manager for her continuous reliability and hard work. Her desire and effectiveness to do the job right is truly outstanding!
Nicole predominantly operates within Nottingham City Centre working within the managed office space of Alan House looking after tenanted clients Watermans and DBC Training whilst also providing valuable cleaning support to RSM Nottingham based in City Gate East.
Nicole was one of the first people employed by Charlene almost 10 years ago and Charlene looks back fondly on Nicole’s career and development with our organisation:
“Nicole is always willing to go the extra mile and is very much liked by the clients in all the buildings in which she works. Each client has expressed how much they appreciate her commitment and reliability which has helped me no end over the past 10 years”!
“What made this award even more special was presenting it to Nicole with Tom Roden who is the Alan House Building Manager. Tom was over the moon and quite emotional seeing Nicole pick up this award which was so pleasing to see as often the cleaning staff can be forgotten but it was clear that Tom as the client genuinely cares for and appreciates Nicole”.
Cynthia Brako
Contract Manager Robb Paton presented Cynthia Brako with her Pride Award at Salts Healthcare Richard Street facility. An immensely enthusiastic individual, Cynthia is bubbly, polite, reliable and very hard working.
Recognised as the longest established family run business in Birmingham Salts Healthcare has gone from strength to strength over the past 5 years or so and their operations have dramatically increased during this time. Cynthia has been very much at the fulcrum of these ever-evolving operational demands proving to be a steady constant, carrying out her full time daily cleaning duties with a smile on her face and offering her support when cover or additional cleaning hours are required.
Michael Fishwick
Michael joined we clean way back in 2007 after being interviewed at the time by Directors David and Paul as we began our exciting journey with the world famous Birmingham Hippodrome!
From the outset ‘Mick’ as he is affectionately known by many within the Theatre showed himself to be a real character, a genuine gem who carries out his daily duties within the auditorium with a beaming smile on his face!
Michael is fully deserving of his Pride Award as he is always arrives early to start his shift and is typically one of the last to leave, he never thinks twice about going above and beyond or doing that little bit extra to meet the required standards and has a passion and desire to do the job right!
Director Paul Concannon took particular pleasure in awarding Michael with his Pride Award, commenting:
“Mick has shown tremendous loyalty to both we clean and the Birmingham Hippodrome over so many years displaying unwavering reliability at all times, he is a genuine team player and has that desire to go the extra mile! As a madly passionate Blues supporter, he is never shy in giving me some banter whenever I visit site but we are immensely proud to have him in our team and he is very deserving of this Dee Richards Pride Award! Well done Mick”!
Sarah Smith and Lee Cox
Our relationship with West Bromwich Albion Football Club as their preferred ‘Cleaning Partner’ kicked off back in 2018 and it has been a thoroughly rewarding period for the company to be associated with this world-renowned footballing institution!
By its very nature, the demands of a bustling football stadium and busy training ground fluctuate greatly, with matchdays and conferencing events creating vast footfall. As a result a robust cleaning service is required, and as part of that we rely greatly on hard working Cleaning Operatives who possess great resilience and desire in what can be described as a diverse cleaning role!
Lee Cox and Sarah Smith have epitomised this consistently over a number of years, coping with the demands that a matchday or pre-season deep clean requires or delivering great attention to detail in Training Ground Physio, Medical & Treatment Room facilities as well as comprehensive gymnasium facility.
Both Lee and Sarah are conscientious by nature and are always happy to either cover or put in extra hours to generate the best outcome for both we clean and WBA FC. In addition both Lee and Sarah work within one of our local educational contracts Elm Tree School where again they shown outstanding levels of service!
Jane Shields Contract Manager commented:
“I cannot thank Lee and Sarah enough they have provided me with wonderful support over the past 12 months particularly – nothing is ever too much trouble and as a ‘duo’ they really do go that extra mile. Our client contact at the Albion Chris Harris is always feeding back so positively to me on the work Lee and Sarah do around the Hawthorns on a daily basis! They very much deserve this recognition”!
Leigh Parcey
Last but very much not least is Leigh Parcey, our Pride Winner from our prestigious HORIBA MIRA Contract in Nuneaton.
Karen Lord, Site Manager and Jean Green, Assistant Manager nominated Leigh for his dedication, proactivity and constant hard work to ensure our service standards on this contract are exemplary!
Despite the fact that Leigh was moving onto pastures new in early 2024 his exit was a very amicable one and both Karen and Jean wanted to recognise the contribution of Leigh to this business during his time with we clean:
“We nominated Leigh Parcey for his exceptional dedication and hard work which never went unnoticed. His commitment to go above, and beyond, was truly commendable, and he had a significant impact upon our team. His outstanding performance and willingness to take on additional responsibility was commendable and he consistently delivered exceptional results, showing a remarkable level of dedication and passion for his work. His positive approach and consistent effort have significantly contributed to the success of the team”.
Leigh is a very deserving recipient of a Dee Richard’s Pride Award and everyone associated with we clean wishes him all the very best for the future!
