February 2015 Message from Chris Dean, Chief Financial Officer Welcome to the February management of the Cleaning business, and edition of the Interr Oweibi Soroh who had been carving out a successful career as a security officer, and has newsletter now moved in to an office role as a supervisor. Please take time to read the articles on the following pages, each of them contributed by one or other of our dedicated Interr employees. The newsletters brings you important information on company developments, as well as features that will be useful for your role whilst working at Interr. You will certainly find something of interest whether you are looking for Security, Reception and Concierge, Cleaning, or Health & Safety and Risk Management news. Please take a look at who is February employee of the month, or find out if there are any job opportunities for you. As my first contribution to the Newsletter front page, being the CFO, I would like to continue on from January’s new business announcements by telling you about a few companies now trusting their Security, Reception and Cleaning requirements to Interr. From early February we started working with The Shop at Bluebird on the King’s Road, and from next month we will be working with James Andrew International at their prestigious Portman House (London W1) location providing both Receptionist and Landlord Security Manned Guarding services. Last week we also secured a new cleaning contract with Drake and Morgan, a London-based bar group, to provide cleaning services for their Regent’s Place venue The Refinery. If you are interested in working at any of these locations please let us know as positions may open up. We are always on the lookout for individuals who want to develop their careers within our head office team too. Notably in recent weeks we have brought Paloma Solis in to a head office role to manage the scheduling and provide support to the supervisors and It’s only through your hard work and dedication to Interr that we continue to provide our clients with the excellent service they have come to expect from us, thereby allowing us to keep growing the business year on year. Interr are moving! By the time you read the next Newsletter we will have moved to our new head office in the heart of the City. The new office will be in Aldgate, on the edge of the Square Mile, which positions us much closer to our clients and will be a lot easier for visitors to get to. We expect to be in our new premises by the end of March. Please keep an eye out for forthcoming announcements. We don’t want you going to the wrong office in April! Our new address is already on our website. For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, we recently launched our new and improved website. I am personally very pleased with the new design and I have recently received some great feedback on how impressive it looks. Please do take a moment to browse through the pages as there will undoubtedly be sections on there of great interest and use to you. Get to know who the management team are, learn a bit about our history and key milestones in getting to where we are now. We also have a page dedicated to the great work we are doing for charities, and you can read or download all our company policies. Please visit www.interr.com Contents Special Interest Articles Welcome to February’s Newsletter CSR update by Liboria Cannatella, Commercial Director Message from Yolande Frederick, Client Director Employees of the Month Top Scores Message from Tony Sheath, Chief Compliance Officer Message from Sarah Pucenot, HR Director Ops Monthly Focus by Yolande Frederick, Client Director Message from Darren Leigh, Client Director Message from Kris Ritter, Financial Controller Contact Details Linton House 39-51 Highgate Road London NW5 1RT Telephone: 020 7837 2012 Fax: 020 7837 1221 Email: As you can see it is an exciting time to be at Interr: we are soon to have a new home; we continue to grow our client base; and we have a great group of employees working here. I wish you every success this year as you grow with the company. [email protected] Web Site: www.interr.com Mission Statement To develop and supply outstanding and innovative solutions to diverse customers through dedication and a companywide commitment to excellence. 1 2 3 4 4 5 8 9 11 12 Corporate Social Responsibility update by Liboria Cannatella, Commercial Director The Interr team uniting on World Cancer Day World Cancer Day which took place under the tagline ‘Not Beyond Us’ was held on the 4th February 2015. The event was arranged so that we can all take a positive and proactive approach to the fight against cancer, highlighting that solutions do exist and that they are within our reach. We have set up a Justgiving donation page for Roderick so if you would like to donate please use the link below: https://www.justgiving.com/Roderick-Arnold Isle of Wight Farmers Union five a side! As the nation united on World Cancer Day, the Interr team, led by Roderick Arnold, Global Managing Director, were proud to join in by wearing our unity band with pride. Running for gold.... It is with the greatest of pride that we announce the participation at this year’s North London Half Marathon of Roderick Arnold, Global Managing Director. Their purpose is to raise donations for our chosen charity, KidsOut. The event is taking place on Sunday the 15th March 15 and the route is an ‘out and back’ route that takes runners on a scenic North London tour, starting and finishing at Allianz Park, with a half-way point