staffing for housekeeping operationscatalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/pdf/0471268941.excerpt.pdf ·...

� Prelude to Staffing

� Job SpecificationsJob Specification—Example

� Employee Requisition

� Staffing Housekeeping PositionsSelecting EmployeesThe InterviewOrientationTrainingRecords and ReportsEvaluation and Performance AppraisalOutsourcing

8

Staffing forHousekeeping

Operations

Prelude to Staffing

Staffing is the third sequential function of management.Up until now the executive housekeeper has been con-cerned with planning and organizing the housekeepingdepartment for the impending opening and operations.Now the executive housekeeper must think about hiringemployees within sufficient time to ensure that three ofthe activities of staffing—selection (including interview-ing), orientation, and training—may be completed be-fore opening. Staffing will be a major task of the last twoweeks before opening.

The development of the Area Responsibility Plan andthe House Breakout Plan before opening led to prepa-ration of the Department Staffing Guide, which will be amajor tool in determining the need for employees in var-ious categories. The housekeeping manager and laundrymanager should now be on board and assisting in the de-velopment of various job descriptions. (These are de-scribed in Appendix B.) The hotel human resources de-partment would also have been preparing for the hiringevent. They would have advertised a mass hiring for allcategories of personnel to begin on a certain date abouttwo weeks before opening.

Even though this chapter reflects a continuation ofthe executive housekeeper’s planning for opening oper-ations, the techniques described apply to any ongoingoperation, except that the magnitude of selection, orien-tation, and training activities will not be as intense. Also,the fourth activity—development of existing employ-ees—is normally missing in opening operations but ishighly visible in ongoing operations.

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ATERIAL

Job Specifications

Job specifications should be written as job descriptions(see Appendix B) are prepared. Job specifications aresimple statements of what the various incumbents to po-sitions will be expected to do. An example of a job spec-ification for a section housekeeper is as follows:

Job Specification—Example

Section Housekeeper (hotels) [often Guestroom Atten-dant—GRA] The incumbent will work as a member of ahousekeeping team, cleaning and servicing for occu-pancy of approximately 18 hotel guestrooms each day.Work will generally include the tasks of bed making, vac-uuming, dusting, and bathroom cleaning. Incumbent willalso be expected to maintain equipment provided forwork and load housekeeper’s cart before the end of eachday’s operation. Section housekeepers must be willing towork their share of weekends and be dependable incoming to work each day scheduled.

[Any special qualifications, such as ability to speak aforeign language, might also be listed.]

Employee Requisition

Once job specifications have been developed for everyposition, employee requisitions are prepared for firsthirings (and for any follow-up needs for the human re-sources department). Figure 8.1 is an example of an Em-ployee Requisition. Note the designation as to whetherthe requisition is for a new or a replacement positionand the number of employees required for a specificrequisition number. The human resources departmentwill advertise, take applications, and screen to fill eachrequisition by number until all positions are filled. Forexample, the first requisition for GRAs may be for 20

Staffing Housekeeping Positions 153

GRAs. The human resources department will continueto advertise for, take applications, and screen employeesfor the housekeeping department and will provide can-didates for interview by department managers until 20GRAs are hired. Should any be hired and require re-placing, a new employee requisition will be required.

Staffing Housekeeping Positions

There are several activities involved in staffing a house-keeping operation. Executive housekeepers must selectand interview employees, participate in an orientationprogram, train newly hired employees, and develop em-ployees for future growth. Each of these activities willnow be discussed.

Selecting Employees

Sources of EmployeesEach area of the United States has its own demographicsituations that affect the availability of suitable employ-ees for involvement in housekeeping or environmentalservice operations. For example, in one area, an excep-tionally high response rate from people seeking foodservice work may occur and a low response rate frompeople seeking housekeeping positions may occur. Inanother area, the reverse may be true, and people inter-ested in housekeeping work may far outnumber thoseinterested in food service.

