UNIT-1: PLANNING AND ORGANISING THE HOUSE KEEPING DEPARTMENT

THE PLANNING PROCESS

The step by step planning process may differ slightly from one hotel’s housekeeping

department to another’s and different terminology may be in use across companies, but

essentially the sub-processes and tasks are the same. Housekeeping planning should be

done on paper and needs to be properly documented. The questions that arise at the

beginning of the planning process lead to the formation of the basic planning documents.

These questions and documents are listed in table:-

BASIC PLANNING DOCUMENTS:

The answers to the initial questions, we have seen, lead to the subsequent steps of

drawing up the planning documents that the executive housekeeper must follow. These

documents are discussed step by step in this chapter

STEP 1: DIVISION OF WORK DOCUMENT

In the first step of planning, the executive housekeeper identifies the areas that will come

under the purview of housekeeping department for maintenance and upkeep. This is

especially important in a newly opened property. Most housekeeping departments in

other ‘back of the house’ areas are taken care of by the stewarding assistants. However,

in mid-scale properties, the housekeeping department may also be responsible for such

areas as dining and banquet rooms, meeting rooms, recreation rooms, employee areas,

and management offices.

The executive housekeeper should make a list of all the guest and employee areas of the

property in a division-of-work document and put down on paper that would be

responsible for cleaning and maintaining each area. To ensure all possible areas to be

cleaned have been covered, the executive housekeeper must make regular tours of the

property. It also helps to mark the areas on a blue print of the property plan.

Different coloured markings may be used for the different departments that are

responsible for the maintenance and care of the various areas.

This division of work document should be presented to the executive committee for

review and approval.

STEP2: AREA INVENTORY LISTS

Once the division of work document is finalized, the executive housekeeper needs to

concentrate on the areas that are her department’s responsibility. The next important

planning task is to prepare a list of all items and surfaces within a particular area that

require the attention of housekeeping personnel. The more detailed the list, the more

efficient the cleaning and maintenance of the areas will be, in all probability. Area

inventory lists also aid in supervision. Separate area inventory lists need to be made for

all areas that the department is responsible for. A sample of a guestroom area inventory

lists given
SAMPLE GUESTROOM AREA INVENTORY LIST:

STEP3: FREQUENCY SCHEDULES

Frequency schedules show how often the items listed in an area inventory list are to be

cleaned or maintained. The frequency of cleaning is directly related to the type and

amount of soiling expected in the area or on the item to be cleaned. Frequency schedules

divide the cleaning and maintenance tasks into daily, weekly, monthly or periodic tasks.

Many tasks in the public areas are scheduled for the night. The higher the standards of

cleanliness and hygiene sought, the more frequent the cleaning needed. It should be

remembered, though, that some tasks should not be done too often, as excessive cleaning

of certain surfaces can damage them. These periodic tasks done at longer intervals are

designated as deep cleaning tasks or special projects. Deep cleaning and special projects

should be scheduled for periods of low occupancy, and many such tasks take place during

the night shift. A sample frequency schedule for cleaning a guestroom is presented below:
Sample frequency schedule for cleaning in the guestroom

STEP4: PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Performance standards describe how and to what standards the work is to be done. In

other words, performance standards lay down the required quality levels for employees

performance. The best developed performance standards are the ones that are prepared

in consultation with the staff who actually perform the tasks. Performance standards are
achieved when:

• Cleaning methods are correctly selected and systematically followed

• The ideal cleaning agents are used on the various surfaces involved

• The correct pieces of equipment are used on the various surfaces involved

• Cleaning tasks are carried out at required frequencies

• All the employees carry out their cleaning tasks in a consistent manner

• Time-and-motion studies are periodically carried out in the department to obtain

best practices in housekeeping.

One performance standards are set; the executive housekeeper should ensure that these

are communicated through training to each and every employee and that there is 100

percent conformity to the standards. Supervision, inspection, and evaluation are key

processes in ensuring conformity to standards. It is easier for both employees and

manager if the standards are compiled in a manual. The executive housekeeper must be

constantly on the alert for new, more efficient, and more cost-effective methods. The

performance standards should be reviewed and revised at least once a year.

STEP5: PRODUCTIVITY STANDARDS

Productivity standards communicate the quantity of work expected to be completed by each employee
of the department. Housekeeping managers must know how long it should take an employee to
perform the main tasks in the area inventory lists, as this knowledge helps in determining staffing
requirements. Efficient housekeeping is achieving a balance between performance standards and
productivity standards. Standard time rates have been calculated for specific tasks under standard
conditions of equipment, agents, and method. A sample productivity standard calculation for GRAs is
worked out below:
Practically speaking, though every hotel must develop their own productivity standards,

as there are several factors that influence these standards, as there are several factors

that influence these standards, which vary from one property to the other.

