Bidvest Noonan Ireland

Ireland's leading provider of facilities services and solutions

Content Manager

Tips from our ED&I council #WorldMentalHealthDay

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To mark #WorldMentalHealthDay, members of our ED&I council came together to share advice on identifying early warning signs of deteriorating mental health and what to do if you are struggling with your mental wellbeing.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. It can be negatively impacted by such things as worrying about family members, dealing with uncertainties, or poor work/life balance.

It’s very easy to miss some of the early warning signs of mental health issues as they tend to develop over time. Some of the most common signs to look out for are:

  • Long-lasting sadness or irritability
  • Extremely high and low moods
  • Excessive fear, worry, or anxiety
  • Social withdrawal
  • Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits

If you are experiencing problems with your mental health, what can you do?

Talk to someone

Although conversation may seem insignificant, it is extremely necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle and engage in different thoughts and emotions. This can be talking to someone about a problem that’s troubling you or just having a general chat. Communication helps achieve a better state of mind.

Talking may not always feel good, but it is always part of the healing process and will benefit you in the long run. Talking to someone who will listen without judging when you’re feeling down or frustrated gives you the freedom to express yourself.

If you are uncertain about talking to someone in person, don’t forget there are many organisations that provide a phone service or an online service. 

Our ED&I Council has compiled contact details of organisations that might be in your area. Click on the link below:

Helping Hands Flyer

Learn about mental health and wellbeing

Reading or researching verified mental health information can help improve your wellbeing. Attending a programme or enrolling in a course can also help. There are many courses available that can assist an individual and introduce coping strategies to help with their mental health experiences.

One of the programmes available across Great Britain and Ireland is ‘Living Life to the Full’. This is a course that covers topics around low mood, stress, and resilience. It was developed by an accredited CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) practitioner who is also an expert in education and training. Dr. Chris Williams, Emeritus Professor of Psychosocial Psychiatry University of Glasgow, is frequently recommended by health practitioners and is available online.

Aware, a charity in Ireland and Northern Ireland has been delivering the ‘Living Life to the Full’ programme. See here:

Aware (Ireland) | Living Life to the Full (llttf.com)

Living Life to the Full – Aware NI (aware-ni.org)

Spread the word, small suggestions on how to help a friend or family member can make a big difference to them when they are feeling down or experiencing low mood or anxiety.

Life is a journey, sometimes it’s blue sky and sunshine, admiring the view from the peaks. Whereas sometimes it seems far harder, a struggle which feels constantly as if we’re going uphill with storms, and it can feel lonely and cold. – LLTTF.com

Helen Emerson, Dania Gohar, Tammaryn Steers – Bidvest Noonan ED&I Council Members

Open-minded discussions for a more inclusive society

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There have been many questions surrounding the best practices in creating a more inclusive and involved workplace throughout businesses, especially regarding the LGBTQIA+ Community. We have experienced major leaps and made progress throughout these last few years, however as with anything, there is, and always will be, room for improvement.

From a personal point of view as a member of the LGBTQIA+ Community myself, I would always remind colleagues that identities are complex and that we should always be encouraged to participate in open-minded discussions. I often find that people are too afraid to ask questions, no matter how well-intended, because they are afraid of saying the wrong thing or accidentally coming across as offensive. To those people I say: There’s no way forward unless we are prepared to make a mistake or two, learn from it, and move on.

Sincere, unbiased curiosity makes for wonderful conversation and if you happen to stumble over, or get someone’s pronouns wrong, the acknowledgement of that along with a genuine attempt to get it right the next time is worth more than a thousand apologies. Learning to say Spouse or Partner instead of assuming Husband or Wife is easy. The comprehension of (and respect for) the fact that some struggles surrounding certain individuals are deeper than they appear will allow for the safe space people need to be engaged and productive members of their work team.

Unfortunately, many LGBTQIA+ workers aren’t open about their sexual orientation or gender identity at work because they’re worried about hearing homophobic jokes, being stereotyped, and feeling excluded. According to an important survey conducted by the Trade Union Congress with LGBTQIA+ people, “of the 68% who said they had experienced sexual harassment, 66% did not tell their employer, sometimes because they were afraid of being “outed” at work”.

At Bidvest Noonan, our ED&I Council has defined the ED&I policy to ensure all employees comply with our core values and respect our valuable differences. We also have developed some guidance documents to raise awareness about the best practices throughout the organization regarding Gender Reassignment and Sexual orientation. We want to make sure that our people are equally valued as employees and individuals. To be an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, we strongly encourage everyone to actively call out discrimination in the workplace, report to managers or higher management, and let individuals know what they are doing is not right and that we, as a business, will not tolerate hate crime.

But it is not all doom and gloom. It has progressed massively over the years, and the LGBTQIA+ community has become more accepted worldwide than ever before. Even countries that have never approved of it are looking at sanctioning bills that protect the LGBTQIA+ community. More and more individuals and companies are embracing pronouns, PRIDE, and educating employees in the workplace on stonewall, how to be a good ally, setting up ED&I councils, etc. The more we talk about it, and the more it is a part of everyday life, then I believe we are continuing to head in the right direction.

