Buildings depend on ever more complex technologies, making skilled, motivated engineers critical to seamless service and compliance.  Rhi Raymond-Hill, our newly-appointed Chief People Officer, explains how putting a highly-motivated technical workforce at the centre of Mecsia’s strategy ensures that building owners, managers, users and residents benefit from the highest quality technical services provision.

Mecsia is a nationwide group of hand-picked inspection, testing and maintenance providers, with up to 40 years’ experience in their respective sectors and services.  The group backs successful management teams, maintaining and building on the individual culture, customer-focus and local expertise that has enabled each of the businesses to thrive.

With 15 years of experience in the FM sector, and two months into her new role, Rhi offers her unique perspective on the foundations that underpin this new approach.

The SME Feel: Our Foundation for Success

“After my initial weeks touring the group businesses and getting to know our management and front-line teams,” Rhi observes, “it’s clear they have a lot in common despite their individual origins. They all have an indelible SME culture running through their DNA. The engineers know the admin teams, the managers know everyone by name and there is a strong feeling that everyone has each other’s backs. And our customers ultimately feel the benefit – their buildings are looked after by stable, committed teams, all working to deliver the best service.”

This isn’t just about a pleasant workplace; it’s a powerful differentiator. Our customers ultimately feel the benefit – their buildings are looked after by stable, committed teams, all working collaboratively to deliver the best service possible.

Technical Expertise: Our Core Capability

Each business within the Group is built on deep sector and service expertise, honed over decades. it is no surprise that five out of the eight businesses in the group are led by Managing Directors who started their careers working on the tools.

“You couldn’t get a clearer demonstration of the trust and investment we place in our teams”, notes Rhi. “Our leaders have been there and done it.  They understand the complexities involved in delivering the latest and most energy-efficient technical solutions, and they’re passionate about helping the next generation walk in their footsteps”.

This deep-rooted, hands-on understanding from our leadership ensures that our training, support, and problem-solving capabilities are always grounded in real-world experience, directly benefiting our clients.

National Scale: Opening Up New Development Opportunities

Bringing SMEs together within the group broadens the scale and breadth of services Mecsia offers its customers.  Crucially for our teams, it also opens up wider opportunities for progression and development that are not traditionally available within standalone SMEs.

“We actively nurture the SME feel. Everyone feels valued as individuals – so much more than just a payroll number,” Rhi explains. “On top of this, we also want to offer colleagues at every level – engineers, admin and management – the benefits and opportunities you only get from being part of a wider group. We’re pooling knowledge across the group to develop an employee proposition that we’re confident will be the best in the market.  We’re also building increasing talent visibility across the group for the progression and development of our people, and ultimately for the good of our customers.”

Open Dialogue: From the Plant Room to the Board Room

Rhi’s approach is rooted in direct engagement and meaningful employee feedback. “Building on the SME feel, my mantra is to listen to all areas and levels of the business.  While we can share best practice and leverage our scale to enhance benefits for our people, we have to make sure changes target the areas that really matter for each of our teams.  It certainly isn’t a cookie cutter approach.”

Rhi continues, “We’ll soon be launching our first group-wide Employee Engagement survey and we have exciting plans for how we can engage colleagues from all levels to help shape our group strategy and the experience of everyone working within it.”

Looking Forwards: A Bright Future

For people building a career in technical services, and for management teams looking to join the group, Mecsia’s approach represents a new and compelling proposition: a company that values both technical expertise and a strong, supportive culture.

“If you want to come and be part of our growth journey,” Rhi concludes, “we’d love you to come and see how different we are. The future’s bright.”

Join Our Team: Discover rewarding careers and growth opportunities at Mecsia by visiting our vacancies page.

Partnership Opportunities: Learn more about how successful businesses join the Mecsia Group here.