Category: Community

OCS Foundation: People into Work programme

Posted on by ameliaroberts
What is the People into Work programme?

People into Work is a unique UK programme, developed by the OCS Foundation, which aims to change individuals’ lives for the better by bringing sustainable employment opportunities to local individuals who have been in long-term unemployment, are ex-serving personnel, or face specific mental health or physical challenges.

Our people are the heart of everything we do as a business and our people-centred approach is what allows us to deliver not only the best practices and best experiences for our customers, but the best place of work for our employees.

The programme has already supported over 290 people with their own employment journey, and over 50 people have been brought into sustainable employment within OCS to date.

Jeffrey’s story

OCS helped Iraq and Afghanistan veteran Jeffrey Akrasi return to work. With support from The Forces Employment Charity, Jeffrey obtained the necessary qualifications and is now a Deputy Contract Manager at WLNT NHS Trust.

“I came into the West London contract on January 22nd after serving three tours in the army. I transitioned my employment into OCS from FEC, a well-known forces employment charity. I’m looking forward to remaining in the OCS family and working to the company’s values.”

Group CEO, Rob Legge, outlines the OCS Best Strategy and Approach

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The international facilities management landscape has been dominated by the same global players for a number of years. However, when OCS Group and Atalian Servest’s operations in the UK, Ireland, and Asia merged, it created a new company which had the potential to act as an industry leader and disruptor.

I have been involved in facilities management for close to three decades and it has become a real part of my DNA. Our merger earlier in 2023 was an opportunity to drive forward not only the business, but the entire industry. With our newly expanded, critical scale, we saw the opportunity to take stock of our purpose and values and ensure we were building the most compelling offering for our customers.

Our approach

When formulating a plan for the next phase of OCS’ journey, we established a collective vision of wanting to be the partner of choice in the industry, providing the most valuable service to any customer we worked with across each of our geographies. The culmination of this work was the formulation of OCS’ new strategy, BEST. It has been established to enhance how we serve our customers, empower our workforce, and contribute to the well-being of the communities we touch.

Today, our mission at OCS is clear: to make people and places the best they can be. We’ve embarked on this journey with the aim to create exceptional experiences, enhance productivity, refine our practices, foster communities, and ultimately, deliver outstanding outcomes. These aspects form the core of our strategy and are reinforced by our TRUE values.

Trust, Respect, Unity, and Empowerment—these values are the foundation of everything we do.

They guide our interactions with customers, colleagues, partners, and the communities we serve, ensuring a cohesive approach to our mission.

In an ever-evolving world, we believe that creating exceptional experiences is paramount. We understand that the value we bring is not just in our services but in the experiences we create. From a well-maintained office space that enhances productivity, to a clean and safe healthcare facility that promotes well-being, OCS is dedicated to improving every aspect of the human experience within the spaces we manage.

Our business is powered by best practice, consistency and our unique attention to detail. Ultimately, we will look to set the benchmark for our industry, harnessing the power of technology, innovation, and human expertise to create efficiencies for our customers.

However, this is not a one-step change but rather a continual process. To succeed in our mission, we must consistently look at improving our practices and ensure that our work aligns with the highest ethical and sustainability standards. Our commitment to best practices guarantees that we are not just compliant, but we set the standard for excellence in our industry.

Empowering our workforce

Overall, OCS is made up of 120,000 individuals, most of whom are workers on the frontline. These are the people who sit at the core of our business, and it is only by empowering them that we can truly thrive. We encourage our colleagues to take ownership, make decisions, and shape the future of our business. This not only elevates the service we provide, but also gives our workforce the opportunity to progress their careers in our business.

As a business we have a fundamental commitment to social mobility. We ensure we recruit from the widest possible talent pool; we offer each of our colleagues ongoing training to support their career progression and we foster and invest in a diverse and inclusive culture.

Serving communities

Last but not least, we consider ourselves integral parts of the communities we serve. Our goal is to create a positive impact on the people and places we touch, fostering a sense of belonging and well-being. We aspire to be responsible and sustainable members of every community we serve.

We adopt this mindset right the way through the business and are continuously looking to evolve our approach to each of the ‘E’, the ‘S’ and the ’G’. It runs from our 2040 net-zero commitment, down to the work we do to supporting the individual communities we work in across each of our geographies.

OCS’ BEST strategy and TRUE values are at the heart of our mission to make people and places the best they can be.

We also believe they will be fundamental to our future growth as a business and industry leader – our commitment to this strategy and our values sets the stage for us to set a new standard in the industry. OCS is in a unique position and is primed for growth. We are a dynamic business and it is my ambition to make this company the market leaders in the facilities management industry. Reflecting on the first 6 months of my role as Global CEO, I believe we have the team to deliver on this ambition.

