Beyond Housekeeping

Housekeeping is more than just sweeping, mopping or maintaining a facility. I have been in housekeeping for two decades now. And I have understood the function’s wider reach.

A small unconnected gesture from the housekeeper’s side can make a big difference. Appreciation motivates and makes you work harder.

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Back in 1989, my father retired from service and my two younger brothers were in school. It was a hand-to-mouth existence. So, when one of my neighbours informed about a position of a housekeeping staff at a hotel, I grabbed the opportunity. I had to discontinue my studies though. I brought home a decent four figure salary which made me a hero among my friends.

There were no training institutes those days. Whatever I learned was from my seniors. There was no room for mistakes; each one of us was held responsible for every error. Ths forced me to be careful in every area of work.

There was this incident during my early days at work which taught me to go beyond just the assigned cleaning job. I was on the night shift, when I was asked to perform buffing on the Italian marble in the lobby area.

I began buffing after waxing the floor. Meanwhile, the crew of a Lufthansa flight checked in.  A senior airhostess missed reading the warning sign and stepped on to the waxed floor only to lose balance and fall down.

We had to rush her to the nearby hospital. I took permission from my supervisor to assist the crew members in locating the hospital and getting her the necessary medical attention.

My initiative got me appreciation from my seniors and the management of the hotel. The air-hostess was very touched by our hospitality and during her next visit, she remembered to thank me personally.