06 Jun Julius Rutherfoord speaks about being a BICSc member for 15 years

Julius Rutherfoord

Julius Rutherfoord has been a Corporate member of BICSc for the past 15 years, first joining in 1999, they also became an Accredited Training Organisation in 2010, this gave them the ability to deliver accredited training to their staff. To mark this occasion we have asked Andy de Sallis (Sales & Marketing Director) and Simon Haskell (Marketing & Communications Manager) to give us an insight into the work of Julius Rutherfoord and how BICSc plays a part in their organisation.

Please, tell us more about Julius Rutherfoord.

“Julius Rutherfoord is an award-winning premium contract cleaning company for the education, office and community sectors in London.

Established in 1994 by Dominic Morris-Marsham and Andy Beilby (who still runs the business day-to-day) Julius Rutherfoord has grown organically into a significant, high quality contract cleaning organisation in London and employs over 2,100 staff.

Our Trade Mark is “Fresh Thinking in Cleaning”. A big part of that is innovation and environmental awareness. We have invested heavily in several carbonsaving measures such as installing 36 solar panels on our office roof to utilise renewable energy. We also have a green fleet of low emission and hybrid vehicles and a greener fleet management system which has helped us to reduce vehicle emissions by 16%.

Also, we have the strictest staff vetting procedures in the business. All staff, from cleaners to directors, undergo a thorough vetting process to make sure that they are legally entitled to work in the UK; do not have a criminal record; and are safe to work around children and vulnerable people.”

As a contract cleaning company in London, what do you think your greatest challenges are?

“Our greatest challenge is to make people aware of our company and specialist services in a crowded market. Once we have the opportunity to discuss and demonstrate our innovative approach to contract cleaning, we are rarely unsuccessful in convincing people that we provide the most reliable, thorough and cost effective cleaning service in the marketplace.”

And your greatest achievements?

“Our greatest achievements are the 2 consecutive Golden Service Awards that we have been awarded. Last year we won the Healthy Workplace category for the work undertaken at our own head office in Battersea to make it the healthiest office in the UK, the other award was for the cleanest educational premises at South Thames College.

We are also immensely proud of our many accreditations, not least our Living Wage accreditation. Julius Rutherfoord’s pledge to adopt the Living Wage demonstrates our ongoing commitment to both our staff and the local community, whilst also reinforcing our stance as a socially responsible company.”

As a Corporate member of BICSc for the past 15 years, what would you say are the main benefits of being a member?

“Membership of the British Institute of Cleaning Science provides our clients with additional peace of mind that the service we provide is of the very highest standard. It also lends credibility to our brand and our own cleaner training programme.

As a company, Julius Rutherfoord wants to be integrated and well connected with the cleaning industry. BICSc Membership provides networking opportunities for us to meet and interact with other organisations within our industry.”

You are also a BICSc Accredited Training Organisation, why did you decide to train your staff to BICSc Standards?

“The main way in which we differentiate ourselves from our competitors is in the quality of the cleaning services that we provide. One of the key ways in which we do this is by having the best trained and motivated cleaning staff in the business. By continuously training all staff to BICSc standards, we can ensure that the latest cleaning techniques and highest standards can be employed across each of our sites.”

What skills have been most useful to you from the Cleaning Professionals Skills Suite (CPSS) 2.0?

“We believe that the CPSS training programme is an excellent training tool that we utilize on a regular basis. In addition to the three mandatory units (PBICSc), we include the following core skills units to train our all our supervisors and managers.

– Mop sweeping
– Single suction mopping
– Suction cleaning
– Spray cleaning/buffering
– Dust, damp, wipe, wash and polish application
– Bodily fluids and sharps
– Toilets, wash hand basins, urinals and washroom

Would you recommend BICSc Membership and Training to others?

“We have been a BICSc member for 15 years. During this time our company turnover has increased from approximately £1 million to over £18 million per year. BICSc membership has been a valuable asset to us through each stage of this journey. The BICSc accredited training helps to ensure that we lead the way in innovative cleaning techniques.”

If you would like to know more about Julius Rutherfoord, visit their website: www.julius-r.co.uk