Some of these factors may be:

• The type and age of the property

• The accessibility of the work area from the service areas

• The amount of traffic in the work areas

• The function of the work area

• The expected standards of cleaning

• The types of surfaces involved

• The degrees and types of soiling

• The frequency of cleaning

• The quality of supervision and inspection

• The quality of employees

STEP 6: EQUIPMENT AND OPERATING SUPPLY INVENTORY LEVEL

Once all standards are set and the staff members have been trained to follow them, the

executive housekeeper must ensure that the employees have the necessary material

resources to carry out their tasks. These material resources are the necessary equipment

and operating supplies, which should be adequate in quality and quantity to meet the

performance and productivity standards. The term inventory here means the stocks of

purchased operating supplies, equipment, and other items held for future use in

housekeeping operations. The executive housekeeper is responsible for two types of

inventories:

Recycled inventories These are for items that have relatively limited useful lives, but

are used over and over again in housekeeping operations. Recycled inventories items

include linen, uniforms, most machinery and large pieces of equipment and guest loan

items such as hot water bottles, heating pads, irons, ironing boards, and so on.

Non-recycled inventories These, on the other hand, are for items that are used up

repeatedly during the course of routine housekeeping operations. Items of non-recycled

inventory include most guest amenities, cleaning supplies, and smaller pieces of

equipment such as brooms, mops, cleaning cloths, and so on.

The executive housekeeper must establish reasonable levels for both recycled and non recycled
inventories. Overstocking should be avoided, as it ties up cash and calls for a

larger storage area. There should be effective purchasing systems to consistently

maintain the inventory levels set by the executive housekeeper. To maintain the

inventory levels, the executive housekeeper needs to determine the par level for each
inventory item.

Determining the par levels

‘Par’ here refers to the standard quantity of each inventoried item that must be on hand

to support daily, routine housekeeping operations. Par levels are determined differently

for the two types of inventories. Inventory levels for recycled items are measured in

terms of a par number. The par number is a multiple of the standard quantity of a

particular inventory item that must be on hand to support day-to –day housekeeping

functions. In the case of non-recycled inventory items, the par number is the range

between two figures: a minimum inventory quantity and a maximum inventory quantity.

The minimum inventory quantity refers to the lowest number of purchase units that must

be in stock at any given point of time. The on-hand quantity for a non-recycled inventory

should never fall below this figure. The minimum quantity figures are established based

on the rate of consumption of a particular inventory item over a certain period. The

following formula may be used:

Minimum quantity= lead time quantity + safety stock level

Where the lead time quantity is the number of purchase units that are used up between

the time that a supply order is placed and the time that the order is received in hand, and

safety stock level is the number of purchase units that must always be on hand in case of

emergencies, damages, delays in delivery, and so on, so that the daily operations and

functioning of the department are smooth even in emergencies.

purchased units that should be in stock at any given point of time. Storage space, the cost

of the item, and its shelf life are certain factors that must be kept in mind when

establishing the maximum inventory level for a non-recycled inventory items.

STEP 7: WORK SCHEDULE

Once the executive housekeeper is through with planning the work and resources, the

employees can start on their work schedules. It is a document that lists the actual tasks

to be carried out by an employee in a particular shift and and the time frame in which to

undertake each task. The numberof schedules made for a given area is thus an indication

of the number of staff required to clean that area on the particular day. for guestroom

cleaning, the executive housekeeper should schedule GRAs by giving each of them room

sections of 15-16 guestrooms reasonably contiguous to each other. In case of team

staffing, 30-35 guestrooms contiguous to each other can be assigned. To plan out

guestroom cleaning it is recommended that a pictorial representation of the location of

all guestrooms within the hotel be developed. The housekeeper can then plan out the

room sections to be cleaned by GRAs individually or as a team with greater ease. The

work schedules should be handed over to the employees as they start their shift.

TEAMWORK AND LEADERSHIP

The current trend in housekeeping operations is to form teams to accomplish tasks rather

than scheduling employees on an individual basis. The three important determinants of

teamwork are leadership, the building of the right kind of groups or teams for better

productivity, and membership

A housekeeping team may consist of one supervisor, several GRAs, and one houseman.
This team under the supervisor becomes totally responsible for a particular section of

guestrooms in the hotel. Cleaning performance, say, is then measured on a team basis

rather than on individual basis.

TEAM CLEANING- AN EXAMPLE OF TEAMWORK

In team cleaning, two or more GRAs together clean one guestroom at a time. Usually

teams of two GRAs each are assigned to 30-35 rooms. Team members rotate duties of

bedroom and bathroom cleaning. Team cleaning is successful when ideas come from the

employees themselves and they are willing to make a change to meet new challenges

Promoting teamwork within each team requires special effort. A teamwork checklist,

such as the one shown below, should be followed by the executive housekeeper to make

it a success

• Reward teamwork by praising the team and giving them choice assignments,

raises and promotions- just as you would individual performers

• Include teamwork as a criterion during the employee’s performance appraisals

• Rotate special assignments, allowing everyone an opportunity to shineas an

individual occasionally

• Consider ideas generated jointly by the team as well as individual ideas

• Share information and give the team a say in decision making

• Give credit to the team for jobs well done

• Set an example of cooperation with others

ADVANTAGES OF TEAM WORK

There are many advantages of teamwork. Some of these are as follows:

as though they were one entity

• Cooperation and workers morale will be higher when they are part of a small unit

rather than solitary individuals in a large group of people.

• Team spirit will cause the entire group to excel in operations. GRAs who excel in

room cleaning help the poorer performers on the team to improve

• Absenteeism and tardiness get better resolved at the team level because one

member being absent or late could have a negative effect on the entire team’s

reputation