running through Wembley Stadium itself. The route takes participants through some of the leafy streets within the London Boroughs of Barnet and Brent, and the course is as flat as the organisers could make it, with a few ups and downs to challenge the runners along the way! On the 31st January 2015 Will Hall, son of our CEO Ian Hall, captained a 5 a side team in the Isle of Wight Under 11s 5 aside competition. The competition is sponsored annually by the NFU. The team won all four games in the group stages conceding one goal and scoring 12, before a hard fought semi-final ended with a 5-2 victory. In the final the team continued their impressive run with a 5-1 victory. In total 22 goals were scored (of which Will got 12) with only 4 conceded. Will’s 9 a side team recently overcame the favourites, Cowes in the Island cup with a hard fought 3-2 victory, playing in torrential rain and on a flooded pitch. Having gone 2-0 up at half time their opponents came back to 2-2 to take the game to extra time where Will grabbed the eventual winner to progress to the final next month. Well done to Will and the team! If you would like to cheer the team on, this unique ‘Stadium to Stadium’ race starts from Allianz Park in Barnet, home of the Saracens Rugby Club returning to Allianz Park to an epic stadium finish and their well-earned goody bag and winner’s medal. -2- Message from Client Director, Yolande Frederick Hi All, Happy Belated St Valentine This month I am continuing my “Getting To Know You” article by introducing you to another member of the Operations team. My Second feature candidate is Samantha Jaramillo Andrade AKA “Sam” Operations Supervisor Corporate . Sam has been with us here at Interr for four months and comes with a wealth of knowledge. Sam has client facing experience from her last role as Reservations Executive which required her to manage bookings and keep accurate records of her clients private details. This role also called for in-depth knowledge of each client and their particular needs, which were met by making the right decisions on their behalf when any request were made. Some of the key skills needed for this role were, numerical (those maths results were put to the test I am told), good organisational and ICT knowledge and well as making use of her ability to communicate fluently in Spanish. One of the unspoken requirements within any client facing role is the ability to manage any complaints in an easy efficient manner, Sam has confirmed that this was a key part of her past roles. When asked how complaints were dealt with Sam replied that, listening is the most important key ingredient when dealing with a client that is not satisfied with the standard of service delivered. Prior to her role as Reservation Executive Sam worked as a full-time fund raiser for several charities. This role took her all over the country and she was responsible for pitching to members of the public to ensure they were fully understanding and supporting a charity of their choice. At our recruitment drive Sam was initially looking for a role in corporate as a security operative. We immediately -3- saw her potential and thought she would be better suited within the Operations department in Head Office. What does the girl do in her “down time” you may ask, as well as expected, it is filled with activities ranging from walking her dog, roller skating, dancing (yes she can bust a move with the best of them) and for real relaxation, reading. I took the liberty of asking Sam how she would describe herself and her reply was: “I am a well presented, enthusiastic, willing and hardworking individual, with the initiative to act upon any given situation and always striving to achieve the best possible results from all tasks undertaken”. I can vouch that Sam is all of those things and more. Sam covers both International and National sites which are as follows: Sports Direct International Abercrombie & Fitch International Hollister International Gap International Disney International Uniqlo International Tiffany & Co. International J Crew International Mulberry International Sports Direct Shirebrook UK If you have any burning questions for Sam about the above sites she can be contacted on the usual Office number 0207 8372012 or her business Mobile 07949 780476. I sincerely hope that you now have a better understanding of one of our valued team members and look forward to introducing to you another member in March addition. Vacancies We are currently recruiting for the following positions: RETAIL LOSS PREVENTION OFFICERS CORPORATE & HOTEL SECURITY OFFICERS Employee of the Month Congratulations Kamil Czekalski COVERT OFFICERS It gives us great pleasure to award Kamil Czekalski as Employee of the Month for his continued commitment and service to us and for the outstanding example he sets whilst working for Interr at IHG Park Lane and the Belgrave Hotel. Kamil is always reliable and flexible and has the ability to maintain this level of performance on every site that he is assigned to. Kamil has also supported in Retail where numerous Clients have complemented him on the service he had delivered. LICENCED LEISURE DOOR SUPERVISORS OPERATION MANAGER SCHEDULER CLEANING SUPERVISORS Well done Kamil! CLEANERS If you know anyone that is / will be looking for a full time or part time security or cleaning position who you feel is a good fit for Interr and has the relevant knowledge and experience, please ask them to send their CV to: [email protected] Recommend a Friend Scheme Recommend a Friend Scheme