Service Enhancement at Shopping Centres through Stronger Partnership with Contractors and Workers

HONG KONG, 1 March 2012 – To further enhance service quality and improve operation efficiency, The Link REIT ("The Link") is introducing new frontline service contracts in two phases. Property management support services (“PMSS”) contracts will commence on 1 April to replace the existing security service contracts. Housekeeping contracts, covering cleaning services, will be implemented later this year. The new service contracts bring about better services for customers and tenants, and enhance performance management. They will also deliver on The Link’s pledge on work shifts as well as paid rest day and meal break, while giving frontline staff more skill-enhancement and training opportunities.

The new contracts set out clear, specific targets on service standards, and enhance services on various fronts, with a view to more closely meeting customers’ and tenants’ needs. These include:

- Providing shop-front cleaning and point-to-point waste collection services for tenants;

- Offering more training and skill-enhancement for frontline staff, an example being enhancing service personnel’s knowledge on the needs of people with disabilities to provide them better services and promote a more inclusive society

- Putting in place a point deduction system with penalty clauses as part of the performance appraisal system to maintain high service quality

In keeping with The Link’s commitment, the new service contractors continue to provide security and cleaning staff paid rest day and meal break. Security guards will continue enjoy eight-hour work shift for better work-life balance.

Manpower arrangements are determined and regularly reviewed by the contractors with reference to the needs of each shopping mall, ensuring more consistent service quality across properties and minimising uneven manpower deployment.

With regard to potential manpower adjustments associated with the change of contractors, The Link is working closely with various organisations to ensure smooth transition for affected workers, and enable contractors to prioritise existing workers who are diligent and familiar with the community, during staff recruitment. The Link has disseminated recruitment information to workers via posters, recruitment roadshows and enquiry hotlines. For enquiries, existing workers may call The Link’s hotline at 3168 0080.

The Link received over 200 tenders for 32 two-year service contracts. Six service providers, including the four existing ones, were awarded the 16 PMSS contracts. The increase in the number of contractors will promote healthy competition and comparison. The housekeeping contracts will be awarded soon. Through the implementation of the new service contracts, The Link is committed to forging closer partnership with its service providers and their workers to raise service quality for customers, tenants and the community.