Jack has now been in his current role for around a year. He’s encountered some challenges —but describes himself as “thriving on adversity”.
For example, when the chillers in the Bristol server room went down at midnight on a Saturday, Jack was happy to roll up his sleeves and work with the team, hosting conference calls every 30 minutes until the issue was resolved. Another time, an alert went off for the server stacks in Winnersh Triangle just as his engineer, Mark, was on the way to the airport for some well-deserved annual leave. Jack went to the site, and video calls and some virtual guidance from Mark allowed them to fix the issue.
After seven years at the company, Jack has no regrets about his decision to change career all those years ago. “I love being in this job,” he says. “I feel like ISS is dedicated to me, and I am 100% dedicated to the company. If I need to fly to Ireland tomorrow, I’ll fly to Ireland. I say I love to be involved, but actually, I have to be involved!”
As well as his own hard work and commitment, Jack attributes some of his success to his inclusive and supportive managers. “I’ve been fortunate enough, to have had two great managers at ISS who have helped me to get where I am today,” he says. "First Alan, who saw my potential and convinced me to join ISS full-time and make a career here. Later, it was Ro, who shared on-the-job training that put me in the best possible position to be appointed to my current role.”
And some great experiences with brilliant team members have only reinforced his commitment to the company. “I like that I’m working with people who all have a passion for the business. And I love having a thriving team and seeing the effort we all put in. It’s really rewarding.”
When it comes to his next steps, Jack admits that he’s hungry to progress. But he’s also reluctant to step away from the operations work he enjoys and the tight-knit team he’s built across the UK. “We used to be very disparate, depending on where we were based. Not anymore. Obviously, we stand or fall as a team. But more than that, we’re a family. In fact, that’s what we say when someone joins us: ‘Welcome to the family!’”
Sustainability champion
Jack is always on the lookout for new ways to make the soft services environment more sustainable. At HPE’s site in Winnersh Triangle, he has piloted the installation of Lotus Pro, a filter that ensures only ozone water comes through the mains. Not only is the product wowing both Jack and the client, but it also has the support of his most important stakeholders: his team.
“Maggie, our amazing housekeeper who has more than 13 years of experience, just thinks it’s amazing,” he explains. “Not only can you use ozone water to clean surfaces and kill contaminants, but it’s also so safe that it’s cut our safety reporting down in this area by more than 90%. The team couldn’t be happier and the customer knows we’re continuing to improve the service and try new things. That’s a win-win for me!”
