Episode 2 of an ongoing series.
Once I realised that the solution was to take direct control of the personnel shift planning, my next move was clear: I had to speak with the General Manager.
It was not a comfortable conversation to have as a 23-year-old manager who had been in the role for only a few weeks. But the chaos on the floors was real, and I had the evidence in front of me — a roster that made no operational sense and a team that was paying the price for it every single day.
The GM listened. And that made all the difference.
With his backing secured, I started preparing the shift roster myself. I applied a system that was simple, fair, and consistent:
Experienced chambermaids would be assigned to the same floor for a minimum of two months, working in stable pairs wherever possible — then rotate to another floor. No exceptions on shift fairness: everyone would work the afternoon shift a maximum of twice per week. Vacation planning was handled on a monthly rotation basis across the year. And above all, good manners and respect towards the chambermaids, public area cleaners, and every member of the team — without exception.
I also increased daily room checks and applied training sessions whenever standards required it.
The response from the staff was immediate. Clean rooms. No more quarrels in the corridors. And productivity began to rise.
It turned out that what the team needed was not pressure — it was structure, fairness, and someone who actually showed up.
But this was not the end of the story. As you know, hotels are like small villages where everybody knows everybody — especially staff members who have worked together for decades. Many times this bond increases productivity. But sometimes it creates clans that do not accept newcomers, and they will do their best to undermine them. This exists with first-line personnel and of course with supervisors and managers alike.
There is another lesson here: protect your newcomers from experienced and mean personnel who will try to make them look incompetent. That is why I insist on department training programmes.
Now here comes the bigger lesson. A weak personality that depends on friends and colleagues to survive will find it very difficult to follow a lonely path. On the other hand, if you depend on your systems and on yourself — and not on what others think of you, whether they will have lunch with you or go out for a drink with you — you will thrive. Simply because you have self-confidence. And self-confidence comes from experience, and from the systems you are able to apply.
If you have the systems and the confidence in place, you just go marching.
That is one of the reasons I created all these tools during my career — to be able to move forward despite difficulties.
And when the clan reacted by ignoring me, I could not care less. I had my system, the staff was supporting me, and within three months things had cooled down completely. They realised I had a strong character. This is something you need to develop from the start.
Episode 3 coming soon: The drama queens — every hotel has them.
The names and identifying details in this series have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals. The events are based on real professional experience.
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