If you recommend a friend and they stay with the company for longer than 3 months you will receive £50 as our way of saying thank you. Please contact the HR department for more information. Also please let HR know as soon as possible if any of your colleagues, friends or team members can be developed within the business to a leader or supervisory role. or in writing to our HR department Top Scores February’s Top Scores: Employee of the Month Recommendations If you are a member of staff, a client, customer, consumer or a wider stakeholder we would love to hear from you. We value your opinion and if you think that a member of the Interr Security team deserves to win Employee of the Month please send an email with the name of the employee, the reason for your nomination to: These are the scores given by our clients for the security teams of each location. Feedback is collected from our clients each month based on performance, time keeping, reporting and communication skills. Well done to this month’s top scorers at the following locations: Retail Sites: Corporate Sites: Pandora Stratford Mulberry Head Office Rag & Bone Sloane Square Pandora Oxford Street Pandora Covent Garden Geox Oxford Street Ted Baker Regent Street [email protected] -4- Message from Tony Sheath, Chief Compliance Officer Risk Assessments - an operators guide to compliance What is a risk assessment? Barely a day goes by without the news or part of a work activity must be assessed in terms of risk. some enforcement agency making a big fuss about risk assessments, and those who really don't know Those that present a significant risk to the health and/or safety of employees or other persons must be written better can get completely tied in knots asking for risk assessments for the most fundamental of tasks which not only wastes everyone's time, it often does more to confuse the issue than clarify it. down. At Interr Risk Management we advise clients in a range of sectors on controlling risks and what risk assessments are critical to the safe operation of their business and which, quite frankly, aren't worth the paper they are written on. So it seemed like a good idea to put a simple guide for you here in this newsletter. Before we go any further it is probably worth defining what the words "hazard" and "risk" actually mean - and then we can progress on to how to put a decent risk assessment together. So, when you are thinking about your risk assessment, remember: a hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, an open drawer etc It is legally required that all tasks or activities undertaken as The purpose of risk assessment is to determine all the potential dangers with the task or activity and to identify how likely it is that the dangers may occur, and to identify what can reasonably be done to avoid them. How To Complete A Specific Risk Assessment The person completing the assessment must consider the operation and how each task or activity is completed and record answers to the following questions. What are the hazards (dangers)? The identification of all the hazards associated with a given task is a vital part of the risk assessment. Without recognising the dangers it is very difficult to avoid them in a controlled way. Think about the task being considered and whether the risk assessment has covered all the foreseeable potential dangers associated with the activity in question. Who Might Be Harmed and How? the risk is the chance, high or low, that somebody could be harmed by these and other hazards, together with an indication of how serious the harm could be This section should detail the potential damage or injuries to personnel (including staff, contractors, children), property etc. Remember that different people may experience different injuries depending on what could go wrong. -5- Message from Tony Sheath, Chief Compliance Officer What are We Already Doing? Action By When? This section should identify all measures currently in place This should be a realistic timeframe for completion of the to control the risks to the health and safety of persons or further works based on the severity of the issue, the time property in the task or activity being considered. Closely required to draw up a specification and obtain quotes for read these during the review and consider whether there is anything else needed to manage the hazards. For example, a low ceiling may require additional controls in terms of the operation e.g. padding or signs. If these are identified, then these should be added to the section headed “What Further Action Is Necessary”. These additional controls must then be implemented within the given time frame. the works, the availability of parts (if applicable) and the availability of the person completing the work. For training courses you will need to allow time for completion of the course and any associated examination and remember that training providers often are booked up several months in advance. It may be necessary to complete internal training and supervision in the interim. Done This section should only be signed off by the Appropriate Manager once any additional works have been What Further Action is Necessary? Note here any action that is required to manage the hazard and reduce the risk of injury occurring. If you are confident that at this time all existing measures are fine then you do not have to enter anything in this column. Action By Who? If further action is required (as detailed above) then enter here the name of the person or organisation responsible for