​This week I chatted with Gareth Jones about his career to date & his thoughts on the Fire industry post Grenfell, and Peleton! Gareth is a Certified Member of the Association for Project Safety and can be found on the national competency register (CMaPS) for Principal Designers and has also received the coveted GradIOSH status for Health and Safety. Gareth has a degree in Business Property Management and HNC in Building Studies.Gareth has extensive experience in delivery and management of specialist projects and with a mix of private and public sector clients across the UK - most significantly Healthcare, Education and Local Government.Since joining NIFES Gareth has undertaken and managed numerous projects in order to better help our clients understand their compliance against key health and safety legislation. Commissions have included bespoke safety audits, fire risk assessments and statutory inspections as well as undertaking CDM Coordinator / Principal Designer duties on numerous occasions. Gareth’s role has included training of staff, report production, accident investigation and an advisory service to a number of Executive Committees. Gareth has then implemented his findings into client Property Appraisals and Backlog Maintenance Reports where Capital projects have then been funded accordingly.Gareth has worked as CDMC / Principal Designer for a number of building developments varying in both size and value. Recent projects have included the development of a new £86 million Cancer Centre for the London Clinic. Other projects have included lift installations for the Imperial College, an Eye Centre on Harley Street and the current £150million+ redevelopment of Europe’s largest privately owned hospital whilst it remains fully operational throughout the construction period.Describe your current role?I currently work as the Managing Director for NIFES Consulting Group, and act as Head of Operations across the Assets, Compliance and Fire Divisions within Bellrock. This essentially means ensuring that we provide the Client with exactly what they have asked for – and try our best to exceed their expectations. The operational side involves matching the correct resources, skills and experience to each project.What did you want to be when you were growing up? As a keen sportsman I was always keen to be a professional rugby player growing up. I played for Leicestershire Schools, and played for the Leicester Tigers for 3 years. At the time I never really thought I would do anything but play rugby. However, my parents were both adamant that I couldn’t rely on this – and I needed a trade!! So, I went to Uni and managed to get a degree at De Montfort University in Business Property Management. After a bad injury at 19 I was also released by Leicester and luckily had my degree to utilise (I the ‘I told you so’ from my parents 😊). I have always loved surveying both academically and professionally. So, to actually use my degree still now is a bonus.Tell Us About the Greatest Achievements of Your Career?  I think I have been surrounded by a number of really good people that have presented me with some good opportunities. I have been fortunate enough to do surveys and inspections on some iconic buildings – from Winston Churchill’s War Room’s beneath Whitechapel to some of the world’s best Medical Facilities on Harley Street. I think the one I am most proud of has been the emergency work I undertook as Principal Designer at the start of pandemic. I was involved in the construction and development of a number of emergency COVID Wards across various NHS Trust all over the UK. Despite very little time to plan we were able deliver some amazing facilities on a tight budget in a small timescale. It was pleasing to know we were supporting the NHS and doing our bit to help those on the front line. It also makes you stop and think how much can be achieved if we are all pulling in the same direction.What Career Advice Do You Wish You Could Give to Your Younger Self? Enjoy today. Sometimes you can use so much energy driving forward to meet an end goal or target, that you forget to enjoy what you are doing right now. Celebrate every little victory and you realise that the journey is as good as the result. The younger me was a little less patient…Biggest change for you post pandemic? Peloton! As most of the people reading this will probably relate to, the pandemic has really changed the way we work. I went from being site based 4/5 days a week to being at the desk all day every day. You quickly realise that you need to have clear boundaries – i.e. packing away your laptop at the end of the day, having designated breaks, etc. If not then you find you are effectively always working or always checking and responding to emails, which isn’t healthy and also affects our productivity. I invested in a Peloton bike to give me some active time away from the desk. It’s been a game-changer for me as I no longer need to travel to a gym before or after work. Whether people go out on a bike, walk or run, listen to a podcast its important (and healthy) to switch off and have some me-time! I think the pandemic has taught us all about the importance of a healthy work-life balance.What are the biggest challenges facing landlords and owners of large property portfolios?I think the whole spectrum of compliance has and continues to change. 