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.
Enhancing individual performances must be combined with training for developing teamwork skills. The scheduling, assessing the availability of staff, dealing with staff shortage, rescheduling, co-ordinating with other departments are all a major exercise in teamwork.
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.
