Good Housekeeping

Management contracts, mergers, acquisitions and franchising have became the new mantras in boardrooms of hotel companies in the ’90s with hospitality majors Hilton, Shangri-La, Sheraton, Inter-Continental, Hyatt, Marriott, Le Meridien restructuring their corporate strategies to extend their brand into different countries.

In 1995, Radisson Hospitality Worldwide (RHW) entered India with two separate franchise agreements; one with the AB Hotels Limited (ABHL) and the other with the Lokhandwala Group. Similarly, Hilton International entered India through its management alliance with Bharat Hotels. However, the alliance faded out and Bharat Hotels has now associated itself with the Intercontinental. Then there was the Marriott International alliance with Lok Hotels and Resorts - a subsidiary of the Lok Group, to build five-star hotels in Kochi and Jaipur. Besides international brands entering into tie-ups with domestic companies, Indian hospitality majors like Taj anThe trend of outsourcing housekeeping jobs has definitely caught on in India over the last few years.

Housekeeping is sometimes perceived as being the most unglamorous, undervalued and underpaid job associated with the hospitality sector, thus there are just not enough people to take up this profession as a career.

Challenges Galore
Earlier, housekeeping service providers had limited scope of working in big corporate houses and cinema halls with a few odd jobs at hotels, of course. However, work opportunities have expanded over the last five years with the entry of BPO's, multiplexes, shopping malls, food courts and multi-storied residence and office complexes. Add to it the outsourcing of jobs by hotels. Housekeeping service providers have their plates full.

New opportunities bring in new challenges like time constraints and enhanced productivity. In the present scenario, time has become a real constraint. Housekeeping five years ago meant only day operations because all corporate offices worked for a fixed timing of nine to six hours. Now however, 50 per cent of the clientele demands round the clock or late night services. "The reason for the increased demand is a growing consciousness about hygiene and cleanliness has resulted in discerning clients demanding round-the-clock cleaning of public areas, meeting rooms, outside premises to maintain cleanliness throughout the day. Besides, many companies have night shifts as well and this has led to a natural shift in plans and programming to suit the new work environment," says Rajen Sharma of Man-Machine India Pvt Ltd.

Earlier, laborers had the whole day at their disposal to finish the job. However, with late night services they have only three to four hours time to finish their job. As Sharma explains, "Earlier, for a one lakh sq ft area, we needed 20 people but now we require 30 people for the same area in order to finish the job on time. Since the timing is odd, it is often difficult to find labor as well. So instead of manpower, service providers are using ultramodern equipment to take care of manpower shortage, improve productivity and enhance job quality."

Upgraded Equipment Is the Key
In an effort to increase the productivity level, facility management companies are turning to upgraded equipment. The objective is to control costs while enhancing productivity. For instance, regular brooms and mopping cloths are passé. Now, dry mops with disposable paper soaked in oil to increase absorption are being used in public areas in hotels, malls and corporate offices because while one paper can be used throughout the day unlike wet mops, there are no chances of patch marks or shoe imprints on the floor. The wearable vacuum cleaners have come in handy in multiplexes to clean the alleys between seats within few minutes before and after a show.

The telescopic rod is used for cleaning glasses because a person can clean up to a height of 50 feet standing on the ground, while pressure washers are used for cleaning outside areas because they use minimum water and do a fast, highly effective job.

Contrary to popular belief, it takes skill and experience to become a good housekeeper. "Housekeeping is a tough job requiring skill in making optimum use of machines, cleaning agents and performing the job fast," says Sarabjeet Singh of Indo Technologies. "The housekeeper has to be trained in not only handling a machine but optimum utilization of the machine which involves everything from how to choose a cleaning agent is important as these days as there are various types of floorings and one must know how to get the maximum cleaning effect using the minimum quantity without causing harm to the floor/carpet and the operator. For instance, if the staff do not know how to clean a carpeted hotel room fast without entangling wires, or damaging wooden furniture, the service provider can be liable for the damage caused."

It remains the job of the supervisor and the equipment supplier to train workers. "The supervisors have to be flexible, hardworking and an excellent people's persons as the staff working under him can be very transient, often raw and have to be trained in optimum utilization of equipment as well as manners and basic etiquette because they are in the service industry," adds Singh.

Big service providers like Man Machines or Lion Services had opened training schools, but other service providers declined to hire boys trained by them as that would mean certifying the competitor. However, Manmachines and Lion continue their training schools to train their own staff. "When our employees work in a hotel lobby or multiplex, they are not just cleaners, but a part of the service industry and also an interface between the customer and the hotel or multiplex. Therefore, it is important they know basic etiquette and can communicate. We have educated all our workers in letters, PR and communication and will keep on doing so with new entrants so that they can fit in the new work environment, start believing in themselves and are more prompt and alert," informs Sharma.

Most importantly, such education not only helps them in human interaction, but also comes handy in maintaining equipment. "After receiving the necessary education, our guys note down any unnatural symptoms in a machine and bring it to our notice, thus helping us to avoid major faults. They note down all complaints, explain to the service engineer over the phone thus reducing servicing time," adds Sharma.

However, a key challenge for any service provider is retaining staff and keeping them motivated. To control untoward incidents and temptation, many service providers have stopped opting for split duties. They rather follow the teamwork model wherein all boys work on the same floor performing separate duties with supervisor keeping a tab. Thus, temptation is kept under check, while productivity is increased. To increase motivation and retain staff, some big service providers have started offering incentives. Man-Machine, for instance, offers cash incentives for fast learners, best communication skill, cent percent attendance, most clean person, most punctual worker and employee of the month for overall performance. "If any one returns any valuables we give cash rewards. This policy of incentives has paid off because 70 per cent of our supervisors have risen from housemen level. This internal promotion also motivates new boys to perform better and stay with the organization," concludes Sharma.