10-15 years ago, the fire industry was very much focused around Fire Risk Assessment being the main thing they had to have. Tragedies such as Grenfell, and legislation changes such as the Corporate Manslaughter Act have meant the Clients and Landlords are becoming better informed around their obligations and responsibilities around fire. The biggest challenge I see is around knowing what ‘compliant’ actually looks like. With changes around the Building Safety Bill and the Fire Safety Bill I think there will be a growing amount of confusion where Clients actually struggle to know what they need to do to become (and stay) compliant. A vast majority of landlords and estate managers really do want to be compliant, but very few know how to get there and be able to demonstrate it. In the future I think we will see more Consultants and FM providers using technology like Concerto to be able to prove their level of compliance and demonstrate good practice when being audited by a 3rd party.If you could change one thing in this industry, what would it be? I would like to see more regulation around competency within the industry. There is a huge gulf in what various parties deem as ‘competent’. This spans from Risk Assessors, Consultants, Compartmentation Surveyors and Installers. When recruiting for a ‘qualified’ fire professional this can mean a number of things and ultimately leads to ambiguity in a process that should (and could) be much clearer. We have found that we now tend to look at things like 3rd party accreditation, professional memberships and registers in conjunction with qualifications as I don’t think either can be taken in isolation. Procurement teams are starting to see that cheapest is not always better – especially around fire. I think the fact that people are looking at competency registers and accreditation does demonstrate that Clients now want assurances around competency and quality. Visibility around competency could be much more transparent with a system similar to CSCS cards where fire professionals could show their various experience, knowledge and qualifications. For a example a ‘qualified’ fire risk assessor may not have experience in hospitals or high-rise buildings, but has done industrial units - so one size certainly doesn’t fit all.How can the industry attract more people into fire safety?  The pathways into fire are extremely narrow. It was recently published that there are under 100 Chartered Fire Engineers in the UK – something killing the industry with EWS1 suffering in particular as supply cannot keep up with demand. Apart from ex-fire brigade members coming into the private sector, we see people transfer into the fire industry from Building Surveyors, Compliance Professionals and Fire Stopping Contractors. This means that we receive people with a peripheral knowledge of the industry – but not necessarily fire specific. I would like to see more young people join the industry and take on apprenticeships in Fire so that this is their main discipline. It would help to build the industry to a sustainable level where there is a mixture of ages and experiences which can only benefit the industry.Biggest change for the industry post pandemic?The fire industry lobbied the government really early on to be given Key Worker status. This meant that the majority of fire staff worked all the way through the various lockdowns and were relatively unaffected as buildings still required statutory inspections and fire associated works to be carried out. As an industry we were fortunate enough to be able to continue trading as Clients learnt from past tragedies how important it is to keep their buildings compliant. Some specific services like Type-4 fire risk assessments, that require going into a percentage of flats and accommodation have been affected in terms of access due to COVID whereby consultants cannot enter people’s homes. The biggest changed to this is that the industry has focused on the safety of the surveyor especially around contacts and cleanliness of surfaces. In turn this has improved the safety aspects around site visits and protecting the workforce.

