About

The facilities management industry has many blogs, but I've not seen one about what it's like for those of us who work on the front line of customer service delivery. Our stories are not being told. This blog is primarily about our experiences on the job but from time to time it may contain some references to politics.

My opinions are my own and for the most part I'm moderate and somewhat conservative. Sometimes Government policy affects our jobs, so from time to time I'll talk about the way politics affects our industry.

My background

I've worked in a range of industries, from publishing to kitchen design retail to insurance, and have picked up a range of transferable skills including sales, data entry in a range of database systems, and complaints resolution. I'm currently working as a building manager for an estates management company.

Admin and customer services

I've mostly temped; my working life began as a waitress and catering assistant until a friend recommended me to the agency she worked for, and I got into office work. While living in London during the 90s I worked for Butterworths Tolley, some major merchant banks, and in call centres doing everything from surveys to advising on stocks and shares following changes in company finances. I even worked for Kent County Council for a while.

Facilities Management

During the late 90s I was introduced to the Facilities Management world and worked on helpdesk administration for a while for Mitie and Norland Managed Services.

In 2003 I moved to Manchester and temped in various jobs for a year (meeting a lot of discrimination at the time from potential employers who were utterly convinced I was going to leave the moment they hired me, despite my protestations to the contrary) until I got a job as an insurance clerk (after pointing out to the HR manager that since they already had a high staff turnover, it wouldn't make a difference if she hired me or not). I was there for four years working in Special Risks and general motor insurance. I left to move to a higher paid position that didn't last long, then temped again until I started my own web design business. In a saturated market I couldn't make a living from it so I signed up to HVAC, who got me a job with Interserve in 2013.

I began as a helpdesk administrator logging jobs, adding feedback, and compiling reports, and chasing jobs down to completion. As time went by my employers noticed that I'm a problem-solver and that I'm quite ambitious, so I was given the opportunity to gain a Customer Service Diploma, after which I was promoted to the role of client coordinator. My duties shifted to involve assisting with procurement, a little project management, PPM planning, and quoted works generation. I also got a Facilities Management Apprenticeship certificate, followed by NVQ Level 3 qualifications in Facilities Principles and Practice. By this time I'd realised that I was good at FM; I knew it, understood it and wanted a career in it. I was determined to become a manager of a site of my own, but there were no opportunities for me there so I left to work for a student accommodation firm for five months. During this time I took an IOSH Managing Safely course, which was bundled with five other awareness courses, including Asbestos, COSSH, Fire Marshall, Manual Handling, and Working at Height. I'm also an Associate Member of IWFM.

As of Monday 02/03/2020 I work for an estates and property management company as a building manager. This is what I've worked towards, I'm living the dream!

Creative writing

I love creative writing (can you tell?!) and have two other blogs, On t'Internet and If Wishes Were Horses. Occasionally I write for other blogs on my favourite subjects, the internet and politics. See my other writing credits.