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Three Ways Mobile Welfare Units Can Help Construction Firms Prepare for 2024

After a decline in project starts this year, experts predict the UK’s construction sector will see a 12% recovery in 2024. This will create huge opportunities for successful firms, but there will also be an increase in competition over contracts.

How can firms remain competitive, and what should they do today to win more contracts in 2024?

In this article, we explore three ways mobile welfare units can help firms in the new year:

1. Focus on ESG

The challenge:

Pressure to decarbonise construction supply chains and create a more sustainable way of working is nothing new. But 2024 will see Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores go from a growing concern to a crucial competitive advantage. 

Firms must already show their net zero commitments to bid on contracts worth £5 million or more, and the new year will only see this trend towards ESG-focused tenders grow, especially as the Government seeks to regulate ESG ratings agencies in January and produce more reliable, consistent measurements.

What you can do today:

ESG is inherently complex, but factors like adopting eco-friendly mobile welfare units and tower lights can only have a positive impact on your score. The EcoXLi is a perfect example: it runs on 100% solar power and uses next generation lithium battery cells to negate the need for a generator. But it also features a smart telemetry system to guarantee optimal usage of power, as well as rainwater harvesting to minimise water waste.

2. Invest in staff wellbeing

The challenge:

Two factors will converge to make staff wellbeing a priority in 2024: the ongoing mental health crisis in construction and talent shortages. A recent study found that over 50% of construction workers suffer with mental health issues, while 63% of trades are struggling to find new staff in the UK.

As a result, there will be an even greater premium on employee retention. Firms that attract and retain workers will be better equipped to deliver projects on time, and face fewer issues around shortages, absenteeism and low morale.

What you can do today:

There are many factors that influence staff wellbeing, from site safety to schedule flexibility. However, one of the most decisive is the quality, size and comfort of your on-site welfare units. 

Welfare Hire’s ECO XLi mobile welfare unit supports employee wellbeing and retention in several ways:

  • The XL internal space enables more staff to use units at the same time. This encourages team bonding and ensures important conversations around mental health can be conducted in a safe, comfortable environment.
  • Improved non-chemical XL wash facilities improve hygiene for smarter, safer working and cater for more dynamic workforces.
  • The investment in higher quality, technologically advanced welfare units signal to employees that you value their wellbeing.
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3. Build stronger supplier relations

The challenge:

With a large dip in output and an increase in project delays across 2023, the new year will see many firms racing to make up for lost time. The challenge then will be staying on schedule and keeping costs under control – both of which put firms at the mercy of their volatile supply chains.

The solution is to build more robust relationships with your suppliers, including everything from raw materials to strategic equipment like mobile welfare units. But how can firms achieve this?

What you can do today:

The key is to select suppliers that provide comprehensive support and treat the relationship as a partnership, collaborating to add further value.

At Welfare Hire, we take pride in the strength and durability of our customer relationships. From specialist support and dedicated services to strategic collaboration on how to deploy our mobile welfare units and tower lights most effectively on projects, we offer the kind of reliable, added value service our partners need.

Prepare for 2024 with Welfare Hire

Build a robust partnership with Welfare Hire to improve ESG and employee wellbeing – and support your tendering process in the new year.

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For more opportunities to partner together, check out our other company, Access Hire Nationwide, the UK’s leading hirer of vehicle mounted access platforms. Kelling Group is a leading provider of specialist access, welfare and lighting equipment hire and services to key infrastructure and construction sectors.

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Why Facility Managers Need to Embrace Electric Van Mounted MEWPs

Every facility manager today knows they need to reduce their carbon footprint.

76% say their clients consider sustainability “the most important issue” in the tendering process¹, meaning that carbon reduction is not just about ethics – it’s crucial to winning business.

But how can facility managers produce a meaningful reduction without totally overhauling their existing processes?

The answer is simple: through embracing fully electric van mounted MEWPs for ongoing maintenance work.

Van Mounted MEWPs are an opportunity to reduce emissions

Facility managers routinely use van mounted MEWPs to undertake maintenance work, and few leaders have  identified them as an opportunity to reduce emissions. But as pressure to institute more sustainable processes, many are looking to this new option.

