ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The concept of sustainability runs right through the heart of Incentive QAS instead of simply being an “add-on”, says managing director Jamie Wright. And this is what earned the company the 2019 European Cleaning & Hygiene Award for Sustainability Best Practice, he says.

Concern for the environment has become a prominent topic over recent years, with organisations worldwide doing their utmost to be as sustainable as they can.

But contract cleaning company Incentive QAS still managed to stand out from the crowd and win itself the 2019 European Cleaning & Hygiene Award for Sustainability Best Practice. So, how did it manage to achieve this?

“Sustainability is a fundamental part of our culture,” says managing director Jamie Wright. “Our senior management teams are enthusiastic about protecting the environment and are focused on making a difference to those around us.”

The “People” element of sustainability is particularly important to the company, says Wright. “Our staff are the most important part of the business and we take pride in being a company where people actually like to work,” he said. “We focus on providing our staff with a fair work/life balance and we invest in wellbeing campaigns and mental health awareness training for managers.”

Training in general is high on the company’s agenda, says Wright. “We regularly add new elements of training and review our existing programmes to ensure that they remain fresh while allowing us to continuously develop our staff,” he said.

“There is a saying I love: Train your staff to leave, but treat them so that they don’t want to.  By adopting this mantra we have managed to build teams that strive to be the best and who are hungry to learn new skills while also driving us forward as a business. And all of this pays off in the long run.”

Incentive QAS makes every effort to use products that can effectively complete the required cleaning task while also having a minimal impact on the environment. “We are constantly searching for products and solutions that meet these criteria from circular economy products to chemical-free cleaning,” said Wright.  “And we operate our larger sites in partnership with clients so that we can source increased storage space and reduce the number of deliveries required.”

Incentive QAS embraces CSR and does whatever it can to ensure a positive long-term impact upon communities, wildlife and anyone affected by a natural disaster or tragedy that is out of their control, says Wright.  “We have organised numerous fundraising events over the years which have included charity balls and auctions, sponsored abseils and obstacle course races for our nominated charities,” he adds. 

“We also like to introduce fun ways of raising money at our company get-togethers, such as levying a forfeit for anyone who forgets to turn off their phone at the annual conference or who fails to comply with the requirements of Christmas Jumper Day.

“And we regularly take part in beach cleans alongside our waste service providers in order to create a better environment for visitors and inhabitants while providing a safer environment for wildlife and encouraging and educating people about the importance of recycling.”

Wright adds that he and his colleagues are constantly asking themselves the question: ‘How can this benefit people?’ in all that they do. “Whether we are managing our supply chain with care or giving something back to the community, every little step contributes to a wider impact,” he said.

One of the items on the company’s 2020 agenda is the introduction of reusable water bottles and coffee cups to enable staff to remain hydrated at work without having to drink from single-use plastic bottles or disposable coffee containers, says Wright.

Incentive QAS is the contract cleaning arm of Incentive FM Group which has a staff of 800. Wright describes himself as being “incredibly proud” to receive the company’s first ever European Cleaning & Hygiene Award in such a sought-after category.

“We take our responsibility for the planet’s protection seriously and to be recognised for our commitment to sustainability in this way is an absolute honour,” he said. “We believe that we all have a responsibility to future generations and we need to ensure that we are striving towards our sustainability goals. Everybody has an impact - and we will minimise or eradicate that impact wherever we can.”

www.incentive-qas.com