Front of House Services

Etiquette, Appearance & Duty of Care – Guide

Introduction to Cushman & Wakefield

From our origins in 18th century England to a 21st century global operation, CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD has enjoyed a
reputation for excellence providing leading-edge property insight and on-the-ground delivery to investors, developers,
corporate and public sector occupiers and financial intermediaries.
Cushman & Wakefield provides corporate/occupier clients with a global, integrated, end-to-end service offering and best-
in-class investor services capabilities in investment agency, leasing agency, property and facilities management, project and
building consultancy, valuation, and investment and asset management.
The organisation has over 47,000 permanent employees including contractors, operating across 208 offices in 52 countries.
The Cushman & Wakefield global team is united by a single focus – to deliver our clients exceptional service, rooted in a
deep understanding of their needs and a commitment to their long term success.
We serve our clients across the breadth of their real estate needs. We are always frank in our advice, taking a stand in our
clients’ interests, and we are relentless in delivering value for our clients as we move from advice to action.
We are proud of our professional reputation and are constantly seeking to improve and develop our services to meet
the needs of our clients and their Occupier’s.

Introduction to CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD Corporate Concierge

It is important to understand that you represent not only Cushman & Wakefield, but also our Clients.
It is of the upmost Importance that you take pride in your personal appearance and to maintain professionalism at all times.

The aim of this guidance document is to provide clear instructions on the standards of presentation that CUSHMAN &
WAKEFIELD expect in areas of personal grooming and front of house etiquette.

In business, the concierge and Receptionist are the first point of contact, and can make an impression on customers and
investors.
As such, receptionists must abide by an etiquette protocol that meets Cushman & Wakefield and our Client’s standards.
The Role

The Concierge and Receptionists are charged with a variety of administrative support functions, such as answering the
phone, greeting visitors, scheduling appointments and making sure the reception area is tidy and welcoming.
It is Cushman & Wakefield Front of House Service Employees who represent the forefront of both Cushman & Wakefield
and our clients.
You will be responsible for working on a FOH Reception, either stand alone, within a FOH Team or alongside various
Contractors providing a 5 star Front of House Service, Including an outstanding Meet & Greet service. You will be
dealing with calls and emails on the front Desk.

You will understand that you are at the forefront of a Prestigious Multi Tenanted complex and ensure the upmost
professionalism and service is delivered at all times.

You will be expected to provide all Agency staff onsite training/Handover’s which will include a run through of the
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD Front of House standards/Suite of documents.
It will be your responsibility to liaise when necessary to both your Management Team and the Facilities representative
for your Property. You will be expected to build good working relationships with Internal Receptions and also tenants
within the building.

You will understand the onsite procedures with regards to Security Measures and building access, and work closely with
both Cleaning and Security Contractors to ensure efficient communication and the smooth running of the services. You
will be responsible for logging Building Faults/Issues with the CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD Helpdesk.
You will not be permitted to leave the Reception desk unmanned at any point during working hours.

Phone Etiquette

Receptionists should practice excellent telephone etiquette, a large portion of the role relates to answering, screening or
transferring phone calls. Receptionists should speak clearly and slowly, and should not have food, beverages or chewing
gum in their mouths while speaking to callers.
When placing callers on hold, you should ask the callers for permission to do this. Also, before transferring a call, the
receptionist should inform the caller of what they are about to do
Cushman & Wakefield Front of House Standard Greeting is as follows and should be used at all times:
Good Morning/Afternoon, (Property Name), Cushman & Wakefield Reception, (Name) speaking, how may I help/assist
you?
e.g. – “Good Morning, 10 Gresham Street Reception, Cushman & Wakefield, Avinash Speaking, How may I help you?”