CBRE recently argued that facilities managers should switch to an electric fleet to improve sustainability². And the chief reason most facility managers haven’t made the switch is there was not a reliable source of fully-electric van mounted MEWPs – until now.

The rise of fully-electric Van Mounted MEWPs

Earlier this year, Access Zero launched the UK’s only fleet of fully-electric van mounted MEWPs. With zero carbon emissions and silent running, they enable facility managers to undertake regular maintenance work without adding to their carbon footprint or contributing to noise issues.

This is an important step for the facility management industry. A study from Reading University found that facilities managers are far less likely to measure and inspect their supply chain for carbon emissions than other factors³. But the introduction of fully-electric options makes it far easier to ensure your fleet is clean – and therefore signals your attention to detail.

now is the time to act

There is a major opportunity for facility managers to become early adopters of electric vehicles – and they should grasp it with both hands. Not only will doing so show their intent to reduce emissions and implement more sustainable practices; it will position them as pioneers in the industry – which could have a lasting positive effect on their reputation. 

Better still, it is easy to introduce fully-electric van mounted MEWPs today. With Access Zero as your dedicated partner, you have everything you need to make a seamless transition that will give you a clear edge in the tendering process.

Want to learn more about Access Zero’s fully-electric fleet?

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Kelling Group is a leading provider of specialist Access, Welfare and lighting equipment hire and services to key infrastructure and construction sectors.

1.https://www.rics.org/content/dam/ricsglobal/documents/to-be-sorted/rics-uk-fm-survey_final.pdf
2.https://www.cbre.co.uk/insights/articles/a-vision-for-sustainable-facilities-management
3.https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/31211/1/1054682013021983409233.pdf
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Three Ways the EcoWC2 Toilet Pod Solves Your Employee Experience Problems

With chronic labour shortages and declining productivity, UK construction firms need to deliver better employee experience. But research suggests things are trending in the opposite direction. 

A recent poll found that 37% of workers feel their employee experience is worse than it was before the pandemic, with 53% feeling less motivated. This puts extra pressure on leaders to find novel solutions to their employees’ problems – one of which is improving on-site facilities.

In this article, we explore three ways our new EcoWC2 towable toilet block solves problems that harm employee experience on construction sites:

1. Increased comfort

Cramped, uncomfortable hygiene facilities are the norm on construction sites. In fact, one study found that 1 in 5 sites fail to meet legal requirements with their welfare facilities. This sends a clear message that employees’ safety and comfort is not a priority.

The EcoWC2 reverses this narrative. It provides separate XL, non-chemical, water system wash and changing facilities that not only ensure optimal hygiene, but provide a more comfortable experience for users. From coat hooks and air fresheners to non-slip chequer plate flooring.

2. Easy access and setup

Bringing most toilets onto your site requires Heavy Goods Vehicles or site access plans. This creates additional stress for site managers, but the EcoWC2 removes that stress.

The facilities are easily towable, making access and setup seamless on every construction site. Facilities can be placed wherever will be most convenient for workers, ultimately creating a more positive daily experience.

Explore our EcoWC2 unit

3. Minimised servicing time

The frequency of toilet service intervals – i.e., how often facilities require emptying of waste and refilling with water – is usually framed as a cost-saving factor. The less often you have to empty and clean the waste tank, the less you spend on things like transport. But there is another element to consider here: access to the facilities. 

Even relatively short periods where toilets are unavailable can have a negative impact on your staff, and the EcoWC2 ensures this is not an issue. It minimises service intervals through a combination of XL waste tanks and smart telemetry to monitor tank levels – delivering cost savings, carbon reductions and a better experience for employees.

Small Changes Make a Big Difference to Employees

At Welfare Hire, we believe improved equipment is one of the simplest and most effective ways of improving employee experience. Getting fundamentals like welfare units or on-site WC facilities right can have an outsized impact on everything from your carbon footprint to employee engagement and retention.

Want to learn about our full range of innovative welfare products?

CONTACT SALES TODAY

For more opportunities to partner together, check out our other company, Access Hire Nationwide, the UK’s leading hirer of vehicle mounted access platforms. Kelling Group is a leading provider of specialist access, welfare and lighting equipment hire and services to key infrastructure and construction sectors.