Here we are nearing the end of 2020, and what a year it’s been! Possibly our most challenging yet in many ways, but also a year with many positives as we have continued to thrive and rapidly grow as a business.
November kicked off with an exciting new concierge security contract which went live in Chelmsford, Essex at the start of the month. We have also been supporting our valued existing clients at new site locations opening in Birmingham, Ipswich and Cambridgeshire, which have commenced during November. Our customers know they can always call on MAN Commercial to deliver the ideal manned guarding solutions, be it at short notice, adhoc, temporary or permanent.
Meticulous mobilisation plans have also been underway for a large pharmaceutical contract, starting across nationwide locations in December.
With plans for increased public space CCTV monitoring from our Head Office Control Room from December, we have invested in further training for our entire team of Controllers. We are also expanding the team, with an Operational Assistant joining us soon to work on scheduling, rostering and supporting employee welfare. Our Control Room is the hub of the Company, and is fully compliant with BS standards and SIA ACS regulations.
November 25th was the 2020 Security Fire and Excellence Awards, which took place virtually this year due to Coronavirus restrictions. MAN Commercial’s HR Team were over the moon to have been shortlisted in the Summer for the prestigious Inspiration in HR Award. This Award seeks to recognise the work of Human Resources professionals, and this year more than ever has shown the strength of our HR Team who have displayed great innovation and willingness to adapt current processes quickly to ensure support continues to be provided to the whole business in the face of the pandemic.
A socially- distanced pizza and prosecco party was organised so the team could gather to watch the Awards together, along with a few more supporters from the office! Unfortunately, MAN Commercial were not winners this year but feel very proud and honoured to be one of only 7 finalists.
The pandemic this year has meant that a lot of face-to-face training has had to temporarily cease, but we have made full use of Zoom and other online platforms to adapt our usual approach. In November, Directors from the HR department led management training in recruitment and site level HR processes, which was conducted over Zoom. We roll out this training twice a year to induct new starters and to update and refresh existing management and supervisory team members on best practises.
November was also our Annual ACS Audit. MAN Commercial Protection have been proud ACS members for 14 years; each year independent auditors review our business processes to ensure the procedures in place are correct and compliant with the accredited standards. The assessor verifies this by auditing various documentation and speaking with different members of staff to ensure compliance is achieved and full understanding is present.
In line with COVID-19 guidelines, the audit was conducted differently this year and where possible was remote, which meant lots of video calls, advance preparation, secure sending, and greeting each other with a virtual wave!
Despite the new challenges we were faced with this year, we are thrilled to announce we received our highest ever score which puts us in the top 5%!
