Ceaselessly working towards uniting the housekeeping fraternity since its inception, IPHA has made major strides through knowledge building programmes and networking. In a brief interview with Clean India Journal, the founding members of IPHA share their successes and the way forward.
What is IPHA all about and what is the role it plays in hospitality housekeeping?
IPHA, India, is a professional and educational organization for individuals involved in or directly affiliated with Housekeeping in hotels, hospitals, facilities management and allied professions. As an upcoming and dynamic organization in India, our vision is to impart training, upgrade standards of cleanliness, facilitate personal growth and professional development of Housekeepers at the corporate level and connecting to the hospitality industry worldwide. We aim to make a visible mark in the hospitality sector along with the housekeeping professionals of the world.
When was it formed and registered?
IPHA was formally launched in January 2015 as a non-profit organization and got registered in March 2016. In just one year, we have over 500 members and have set up chapters in the North, West and Central India. We will be soon launching our South Chapter as well.
The Association aims to provide a channel for personal and professional growth and also build confidence among housekeeping professionals. Our mission is to commit ourselves to create leadership, promote education and innovation, gain recognition and ensure sustainability in the Hospitality Industry. We have been creating awareness, new avenues of growth and development, and providing an environment conducive for living, learning and serving.
How do you see IPHA in the next five years?
We believe in Integrity, Commitment to excellence, Inclusiveness, Diversity and Accountability. With this, we aim to keep commitments and make measurable progress to achieve the core mission of uniting the housekeeper fraternity in India and entire Asia under one roof.
In fact, our major success has been the launch of AHA – Asian Housekeepers’ Association– at the just
concluded International Housekeepers’ Summit 2016 organised by Clean India Journal. The next five years is going to be about Connect, Innovate and Share…
What are the challenges being faced by housekeepers in the hospitality industry?
Attrition is one of the most concerns of the market today. Hiring quality staff is getting more and more difficult. The market being highly competitive, with ample opportunities, staff tend to keep moving from one property to another.
The industry today seeks quality staff to meet standards and there are ample openings in the market.
What are the initiatives taken by IPHA since its inception?
Periodic meetings of the various chapters have been a key to integrating the community. On a much bigger scale, over the year, we have successfully conducted the National Housekeepers’ Conference in Mumbai, organised the Goa Housekeepers’ Challenge and now the International Housekeepers’ Summit in partnership with three international associations and Clean India Journal. We have also engaged in CSR activities in Mumbai and are encouraging our members too to individually contribute to the society at large.
The International Housekeepers’ Summit 2016 has also facilitated the launch of the Asian Housekeepers’ Association and IPHA will be playing a major role in integrating the Asian community.
These initiatives aim at raising the bar of the Housekeepers’ in the hospitality industry, promoting sustainability in housekeeping, addressing concerns of the housekeepers and connecting with General Managers, Laundry Managers,and Procurement Heads of the hotels to bring across their point of view and come up with an amicable solution.
How has the recently concluded IHS 2016 helped the housekeepers?
IPHA participated in IHS 2016 with 150 delegates and all the participants felt that the summit gave a new level to the concept of housekeeping. IHS 2016 focused on raising the standards and benchmarks of housekeeping and also on sustainability, technology, training and procurement.
The Summit had a clear agenda of ‘Redefining the Role of Housekeepers’ in today’s hospitality world. It brought to light the fact that housekeepers are not merely operational heads and need to be more involved in the decision making in their organization.
IHS has created a platform for the industry to rethink about housekeeping, housekeepers, best practices, technologies and innovations.