As Jason Collins, the first openly gay athlete in the U.S professional sports, once said – “Openness may not completely disarm prejudice, but it’s a good place to start”.

Richard Seddon – How cleaning practices will change in the post-pandemic world

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“Push your boundaries beyond the ordinary; be that “extra” in “extraordinary.”

In the years before the pandemic, cleaning teams were often unnoticed as they quietly went about their work. In some sectors such as Life Sciences and Agri-foods, cleaning has always been critical and essential to business continuity. In many other industries cleaning less likely to be considered in a risk management strategy.

The pandemic has transformed perceptions about cleaning services. Management teams want to show their investment in cleaning to reassure their people that workplaces are both clean and safe. As a result of this, today, businesses want their cleaning teams to more visible.

We are living in a world where cleaning is more valued and prioritised than ever before. This brings added pressure on the industry to continuously offer more dynamic and efficient solutions. However, the industry has proven itself to be equal to this challenge. In recent years, we have seen the implementation of new cleaning strategies, the introduction of specialist sanitisers and chemicals, and new technologies.

At Bidvest Noonan, we stepped up our training programmes to ensure our people are ready to lead the way today and in the future. There is a great quote from author Roy. T. Bennett that says to “push your boundaries beyond the ordinary; be that “extra” in “extraordinary””. I believe our cleaning teams are that extra. The work they do is extraordinary.

We have also made big investments in our structures and resources to support our clients, and we continuously invest in innovation. Earlier this year, Bidvest Noonan launched Edge, our new innovation programme. The programme was designed to enable us to innovate faster and share ideas and lessons across our group. Edge is helping us to evaluate solutions across a wide range of domains, ranging from robotics to green cleaning solutions.

The growing demand for greener cleaning solutions has also become a driving force in our industry. More and more companies employ cleaner chemicals and products with a lower carbon footprint. At Bidvest Noonan, this been a motivation for many years. We champion environmentally-friendly products and practices and recently signed a pledge to cut our carbon emissions dramatically.

These changes are helping our industry to grow and develop. I have every confidence that it will continue on its strong trajectory. It will continue to serve our economy and communities and to provide stable employment and opportunities for all the dedicated people who have committed themselves to the industry.

Welcoming Amber Support Solutions and Scott Brannigan

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Amber Support Solutions, the leading Northern Irish provider of industrial cleaning services, has become part of Bidvest Noonan in a move designed to accelerate the Group’s growth and increase the value and support it delivers to clients in Northern Ireland.

As part of the plan, Bidvest Noonan has appointed Amber Managing Director, Scott Brannigan, to the new role of Managing Director for Bidvest Noonan, Northern Ireland. The Amber business will continue to operate under the Amber brand within the Group. As a member of the Group’s senior leadership team and as Managing Director for Northern Ireland, Scott Brannigan will take responsibility for growing Amber and Bidvest Noonan’s wider business in the region.

Amber was established in 2010 and the business has a strong portfolio of clients across the public, corporate, manufacturing, retail, and commercial sectors. It is a specialist industrial cleaning company that offers services ranging from window to carpet cleaning.

The Bidvest Noonan Northern Ireland business, which Scott will lead, employs a total of 1,500 people and is already one of the region’s largest and most successful facility services companies, with a 44-year history of delivering exceptional value to clients. Across the Island of Ireland, Bidvest Noonan is the market leader for security and cleaning services, and it has a substantial and well-established M&E engineering services business. In total, the Group has a turnover in excess of £700 million and employs over 27,000 people across its key markets.

“Scott’s appointment as Managing Director for Northern Ireland demonstrates our commitment to the Northern Irish market, and to our focus on enhancing the services we provide to our NI customers, through ongoing investment in our people, services, and capabilities in the region. Amber is a great business. It has an outstanding team and a strong brand and a reputation for high standards and excellent customer service. We look forward to working with them to build on their achievements to date,” said Declan Doyle, CEO of Bidvest Noonan.

Scott Brannigan said: “This is very positive news for both Bidvest Noonan and Amber clients as well as our people. The investment from Bidvest Noonan, and their expertise and support, gives us the platform and support we need to continue to grow our business across Northern Ireland. The enlarged Northern Ireland business will allow us to provide an even stronger best-in-class service proposition to clients. I really look forward working with my team, new Bidvest Noonan colleagues in Northern Ireland, and the wider team in the future to continue providing clients with the high standards of service for which we are known”.

“We believe that working together we can both cement Bidvest Noonan’s position as market leader for facility services in Northern Ireland and Amber’s position as market leader for industrial services. This is great news and I know that this partnership will deliver increased value and support for clients,” he added.

Bidvest Noonan recently announced the acquisition of Cordant Services, a leading UK provider of security and cleaning services and, separately, Axis Group, another leading UK provider of Security, Cleaning, and Front of House Services. The deals have further strengthened Bidvest Noonan’s position as one of the fastest-growing services businesses in the UK and a market leader in Ireland.