​Welcome to our inaugural newsletter for the Fire Safety Industry.   In this issue:We have a review of a recent report about the risk of collapse in CLT structures during fire;An interview with Geoff Roberts of Igni Fire;A Fire Safety Easter activity to do with the children and encourage Fire Safety Consultants of the future;An update on IR35 and what it will mean for self-employed consultants in the Industry;A reminder to book for FIREX International 2021News about May’s Issue where we cover salaries in the sectorCross UK published a report  this week that presents concerns about the fire safety of multi-storey buildings comprised of cross-laminated timber (CLT) structures.  The reporter suggests an unacceptable risk of collapse in the event of an uncontrolled fire, particularly relating to multi-storey sleeping risk buildings in the UK.  This report highlights a growing trend in the industry regarding fire safety of buildings comprised of cross-laminated timber (CLT) structures. The design intent typically is to achieve 60 minutes fire resistance for structural load-bearing elements based on tables in Approved Document Part B (Part B).Buildings regulations and Approved Document BCompliance with this guidance does not automatically confer compliance with building regulations, which are the functionally based legislative requirements all new buildings must meet.  Clause B3 (1) of Schedule 1 in the building regulations requires that a building’s ‘stability will be maintained for a reasonable period’ in the event of a fire.This, in the view of the reporter, is generally understood to mean that a structure should maintain its loadbearing capacity for as long as a fire could burn given available fuel sources; a fire should be able to develop, grow, naturally decay, and self-extinguish without intervention by the fire and rescue services, and without causing undue risk of collapse.This is also the original basis for the longer fire resistance standards specified in Part B for multi-storey buildings and is referred to as design for burnout. Design for burnout is usually demonstrated by ensuring the structure meets a predefined period in a standardised fire test e.g. 60 or 90 minutes. However, the aim of the regulations for longer fire resistance durations is not to merely ensure that a test has been passed, but rather to ensure that a building’s design is suitable to withstand burnout without collapse.Is CLT self-extinguishing?In buildings of non-combustible construction, such as steel and concrete, meeting the prescribed fire resistance in Part B is generally sufficient to ensure design for burn out. However, for combustible construction it is also necessary to demonstrate that the structure itself would self-extinguish as the fire decays, continues the reporter. They go on to say that there is considerable academic research indicating that CLT does not reliably self-extinguish.They go on to say that there is considerable academic research indicating that CLT does not reliably self-extinguishRather than benefiting from the build-up of insulating char, as would be expected from other types of structural timber, delamination (sometimes referred to as char fall-off) often occurs. This delamination process causes underlying CLT layers to become exposed and reignite during a fire. The result can be repeated episodes of charring, delamination, and reignition of underlayers; cyclical burning.The reporter believes that as CLT does not reliably self-extinguish, one of the following methods should be used:Demonstration of self-extinguishing behaviour should be provided for the particular CLT construction used, orThe CLT should be fully encapsulated in fire resistant plasterboard (or similar material) to limit the risk of it becoming involved in fire in the first place.Fuel load from CLTPart B guidance is based largely on risk associated with the anticipated fuel loading i.e. the combustible content expected in the building based on its use. However, this is for the building contents only. There is no consideration to additional fuel load contributed by the structure itself.Therefore, Part B guidance should only be applied in buildings where the structure is not anticipated to burn and contribute additional fuel i.e. either non-combustible construction or fully encapsulated CLT as noted above.Fire performance of CLTA 60 minute design fire resistance period in accordance with Eurocode (BS EN 1995-Parts 1-2) would assume a char layer will build up over time along the external surfaces of exposed timber structure during a fire. This char layer is then understood to insulate the inner portions of the structure to ensure continued structural stability. The phenomenon also leads to eventual self-extinguishment of the timber.However, as CLT burns unpredictably and has a tendency to undergo cyclical burning rather than build up char, the application of the Eurocode method may not be suitable for demonstrating the fire performance of CLT.Achieving design intentAlthough the CLT structure meets Eurocode recommendations, application of Eurocode principles is not suitable, in the opinion of the reporter, to confirm the fire performance of CLT based on its unpredictable charring behaviour.Although the CLT structure meets Eurocode recommendations, application of Eurocode principles is not suitable, in the opinion of the reporter, to confirm the fire performance of CLT based on its unpredictable charring behaviourFurthermore, the design objective of 60 minutes fire resistance may not be consistent with a full review of fuel loading as the periods in Part B do not account for fuel within an exposed combustible structure.Lastly, even if the 60 minute fire resistance period was reasonable to withstand burnout, it is also necessary to ensure self-extinguishment of the structure as a fire decays. This cannot be assumed in general for CLT given, amongst other factors, its tendency to undergo cyclical burning.Risk of collapse