Outsourcing
While outsourcing of housekeeping solves many problems, one needs to be prudent about selecting the contracting company. Negotiating and co-ordinating with the outsourcing company are exigent tasks. With the wide range of services that may be required and the availability of these services from a large number of outsourcing companies, there are no formulae for success, only instinct developed through experience and awareness.
In most cases, the materials and cleaning agents are the best products which can be made available in the budget allocated. The entire approach to maintaining the stock of these chemicals changes when there is cost-cutting. Ordering of supplies is put on hold and cleaning staff do not get the necessary chemicals when needed. A great deal of time is wasted by operational staff in obtaining these supplies. This s a cause for frustration and over a period of time, staff resort to short-cuts in performing the standard cleaning procedures. If this becomes a regular practice, no amount of training can bridge the gap of what it is and what it should be. “There is no question of propagating cleanliness as an essential factor in the housekeeping of hotel and then stepping back on the practices in order to cut costs,” says Marie Nadkarni, Director-Housekeeping, Radisson-New Delhi. “Any responsible hotel that has taken the onus of maintaining cleanliness and protecting environment cannot resort to cost-cutting of cleaning supplies and advocate wrong practices.
“Such a practice of reducing stock or buying economical products which are not as per standards, not only hinders the quality of service but sends a very wrong message to the housekeeping staff.” On the one hand, housekeeping staff are trained to consider the customer as a priority and perform beyond expectations. On the other hand, by cutting cost, reducing cleaning cycle, using sub-standard products… sub-standard performance is advocated as an accepted norm. These two are contradictory messages that would hamper the confidence of the cleaning staff.
“As a leader, one cannot come back to the staff and expect them to maintain standards at a later stage when the going is good. There has to be consistency and not compromise where cleanliness and hygiene are concerned. Above all, every hotel has to keep in mind that they are dealing with people who go by what we teach them and hence, there has to be absolute clarity.”
Right Manpower
Housekeeping being a labour intensive department, it is important to recruit the right kind of staff. Quite often the personal profile of a prospective candidate and the profile required for the job may not match and the choice made is not of the perfect candidate but of an individual who is available, in the hope that training will bridge the gap. At every level in the housekeeping department, the job demands long hours and strenuous work. Certain tasks might even be physically dangerous. Added to this is the fact that the job is a mundane one and unlikely to attract those who are interested in projecting their image via their job profile and designation. Serious thought needs to be given on what can be done to provide dignity of labour in this area of work.
In the past, the department has been dominated by the fairer sex but in recent times there are many male entrants who bring with them a tough approach when handling operational staff. Staffing the housekeeping department at all levels is perhaps the most difficult task and the process never ends. The integrity of the housekeeping staff is an element that holds a high rating. Frequently, in the desperate attempt to meet staff requirements, one may select unsuitable candidates whose dishonesty can radically affect the reputation of the establishment, accumulate colossal losses as a result of pilferage and even pose hazards to the security of the property.
Housekeeping today is not just about dealing with outsourcing of services. A housekeeper is a human resource, finance, quality and guest service manager all rolled into one. – Kanika Hasrat
Training
The benefits of training are evident but are also tedious. Some of the obstacles are the language barrier that exists at lower levels. This can partially be overcome by colour coding. Training for housekeeping staff requires to extend beyond skills. The core of the training focuses on ensuring the efficiency of the staff and cleaning chemicals. Training the housekeeping staff to be aware of energy conservation will not only reduce the impact on the environment but also bring about substantial savings in operating costs. Housekeeping staff, especially those who work in rooms will also require training in customer relationship and communication skills. Offering educational opportunities to the staff employed at lower levels and motivating the supervisory level staff by providing performance-development programmes are becoming regular practices now. The housekeeping job in the hotel industry can be a stepping stone for future positions and promotions and many have taken the journey from Housekeeper to General Manager.
Emphasising the role of housekeeping, Kanika Hasrat, General Manager, Trident, Jaipur, says, “Housekeeping today is not just about dealing with outsourcing of services but also procuring of material, thereby ensuring quality of supplies, detailing quality of work on work orders as well as monitoring productivity of vendors. In case of work orders which are normally given to reduce workload or get a specialist to do the required task, the housekeeper also becomes the negotiator to ensure that the hotel receives the maximum benefit from the deal. A housekeeper is a manager who is a human resource, finance, quality and guest service manager all rolled into one.