Cordant Services is now part of Bidvest Noonan

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Bidvest Noonan has signed agreement that will see Cordant Services join its group. This move further expands Bidvest Noonan’s leadership position, footprint, service profile and expertise in the UK. It also brings the total number of employees to more than 27,000 employees and annual revenues beyond £700 million.

Founded in 1957 and employing more than 7,000 people, Cordant Services is made up of three dedicated divisions Cordant Security, Cordant Cleaning and Cordant Thistle, a specialist and industrial cleaning business. With a total turnover in excess of £170 million, Cordant Services operates across 1,900 client locations throughout the UK in a range of industries.

Bidvest Noonan is a leading provider for services such as Security, Cleaning, Front of House and Ancillary Services in the UK & Ireland. The company has significantly expanded its services and footprint in the UK and Ireland in recent years through a combination of organic and acquisition-led growth, to consolidate its leadership position in Ireland and become a market leader in the UK.

Welcoming the announcement, Declan Doyle, CEO of Bidvest Noonan, said: “This is a landmark moment for Bidvest Noonan and Cordant Services, as together we will deliver even greater support and value to our clients and create more opportunities for our people. It cements Bidvest Noonan’s position as a leading provider of security, cleaning and support services in the UK, with a significantly enhanced footprint, capability and expertise to deliver the highest standards of services to clients across a wide range of sectors and industries.

“Importantly to us, we are achieving this by bringing over 7,000 new colleagues to the Bidvest Noonan team who share our passion and commitment for delivering great value, high-standards and excellent service to customers. We look forward to working with our new colleagues to further enhance the services and supports to clients and build on their successes to date.”

Managing director of Cordant Services, Guy Pakenham, who together with his senior team will remain at the helm of the business, added: “This transaction is a very positive reflection of the quality of our business and all of our people and today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Cordant Services. I am thrilled that we are now part of Bidvest Noonan. Bidvest Noonan is an exceptional company whose leadership team is passionate about delivering outstanding value to clients and supporting their people.”

Today’s announcement follows Bidvest Noonan’s acquisition of Axis Group, a leading UK provider of Security, Cleaning and Front of House Services, in January 2021.

Ready to welcome students and faculty back on campus

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Contract Manager, Mark McDonald, tells us how his team has adapted to Covid-19 and is equipped and ready for the return to on-campus learning very soon.

When the pandemic hit, how did your team overcome the initial challenges?

My team and I began preparing for this pandemic before the first lockdown started in early 2020. Our biggest challenge was to maintain a clean and safe environment whilst keeping all those on campus safe. Like so many universities around the world, this was unchartered territory, and an uphill battle, but something myself and my team were ready to tackle together.

From the offset, we took a proactive approach. We knew the safety of people was our priority so gaining knowledge of what we were dealing with was important for us. I organised socially distanced toolbox talks to help my team develop an understanding of what was needed. I collated and distributed material and publications from our government on measures to be taken. I also implemented frequent catch-up meetings with the team to educate and update them on the latest developments. This was all done with the aim of protecting ourselves and those around us.

How were you able to maintain service standards?

The joint contract managers and I formulated new strategies and schedules that would allow us to maintain our usual standard of service amidst this disruption. We introduced working pods to ensure minimal crossover and to reduce the number of close contact situations. Working closely with the client we established a new daytime role to increase touch point cleaning frequency. This new role has been the backbone of our service during the pandemic and an important factor in how we have been containing the spread of Covid-19 on campus.

Have you taken any steps to improve your response outbreaks?

From an early stage, I ensured the team was prepared for a potential outbreak on site. Ecostatic sprayers were installed to actively apply a preventative disinfectant, but they also enabled us to decontaminate infected areas if Covid-19 was identified. Several members of both team and management were trained up to use the equipment.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have decontaminated a variety of areas around campus in response to suspected cases. In our high-traffic areas, we have completed countless preventative spraying projects also.

What is your teams’ priorities for the reopening, will there be new systems and ways of working?

Our focus is to continue working closely with the client and estate services to facilitate a smooth transition back to on-campus learning. Currently, we are planning to return as per current government guidelines. This means for the foreseeable future we expect to continue our daytime touchpoint cleaning procedures, remain working in smaller groups, adhere to social distancing where possible, and wear PPE where necessary.

The rollout of a new request logging system is also currently underway. Our client will be able to raise tickets through this system which will be forwarded to our team, providing them with a real-time feed. The job can then be assigned to a team leader to complete and closeout, triggering a notification to all included on the job tree that the job is complete. This means there will be a faster response time and will minimise staff deployment to the affected area where unnecessary.

What do expect in the coming months?

Since we began our work on-site here at UCD, and particularly since the start of the pandemic, our team has had an incredible ability to adapt to change and overcome any challenges put in front of us. We have strong backing from the leadership team at Bidvest Noonan that will ensure we have the resources we need to continue doing so.

While the government guidelines may change how we work, we will adjust as required and continue to work to the best of our ability in the safest manner possible, supporting client operations across the portfolio. We will stay in discussion with the client to ensure both teams are working in tandem.  This continued support and communication has built an environment of trust and partnership and we look forward to continuing this as we welcome everyone back on campus.