in fireWhat is most concerning is that these types of practices are becoming increasingly common in the industry. Guidance of both Part B and the Eurocode are easy to apply incorrectly. There are likely many other buildings, says the reporter, with exposed CLT structure which pose undue risk of collapse in fire.Additional resources on this topic:The rise and rise of fire resistance, Fire Safety JournalFire safety design: we need to talk about timber, IStructEAdequacy in structural fire engineering, IStructEWe need to talk about timber: fire safety design in tall buildings, IStructEFire safety design in modern timber buildings, IStructEManual to the Building Regulations – A code of practice for use in England, HM GovernmentFull Report can be found HERE How did you get into fire safety?Following on from H & S qualifications, I was made aware that changes had taken place in Fire Safety legislation. Being the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005, which came into force in 2006. I took an early qualification and I followed up with other qualifications over the years.  I began carrying out Fire Risk Assessments in 2008 and have built my knowledge and experience over the years.What did you want to be when you were growing up?Police Officer – Which I did for 30 years.Tell Us About the Greatest Achievements of Your Career?  Difficult one.  As a Police Officer, saving two children from drowning in an underground canal culvert.  As a Fire Risk Assessor – Receiving thank you notes from residents of rented flats for ensuring landlord implemented Fire Safety measures.What Career Advice Do You Wish You Could Give to Your Younger Self? The best advice I was given in whatever role / career you choose – “Always listen to what someone has to say, as they might just know something you don’t”Biggest change for you post pandemic?Biggest change is the challenge of helping to build back confidence in areas of the leisure industry, such as pubs, cafes, restaurantsWhat are the biggest challenges facing landlords and owners of large property portfolios?Coming to terms with both the new Building Safety regulations and Fire Safety Order.If you could change one thing in this industry, what would it be?Ensure that Fire & Rescue Service enforcement receives the funding and staffing levels it requires.How can the industry attract more people into fire safety? Funding is an issue.  If you are employed (unless you are a member of the Fire & Rescue Service) it can be difficult to justify to management the training cost and of course if you are self-employed or looking towards such a move, then finding monies can be difficult. Maybe funding by way of Government type grants etc. could be a way to move forward.Biggest change for the industry post pandemic?Similar to that of Landlords etc., adjusting to the forthcoming Building Safety and Fire Safety Order implementation. It’s up to everyone, Landlords, Property Managers, owners, residents, employees, contractors, Fire Assessors and Fire & Rescue Service, to ensure we never allow another Grenfell.​Help to create Fire Safety Consultants of the future - Have fun with your little ones over the Easter Break! Fire Safety Hero Club Pledge | Sparky.orgWishing everybody a relaxing, happy and healthy Easter.With the pandemic many hoped that the role out of IR35 within the private sector would be scrapped, however, this has not been the case and it looks as though the reforms are here to stay. So what does this mean?It is essential that the supply chain; the contracts; the agency and the employer, work together in terms of navigating this complex legislation, in order to protect everybody. This can only be achieved if all parties take on their responsibilities and remain transparent. It is not in anybody's interest to just push the problem down the supply chain, nor can it be indemnified against.Why was IR35 brought in?It's important to remember that the case law hasn't changed, simply that the liability has been extended.Contractor numbers in the UK increased dramatically post-millennium. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) put self-employment numbers in the UK at around 4.7m in 2016, with contractors making up a third of this.The government believed that companies were using contractors on a permanent basis - where they were operating or doing the same job as permanent employees. Companies were deemed to be making significant cost savings by not having to pay NICs and employee benefits by using contractors. Contractors operating as a PSC were believed to be paying less “corporation tax” as opposed to “income tax” and therefore costing the economy in lost income.Without IR35 restrictions, the HMRC estimated that the cost of non-compliance to the exchequer would  reach “£1.3 billion a year by 2023-24.[1]” IR35 was introduced, therefore, as an anti-tax avoidance measure and a way to stop further leakage in tax.This shifted the liability from the contractor to the employer (end client) to determine whether they were operating as a true freelancer or as an effective employee. What are the concerns around extension into the private sector?Loss of talent and reduced productivity:The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE) believes that the extension of legislation to the private sector will have a detrimental effect on the British economy. Restricting the flexible market, coupled with Brexit, the added complexity of having to determine correct contractor status, payroll and VAT will put an enormous burden on businesses. Research published last year found that thepublic sector is losing top talent due to IR35 reforms, with 71%[2]of public sector projects being cancelled or delayed as a result of talent leaving.Determining correct status:The HMRC’s Check for Employment Status for Tax (CEST) Tool has been heavily criticised for being too vague. A judge also deemed it inadequate in an employment tribunal[3].