Almost 70 % of the entire hotel inventory is the responsibility of the housekeeper so it is definitely managing money matters that also hold the key to a successful career in housekeeping.” Kanika has also been Director of Services at JW Marriot and worked in other posts earlier, before rising to become the GM.
Time Management
The biggest challenge in performing housekeeping tasks, however, is time management. Cleaning in public areas for example, requires incredible speed in order to ensure that areas are not put out of operation for longer span of time. Staff cleaning guest rooms barely have 15-20 minutes to return the room to its immaculate condition. They are expected to clean at least 15 rooms in a shift. A simple multiplication of minutes may indicate that this is feasible but there are many other factors like transportation of supplies, availability of materials and equipment, filling in records and dealing with complaints that deter this routine. These are the most obvious areas where time management is relevant. When looking at the bigger picture there are many more… round the clock operations, back-to-back occupancies, unforeseen emergencies, handing over between shifts, check-in/check-out time coinciding with staff lunch break.
Co-ordination with other departments
A new challenge has evolved as the hotel attempts to ensure the maximum sale of rooms. Tariffs are lowered and the kind of clientele this brings causes damage to the property and leaves behind rooms that require thorough cleaning which is time-consuming.
As part of teamwork and time management, inter-departmental co-ordination is highly essential. The three departments which constitute the accommodation operations and services are the Front Office, Engineering and Housekeeping. The ultimate aim of this trio is to provide clean, comfortable, attractive rooms with friendly and courteous service. This must be provided economically and efficiently and it must also be taken into consideration that a room not sold for a day is a loss of revenue that cannot be retrieved. Rooms are the chief concern of the Front Office and Housekeeping departments and therefore, they need to continuously exchange information on room status.
Such information helps the Housekeeping department to organise its work and have the rooms ready on time. This is particularly crucial when the turnover is high and the occupancy is back-to-back and also when there are groups checking in or checking out. A flow of information in the reverse direction is also necessary to tally the physical count by the housekeeping with that which is featured on the reception board. Releasing of ready rooms to Front Office ensures that they are able to allocate rooms without hesitation.
The Maintenance department is responsible for the provision of engineering facilities that contribute to the comfort of the guest. The Housekeeping relies on Maintenance to keep things in order whether they are fixtures in the hotel or cleaning equipment that are operated by housekeeping staff. Implementing pro-active maintenance requires both departments to work in unison rather than resorting to bust ‘n’ fix strategy. At times of renovation, spring cleaning and hotelservicing of facilities in the room, it is essential for all the three departments to work in close co-ordination. The perfect harmony of Front Office, Housekeeping and Maintenance is on every hotel manager’s wish list but what actually exists is a set of ego clashes and playing out the blame game. However, the housekeeping department has a pivotal role in controlling this interaction.
Housekeeping is no more a mundane job; its scope has expanded and has become more interesting. It gives housekeeper a sense of responsibility, integrity, loyalty and honesty. – Sheila Rawool
“The Hotel Housekeeping scenario has changed in the past few years. It’s no more a mundane job provided the housekeeper takes the right approach,” says Sheila Rawool, Executive Housekeeper, The Fern Residency, Mumbai.
“With improved technology of cleaning machines, cleaning agents and techniques, the scope of housekeeping has expanded and has become more interesting. The choice of guest amenities and guest supplies has widened in the market, with each hotel trying to outdo the other, and housekeepers can be very innovative and display their skills by selecting the right amenities and guest supplies that are appreciated. In fact, managing all this in a given budget is a skill that the housekeeper can achieve through awareness, decision-making and negotiation. Involving the team members in departmental activities, including budgets, gives them a sense of responsibility and problems of integrity, loyalty and honesty are automatically solved.”
Hotel housekeeping is a challenging job and extends way beyond just cleaning. The kind of challenges that are faced by Housekeeping departments are numerous and varied and those who meet and master these challenges would be able to reveal the major role of Housekeeping in a hotel. By performing its tasks to perfection, a hotel housekeeping department can help increase room sales far more than any marketing gimmick. In every area, housekeeping tasks are the Alpha and the Omega of Hotel Operations and therefore, it is essential for the housekeeping department to be aware of the challenges that they are likely to face from A to Zee!
Avril Sule Hospitality Educator and Trainer