Now we are touching a pain point of all departments in the hospitality industry. I will speak for housekeeping personnel, since during my career I hired and trained many people who worked for many years and thrived in the departments I managed.
Many will over-analyse working conditions, salary, lodging, training, orientation, and onboarding — and I will agree that all of the above are extremely important if you want to retain your personnel long-term. Regarding training and onboarding, most of the time I preferred to be the first person to receive and give the basic training to newcomers. It is too important to get the right information from the beginning.
There is, however, one point that beats all of the above.
That point is environment. You need to make sure your personnel operates in a friendly, professional, and supportive environment — one that looks after them the way a good father looks after his children, while keeping a firm eye on discipline at the same time.
You need them to work hard without fighting each other. You need to provide them with the best equipment possible so they can move fast and effectively. You need to treat them equally. You need a fair shift rotation, and to give them their days off and vacations when they request them — provided, of course, that operations allow it. And you need to be on the floor helping them when they need it.
You also need to know a few things about each member of your team — their hobbies, their interests, their strong points and their weak points. You need to know who will crack first under pressure during peak periods, so you can adjust the load according to each person's capabilities.
As I mentioned in recent episodes, bad apples must be removed from the team quickly — even if you have to struggle until you find a replacement. This is an important point worth repeating. Believe me, your team will support you through it, even if it means working harder for a while. At least they know they will not be quarrelling and going home upset at the end of their shift.
Of course, alongside creating a supportive and professional working environment, you need systems — systems that organise the workload, the training, and the shift scheduling. All of that you can find in the product directory below.
Once you have this combination in place, the workload becomes manageable. And it becomes fun — yes, fun — for a team that is bonded and has done this many times together. High occupancy periods, functions, events — it is a game for them. They know you, they trust you, and they trust each other.
Once your personnel are genuinely satisfied with their working conditions and with the way their manager treats them, you will be amazed. You will not have staff shortages. Your people will bring their friends to come and work for you. You may even find room attendants coming from other hotels — simply because word got around that this Housekeeping Manager looks after their team and runs a clean, professional operation.
Of course, this does not happen in a month or a single season. It takes two to three years of team building and consistent operations to forge it together. But once it is there — it is magic.
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