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Beyond the boardroom: Why multi-functional outdoor spaces are the future of work
Forget remote working or work-from-home policies, the new future of workplace wellbeing revolves around multifunctional outdoor spaces. What that means is, your employees want to get outside! Employee wellbeing has become a top priority for businesses worldwide. To make sure your workers are healthy, happy, and productive, initiatives to boost both physical and mental wellness must be at the top of the priority list for any business. One of the key ways to create a great work environment is by incorporating more multifunctional outdoor spaces where employees can build connections and take a break within the workplace. Why are multifunctional outdoor spaces important? Studies show that a quick 20-minute break outdoors can boost overall well-being and significantly lower stress. But where can your employees take this break? Not just a place for a quick smoke break or a lunch on the go, outdoor areas are the new go-to that support employee wellbeing, inspire team collaboration, and build that all-important sense of connection. They also become a living reflection of your company’s culture. Benefits of these types of multifunctional outdoor spaces include: Reduced stress and anxiety Increased creativity and focus Improved team collaboration Increased physical movement, which is great for health The verdict is in – outdoor break areas are a smart, cost-effective way to benefit both employees and employers. What are multifunctional outdoor spaces? If you’re wondering how to create an area for your employees, you should know that a multifunctional outdoor space is more than just a pretty patio. It’s a purpose-built area that can become a space for relaxation, collaboration, celebration, and even productivity. Think of it as an extension of your office, designed to support the physical, emotional, and social needs of your employees. What types of multifunctional outdoor spaces are there? There is no limit! What
Commercial Landscaping Company in South Africa
Are you looking for a professional Commercial Landscaping Company in South Africa? Look no further than FSG – Facility Services Group. With over 25 years of experience, FSG delivers award-winning commercial landscaping services as part of a comprehensive, integrated facilities management offering that is shaped around you – now strengthened by our strategic partnership with CSG Group. Integrated Services That Set Us Apart As a truly integrated facilities management provider, FSG offers a full range of services – all under one roof – including: Commercial Landscaping: From design and installation to ongoing maintenance Commercial Garden Maintenance, Office Plants, Irrigation, and Hardscaping Other facility management services, including Commercial Cleaning, Hygiene, Pest Control, Commercial Security, and Building Maintenance, ensure a seamless client experience. That means less hassle for you, and more time and cost savings – without compromising quality. Decades of Landscape Expertise Since our humble beginnings in 1999 as a garden services provider, FSG has grown into one of South Africa’s most trusted facility services companies. Our approaches are award-winning, showcasing our dedication to excellence and meaningful, impactful landscaping solutions that enhance environments year-round. Learn more About FSG. Power of Partnership: FSG Meets CSG Group FSG proudly joined the CSG Group in 2025, a leading strategic outsourcing partner in South Africa’s facilities management arena. This strategic merger enhances our capability to deliver smarter, more sustainable, and client-centric services. It brings together the expertise and reach of two industry leaders, enabling us to deliver comprehensive commercial solutions with greater efficiency and more confidence. Find out more about this new chapter, shaped around you. Locally Rooted, Nationally Delivered FSG delivers tailored commercial landscaping solutions right here in South Africa – from Gauteng, Western Cape, to KwaZulu‑Natal – ensuring we understand the local climate, regional plants, and customer expectations. Your landscaping projects will benefit
CSG Group Acquires FSG: A New Chapter, Shaped Around You
CSG Group Acquires FSG, a Facility Services Group. We are thrilled to announce that FSG has officially joined forces with the CSG Group, a leading strategic outsourcing partner of choice for facilities management in the South African market, offering a full scope of services shaped around their clients. This strategic milestone for both businesses promises an exciting future for our clients, our dedicated people, and the entire facilities management landscape in South Africa. 25 Years Of Excellence in Facilities Management For over 25 years, FSG has dedicated itself to building a legacy of excellence, delivering award-winning soft facilities services across South Africa. We’ve built our reputation on an unwavering commitment to quality and, most importantly, to our clients. It’s this legacy of excellence that makes this new chapter with CSG so incredibly promising and full of potential. A Powerful Partnership CSG Group is a powerhouse in the South African market, widely recognised for their comprehensive and innovative solutions. As a leading strategic outsourcing partner, CSG Group specialises in optimising workplaces through both advanced facilities management and strategic talent solutions. Their approach is designed to ensure operational efficiency, meeting the diverse needs of both large and small clients. A key aspect of the CSG Group is their full-service Facilities Division, which closely aligns with our expertise. This division is identified as a “leading strategic outsource partner of choice for facilities management in the South African market,” offering a full scope of services that cater for clients and environments. This synergy in core competencies has set a strong foundation for our combined operations. At the very core of the CSG Group’s philosophy is their guiding principle: “Shaped Around You.” It’s more than just a catchphrase; it’s a living, breathing commitment to truly understanding the unique needs of the clients they serve and