“The rules which determine status are so unclear it is impossible to know with any certainty whether an individual engagement falls within IR35’s scope. The CEST tool, which is supposed to enable accurate determinations has been heavily criticised by many independent experts. Even HMRC, with all its undoubted expertise in IR35, has been unable to accurately assess IR35 status, having lost three out of the four cases which have come to light this year.[4]”Loss of earning for contractors:If it’s determined the contractor does fall inside IR35, they will be taxed as employees – usually, a higher rate than they had been paying before – and cannot claim many expenses such as accommodation in the same way they had before.Increased number of legal challenges:HMRC can check your taxes for up to 20 years so even if you have changed from a PSC to an employee - you can still be liable.Key differences in the private sector; the rules do not apply tosmall companies with a turnover of less than £10.2MTotal less than £5.2 millionhas no more than 50 employeesOverseas companies which;are not resident in the UK or do not have a permanent establishment in the UKare an unincorporated organisation turnover greater than £10.2 millionN.B. small company exemption does not apply to employment agencies or intermediariesWho will bear the cost?Should a contractor be deemed inside the scope of IR 35 incorrectly, this will affect theirnet take home pay in the region of 13 to 14% per week. Our findings to date are that contractors are not keen to reduce their earnings, recruitment firms are not willing to take a hit on margins, given the increased risk and work involved, and employers already feel that employing contractors is expensive, so are also unlikely to pick up the increase in costs.HMRC have highlighted the awareness of inappropriate use of PSC's and as such disguised remuneration. Moving forward there is a greater focus by HMRC on the legitimate use of PSC’s and as such have introduced a targeted anti-avoidance rule task force, (TAAR), which will be aimed at the mass incorporation of personal service companies.End users have a duty of care to demonstrate their reasoning for any IR 35 decisions, if a blanket approach is taken they could place themselves at risk of an employment tribunal or HMRC status review. The impact of the decision on a temporary workers take home pay is significant so it is important that the basis for that decision is evidenced.The employer is ultimately responsible for determining the employment status of their contractors under IR35 rules. Dependent upon the contractual chain, the fee payer is responsible for deducting the relevant tax and National Insurance contributions at source this would usually fall to either the client or a recruitment company.It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next 12 months, but there has been in shift in contract staff deciding to take employed positions in order to avoid the imposed measures, along with employers severely limiting their reliance on freelancers.For more information head towww.fseesa.org.ukIn our May Issue we will be reviewing salaries in Fire Safety Consultancy so keep an eye on your inbox if you want to know what your peers are getting paid! Until then Keep Safe​BOOK A CALL​​​​​​​​

This week I chatted with Steven Barker about his career to date. Being an experienced individual, Steven has experienced a number a recessions throughout his career, so who better to turn to for worldly advice? Steven and I first met back in 2003, when he was Senior Partner at Robinson Low Francis. Describe your role with Avison Young I am the Principal in charge of Cost Management in the London Building Consultancy Business unit with full responsibility for project delivery by my team and financial performance within the unit. I also assist Paul Chesworth in his role as National Head of Cost Consultancy as and when he needs to bounce anything off an old manWhat have been your career highlights to date?I am very lucky to have had many highlights in my 47 years in the industry. I guess professionally it was being chosen to be Senior Partner of Robinson Low Francis when I was in my 40’s because there were a few 50+ guys who could have been chosen at the time but the firm needed radically modernising and the team around me at that time did a fantastic job and we elevated RLF via acquisitions and modernised systems to be a top 20 consultancy.Project wise I would have to pick two with the first being a 25 year relationship with the John Lewis Partnership who were my first new client in 1989 having been made a Partner in 1988. The range of work and pleasure in dealing with such an honourable client is my biggest highlight without a doubt.The single most enjoyable project was Project Managing the JJB Football and Rugby stadium for David Whelan. To have walked onto a piece of scrubland behind an out of town shopping complex and then deliver a multi-purpose stadium together with a massive flood relief project as an “add on” was great fun and delivered with a brilliant professional team and contractor on time and within budget as well for good measure.What attracted you to Avison Young?When I stepped down as Senior Partner in 2011 I thought about retiring but was persuaded to stay on in a new role as Chairman. Actually it did not work out well for either side and GVA contacted me and made me an interesting offer which I accepted. I knew GVA very well as they had tried to buy RLF during my time as Senior Partner and I got to know their top management and had a lot of respect for them and the manner in which they went about their business so it was an easy decision to make. In February 2019 Avison Young bought GVA and I was made an owner Principal of the business and I have to say this is truly a people first business and as a global business now the opportunities are wide ranging, exciting and numerous. AY is the fastest growing full service Real Estate consultancy in the market and we are answerable