Surveys among hotels or hospitals in your area will in-dicate the best source for various classifications of em-ployees. Advertising campaigns that will reach these em-ployees are the best method of locating suitable people.Major classified ads associated with mass hirings willspecify the need for food service personnel, front deskclerks, food servers, housekeeping personnel, and main-tenance people. Such ads may yield surprising results.

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

After studying the chapter, students should be able to:

1. Describe the proper methodology to use when staffing housekeeping positions.

2. Describe the elements of a job specification and an employee requisition.

3. Identify proper selection and interview techniques.

4. Describe the important elements of an orientation program.

5. Describe different techniques used to train newly hired employees.

6. Describe how to maintain training and development records.

7. Describe how to conduct an objective performance evaluation.

If the volume of response for housekeeping person-nel is insufficient to provide a suitable hiring base, thefollowing sources may be investigated:

1. Local employment agencies2. Flyers posted on community bulletin boards3. Local church organizations4. Neighborhood canvass for friends of recently hired

employees5. Direct radio appeals to local homemakers6. Organizations for underprivileged ethnic minorities,

and mentally disabled people (It should be notedthat many mentally disabled persons are completelycapable of performing simple housekeeping tasksand are dependable and responsible people seekingan opportunity to perform in a productive capacity.)

If these sources do not produce the volume of appli-cants necessary to develop a staff, it may become neces-sary to search for employees in distant areas and to pro-vide regular transportation for them to and from work.

154 Chapter 8 � Staffing for Housekeeping Operations

If aliens are hired, the department manager must takegreat care to ensure that they are legal residents of thiscountry and that their green cards are valid. More thanone hotel department manager has had an entire staffswept away by the Department of Immigration after hir-ing people who were illegal aliens. Such unfortunate ac-tion has required the immediate assistance of all avail-able employees (including management) to fill in.

Processing ApplicantsWhether you are involved in a mass hiring or in the re-cruiting of a single employee, a systematic and courte-ous procedure for processing applicants is essential.For example, in the opening of the Los Angeles AirportMarriott, 11,000 applicants were processed to fill ap-proximately 850 positions in a period of about twoweeks. The magnitude of such an operation required anear assembly-line technique, but a personable andpositive experience for the applicants still had to bemaintained.

Figure 8-1 Employee requisition,used to ask for one or moreemployees for a specific job.

The efficient handling of lines of employees, courte-ous attendance, personal concern for employee desires,and reference to suitable departments for those unfa-miliar with what the hotel or hospital has to offer all be-come earmarks for how the company will treat its em-ployees. The key to proper handling of applicants is theuse of a control system whereby employees are con-ducted through the steps of application, prescreening,and if qualified, reference to a department for interview.Figure 8.2 is a typical processing record that helps ensurefair and efficient handling of each applicant.

Note the opportunity for employees to express theirdesires for a specific type of employment. Even thoughan employee may desire involvement in one classifica-tion of work, he or she may be hired for employment ina different department. Also, employees might not beaware of the possibilities available in a particular de-partment at the time of application or may be unable tolocate in desired departments at the time of mass hirings.Employees who perform well should therefore be giventhe opportunity to transfer to other departments whenthe opportunities arise.

According to laws regulated by federal and state FairEmployment Practices Agencies (FEPA), no personmay be denied the opportunity to submit application foremployment for a position of his or her choosing. Notonly is the law strict on this point, but companies in anyway benefiting from interstate commerce (such as hotelsand hospitals) may not discriminate in the hiring of peo-ple based on race, color, national origin, or religiouspreference. Although specific hours and days of theweek may be specified, it is a generally accepted fact thathotels and hospitals must maintain personnel operationsthat provide the opportunity for people to submit appli-cations without prejudice.

Prescreening ApplicantsThe prescreening interview is a staff function normallyprovided to all hotel or hospital departments by the hu-man resources section of the organization. Prescreeningis a preliminary interview process in which unqualifiedapplicants—those applicants who do not meet the crite-ria for a job as specified in the job specification–specialqualifications—are selected (or screened) out. For ex-ample, an applicant for a secretarial job that requires theincumbent to take shorthand and be able to type 60words a minute may be screened out if the applicant isnot able to pass a relevant typing and shorthand test.Theresults of prescreening are usually coded for internal useand are indicated on the Applicant Processing Record(Figure 8.2).