Kick Seasonal Germs to the Curb with Professional Office Cleaning Services
Office cleaning services are important because having a clean office environment is often about so much more than just looking good. As winter hits, you may notice that more and more employees start missing work days because they are sick. This is problematic because even if staff don’t take the day off if they come to work sick, they may make other employees around them ill, and they are incredibly unproductive. In fact, the estimated loss of productivity due to unplanned absence reaches almost 40%, a frightening number when you think about what that is doing to your business’s bottom line. But what does any of this have to do with office cleaning services? It’s been proven that a healthy, clean, and sanitised office environment is vital to staff wellness in businesses across all industries. In the fight against seasonal germs, professional office cleaning services are your powerful allies against microscopic menaces. Office Cleaning Services Should Be Your Go-To in All Seasons You may think certain times of the year are more prone to illness. This is true when it comes to certain germs, but seasonal germs can cause illness and absenteeism all year round. In the warmer months, we might see an increase in gastrointestinal bugs that spread easily through contact, and in winter, we find the dreaded flu bugs that have us all reaching for our nearest box of Kleenex. Since the pandemic, even a sniffle can get workers worried about their health and safety. So let’s talk about winter. Aside from flu bugs, the colder weather often drives us indoors, leading to closer proximity and increased opportunities for other viruses to jump from person to person very quickly. Dry air can also irritate our respiratory systems, making us more vulnerable to infection. The impact of these seasonal
White Boxing in Commercial Real Estate: A Blank Canvas for Your Business
You may have heard the term white boxing in commercial real estate, but what does it actually mean? For businesses looking to relocate into new premises, white boxing is when you find the ideal space, but it’s quite literally a white shell. What do we mean by shell? Well, just that. It has basic white walls, floors, and ceilings. While it may seem a bit strange, white boxing is a very common and universally accepted way of returning commercial real estate to a functional state ready for new tenants to customise to their specific needs once they move their business in. What exactly is white boxing in commercial real estate? White boxing involves taking a raw commercial space and fitting it out to a basic standard level of how it was before its current tenants had their business there. Getting it back to this basic level means that the following should be done: Finished walls that are usually plastered and painted in a neutral white. Basic flooring that is often a concrete slab that’s been levelled and prepared for the new tenant’s chosen floor coverings. A suspended ceiling or structural painted ceiling also in neutral white). Basic functional lighting that is often fluorescent or LED strip lighting. Fancy lighting and fittings can then be added once the new tenant is in. Essential electricals like basic power outlets and wiring, ready for connection. Basic plumbing that will include connection points for water and drainage which are often capped off for the new tenant’s specific fit-out. Sometimes a basic, functional heating and cooling system system is installed, or provisions are made for the tenant to install their own. Essential fire detection and suppression systems, adhering to local regulations. What doesn’t white boxing include? Internal walls to create offices or meeting rooms. Specific
Increasing Efficiency with a Drip Irrigation System for Commercial Landscapes
A drip irrigation system is an efficient and budget-friendly solution for maintaining lush and thriving commercial landscapes. By comparison, drip irrigation systems offer multiple benefits, such as reducing water supply usage and conserving resources while reducing costs. What Is a Drip Irrigation System? A drip irrigation system is a type of irrigation system that delivers water directly to the roots of plants through a network of tubes and drippers. The system consists of a main water source, and a piping system that distributes water down a series of smaller tubes, called drippers or emitters, which are placed near the base of each plant. The drippers are spaced at frequent intervals to ensure even watering, reducing the risk of overwatering or underwatering. How To Set Up a Drip Irrigation System Setting up your system can be relatively straightforward, but it will require some planning from experts with technical knowledge to ensure it is set up properly so you can reap the benefits right from the start. Our expert team will assist you throughout the process, which includes: Assessing the scope and layout of the irrigation system taking into consideration the size and shape of the environment, the type and number of plants, and the location of water sources. Planning the main water source and pipe layout, ensuring it is level and secure. Installing the drippers or emitters at regular intervals along the pipe, taking care to space them evenly and secure them to the ground. Connecting the drippers to the main pipe using adapters and couplers. Programming the irrigation system to deliver the correct amount of water at the right time using a controller or timer. The Benefits of Drip Irrigation Ideal for various landscapes, drip irrigation is a sustainable choice that supports precise and efficient landscape management – benefits include:
Transform your Workplace with Integrated Facility Management Solutions