Communication Etiquette

Whether the receptionist is on the phone or greeting visitors in person, you should follow standard communication
etiquette. For instance, receptionists should be patient with callers and visitors, no matter what the situation. Even if callers
or visitors express frustration or anger, the receptionist should remain calm and patient at all times and show understanding
of their situation.
 Professional, service-oriented behaviour is required at all times, Should a dispute arise, please wait until you can
discuss it privately.
 Take ownership of questions from the customer and do not ignore any of the customer’s requests.
 Customers should never be ignored, and an alternative must always be offered if possible.
 Be discrete: do not indicate, for example, that your co-worker has gone for coffee or is at lunch. The reason for
his/her absence is of no interest for the customer.
 Challenge individuals who exhibit unsafe or undesirable behaviour either towards customers or with their general
behaviour.
 Always comply with H&S policy and rules.
 Never use the words ‘must’ or ‘have to’. It is better to say ‘You can’ or ‘You might want to’.
 Never appear defensive towards customers in more complex situations, show that you understand first and then
explain that you are working to find a solution.
 Always interpret the customer’s intentions and requests with a positive attitude.
 Respect the values of other individuals/ cultures and empathise with this (Diversity & Inclusiveness).
 60% of the effectiveness of a conversation lies in interpersonal relationships.
 Summarise the conversation or the agreements reached; this increases the effectiveness of a conversation and
puts the customer in the centre.
 Adopt a Customer approach for this summary instead of talking about yourself. For example, ‘you’ made a
reservation on ……, and ‘you’ will therefore receive the following: ….

Reception Area

Good Etiquette also means that we must all uphold a clean working environment that makes individuals feel welcome, keeps
the Reception area tidy and comfortable for others.
It is also of the upmost importance that we maintain a professional Reception area. This means we must keep everything in
our domain tidy and also our buildings, if crossing untidy areas when passing we must take pride in our job and rectify this.
We must keep the areas neat and clean, provide magazines for visitors to read while they wait, offer guests coffee or water
if the amenities are available to you, and greet people appropriately. Food is not to be eaten or left on the desk. Water
should not be visible on the desk; it should be placed where visitors cannot see.
For Security reasons you are not permitted to leave the reception desk unmanned during working hours under any
circumstances.
Personal Appearance
Hair
Hair should always be clean and tidy at all times, extreme styles or colours are not acceptable on the front desk.
If hair is dyed, maintenance should be upheld on a regular basis, showing of roots and highlights should not be prominent
from the natural colour. A neat pulled back ponytail is the preferred Cushman & Wakefield Front of House Services Hair
style for Ladies.

Example of suitable Ladies Hairstyles:

 If hair is worn loose it should be no longer than above shoulder length and hair must fall neatly
 Hair should not fall onto the face when leaning over.
 If hair length is below shoulder length a single plait, French plait, or bun can be worn (optional).
 Ponytails/Plaits must be no longer that approx. 20cm and should be neat and styled.
 Spiky, excessively gelled, and close shaven hairstyles are not allowed.
 Hair accessories must match uniform, be plain or black.

Examples of suitable Men’s Hairstyles:

 Hair must be well groomed clean and tidy. It should be neatly styled so that it remains in place.
 It must not touch the shirt collar.
 Any form of ponytails are not permitted.
 Hairpieces must match natural hair colour, be indistinguishable and fitted securely.

Jewellery

 Earrings must be a round with a single, clear coloured diamond look or pearl shaped stud.
 Only one pair of earrings may be worn.
 Nose studs or other forms of facial piercings are not allowed
Examples of suitable earrings:

 Tongue studs are not allowed.

 Any forms of visible body piercings are not allowed.
 Men are not permitted to wear earrings or studs.
 Cufflinks should be of a plain design.
 Ankle chains are not permitted.
 Rubber/material wrist bands in are not permitted to be worn.