If a candidate is screened out by the personnel sec-tion, he or she should be told the reason immediatelyand thanked for applying for employment.

Applicants who are not screened out should either bereferred to a specific department for interview or, if allimmediate positions are filled, have their applications


placed in a department pending file for future reference.All applicants should be told that hiring decisions will bemade by individual department managers based on thebest qualifications from among those interviewed.

A suggested agenda for a prescreening interview is asfollows:

1. The initial contact should be cordial and helpful.Many employees are lost at this stage because of in-efficient systems established for handling applicants.

2. During the prescreening interview, try to determinewhat the employee is seeking, whether such a posi-tion is available, or, if not, when such a positionmight become available.

3. Review the work history as stated on the applicationto determine whether the applicant meets the obvi-ous physical and mental qualifications, as well as im-portant human qualifications such as emotional sta-bility, personality, honesty, integrity, and reliability.

4. Do not waste time if the applicant is obviously notqualified or if no immediate position is available.When potential vacancies or a backlog of applicantsexists, inform the candidate. Be efficient in statingthis to the applicant. Always make sure that the ap-plicant gives you a phone number in order that he orshe may be called at some future date. Because mostapplicants seeking employment are actively seekingimmediate work, applications more than 30 days oldare usually worthless.

5. If at all possible, an immediate interview by the de-partment manager should be held after screening. Ifthis is not possible, a definite appointment should be made for the candidate’s interview as soon aspossible.

The Interview

An interview should be conducted by a manager of thedepartment to which the applicant has been referred. Inongoing operations, it is often wise to also allow the su-pervisor for whom the new employee will work to visitwith the candidate in order that the supervisor may gaina feel for how it would be to work together. The super-visor’s view should be considered, since a harmoniousrelationship at the working level is important. Althoughthe acceptance of an employee remains a prerogative ofmanagement, it would be unwise to accept an employeeinto a position when the supervisor has reservationsabout the applicant.

Certain personal characteristics should be exploredwhen interviewing an employee. Some of these charac-teristics are native skills, stability, reliability, experience,attitude toward employment, personality, physical traits,stamina, age, sex, education, previous training, initiative,alertness, appearance, and personal cleanliness. Al-though employers may not discriminate against race,sex, age, religion, and nationality, overall considerations

may involve the capability to lift heavy objects, entermen’s or women’s restrooms, and so on. In a housekeep-ing (or environmental services) department, peopleshould be employed who find enjoyment in houseworkat home. Remember that character and personality can-not be completely judged from a person’s appearance.Also, it should be expected that a person’s appearancewill never be better than when that person is applyingfor a job.


Letters of recommendation and references should becarefully considered. Seldom will a letter of recommen-dation be adverse, whereas a telephone call might bemost revealing.

If it were necessary to select the most important stepin the selection process, interviewing would be it. Inter-viewing is the step that separates those who will be em-ployed from those who will not. Poor interviewing tech-niques can make the process more difficult and may

Figure 8-2 Processing Recordfor Employee Candidate, used tokeep track of an applicant’sprogress through the employmentprocess.

produce a result that can be both frustrating and dam-aging for both parties. In addition, inadequate interview-ing will result in gaining incorrect information, beingconfused about what has been said, suppression of infor-mation, and, in some circumstances, complete with-drawal from the process by the candidate.

The following is a well-accepted list of the steps for asuccessful interview process.

1. Be prepared. Have a checklist of significant ques-tions ready to ask the candidate. Such questions maybe prepared from the body of the job description.This preparation will allow the interviewer to as-sume the initiative in the interview.

2. Find a proper place to conduct the interview. The ap-plicant should be made to feel comfortable. The in-terview should be conducted in a quiet, relaxing at-mosphere where there is privacy that will bringabout a confidential conversation.

3. Practice. People who conduct interviews shouldpractice interviewing skills periodically. Several man-agers may get together and discuss interviewingtechniques that are to be used.