Integrated facility management offers a comprehensive approach to managing all the building functions – inside and outside a workplace. Why would this be necessary? To improve the quality of your commercial building’s performance, its occupants, and the productivity of the business in which it operates. This may sound like quite an undertaking, but when outsourced to the right experts who understand the multiple disciplines needed to manage the functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of a built environment, a one-stop-shop solution becomes incredibly convenient. Businesses across the globe are increasingly seeing the value of integrated facility management, and the market is experiencing strong growth. It is valued at $1.3 trillion in 2024 and is projected to expand to $2.28 trillion by 2032! Instead of juggling multiple vendors and contracts for cleaning, security, maintenance, and other essential services, a company like FSG can collectively consolidate these responsibilities under one umbrella. Our expert and streamlined approach has a range of benefits to suit the needs of businesses of all sizes – from enhanced efficiency and cost savings to improved workplace experience and reduced risk; for over 25 years, we have been delivering award-winning facility management services. What Services Does Facility Management Include? While the scope of services can be tailored to individual business needs, they generally include: Hard services – These cover the physical facets of the building, like mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) maintenance, HVAC systems, fire safety equipment, commercial building maintenance, and even landscape construction. Soft services: These focus on the people and their workplace experience. Examples include commercial cleaning, commercial hygiene, security, waste management, landscaping, garden maintenance, and pest control. Workplace management: This involves strategic planning and management of the workspace, including space allocation, furniture and equipment management, moves and changes, and technology integration. Project management: This includes overseeing refurbishment
Commercial Cleaning Company Accreditations
Commercial cleaning company accreditations are no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have for commercial settings. As a fully integrated facilities management service provider that caters to all your property management and maintenance needs, our commitment to quality is underpinned by our affiliation with prominent industry associations, including: National Contract Cleaners Association (NCCA) International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) Professional Bodies for Environmental Hygiene (PBEH) Why Are Industry Accreditations Necessary? Accreditations are the gold standard when it comes to quality, training, and professionalism in the commercial cleaning world. They give clients and stakeholders confidence in our services and show our dedication to maintaining the industry’s highest standards and best practices. By being associated with these reputable organisations, our commitment to quality is validated, and our staff are empowered with the latest knowledge, techniques, and methodologies in commercial cleaning and hygiene. National Contract Cleaners Association (NCCA) The National Contract Cleaners Association (NCCA) is the go-to voice for the cleaning industry in South Africa. It’s all about boosting professionalism by setting smart standards that matter to the contract cleaning community. Its mission is to ensure everyone—both members and the industry—keeps things ethical, high-quality, and accountable. By focusing on these core values, the NCCA is making a real difference in how the cleaning sector operates, making it better for everyone involved. Membership in NCCA emphasises FSG’s commitment to compliance with industry regulations and helps us develop safer and more effective cleaning methodologies that benefit our clients and employees. International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) We are proud of our affiliation with ISSA, a global cleaning and sanitisation leader. ISSA is dedicated to enhancing cleaning practices and promoting effective sanitisation strategies that help businesses create safer and healthier environments for everyone. As part of the organisation, we can tap into many resources, including industry research, training opportunities,
The Critical Role of Hand Hygiene in Public Health
The critical role of hand hygiene in public health has never been more emphasised than it is today. World Hand Hygiene Day, marked on May 5th, underscores the ongoing global initiative to enhance hand hygiene practices in healthcare settings, public sectors, and communities. Despite the widespread acknowledgement of its benefits, hand hygiene practices still need to be revised globally, with significant discrepancies evident between different socioeconomic regions. Facilities that lack basic hand hygiene supplies increase the risk of infection, emphasising the need for universal access to proper hand washing facilities. How Effective Hand Hygiene Practices Prevent Infections Hand hygiene is a simple but powerful tool that can help prevent a significant proportion of healthcare-associated infections. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), implementing basic hand hygiene protocols can cut these infections dramatically, highlighting the critical nature of maintaining clean hands in preventing disease transmission. The Role of Facility Managers in Promoting Hand Hygiene Facility managers play a crucial role in encouraging good hand hygiene. Ensuring all restrooms are well-equipped with soap, running water, paper towels or hand dryers is fundamental. Regular maintenance and stocking of these facilities, alongside educational campaigns on proper handwashing techniques, can foster better compliance and health outcomes. In addition, placing hand sanitisers, particularly in high-traffic areas where soap and water might not be readily available, can further support hygiene practices. However, it’s essential to select sanitisers with at least 60% alcohol content for effectiveness against most germs. Leveraging Global Handwashing Day for Enhanced Awareness Celebrating Global Handwashing Day within organisations can also boost awareness and practice of hand hygiene by providing an opportunity to distribute materials, host informative sessions, and engage the community through health promotion activities. By prioritising hand hygiene, organisations can significantly reduce the spread of infections, demonstrating a commitment to health and safety