the work. It may be you, as the person completing the assessment, one of your team or an external company such as a maintenance company or fire consultancy. If no further action is necessary then this section may be left blank. -6- completed to a satisfactory standard. The only exception is if the anticipated Due Date is going to slip then you must record this and any reasons for it, in this column pending the completion of the work. Once works have been completed the Appropriate Manager will then sign off this section, leaving his comments intact above it. OK, now you have all the key issues written down and reviewed, now what? Message from Tony Sheath, Chief Compliance Officer What next? Once the you are familiarised with the risk assessments for the operation, you must ensure that the findings are brought to the attention of all relevant staff. This should form part of any staff induction and recorded as such. Do I have a way out of the building (is there a door behind me that I can access in an emergency?) Are there risks to others in the building if I do not act? This risk assessment will then be valid until either there is an accident in the area to which the assessment relates, or there is a significant change in the task, after which you are advised to review it thoroughly, and where necessary, amend it to reflect any changes made. Sign and date off your changes and you are good to go. What Happens If I Need To Make An Assessment “On the Hoof”? There may be times when you need to make a snap decision – safe or unsafe? This may be particularly true for people like Security Guards who need to make a Dynamic risk assessment about whether to intervene or not in a given situation. They may have to ask themselves: Can I / do I need to call for assistance? Is there already something in place to capture this incident – CCTV for example? If I can keep the person occupied and away from others without risk of injury or escalation shall I proceed? If you think about it, all these questions really follow the same principles as the “standard” risk assessment above, they just aren’t written down at the time (they may however become the basis of future risk assessments or safe operating procedur If this article has triggered your interest, or made you anxious that you may not be fully legally compliant then please do contact Interr Risk Management on [email protected] and we’ll be delighted to help you move forward. What could happen if I intervene? Does the person have a knife or firearm? Is there more than one person? What could my injuries be? -7- m t m ctor, Sa Pucenot Customer Service Tips Every now and then we offer tips and solutions on ways that you can improve your service delivery within your day to day duties. This will not only have a positive impact on our clients but it will also help you develop your skills and progress within the company. This month we wanted to remind you all about the importance of providing an excellent customer service. Customer service is an integral part of your job role. We have listed 7 tips below on ways that you can improve your customer service to our clients and to the general public: It is about treating others as you would like to be treated yourself and providing a service that satisfies the needs/wants of a customer to keep them coming back. Leave a lasting positive impression. This can be done through using simple, but genuinely meant phrases such as “good morning”, “good evening”, “how can I help you?”. If you are placed in a difficult situation deep breathing and taking a moment can help you think with a clear head. Communication is key, so it is no good providing a service and being helpful if someone does not know what you are doing. Talk to the manager about your day to day duties and keep them updated with situations that take place within the site. Don’t take things personally. It is important to remain professional at all times and you will not be able to do this if you become too emotionally involved. Go above and beyond the call of duty. Approach each situation with a helpful and friendly attitude. If you have any concerns speak to the Interr head office who are always here to help and support you. Think of the end result – when dealing with any situation, whether it is easy or difficult, face to face or over the phone, ask yourself what as a business or as an individual do we want out of this? We hope this is helpful and if you are interested in finding out more about what you can do to deliver exceptional customer service, please speak to the HR department. I would like to update you all some changes to the HR team. Vicky Larkin (Recruitment & HR Support) is no longer with the business and we wish Vicky all the best in the future. I would like to advise you that we will not be filling the role of Recruitment & HR Support therefore moving forward, Kristin Pope, HR Assistant will be taking over responsibility for recruiting for all our security vacancies. Therefore if you know anyone that is interested in working for Interr in our security sector, please contact Kirstin Pope on 020 7837 2012, option 1 or submit a CV to [email protected] Samia El Habib-Daho will continue to manage ICS registration and recruitment on a Thursday from 10am to 1.30pm. Please may I take this opportunity to remind you of our recommend a friend scheme. We recognise that our employees are best placed to recommend friends and colleagues who might be interested in exploring career opportunities within Interr. Under our "Recommend a Friend" scheme, for