Planning is probably the Executive Housekeepers most important management function. Without proper planning each day may present one problem after other. Since the Housekeeping is responsible for cleaning & maintaining so many different areas of the hotel. Planning should be undertaken in a systematic manner in order to obtain set objectives. 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. Certain documents are essential and they are:
Area Inventory List (AIL): Planning the work of the Housekeeping Department begins with creating an inventory list of all items within each area that will need Housekeeping attention. Since most properties offered several different types of guestrooms, separate inventory list may be needed for guest room type. When preparing the guestroom ‘AIL’, it is a good idea to follow the same system that room attendant will use as their sequence of cleaning task & that supervisor will use in the course of their inspection. E.g. Area within a guestroom may appear on an inventory list as they are found from right to left & from top to bottom around the room.
Recycled & non recycled inventories: The Executive Housekeeper is responsible for 2 types of inventories.
1) Recycled inventory: It includes linen equipments & some guest supplies like extra bed, iron, etc. The no. of recycled items that must be on hand to ensure smooth operations is expressed as a ‘PAR’. It refers to the standard number of items that must be on hand to support daily routine housekeeping operations e.g. One par of linen is the total number of items needed to outfit all the hotel guestrooms once. Most sister hotels would on a ‘four-par’ of guest rooms linen (guestroom, floor pantry, laundry & linen).
2) Non-recycled inventory: They include cleaning supplies, guestroom supplies, guest-amenities like toothbrush, hair-conditioner, etc. They are used up during routine activities of the housekeeping department. A purchasing ordering for non recycled inventory items establishes a ‘par’ no. based on 2 figures i.e. Maximum & minimum quantities. The minimum quantity is the least amount at which reordering is done taking into consideration the lead time (it is time taken by the supplier to convey goods from the time the order is placed). The maximum quantity is the amount ordered.
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 an effective purchasing system 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 refers to the standard quantity (or numbers) 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 (items per case) 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. The maximum inventory quantity, on the other hand, refers to the greatest number of purchased units that should be in stock at any given point of time. Storage space, the cost of the item and its shelf life (best before date) are certain factors that must be kept in mind when establishing the maximum inventory level for a non-recycled inventory item.
Frequency Schedule: It indicates how often items on inventory list are to be cleaned. Items that must be cleaned on a daily or weekly basis become a part of a routine cleaning cycle and are incorporated into standard work procedures. Other items which must be cleaned, monthly or less frequently are inspected on a daily basis but they become part of a spring cleaning program & are scheduled special cleaning projects.
Performance Standard: They are required levels of performance that establish the quality of work that must be done according to the expectations of the property. The key to consistency in service is the performance standards which the Executive Housekeeper develops, daily inspections & periodic performance. Evaluation should follow up with specific on the job coaching & re-training. This ensures that all employees are consistently performing their tasks in the most efficient & effective manner.
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.
Productivity Standard: It determines the quantity of work to be done by the department employees. Productivity standards must be determined in order to staff the department within the limitation with the hotel operating budget plans. Housekeeping Managers must know how long it should take a room attendant to perform the major cleaning tasks identified on the cleaning frequency schedules such as guestroom cleaning. Once this information is known, productivity standards can be developed; performance & productivity standard should be carefully balanced. If the quality expectations are set too high, the quantity of work that could be done may be low. Every hotel must develop their own productivity standards, as there are several factors that influence these standards, which vary from one property to another. Some of these factors may be:
· The type and age of the property.
· The type of surfaces involved and the degrees and type of soiling.
· The accessibility of the work area from the service areas.
· The frequency of cleaning.
· The amount of traffic in the work areas.
· The type of cleaning supplies and equipment available.
· The function of the work area.
· The quality of supervision and inspection.
· The expected standards of cleaning.
· The quality of employees.
Example of productive standard worksheet:
Total Shift Time = 9 hrs X 60 mins = 540 mins.
Beginning of Morning Shift = 20 mins
Tea Break = 10 mins
Lunch = 30 mins
Evening Tea Break = 10 mins
End of Morning Shift = 20 mins (handover)
Therefore, the room attendant is there for 450 mins in guest room (540-90) and each room takes 30 mins to clean. Therefore, the attendant can clean 15 rooms in 450 mins.
