Haraprasad Panda, President, Kapston Services reveals the HR processes put in place for growing the housekeeping workforce without compromising on quality.
Post-pandemic, there was a significant surge in the demand for housekeeping services from our clients, nearly doubling our workload. Our soft services team has faced the challenge of rapidly expanding our workforce within a tight timeframe without impacting customer experience and within the framework of ‘new normal’ guidelines.
To address this surge in demand, we have initiated a thorough reassessment of our clients’ requirements and collaborated closely with our sourcing team to ensure a more meticulous approach to daily staffing. We also assembled a dedicated core team to conduct daily checks on deployment status, aiming to create a secure and hassle-free environment for all our clients. Despite the considerable challenges and high demand, we remained committed to consistently achieving our target of maintaining a deployment rate exceeding 95%.
We follow a very stringent process to expand the workforce in the housekeeping industry. We customise the process as per the need of the client, but certain fundamental aspects remain common:
Assessment of staffing needs: We determine the need for additional housekeeping staff based on increased demand, expanded property size or seasonal variations.
Job analysis and role definition: We clearly define the responsibilities of housekeeping staff, from room attendants, housekeepers, laundry workers, to supervisors.
Recruitment strategy: Our strategy for recruitment caters to the specific needs of the housekeeping industry like collaborating with staffing agencies, using job boards, and promoting vacancies through various industry-specific channels.
Candidate sourcing: We actively search for candidates with relevant experience in housekeeping, hospitality or related fields across various channels including exploring local communities or vocational schools.
Screening and selection: Once we receive applications, we thoroughly review them, conduct interviews and assess the candidates. Along with experience and qualification, we prioritise candidates based on their strong work ethics, attention to detail and customer service skills, because we want to ensure that they fit the client’s organisation culturally too.
Training and onboarding: We provide training for new hires, covering housekeeping procedures, safety protocols and customer service standards. After ensuring that they understand the specific requirements of the property or establishment, they are onboarded for work.
Legal and regulatory compliance: All our hiring practices comply with local & central labour laws and regulations, including minimum wage, working hours and health and safety standards.
Uniforms and equipment: Once they are ready to take up the role, we provide them with uniforms and necessary equipment needed to perform their duties effectively.
Performance management: Along with clearly setting the expectations for performance, we evaluate their performance regularly and offer constructive feedback and opportunities for career growth.
Retention strategies: We constantly review, recognise and reward top performers. We monitor their quality of work, integrity at work etc., thus ensuring that the best ones will be rewarded effectively. We also provide opportunities for career advancement and reward excellence. All these factors help in retaining the workforce.