Make-up
Good skin care is crucial, it is important to select make-up that complements your skin tone and uniform. It is preferred
that the following items of makeup are worn when on reception: Mascara, Foundation, Blush, Lipstick, All of which
should be or natural/Neutral shade, No bright colours of makeup are allowed.
 Make up should be worn to enhance natural features with a fresh, clean appearance.
 When choosing a foundation use a base to suit your skin tone/type and blend.
 Eye shadow should be a soft neutral shade.
 Mascara should always be worn.
 Lipstick should be natural or compliment the skin tone and uniform
Rings
 Only 3 rings are permitted to be worn (such as Wedding band & engagement ring).
 Rings cannot be worn on the index finger or thumb
Hands
 Hands must appear clean and well-manicured.
 Nail Polish should be of a natural colour, French manicured or clear and well cared for.
 Bright non corporate colours are not permitted to be worn.
 Nail polish can also be a shade that compliments the colours of the uniform.
 Men should have short, clean well looked after nails.
Perfume
 Perfume must be worn in moderation, and be non-offensive.
 For hygiene reasons deodorant must be worn at all times.
Uniform
Only uniform provided by CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD is permitted to be worn on Reception, This should be kept in pristine
condition at all times;
 It is unacceptable to have uniform with Missing buttons and/or tears. Should this happen you should contact the
Front of House Co-ordinator to have the uniform replaced.
 Uniform provided by Cushman & Wakefield should always be ironed.
 Gents are require to wear the 3 piece suit with pocket square (where applicable) provided by Cushman &
Wakefield at all times.
 Ladies are require to wear the dress and the blazer provided by Cushman & Wakefield at all times.
 Name badges must be worn on the left hand side of your jacket at all times.
 Cushman & Wakefield will provide one name badge replacement; any additional replacement will be paid by the
Team Member at the cost of £5.
Women should ONLY wear corporate black court shoes. Wedges, buckles or thick soles, Open toes and Sling
back shoes are not to be worn under any circumstance. Black or flesh (15 Denier tights) coloured hosiery must be
worn at all times.
 Men must wear corporate black shoes, socks should not be visible.
Only Black socks are permitted at all times.
 Ties and Belts must be worn at all times.
 Tattoos that are visible must always be covered.

Personal Hygiene

 Fresh smelling body

 Clean teeth and fresh breath
 Clean hands, finger and nails

Health and Safety

Duty of Care

Cushman & Wakefield has a duty to consider the Health and Safety of all visitors while they are on our premises and
provide them with suitable safety information that may be required whilst they are on site, for example, health and safety
procedures and fire evacuation points.

Visitor’s lack of information or acquaintance with our premises and procedures will make them particularly vulnerable
whilst in our care. In the event that this is not explained and implemented the suitable systems in place that control access
to our buildings from non-employees also presents a risk to our security within the building.

To ensure that the health and safety of visitors is maintained and the best interest in our visitors is applied, the following
rules should be adhered to:

All visitors must sign in at Reception upon their arrival and instructed to sign out upon departure.
Receptionist should always explain the health and safety procedures within the building. (This should be kept up to
date and all staff should be trained to the current procedures)
Reception staff should ensure that:

 All visitors are registered and signed in to the building requirements/process.

 All visitors are to be made aware of all relevant local rules/information, fire procedures and evacuation points.
 Reception staff should be aware of the building procedures regarding visitor collection, for example, Host collect’s
the visitor, Tenant Receptionist’s collect and escort the visitor, FOH Reception Escort the visitor.

All meeting rooms must be provided with a copy of the ‘Visitors Guidelines’ notice. It is the receptionist duty to ensure
that each visitor is made aware of these guidelines when entering the meeting rooms.
It is the Receptionists duty to bring to the visitor’s attention any health and safety hazards, precautions or systems of work
that may be relevant to their visit
Visitors remain under the control of their host at all times. Hosts are responsible for the safety of visitors with disabilities
and must ensure that they are aware of how the visitor will need to be evacuated in an emergency.
Where it is known that a visitor has a disability it will usually be adequate to use the evacuation plan, and agree with the
visitor how they should be evacuated in an emergency.
In the event of an emergency in the building, visitors should be escorted to the designated assembly point, where they will
be marked off against the Visitor Register once present.
Any accident involving a visitor is to be reported immediately via the CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD H&S portal, and the
Facilities Manager made aware immediately.