Time and motion study in housekeeping operations: Extensive research in the form of time and motion studies to analyse work methods has helped the industry to find better and easier ways to carry out tasks and save time and energy. The time and motion studies for a task calculate how long it takes, on an average, to perform a certain task. This helps in calculating staffing levels. To do a time and motion study, several staff members perform the same task (say, bed-making), one by one, their movements are studies and clocked. The results are compared and an analysis is done as to how long it takes on an average to perform the task. The best practices derived from this study are then used by everyone, so that the resulting performance will be more standardized and more predictable. Any of the methods discussed below can be used by the executive housekeeper to do a time and motion study in her department.
Pathway chart: this technique involves the study of the path covered by the worker in the undertaking and completion of a task. A floor plan of the work area is drawn to scale and fixed to a board on the wall. A long thread is pinned down at the starting point on the plan. The line of motion is marked using this thread-whenever the worker turns, that point is marked with a pin and the thread wound around it. The length of the thread gives an idea of the distance traversed in the completion of the task. The time taken is also noted down. Various pathways are tried out to find the simplest and smallest route to finishing the task successfully. This is done to achieve the least exertion and minimal loss of energy and time. This technique helps pinpoint all movements that can be reduced or eliminated.
Process chart: all tasks, in order to be completed, require a specific process or activity. In this technique, a close study of the process adopted is carried out and the flow of activity closely studied. A record of the time taken to finish the task is kept. All unnecessary movements and steps are then listed down, so as to be avoided in the final process adopted.
Operation chart: this technique helps one track down all wasteful expenditure of time and energy in all activities. The technique requires a detailed study of all the smaller activities making up a work process. The movements of the two hands are studies in great detail and a fine analysis shows where in the job delays are occurring.
Micro-motion film analysis: using a timing device, every activity is filmed. Then a detailed study, especially of the finer movements of the hands and other parts of the body, helps analyse the areas where changes need to be or can be made to carry out the task with the least expenditure of time and energy.
Cyclography: This is also a technique that uses filming. Here, a bulb is attached to the worker’s body (may be the hand, the legs, or the back). As the body or the body part so highlighted moves during the activity, the path taken is lighted by the electric bulb and hence easily captured by slow photography. The analysis of the complete film or the record of movement helps reveal how smooth and rhythmic the movements of the activity are. Thus, the worker may be guided to make the necessary changes.
Chronocyclography: In this technique, a film of the activity is made with small lights attached to the middle finger. The pattern or movement is filmed and finally analysed to find out which movements were unnecessary or arrhythmic and can be eliminated or improved upon.
Standard Operating Manuals-Job procedures (SOP)
A job procedure specifies the way in which a task is to be performed. Job procedures should be used during induction and training sessions and ought to be incorporated into the department’s procedure manuals. Updating job procedures is necessary as and when changes in equipment, cleaning materials, and so on, occur. They are most popularly called ‘SOP’s’ or standard operating procedures. They are also referred to as ‘work cards’ or ‘order of work’ documents.
SOP’s comprise the following information:
· The job to be done
· Equipment and materials required
· Procedure of work
· Safety factors
· Time required to do the job
The goals in establishing SOP’s are as follows:
· To aid standardization
· To help in training
· To preserve surfaces and materials
· To ensure the completion of a task successfully
· To effect a saving on cleaning equipment and agents
· To prevent accidents
· To help in training
· To ensure the completion of a task successfully
· To aid the compiling of work schedules and help in staffing requirements
Job allocation and work schedule: A work schedule is a document that lists the actual tasks to be carried out by an employee in a particular shift and the time frame in which to undertake each task.
The document includes the following:
· The position of the employee
· The area of operation
· The time at which the employee has to perform the allotted task
· Timings of meals, breaks, and any special jobs
· Time for tidying equipment and closing up
Work schedules must be written in simple language and have a concise form. Since the amount of work in a day may take longer than the length of one shift, several work schedules need to be compiled for use in one day. The number of schedules made for a given area is thus an indication of the number of staff required to clean that area on the particular day. The schedules should be handed over to the employees when they report for work.
Calculating staff strength: Compared to other hotel departments, the housekeeping department employs the largest workforce in most hotels. Manpower thus becomes a major operating expense. Good management of the housekeeping department depends on achieving a balance between the workload and the staff strength. When calculating staff strength, it must be remembered that each property will have its individual requirements.
The factors to be considered here are:
· The type of hotel it is
· The location of the hotel
· Traditions and customs of the locality
· The size of the hotel (in terms of number of rooms)
· The occupancy rate of the hotel
· Management needs
· Company policies
· The quantity of work to be done
· The quality of work expected, that is, the standards to be met
· The time needed to do the work
· The frequency with which the work needs to be done
· The time when the work area is available
· The amount of traffic in the area