any referrals that successfully complete their 3 month probationary period, our employee will receive a £50 bonus as our way of saying thank you. -8- Ops Monthly Focus by Client Director, Yolande Frederick Shoplifters are targeting high-end merchandise: Organised criminal gangs are stealing designer handbags, high-end cosmetics and power tools, pushing the value of shoplifting to record levels as they adopt increasingly sophisticated methods. The average value of each customer theft has risen by 40 per cent to £241 per item in a year, the British Retail Consortium reveals today, as criminals target pricier goods including electronics, premium label spirits and champagne. Gangs blitz shopping precincts, swarming rapidly from shop to shop with some members distracting staff and security guards while others carry out the thefts. Thieves also use detagging devices to remove security alarms from goods, or place items in foil-lined bags that prevent the tags from setting off door sensors. Stolen items are sometimes quickly returned to stores for refunds or rapidly sold on. Police forces have reported town centres being hit by eastern European shoplifting gangs, while Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, noted concerns across Europe that women and children were being trafficked and coerced into carrying out shoplifting and pickpocketing sprees. The British Retail Consortium’s 2014 retail crime survey, published recently, reported a 12 per cent rise in retail fraud, with much of it taking place online, while there was a decline in robberies and hold-ups. Cyber-attacks on retailers, ranging from data theft to denial of service, rose significantly. The direct cost of retail crime for -9- 2013-14 was £603 million — more than three times higher than in 2007-08 — with 81 per cent of losses attributed to shoplifting. Although the volume of shoplifting offences fell slightly, the BRC said a lack of confidence in police meant that “the majority of customer theft goes unreported”. It added: “Offending on our high streets damages perceptions of the local area, and criminals who target businesses are also often linked to other types of criminal activity.” Police have previously reported a sharp rise in “austerity crime” such as the theft of basic foodstuffs from small stores. The latest official recorded crime figures showed a 5 per cent increase in shoplifting offences across England and Wales. The BRC survey says, by contrast, that the volume of offences has fallen slightly and it is the activity of sophisticated shoplifting gangs taking high-value items that concerns it most. We have also had reports from some of our Clients that they are experiencing a noticeable increase in pickpocketing especially where the site has heavy traffic and small space. What can you do to minimise this happening in your sites, there are a few general steps that should be taken and it involves your communicating with Management on site. This is to ensure all actions are agreed as you will need the entire team to support. Ops Monthly Focus by Client Director, Yolande Frederick To combat pick pocketing first speak to the management and team about some of the signs to look out for, quite often pick pockets will work in pairs or groups which can be challenging to manage within itself. They will wait until the site becomes busy or the opposite of that when it is quiet and the team is relaxed and not as observant as they would normally be. The important point is to be vigilant and ensure everyone around you are also paying attention to every visiting customer. Make sure that if there is a problem on site the local Police are notified; they can support by visiting the site and delivering additional training or top tips to the team. All visiting customers who have walked away from their bags or should be open politely informed about securing their belongings. Exposed purses and wallets in pockets, again a polite word of encouragement to a customer would be appreciated by them. Regular patrols around the site (with Management approval) will help to reduce any attempt to either initiate any such act or get rid of the evidence if they already committed the act. There may be a particular spot that is becoming popular for disposing of the article after the fact, in which case you should suggest to the site Management to have this area covered by a member of the team on a regular basis. If the site has CCTV then a reposition of cameras where you may have found several discarded items may help to identify the individual in the future and any footage recovered should be passed onto the Police. If any discarded wallets, purses or bags are found, the Police must be contacted. There may be items of value like Passports, National Identification and Drivers Licence left behind. -10- To combat theft some of the above will apply however there are some additional actions that should be considered. Observation - has anyone entered with large shopping bags that appear to be empty (these are often foiled lined and will not be picked up by the tagging system). Look out for body language - is the individuals more interested in where you are located and that of the team members instead of the product. When entering the site as a group - did they immediately split up across the sales floor if some or all of these have been observed inform the wider team immediately. Keep an eye on the individual, approach if needed to see if you can “assist them” in any way. Always remember the initial greeting when entering