Suspect Package Advice

Sometimes, when a bomb threat is received the Police will advise that a thorough search must be carried out inside the
building to try and locate any suspect device or object that may have been planted there and the Fire Wardens may be called
upon to undertake this role.
The Police will not normally carry out searches of buildings for suspect devices simply because they are not familiar with our
offices and so might miss out areas where a bomb could be concealed during the search. Additionally, they are not aware
of what should or should not be found within the buildings and therefore would not be easily able to spot anything that is
out of place.
As employees are very familiar with the conditions in the office, it makes sense to use them to carry out searches. Fire
Wardens will be used in the first instance as there should always be one available for each area of the building. Other
employees can also be nominated, if necessary.
In addition, if it is necessary to evacuate the building, the Fire Wardens will be called upon to instruct employees to leave
the premises and to ensure that everyone remains at the appointed place of safety.
Remember that most bomb threats are hoaxes and that we would not put you at undue risk. If a bomb threat is received
using a recognised code word a search by employees will not usually be carried out, and instead bomb disposal units will be
requested to attend.
It is not possible to give exact details of what a bomb will look like, as they can come in a variety of forms and be disguised
many ways.
In general, what you are looking for during a search is:

 Anything that should not be there.

 Anything that cannot be accounted for.
 Anything that is out of place.

The Fire Wardens will be required to undertake searches of the same areas that they are responsible for when carrying out
their fire evacuation duties, as these are the areas that you are most familiar with.
It is not always necessary to evacuate a building upon receipt of a bomb threat, and so searches can be carried out with the
building still operating normally, as well as empty.
In the event you are required to evacuate the building, please ensure you are familiar with the safest route and the location
of the designated assembly point.
The Facilities Manager for the property will act as the Emergency Co-ordinator, and will be responsible for overseeing the
search process, including the delegation of search teams and personnel.
The way in which a search is carried out may depend on the local conditions or the specific circumstances presented by the
threat, however, the general guidelines for undertaking a search are as follows:

1. The search should be carried out methodically and thoroughly and as such may take some time to complete.
2. You should begin at the entrance to the room or area that you have been asked to search.
3. Stand still at the entrance and take a good look around the room making a note of the contents and identifying those
areas which may need closer attention. Do not enter the room at this stage.
4. Look for any unusual lights (particularly LEDs) and listen for unusual noises (particularly ticking or whirring sounds).
5. If you do notice anything suspicious at this point, return immediately to the Emergency Co-ordinator who will decide
on what further action is to be taken.
6. If nothing unusual is seen during the initial scan then you should proceed with the search.
7. The search should be conducted by walking slowly around the room or area in a single direction, in 3 sweeps.
8. On the first sweep, you should walk around the edges of the room taking a close look at the walls from top to bottom
and the floor area immediately adjacent to the walls. Take a look behind permanent features such as fireplaces,
alcoves, curtains, blinds and furniture placed around the edge of the room.
9. On the second sweep, you should include the remainder of the furniture and floor areas. Do not move furniture but
it is okay for you to carefully open drawers and doors to check inside without disturbing the contents. Remember
also to check in gaps to the side and underneath furniture. If the floor covering looks as though it has been recently
disturbed, you should carefully lift it to check underneath.
10. On the final sweep you should take in the ceiling, if it is of the type where objects can be concealed behind it.
11. Once you have completed your search, go back to the Emergency Co-ordinator and report your findings.

In the unlikely event that you should discover a suspect device whilst carrying out a building search, you must follow the
rules below:

 Do not touch or Move the object!

 If it is safe to do so, leave a distinctive marker close to, but not touching, the object.
 Leave the area and report back to the Emergency Co-ordinator.
 Stay at the control point and draw an accurate plan of the location where the suspect device was found.
 Remain at the control point, and keep yourself available to be interviewed by the Police.
In the event of a Bomb Treat via telephone please see Bomb Treat procedure for further assistance.

Name: Sami Ullah

Signature:

Date: 10/05/2018