Concierge crazy

Who would have thought in this shiny new millennium, full of innovative technology and forward-thinkers, that we would be harking back to the Victorian era? But making a comeback at workplaces across the UK is the modern equivalent of the loyal domestic servant – the office concierge. Concierge services, such as those provided to guests at hotels throughout the world, are proving all the rage, in particular among employers of cash-rich, time-poor staff in banking and professional services. But is is not just the in-house facilities teams of such organisations that are being asked to source these services. Facilities management companies looking for a new edge are weighing up the concierge approach, while business park operators such as Arlington hope to cement tenant loyalty with services designed to make the lives of tenant's staff easier.

One City lawyer endured rented accommodation for six months while her home was being renovated. But on the eve of moving back home, and with all her furniture loaded in a van, she discovered that only half the new carpet had been laid. But, rather than missing a day at work, the concierge service picked up the pieces on her behalf, returning the house to order by the time she got home.

She is among a growing band of people who have decided to off-load some of life's more mundane tasks, in her case signing up to Ten UK's concierge service. Concierge firms such as these are willing to do anything, from organising a handyman to carry out jobs at home, to booking theatre tickets and hairdresser appointments or waiting at home for deliveries.

But while she was able to stump up the £1,000 joining fee and monthly subscriptions herself, more and more employers are offering their staff access to a concierge service as part of their employment package.

It's a move that could well find political backing. Last November, the government told employers they should adopt practices that would improve the balance between work and personal commitments for their employees, or risk a rise in staff turnover and absenteeism.

Official statistics show that one in nine full-time employees works more than 60 hours a week – mostly men with children. After a full day's work few have the energy to do anything else, with many claiming their work leaves them feeling both physically and mentally drained.

However, the comprehensive services of a concierge company don't come cheap. For £1,500 a year, concierge firm Entrust, for example, says it will manage an individual's life 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most concierge companies will offer corporate clients a deal that reduces the fee per employee, with firms billed per employee on a quarterly basis. Given the expense, it is perhaps no surprise that clients tend to be drawn from the investment banking, telecommunications, legal, consultancy and finance sectors.

'Our clients are earning good salaries but working long hours,' explains Jonathan Wallace, client service director of Entrust. 'There is little additional support at work these days because few now have personal assistants, and there is often no partner on the scene. Or, if there is, they too work long hours. So you can see why concierge services are so popular.'

But there is more to concierge services in the workplace than employers benevolently making life easier for their staff. As with many initiatives, the firms who introduce them hope to reap rewards. For one thing, it has long been argued that employees who enjoy themselves more during their free time perform better at work.

However, the shift in management attitudes to employees' personal lives could have a harder competitive edge to it. Many firms introducing such services hope to attract the best and the brightest in an increasingly vicious recruitment market. Top City law firm CMS Cameron McKenna has been piloting a concierge service from the UK arm of US firm Ceridian since last autumn. Expectations are high that such a perk will attract the best recruits and appease existing staff, who rarely work a 9am-5pm day.

'In a competitive job market, it differentiates us as an employer, giving us a unique selling point when recruiting,' says Avril Plumb, head of policy and planning in human resources at CMS. 'It also makes a statement about us as an employer – we appreciate people have a life outside work.'

At CMS, household services, ticket booking and travel arrangements have proven the most popular services.

Currently holding a beauty parade of concierge services providers is Ronnie Wilkie, operations director for Europe and the Middle East at management consultant Booz.Allen & Hamilton. He is being courted by lifestyle management firms that count top City law firms among their clients, but he is leaning more towards providing internet access to services rather than the on-site concierge service they offer.

It makes sense for facilities managers to offer these services, given the philosophy of treating workplace buildings like hotels

Wilkie is sceptical of claims that providing such services improves staff retention and recruitment, but he agrees that it promotes an image of a caring employer.

'It would be an acknowledgement of the fact that we live in very busy times and that the high success of the company drives more clients and demands more work from our staff, who will consequently have less personal time. We need to put in place the tools to improve their lifestyles,' he says.

Both Ceridian and lifestyle management firm Arena21, which counts top management consultancy McKinsey & Company among its clients, report that they have been approached by several facilities management firms looking at adding concierge services to their portfolio.

Ceridian business development manager Fin O'Hara is not surprised at the interest. 'I have spoken to several facilities firms and believe it makes sense for them to add these services to their package, given the growing philosophy of treating workplace buildings more like hotels,' she says.

Where competition between facilities service providers has previously concentrated on price, and more recently on the range of services, today's battleground is over customer services. Concierge services may be new to the facilities management world, but already different ways of providing them are emerging.

The corporate inhabitants of Tower 42, the former NatWest Tower in the City of London, have access to a concierge who will order cabs, fetch the dry cleaning, or book a table at a restaurant. Concierge service providers such as Ten UK, Ceridian and Entrust allocate personal assistants to each of their clients.

For other companies, however, new technology has provided the perfect solution. Property services firm Trammell Crow Savills' 'e-concierge' service provides clients at various sites access via the internet to a range of local services, researched and negotiated by the facilities provider.

Also pursuing the online approach is Arlington Business Services, which launched ArlingtonOnline last year, an internet service enabling its business park clients to procure whatever they need to run their businesses – from car fleets to computer terminals.

Clients' employees can also access a separate section, entitled Just For You, which provides a local directory of restaurants, cinemas, schools and so on.

'Trade parks may be isolated places but these days that doesn't matter if people have the convenience of being able to deal with personal matters during office hours,' says Howard Bibby, Arlington's managing director.

Not everyone is convinced this revolution in the workplace is all good. Sarah Veale, employment rights offices at the TUC thinks work must not be allowed to fill all our available time. 'A better option would be to employ more people,' she says. And, judging by the queues at coffee bars such as Starbucks – despite most companies providing perfectly acceptable coffee – it is clear that many of us do not want our entire life to revolve around a single building, nor to be in the hands of our employer from dawn to dusk.