ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Winning the Best Company to Work For title at the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards in 2025 highlighted an approach to people management that commercial cleaning business JPC by Samsic says has been central to its development over several decades. ECJ editor Michelle Marshall finds out more from its managing director, John Conry Jnr. 

UK-BASED CLEANING business JPC by Samsic, which employs around 1,200 people serving some of London’s most iconic spaces, has built its reputation on a culture centred on employee development, engagement and long-term career opportunities. According to managing director John Conry Jnr, maintaining those values has been critical to both workforce retention and service delivery as the business has expanded.

At a time when the cleaning sector continues to face recruitment and retention challenges, Conry argues that investing in people remains one of the most effective ways of building a sustainable organisation. “It was always about the people,” he says. “We had a fantastic team and we looked after them because we started as a very small family business.”

That philosophy is one of the reasons JPC was recognised by the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards judges. While many organisations talk about employee engagement and workplace culture, Conry believes the difference lies in translating those values into actions that employees can see and experience.

For him, it all starts with respect. “You could have the best intentions starting a job,” he says. “But if you’re not shown respect, you’re going to lose respect for the organisation you’re working for. You’re going to lose respect for the job that you’re doing. Ultimately that’s going to translate into service standards.”

The business case for investing in people is therefore straightforward. According to Conry, employees who feel valued are more likely to remain with the organisation, develop their careers and deliver higher standards of service. In turn, clients benefit from greater continuity, stronger relationships and improved performance.

“It’s not rocket science,” he says. “But I think you’ve genuinely got to want to do it.” Growth, of course, does present challenges of its own and one of the questions many businesses face is how to maintain culture as employee numbers increase. Conry acknowledges that preserving a people-centred approach becomes more difficult as his business has become larger and more complex.
For him, the answer begins with recruitment. The company places significant emphasis on ensuring managers align with its values and culture. Technical skills and industry experience are important, but they are not the sole criteria for selection.

Right fit for the business

“We’ll go through a very protracted process,” says Conry. “It’s not just about experience, competency and professionalism. Those individuals have to be the right fit for the business.”

He believes the management team plays a critical role in protecting organisational culture because managers are the people who interact most frequently with both clients and frontline teams. “If they haven’t got those values, they won’t be successful.” That philosophy extends throughout the business.

Conry argues that leadership should never become detached from frontline operations. Visibility and accessibility are key components of effective management. “It’s about being visible. It’s about being engaged. It’s never sitting behind a desk in head office and directing. You must lead from the front.”

This approach is reflected in the company’s emphasis on personal relationships. Managers are encouraged to understand employees not simply as workers but as individuals with different ambitions, challenges and aspirations. “The more we know about somebody, the more we can tailor the support they need and the more we can facilitate their career aspirations.”

And career development has become one of the most important components of JPC’s employee strategy. The business has introduced a range of programmes designed to create progression opportunities for employees at every stage of their careers. Among these is Next Gen, an internal development initiative that supports progression from frontline roles into supervisory and management positions.

Next Gen provides a structured, multi-stage development pathway designed to identify emerging talent and accelerate leadership capability across operational teams. The programme includes: formal leadership development modules; psychometric profiling and behavioural insight; personalised development plans; structured mentoring and coaching; experiential, scenario-based workshops and clear career progression pathways.

The Next Gen syllabus is delivered across 12 structured modules. Together, these modules provide a comprehensive and practical leadership curriculum designed to equip participants with both the behavioural and operational skills required in modern facilities management. The content has been developed in alignment with the principles and professional standards advocated by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).

The programme supports internal talent pipelines, leadership readiness and digital and adaptive capability. Participants are prepared for future operational complexity, including evolving client expectations, technology integration and service innovation. By proactively developing supervisors and emerging leaders, JPC by Samsic reduces reliance on external recruitment and strengthens organisational resilience. This future-focused model ensures continuity, capability and sustainable growth.

Inclusivity is also central to Next Gen’s design. The programme is open to employees across different roles and seniority levels, diverse backgrounds, various contract types and multiple operational sites.
The programme reflects Conry’s belief that cleaning should be viewed as a career rather than simply a job. “There are two ways of looking at the industry,” he says. “Cleaning can be very mechanical and repetitive. But actually you can have a very successful career and great opportunities for yourself and your family if you want them.”

The objective, he explains, is not simply to provide training. “We don’t just want to develop people. We want to create career-defining opportunities.” The programme has generated significant interest from employees across the business. Applicants are required to explain why they want to participate, with successful candidates undertaking structured development activities designed to prepare them for future leadership roles. Those who are not selected receive feedback and support to help them prepare for future opportunities.