only to each other and our clients rather than shareholders which is a big plus for me. What did you want to be when you were growing up?I loved drawing and wanted to be an Architect but my dad who was a construction man said with sage like ability in the early 70’s “Don’t do that son stick with the money as that will be the driver and power base of construction in years to come”I was not really sure what he meant at the time but he has been proven right in my view looking back.What advice would you give to your younger-self?Make sure you retain a healthy sense of humour in life and deal with everyone exactly how you would want them to deal with you with honesty and integrity always.Best business advice you have ever been given?Ken Norman Chief Quantity Surveyor for Hertfordshire told me once as a junior to accept that you will make mistakes but the key is to own up to them quickly and honestly and have a plan to mitigate them or put them right. He was an amazing boss and incidently was responsible for making me choose a path beyond working for the Council and I will forever be grateful to him.Biggest personal change for you post pandemic?Well I have been pretty much working solidly from my Study since early March and although recently I have ventured back into London on the odd day a week I have come to accept that we have probably seen the end of a 5 day week in the office because we have proven remote working is an option for some of the working week.What will the world of work look like after the crisis is over? Well I am not one of those that believe the day of the office market is over. However I do think the age of agile working is here to stay and that will have an effect on the size of requirements for businesses going forward. I also see an upsurge in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the real estate sector for both transactional and consulting fields which will lead the way to new ways of working and different job opportunities that we perhaps do not understand yet. I also get laughed at when I say that my grandchildren will most probably be living on other planets in their lifetime so there are a few job opportunities in that sector for a start. Just think of the advancements in the last fifty years and imagine what can be borne out of what we can do and know now and how exciting and scary that could be! Bill Gates to the power of a hundred is somewhere in the school system right now just imagine that.How does this recession compare to previous and how can firms navigate their way through the challenges facing us?This recession is not borne out of the traditional banking and macro crises we have dealt with during my working life so I believe the pent up demand will begin to trickle back to some sort of normality in the next six to twelve months in the property sector. The main challenge facing us all is quite simply a large and growing ageing population that need to be taken care of and businesses need to wise up to this and look to those currently at school or Universities and provide the right platforms for them to progress rather than entering a job market full of old people who need to keep working because of outdated pension provisions.​

​Last week, I caught up with Sandy McBride, Divisional Chairman at Keepmoat Homes, to chat about his career to date and his thoughts around the world of work after the pandemic. Describe your role: I am Divisional Chairman for Keepmoat Homes North West and Scotland Division. I have executive responsibility for the four operating regions and I am a member of the Keepmoat Homes Executive Board.We are a division that excels in operational delivery. Our business is built on  partnership relationships and the delivery of quality housing at affordable prices. On a regional basis we build and complete both private for sale and HA / RSL contract build homes.Last year Keepmoat Homes completed over 4000 new homes with turnover in excess of £ 650m. Career highlights so far?There are many. I started out as an apprentice quantity surveyor a long time ago, fell in love with house building and progressed through the ranks from qs, on to Commercial Director, Managing Director and Divisional Chairman. I am a Chartered Quantity Surveyor  MRICS by profession.I have had the fortunate experience of starting regional businesses and seeing them flourish to success. Taking my teams on this journey and seeing their careers develop is exceptionally exciting, challenging and rewarding. What did you want to be when you were growing up? A footballer until I was a teenager and realised I wasn’t good enough to make a career from it.What advice would you give to your younger-self ? Be more tolerant and understand that people act and react the way they do for specific reasons.  Treat everyone and anyone as you expect to be treated by them. Best business advice you have ever been given? KISS. Keep it simple stupid!Breaking issues down and keeping everything as simple as possible has kept  me on the right path to manoeuvre through the day to day  duties and responsibilities in our industry.Biggest personal change for you post pandemic?Our business will be changed forever in my mind. Whether it be how we operate at site level or the home working possibilities I do believe this pandemic will fundamentally change how we have been operating forever. However, some of the outcomes are already delivering positivity in how we do things. It is no longer the case that “ we always do that this way”, and I like the way we are changing and finding exciting new ways to operate on a day to day basis.What will the world of work look like after the crisis is over?Different! I think if you are looking for a positive out of the Covid 19 pandemic it is that it will ultimately change our home and work lives for the better. It will be a new , changed and opportunistic world that we are moving towards. Having said that I don’t think the pandemic will be over any time soon.

