Training
So far, hotels have been relying on in-house setup for housekeeping staff training. Bharathi agreed: “There is a sense of belonging to when in-house training is done. The housekeeper feels that the efforts put in training would not go to waste and a control over the actions of the staff is maintained. This is why, even mid-size hotels provide highly customised services in the form of tendons and other services which are found only in the five or seven star hotels. Proper training in housekeeping can also help in energy savings without compromising on the quality.
“Training adds value to the facility services if done properly,” said Jayashree Nagraj of SA Group. “Management strategies play an important role in how housekeeping is approached. Customizing the services is of vital importance and that requisite training is provided to the supervisors and leaders. Maintaining a close coordination with the front office to improve the satisfaction level of guests is equally important,” she added.
Outsourcing FM…?
The concerns today are the price rise, labour crisis and the need of appropriate training. “Outsourcing can be financially beneficial for hotels, but there are certain areas that should never be outsourced. A delicate balance has to be maintained for the effective outsourcing programme,” pointed Bharathi.
Sunita agreed, saying, “Yes, it can be the next step in hospitality sector. The systems and processes in place have to be improvised to make outsourcing a reality. Hotels are looking for optimization with the labour issue becoming worse. Outsourcing is the only way to ensure future readiness.”
In the present scenario, the FM providers haven’t stepped up to the standards of five-stars hotels. Vijaya Lakshmi counted the main reason, saying, “The hotels are divided into two areas, the public area and the guest rooms. Staffs working in the guest rooms are expected to closely interact with the guests. They are required to know their small preferences.
Again, the outsourced staff keep changing and the guests may not be able to forge a bond with them. This hampers the specialised services provided by the hotels. For quality services, adequate training is also of prime importance.”
With lots of buzz over outsourcing, the majority did agree that presently neither hotels nor the FM service providers are ready for it. It needs a sincere collaborative approach and effort from both sides to bridge the gap that might sort out the financial crisis to some extent at both ends. Having said that, FM providers will have to retain the chord of relationship with guests, the main challenge in hospitality sector.
A lot of time and efforts are invested in grooming an outsourced employee to reach the standards of a star hotel. The vendor has to be able to guarantee at least a year of uninterrupted services by the contractual employee for the productivity level from the outsourcing operations to be profitable. Also there is a certain level of guest expectations to be lived up to in a star hotel. “An ever changing rooster of housekeeping employees would make it difficult to provide with customized solutions that come only through extended interactions with guests and experience. Consistency is the key for any outsourcing operations”, said Bharathi
Adding to the point, Priya said, “if an outsourced employee does not turn up, the cost of replacing him has to be borne by the hotel and this increases the cost of housekeeping operations.”
The other factor for hesitation in outsourcing of housekeeping is the connection and loyalty with the brand of the hotel. A permanent hotel employee shows dedication and brand loyalty and goes over and above to dispense services. While for an outsourced employee, the pay may be less and the feeling of being temporary dissuades him from giving his best.
The hospitality sector in India boosts of many premium brands that are a source of pride for its employees. But in the case of facility service companies there are hardly any brands that have any consumer recall. For the morale of the outsourced employee it is necessary for them to have pride in working for a prestigious institution. “The gap between the housekeeping employees and those outsourced has to be reduced. A quality company that has good standing in the market is the need of the hour for outsourcing of housekeeping services,” says Sunita.
For making outsourcing a reality, the hoteliers, the housekeepers and the FM companies have to come together to plan the course of action that will be beneficial for all the stake holders. The parameters for outsourcing are in place globally, the variable resource management is something that can be envisioned coming to India.
A new market avenue has opened for the FM companies. As housekeeping services for a hotel differ from facility services in commercial establishments, there is a need to understand the distinguishing requisites of the sector as it is the only way of filling the void in the outsourcing services.
For a star hotel, the SOPs remain the same irrespective of in-house or outsourced employees. The mindset of treating the outsourced employee differently has to be changed. Speaking from experience, Usha Ramalingam – Corporate Housekeeper, The Raintree Hotels says “When I was at Taj – Connemara, the housekeeping operations were outsourced to Fortune, almost 15 years back. Efforts were made to make the department inclusive for all the employees; the end result was that even the outsourced employees were dedicated and had job satisfaction equal to the permanent employees that was displayed in their productivity.”
Understanding all the aspects of outsourcing , the point unanimously agreed upon by all the participants was, while the hospitality sector is ready to outsource its housekeeping services, the key question that remains is, ‘Is the FM sector ready to take up the challenge…?’