4. Be tactful and courteous. Put the applicant at ease,but also control the discussion and lead to importantquestions.

5. Be knowledgeable. Be thoroughly familiar with theposition for which the applicant is interviewing in or-der that all of the applicant’s questions may be an-swered. Also, have a significant background knowl-edge in order that general information about thecompany may be given.

6. Listen. Encourage the applicant to talk. This may bedone by asking questions that are not likely to beanswered by a yes or no. If people are comfortableand are asked questions about themselves, they willusually speak freely and give information that spe-cific questions will not always bring out. Applicantswill usually talk if there is a feeling that they are notbeing misunderstood.

7. Observe. Much can be learned about an applicantjust by observing reactions to questions, attitudesabout work, and, specifically, attitudes about provid-ing service to others. Observation is a vital step inthe interviewing process.

Interview PitfillsPerhaps of equal importance to the interviewing tech-nique are the following pitfalls, which should be avoidedwhile interviewing.

1. Having a feeling that the employee will be just rightbased on a few outstanding characteristics ratherthan on the sum of all characteristics noted.

2. Being influenced by neatness, grooming, expensiveclothes, and an extroverted personality—none ofwhich has much to do with housekeeping compe-tency.


3. Overgeneralizing, whereby interviewers assume toomuch from a single remark (for instance, an appli-cant’s assurance that he or she “really wants towork”).

4. Hiring the “boomer,” that is, the person who alwayswants to work in a new property; unfortunately, thistype of person changes jobs whenever a new prop-erty opens.

5. Projecting your own background and social statusinto the job requirement. Which school the applicantattended or whether the applicant has the “properlook” is beside the point. It is job performance thatis going to count.

6. Confusing strengths with weaknesses, and vice versa.What is construed by one person to be overaggres-siveness might be interpreted by another as confi-dence, ambition, and potential for leadership, the lasttwo traits being in chronic short supply in mosthousekeeping departments. These are the very char-acteristics that make it possible for management topromote from within and develop new supervisorsand managers.

7. Being impressed by a smooth talker—or the reverse:assuming that silence reflects strength and wisdom.The interviewer should concentrate on what the ap-plicant is saying rather than on how it is being said,then decide whether his or her personality will fitinto the organization.

8. Being tempted by overqualified applicants. Peoplewith experience and education that far exceed thejob requirements may be unable for some reason toget jobs commensurate with their backgrounds. Evenif such applicants are not concealing skeletons in thecloset, they still tend to become frustrated and dis-satisfied with jobs far below their level of abilities.

The application of the techniques and avoidance ofthe pitfalls will be valuable tools in the selection of com-petent personnel for the housekeeping and environmen-tal service departments.

For many years, the approach of many managers wasto write a job description and then fill it by attempting tofind the perfect person. This approach may overlookmany qualified people, such as disadvantaged people orslow learners. Job descriptions may be analyzed in twoways when filling positions: (1) what is actually requiredto do the work, and (2) what is desirable. Is the ability toread or write really necessary for the job? Is the abilityto learn quickly really necessary? A person who doesnot read or write or who is a slow learner can be trainedand can make an excellent employee. True, it may takeadditional time, but the reward will be a loyal employeeas well as less turnover. It has been proven many timesthat those who are disadvantaged or slightly retarded,once trained, will perform consistently well for longerperiods.There are agencies who seek out companies thatwill try to hire such people.

Results of the InterviewIf the results of an interview are negative and rejectionis indicated, the candidate should be informed as soon aspossible. A pleasant statement, such as “Others inter-viewed appear to be more qualified,” is usually suffi-cient. This information can be handled in a straightfor-ward and courteous manner and in such a way that thecandidate will appreciate the time that has been takenduring the interview.

When the results of the interview are positive, a state-ment indicating a favorable impression is most encour-aging. However, no commitment should be made until areference check has been conducted.