The emphasis on internal progression is evident throughout the organisation. A high proportion of the company’s management and senior leadership team has progressed through the business rather than being recruited externally. JPC has also introduced a leadership development programme alongside hard FM service providers HDB Service Partners, in a strategic partnership with 11 Archer – an organisation founded and led by veterans of the British Armed Forces which translates decades of elite UK military experience into world class leadership solutions.

Leadership principles

‘Mission Command’ combines high performance leadership principles, behavioural science and real frontline expertise. It equips teams with an advanced and highly practical toolkit for delivering consistently outstanding service, even in complex or high pressure environments to create lasting, measurable impact. The initiative focuses on resilience, teamwork, leadership and performance under pressure, helping managers develop skills that can be applied across operational environments.

For Conry, both programmes demonstrate a broader commitment to investing in people. “We’re looking strategically at all levels of the business,” he explains.

And employee support extends beyond career development. Recognising the pressures many workers face outside the workplace, JPC has introduced a range of wellbeing initiatives designed to provide practical assistance. One example is the company’s adoption of financial wellbeing tools that allow employees to access earned wages before payday and receive budgeting support. This programme has achieved strong uptake among employees.

Conry believes this reflects the importance of understanding what workers actually need. Historically, employee benefits often focused on leisure activities. Today, however, many employees are looking for support with everyday living costs. “It’s about listening,” he says. “It’s about giving people a voice.” The company has also revised its benefits offering to provide discounts on essential purchases including food, clothing and household goods. Language support represents another key area of investment.

Training at all levels

Employees can access training at different levels, from beginner through to advanced. Conry says the group-based learning environment has proven particularly effective because it combines language development with social interaction and peer support.

Again, the objective is not simply operational efficiency. Instead, it reflects a wider commitment to helping employees realise their potential. “I want to give people the same opportunities that the industry has given me,” he says.

The benefits of this approach are clear - JPC reports strong retention across many of its larger contracts. Some employees have remained with the company for more than a decade, while others have spent 20 years or more within the business.

Conry attributes this to a combination of support, development opportunities and workplace culture. People may occasionally leave for marginally higher rates of pay elsewhere, he acknowledges. However, he believes employees increasingly recognise the value of long-term career opportunities and supportive management.

“If you’ve got time for a relationship with your people, they can come to you and say, ‘I need to earn more. What can I do?’ That conversation may lead to additional responsibilities, further training or progression opportunities.”

The focus is clearly on helping employees build sustainable careers rather than simply filling vacancies. The company’s workplace concierge model provides another example of how it is seeking to elevate the role of frontline cleaning teams. Cleaning operatives are positioned as ambassadors for both the company and its clients. Training therefore focuses not only on technical competence but also on communication, customer interaction and service delivery.

This approach helps employees understand how their role contributes to the wider workplace experience. It also encourages stronger integration between site teams and client organisations.

Longterm relationships

Rather than viewing this as a threat to company identity, Conry sees it as a positive development. If employees feel connected to the buildings and organisations they support, he argues, they are more likely to take ownership of outcomes and contribute positively to customer experience.

This philosophy is reflected in client relationships. Many of JPC’s contracts have been retained for extended periods, with some partnerships spanning decades. And Conry believes there is a direct connection between employee engagement and customer retention. “It translates into loyalty. It translates into a stable workforce. It translates into happy clients and long contract tenures because ultimately the service delivery is better.”

For Conry, longterm relationships demonstrate the importance of continual improvement, innovation and understanding client needs. However, he remains clear that growth should never come at the expense of quality. “There have been opportunities we’ve walked away from because we weren’t ready,” he explains. Although difficult at the time, he believes those decisions have strengthened the company’s credibility and reputation. Integrity, he argues, remains one of the organisation’s defining characteristics.

Looking ahead, maintaining culture while continuing to grow represents the next challenge. The business has ambitious plans for expansion, but Conry is conscious that increasing scale can sometimes dilute the characteristics that made organisations successful in the first place.
His focus therefore remains on protecting the values that have shaped the company throughout its history. “The challenge now is continuing to grow while delivering services to the same level,” he says.

For the business recognised as Best Company to Work For at the European Cleaning & Hygiene Awards, that commitment will remain central to its future direction. The award may recognise current achievements, but for Conry it also serves as validation of a philosophy that has guided the business for decades: respect people, invest in them, support them and create opportunities for them to succeed.