This week I chatted I with Neil Triggs about his career to date and his thoughts around the workplace, post pandemic.Neil and I first met back in 2000, where he was in fact my boss! We were both Surveyors at the time, based in Leeds, working for EC Harris, which subsequently became Arcadis.Bellrock are a forward thinking organisation, whereby working remotely is nothing new to them.Describe your role with Bellrock;My official title is ‘Head of Technical ‘. It’s operationally and commercially leading on all technical consultancy services provided by the Technical & Real Estate Division of Bellrock.Bellrock acquired several technical and real estate consultancy businesses over the last 3-5 years to strengthen its overall offer to the market. The strategic aim over the last 18 months has been to integrate those businesses into a Divisional offering, whilst retaining some of the brands that remain recognised and differentiating to the market. Within this, we’ve integrated the acquired companies into ‘Business Units’, based around service lines, to ensure our service delivery represents best practice to our clients and markets.The Business Units cover; Project Management, Asset Surveys, Building Consultancy, Fire Consultancy, M&E design and Compliance Services.This covers a ‘big patch’ of around 250+ clients and c. £13 million budgeted revenue. The acquired businesses have some great people, so my focus is on growing our new Project Management and Building Consultancy service lines whilst providing operational and commercial oversight across all Business Units.Day to day, I’m a mix of; service deliverer, business developer, accountant, commercial manager, recruiter, problem solver and agony aunt!What have been your career highlights so far?Far too many (he says laughing)!Making it to Partner within EC Harris (Arcadis) and operating at that level for 13 years. It was a big step up from being largely a deliverer of Building Consultancy Services through my Povall Flood & Wilson days and ‘rounded’ me considerably as a person in developing a broader understanding of business and people, and being accountable for large teams, services and revenues.More latterly, being the UK Director of Building Consultancy and Safety Management at WYG was a rewarding challenge in essentially taking an embryonic team and growing it, based on my own thinking and approach. Working across different sectors also strengthened my exposure to different clients and ways of working.Whilst the second half of my career has focussed on broadening skill sets around business management, people and sales, I’m proud of my roots in Building Consultancy and the platform it created. Taking on responsibility for leading restoration work of the Leeds Kirkgate Market buildings over 25 years ago was my springboard. Did I really run a £6 million project (at 1990 prices) a year after qualifying, aged 25! How many firms would now allow their newly qualified surveyor a free reign on stuff like that? A massively steep learning curve and 3 years of stress, but immensely rewarding.Starting a building consultancy framework with a large UK Institutional Investor in 1993, I worked on, then managed and eventually led this framework. It was retained for 20 years and became a bedrock of my workload, significantly expanding my property, commercial and business knowledge. It also led to enduring relationships with the client that I valued on a professional and personal level.Why did you join Bellrock?An old friend who I hadn’t seen for over 10 years! He’d sold his company to Bellrock and had been asked to stay on and be Managing Director of the new Technical and Real Estate Division. “Did I want to sign up and help him develop and grow the Division”. The challenge was compelling and would provide fulfilment if we could make it work. It represented a pooling of 60 years-experience between us to essentially set up a new division and make it happen over a 3-5 year period. An opportunity to bring together my 25 years partnership/corporate experience and his successful business owner experience and collectively ‘make a difference’. We’d also worked together for several years in the 1990’s, so a “re-forming of the band” so to speak. It’s been the best 18 months of my career…Bellrock is unique; a blend of core Workplace and Compliance (FM) services, aligned engineering services, technical and real estate consultancy services and a market leading software business (Concerto). The Concerto platform is used by Bellrock operationally and by local authorities, health and commercial sector clients across the UK to run and manage estates and property assets. Whilst I’m not a great fan of acronyms, our IDEA (Integrated Digital Estates Assets) model, run through Concerto, is ahead of the game. Adoption by clients enables them to transform how they operate their estates and businesses through the intelligent and analytical use of data. This drives significant cost, operational and strategic benefits.What did you want to be when you were growing up?A Concorde Pilot! From a young age I was transfixed by this amazing and futuristic looking plane. At primary school I did a painting of it that was put on the reception wall and from aged 7, that was my overriding goal….. I don’t know what happened!In some respects, I was able to live my dream ‘in a fashion’; in the early 1990’s, I was lucky enough to go on one of the chartered UK sub sonic pleasure flights, from Leeds Bradford Airport to London. I accompanied my Grandma on her 80th Birthday treat, and we had a memorable day. The highlight was the take-off; zero to 230mph in 12 seconds!! Essentially, Concorde was a fighter jet that carried 100 passengers.What advice would you give to your younger-self?