 

Rob Legge, Group CEO

OCS Group launches OCSi Academy to offer colleagues world-class training in data skills

Posted on by ameliaroberts

OCS, a leading global facilities service provider, has invited employees from across its business to become part of its newly created OCSi Academy which is designed to help develop vital data skills and support career progression. It forms part of the Group’s commitment to empowering its people, giving them the tools and support to thrive.

The training will be delivered by Multiverse, a tech company focused on high-quality education and training through applied learning. In an initial trial, 15 OCS colleagues will enrol on a 15-month data apprenticeship, with plans to expand this next year. This investment by OCS into these apprenticeships aims to improve data-driven decision-making and efficiency across the business, supporting clients and employees to deliver better outcomes.

It comes as research within the company found that most employees whose role requires some data analysis spend a considerable amount of time each week wrangling data. 91% of respondents said they wanted to improve their data skills.

Daniel Dickson, Chief Executive Officer, UK & Ireland, said: “As part of our OCS TRUE values, we are committed to ‘empowering our colleagues through excellent working environments’ and providing these opportunities for developing new skills, is key to that. Our colleagues are already using data heavily to inform their decisions and deliver results for customers, and this new training will empower them to do so more efficiently and effectively. Not only are these vital skills that will help them in their job, but they are skills that will support them throughout their careers.”

Euan Blair, CEO of Multiverse, said: “The OCSi Academy has been designed to transform careers for the individuals that receive this world-class training while transforming their ability to make data-driven decisions and use technology to drive efficiency and results. Through meaningful, applied learning, apprentices at OCS will gain the relevant skills that will propel them forward in their career journey, and support them in their role today and in the future.”

Multiverse delivers world-class training in a wide range of qualifications in tech, data and engineering. Apprentices benefit from coaching with an industry expert and are supported by a thriving community with events, socials, mentoring and leadership programmes.

OCS supports Scottish Autism Charity with a sensory room for a local school

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As part of its commitment to delivering social value within its communities, OCS were delighted to help Scottish Autism’s New Struan School, based in Alloa, create a new sensory room designed to help enrich the learning experience of its pupils. The project took around six months and was supported by OCS’ customer, SCTS (The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service), and its local supply chain.

The OCS team, some of whom have a personal connection with the charity, donated their time and resources, working closely with the school to ensure that the refurbishment of the existing sensory room best met the needs of the young people – this was done by creating an internal space with an external feel. Works included sensory flooring, a bespoke mural including user drawings, bespoke lighting, sound system, sensory equipment and a quiet corner. The new room will form an important part of the everyday experience for young people at New Struan, and the staff team are ‘delighted and excited’ by the new resource.

New Struan Head Teacher Lee-Anne McAulay said: “The partnership with OCS has been an absolute dream for us; the team entirely supported our vision, and nothing was too much to ask. We wanted to ensure that the sensory room would be part of the everyday sensory regulation for our young people and built into the curriculum. Too often, the perception of such resources is that they are somewhere for young people to be sent when they are struggling to regulate or distressed. We wanted a space to flip that expectation and make it integral to the school experience. I cannot overstate the benefit our young people will get from this calm, beautiful sensory space.”

Colin Rushforth, Account Director at OCS, added: “Scottish Autism is a charity which gives so much to the Scottish community and is close to my heart. With the support of our dedicated team and supply chain, we at OCS were delighted to help such a great cause and work with the fantastic staff at New Struan School.

“From the outset, our joint vision with Michael Laurie Architects and the New Struan staff was to create a bespoke space which would bring an outdoor feeling indoors. We feel the completed project reflects this. We hope the young people enjoy their new Sensory Room and look forward to supporting Scottish Autism in future projects.”

Wear Red and Show Racism The Red Card

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Show Racism the Red Card is the UK’s leading anti-racism charity, and ‘Wear Red Day’ is their national day of action.

Wear Red Day is the UK’s largest anti-racism fundraiser, with over 444,000 people poised to take a stand this Friday. The day is about more than just a colour, it’s about creating unity, it’s about starting a discussion, and most of all, it’s about taking a stand against all forms of racism.

As part of our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, we’re encouraging our colleagues to wear red on the 20th of October to combat racism. From socks to scrunchies, t-shirts to onesies, wear red to stand against discrimination.

Find out more about the day by watching the video below.

Show Racism the Red Card was established in January 1996, in collaboration with then ex-Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.

While playing for Newcastle in the 1990s, Shaka was at a petrol station near St James’ Park when he was confronted by a group of young people shouting racist abuse. After one of the group realised that they had been shouting at Shaka Hislop, the Newcastle United football player, they came over to ask for an autograph.

Over the years, the charity has grown and is recognised across the football industry with professional football players such as Harry Kane, Dele Ali, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Pickford, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Eni Aluko as well as England manager Gareth Southgate involved in their education programme.

Find out more about Shaka’s story and the amazing work Show Racism the Red Card does here.