is not merely saying hello but also informs the individual that you are aware of who has entered and they will understand that you will recognise them again easily. Daily housekeeping goes a long way, have you checked the tagging system to ensure it is working for instance, have you checked high price items, if CCTV is in good working order where applicable and identified blind spots (this may change when product or equipment is moved to display merchandise). It is also important that if you are in an area where Radio Link is operating that you take note of the activity within your vicinity and share information. All theft should be reported to the Police regardless of the policy within the site to persecute. This will ensure that accurate data is recorded and more resources and crime initiatives are put in place for you and our Clients in the future. Deputy Chief Constable Sue Fish, national police lead on retail crime, said shops could do more to prevent crime. “Stores need to ensure that they have the right security and working practices in place and heed advice to prevent them from being targeted. Retailers need to report crimes against them. Our ability to help is undermined if we aren’t receiving information.” Message from Client Director, Darren Leigh Hire a Hero I am delighted to announce that Interr has partnered with Hire a Hero. Hire a Hero is a charity that supports service leavers through the transition into civilian life. They work in partnership with public, private and third sector organisations to provide a network of support and to signpost service leavers to the most appropriate resources as required. For many service leavers civilian life can be a confusing, chaotic place; the charity, through its network of businesses, mentors and volunteers provides a consistent source of support to service leavers. Essential to the Hire a Hero way of working is the individualised support provided and the connection maintained through the transition period. Hire a Hero helps service leavers to make better informed choices as well connecting them with businesses for potential employment. Not only does Hire a Hero support in finding Employment for our retired serves personal, they also offer Career Coaching, Mentoring, Training, Housing Support and Welfare Support. Hire a Hero also hold Events and Fund Raising to help support and run the charity. We are very excited about working with Gerry Hill and his great team who run Hire a Hero. We currently working on different ways at Interr can support them and I will update you on this later in the year. In the meantime please feel free to look at the Hire a Hero web site: www.hireaherouk.org and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any ideas on how we can help such a great cause. -11- Contact Details Linton House 39-51 Highgate Road London NW5 1RT Fax: 020 7837 2012 Telephone: 020 7837 1221 Select from the following options: 1. HR & Recruitment 2. Payroll 3. Security Operations Message from Kris Ritter, Financial Controller Holiday As we are almost half way through the holiday year which, for most of you, ends on the 31st August 2015, it is now time to start planning ahead. Our holiday process is first come first serve, it is therefore wise to book any holiday you have already planned with your line manager, to ensure that we can accommodate your request. Any holiday you would like to book, please fill out an Interr Holiday form and contact you Line Manager for authorisation. If you are unsure of your annual entitlement, or how many days you have remaining this year, you can contact our payroll department for assistance. Entitlement In accordance with your employment contracts and the employee handbook this year’s holiday must be used up by 31st August. For guidance your annual entitlement is 5.6 weeks up to a maximum of 28 days per year, including bank holidays. Therefore if you work an average of 5 days or more per week your annual entitlement will be 28 days. If you work fewer than 5 days per week your annual entitlement will be as follows: Option 1—Retail and Residential 1 day per week: 5.6 days paid holiday per year 2 days per week: 11.2 days paid holiday per year Option 2—Corporate and Hospitality 3 days per week: 16.8 days paid holiday per year 4 days per week: 22.4 days paid holiday per year 4. Reception & Concierge Payroll Queries 5. Risk Management To ensure a quicker response to any queries you may have regarding Payroll, we are 6. Cleaning Operations now introducing a central email, where all future queries will go through. Please when you have any queries that you might need our assistance with, send us an email at 7. Accounts [email protected], and we will process your query in due time. Payroll Cut Off Dates Email: [email protected] Pay day will continue to be 1st of each month with pay period 11th of Web Site: www.interr.com Pay Period the month to 10th of the following month. For example: Pay Day 11th January 15- 10th February 15 - Paid Monday 2nd March 15 th th 11 February 15 - 10 March 15 - Paid Wednesday 2nd April 15 11th March 15- 10th April 15 - Paid Friday 2nd May 15 Where the pay date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday the pay day will be on the next working day. Should you have any questions about your breakdown, wage slip or payment, you should call the office or make an appointment with Payroll and they will be happy to help you. -12- Remember to ‘Like’ us on Facebook and to send us a ’Tweet’ on Twitter.
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