1nergiek
Tessa Morsink (36) has been Asset Manager at Wereldhave for two years now and in this capacity is responsible for the management and optimization of the company’s real estate portfolio, including various shopping centers. In her case, that means the day-to-day running of the shopping centers Middenwaard in Heerhugowaard and Eggert in Purmerend.
Tessa’s broad range of responsibilities includes, among other things, responsibility for a clean and safe shopping and working environment, local cooperation, partial coordination of local events and consultations with the municipalities. She also assesses supplier performance, looks at opportunities for improvement, conducts consumer research and manages operational aspects.
“The challenging thing about our profession is that you know everything that is involved in keeping a shopping center actively running,” Tessa says. “It’s a mixed environment where everyone has an opinion about something, including whether it is clean and safe. What do I value in a cleaning company that works for us? In Middenwaard and Eggert, 1nergiek cleaners work who have become the face of these two shopping centers. They are fixed, recognizable teams. This creates a situation in which the 1nergiek cleaners know both the shopping center and the customers well. They have a chat with them. This creates a certain commitment from both sides.”
“I think that is enormously important, because if you let good and recognizable people do this work, there is respect and credit. After all, cleaning is invisible when it is done well, but visible when a cleaner slips up.”
With Operations Manager Martine de Graaf from 1nergiek, I hold evaluation meetings regarding planning and the agreements made. I arrange the execution with the regional manager Milena. It all works very pleasantly. 1nergiek meets our quality requirements in every respect.”
When asked, Tessa has the following message for 1nergiek. “Keep your people and keep asking yourself how you are going to bring in new people? That is a major challenge these days. You have to find people willing to clean shopping centers. There is a senior cleaning employee working in our shopping center who is approaching retirement age. I find that quite exciting. How long will he continue? There will come a point when he will also think it is enough.”
“We let three parties submit a quote and then enter into a long-term contract,” Tessa explains. “1nergiek has therefore been working for Wereldhave in its current form for a number of years already. Sometimes we make use of the extension option. But it does happen that you have to tender again. Cleaning is included in the service charges. This means that the tenants are also paying for it. We are obliged to keep the cost side realistically in view for them. Can it be done in fewer hours or can it be cheaper? Those are questions that come up every year. We always make decisions about that in a good, responsible and careful way.”
In order to keep the service charges affordable for the tenants, Tessa has to regularly anticipate certain situations. “We have done this, for example, in terms of energy consumption,” she says. “In the past autumn, cleaning was done in the early hours, which meant that all the lights had to be on while the shopping center was not yet open. By scheduling the cleaning later, it coincided with opening hours and saved on lighting energy costs. An additional important advantage was that the cleaners became more visible and felt respected.”
Tessa indicates that sustainability is important for Wereldhave. How does that work in practice? “For new contracts, higher sustainability requirements are set,” she says. “As a real estate owner, you also have to meet certain standards anyway. But we like to go a step further. Wereldhave therefore looks at which products are used in cleaning. 1nergiek also meets our standards in this respect. That is great to experience.”
Eggert in Purmerend has grown into a shopping center with 5 million visitors per year. The shopping area has become a natural part of a stroll through the city center.
Tessa: “This is also a challenge for the 1nergiek cleaners. Take the loitering youths, for example. If they throw chips on the ground somewhere and the cleaner has just been there shortly before, that is quite frustrating. But we respond well to this and the roster adjusts flexibly. ‘Clean, intact and safe’ simply form the basis of our shopping centers. As soon as a signal comes in that there is rubbish again, or that things are broken, we immediately alert the cleaners and/or our technical staff. The same applies to safety. We are also particularly alert to this. That is also one of the reasons why we have cleaners, security staff and technical personnel at our disposal throughout the day.”
You immediately notice during a walk through the Eggert shopping center that there is a light-colored floor everywhere; quite challenging to say the least. It is cleaned so well that it almost has a mirror effect. “Such a light-colored floor will always remain a special challenge for the cleaners,” Tessa laughs. “It is truly impressive that they manage time and again to keep the floor so clean. Especially because so many people walk on it. We regularly have the cleaning inspected, by the way. If it turns out that the inspections have been passed with flying colors, then the pastries are ready for the cleaners the next day. After all, it is not self-evident that everything goes well. It is and remains human work that you should appreciate when it turns out that they have done their job well again.”
A clean environment starts with people who are involved, take responsibility and know what is needed. That is how we like to work together. Curious what 1nergiek can do for your organization?
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