B+N Corporate news, FM News

The People Without Whom The World Would Come To a Halt – Yet They Remain Unseen

by: B+N Hungary
29. 12. 2025
2 mins

FM newsroom – cleaning, facility management. Clean offices, functioning factories and well-kept public spaces all seem perfectly natural in everyday life. Yet behind the scenes, thousands of people work day after day to ensure these environments remain clean and liveable. The “Look Around and See!” campaign of B+N Group draws attention to the fact that it is time to see and appreciate those who perform invisible work.

The world of invisible labour

Cleaners, maintenance workers, technicians and facilities management professionals – people who often arrive when others have already gone home, or before their day has even begun. Their work is successful precisely when it goes unnoticed, because cleanliness, order and safety feel natural. Yet this is exactly what makes them invisible. At one of Central and Eastern Europe’s leading facilities management companies, the B+N Group, several thousand colleagues create the basic conditions of everyday life, yet they rarely receive feedback or recognition for their work.

“The invisibility of cleanliness is the sign of good work”

According to Beáta Ujvari, HR Director of the B+N Group, the invisibility of the profession is deeply rooted in the way we function day to day:

“Cleaning work is often ‘invisible’ because when a space is clean, tidy and welcoming, we take it for granted — even though behind it lies the quiet, caring work of thousands of people every single day. At B+N, we have 15,000 colleagues, more than 75% of whom are women: mothers, grandmothers and carers who, alongside their own lives, also make other people’s everyday environments safe and hygienic.”

She emphasises that this is precisely why it is important to redefine, at the societal level, what this work represents and which human values it is connected to.

The B+N “Look Around And See!” campaign, therefore, calls for a change in mindset: encouraging people not only to use, but also to truly see the work that our communities could not function without.

“One reason this profession remains invisible is that the unnoticed nature of cleanliness is often seen as a sign of good work. This is why, as a society, we need to learn to appreciate the intention, responsibility and care this work represents,” explains Beáta Ujvári to nlc.hu.

Human stories behind the numbers

The campaign is not only about raising awareness but also about starting a dialogue and presenting the everyday lives of those working in the background through human stories. Among the more than twelve thousand blue-collar employees, many have been in the profession for decades. For them, work is not merely a task, but a responsibility towards others.

“It deeply moved me to realise that for many of our colleagues this is not just another working day, but a true vocation: they are the ones who quietly, almost unnoticed, move through these spaces and restore order when others have already gone home, or are still hard at work.”

At B+N, solidarity is a tangible reality. When colleagues find themselves in difficult situations, both the community and the company step in — whether in the case of unexpected tragedy or everyday acts of heroism.

In one case, a cleaner’s home was destroyed in a fire, and her son, who heroically rescued his grandmother from the flames, was seriously injured. With the support of management, colleagues came together within days to provide furniture, food and clothing. In addition, the Biztonsági Háló Alapítvány, established to support colleagues facing hardship, also contributed to ensuring that the colleague could return to dignified living conditions as quickly as possible.

In another incident, two colleagues saved a confused passenger from falling onto the underground tracks. Thanks to their quick reaction, a serious accident was avoided. Both the BKV and B+N recognised them for their bravery.

There have also been cases where colleagues assisted with childbirth in a public toilet, performed resuscitation on a passer-by who collapsed in a public space, or helped reunite a lost child with their parents.

More than a campaign: genuine appreciation in everyday life

The message of the “Look Around And See!” campaign is not a one-off initiative, but part of a long-term way of thinking. B+N’s aim is for employee appreciation to be felt in everyday working life.

“All research shows — and our own experience confirms — that 70% of employee satisfaction depends on the direct line manager. That is why we place particular emphasis on leadership development, ensuring managers are people-centred, attentive to colleagues’ life situations, and practise respectful, supportive communication.”

Through internal communications, events and community initiatives, the company also strives to make performance visible — because genuine recognition is not a matter of campaigns, but of everyday practice.