‘That you are as good as anyone else, but life is a complex game based on perception’.As you get older you realise that how your life evolves depends as much about how you are perceived as how you view yourself and your abilities. The world has changed significantly over the last 30 years, where we’ve moved from being somewhat narrow focussed technical and professional experts to living in a 24/7 world where everything is in the here and now. Jobs have become more about managing people, deadlines, programmes and working to results and outputs, rather than detailed technical outputs of the previous professional generations.Best business advice you have ever been given?I admired Richard Clare, my Chairman at EC Harris. One thing he said early on when meeting him was, “be interested and interesting”. I think that sums up life quite well.Another piece of advice that resonated and builds from the previous text is, “there is no reality, only perception”. Perhaps a bit deep but very true; your reality is shaped by others perception of you and vice versa. Taking this a step further you might say; “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got”. So, to change anything, you must change first as this will impact others perception of you and how you view life (hopefully in a positive way!)Biggest personal change for you post pandemic?Over the last year, I’ve transitioned from nearly 30 years of being based in larger corporate offices to being ‘mobile’; working from home, client’s offices, shared business space etc. So, in some ways, I’ve adapted from what I’ve been used to for decades.I think the approach to business development will change as this often relies on developing personal relationships through face to face contact. People also form first impressions of someone from the first 2 minutes through body language. How this is going to work without handshakes will be interesting and challenging.There will also be challenges around people development and retention, that has been vastly under-estimated and not really considered yet. Personally speaking, I’m a social person and need to interact with others on a regular basis (being a hermit is not for me!). I think most people need this and in a work context, younger people need interaction for professional development. I’m also a firm believer that in work, your aspirations, development and fulfilment is determined by the immediate group in which you work and your manager. The social impact shouldn’t be under-estimated. Technology has a big part to play but it isn’t the be all and end all.I think the pandemic, certainly in the short term, will reinforce the home working side and having virtual rather than face to face meetings. I’m hopeful and optimistic that by early 2021, we’ll see some sort of ‘new normal’ that represents 85% of ‘old normal’.What will the world of work look like after the crisis is over?Defining a crisis end will be interesting as the media inference is that life will remain much changed until a vaccine comes along then everything will somehow return to normalagain. I don’t see it, as the world wide lock downs have caused economic devastation that will dwarf that of the statistical impact of the virus in terms of infection and deaths, versus the many normal virus’s that exist, kill millions each year and are accepted (flu, malaria etc.).From a work perspective, I think the much vaunted ‘work/life balance’ now has actual meaning as people have been able to trial it without realising! So, we’ll see a continuation of more home working, possibly greater efficiencies created by technology (TEAMS, Zoom) and the time saved by not commuting. We will work in a more socially isolated world where we rely on technology ever more (oh, for a decent broadband connection!).The biggest issues will be that of social interaction and mental health. There’s also the matter of the millions of square feet of office space out there and what happens to cities and urban areas if demand falls off a cliff in the next 5 years. There’s also all the support and leisure industries that depend on offices (sandwich shops, coffee shops, gyms, bars and restaurants). Some big issues, that workplaces and society at large need to grasp. However, humans are immensely resourceful and adaptable and I’m sure the world in 2025 will be different but better than now.