Reference ChecksIn many cases, reference checks are made only to verifythat what has been said in the application and interviewis in fact true. Many times applicants are reluctant to ex-plain in detail why previous employment situationshave come to an end. It is more important to hear theactual truth about a prior termination from the appli-cant than it is to hear that they simply have been termi-nated. Reference checks, in order of desirability, are asfollows:

1. Personal (face-to-face) meetings with previous em-ployers are the least available but provide the mostaccurate information when they can be arranged.

2. Telephone discussions are the next best and most of-ten used approach. For all positions, an in-depth con-versation by telephone between the potential newmanager and the prior manager is most desirable;otherwise a simple verification of data is sufficient toensure honesty.

3. The least desirable reference is the written recom-mendation, because managers are extremely reluc-tant to state a frank and honest opinion that maylater be used against them in court.

Applicants who are rated successful at an interviewshould be told that a check of their references will beconducted, and, pending favorable responses, they willbe contacted by the personnel department within twodays. Applicants who are currently employed normallyask that their current employer not be contacted for areference check. This request should be honored at alltimes. Applicants who are currently working usuallywant to give proper notice to their current employers. Ifthe applicant chooses not to give notice, chances are nonotice will be given at the time he or she leaves your hotel.

In some cases, the applicant gives notice and, upondoing so, is “cut loose” immediately. If such is the case,the applicant should be told to contact the departmentmanager immediately in order that the employee maybe put to work as soon as possible.


Interview Skills versus TurnoverThere is no perfect interviewer, interviewee, or resultanthiring or rejection decision in regard to an applicant. Wecan only hope to improve our interviewing skills in orderthat the greatest degree of success in employee retentioncan be obtained. The executive housekeeper should ex-pect that 25 percent of initial hires into a housekeepingdepartment will not be employed for more than threemonths. (This is primarily because the housekeepingskills are easily learned and the position is paid at ornear minimum wage.) Some new housekeeping depart-ments have as much as a 75 percent turnover rate in thefirst three months of operation. Certainly this figure canbe improved upon with adequate attention to the inter-viewing and selection processes. However, regardless ofthe outcome of the interview, the processing record (Fig-ure 8.2) should be properly endorsed and returned tothe personnel department for processing.

Orientation

A carefully planned, concerned, and informational ori-entation program is significant to the first impressionsthat a new employee will have about the hospital or ho-tel in general and the housekeeping department in par-ticular. Too often, a new employee is told where thework area and restroom are, given a cursory explanationof the job, then put to work. It is not uncommon to findmanagers putting employees to work who have not evenbeen processed into the organization, an unfortunate sit-uation that is usually discovered on payday when thereis no paycheck for the new employee. Such blatant dis-regard for the concerns of the employee can only lead toa poor perception of the company. A planned orienta-tion program will eliminate this type of activity and willbring the employee into the company with personal concern and with a greater possibility for a successful relationship.

A good orientation program is usually made up offour phases: employee acquisition, receipt of an em-ployee’s handbook, tour of the facility, and an orienta-tion meeting.

Employee AcquisitionOnce a person is accepted for employment, the applicantis told to report for work at a given time and place, andthat place should be the personnel department. Preem-ployment procedures can take as much as one-half day,and department managers eager to start new employeesto work should allow time for a proper employee acqui-sition into the organization. Figure 8.3 is an EmploymentChecklist similar to those used by most personnel officesto ensure that nothing is overlooked in assimilating anew person into the organization.

At this time it should be ensured that the applicationis complete and any additional information pertaining to

employment history that may be necessary to obtain thenecessary work permits and credentials is on hand. Usu-ally the security department records the entry of a newemployee into the staff and provides instructions regard-ing use of employee entrances, removing parcels from thepremises, and employee parking areas. Application forwork permits, and drug testing, will be scheduled whereapplicable. All documents required by the hotel’s healthand welfare insurer should be completed, and instruc-tions should be given about immediately reporting acci-dents, no matter how slight, to supervisors. The federalgovernment requires that every employer submit a W-4(withholding statement) for each employee on the pay-roll. The employee must complete this document andgive it to the company. Mandatory deductions from payshould be explained (federal and state income tax andSocial Security FICA), as should other deductions thatmay be required or desired. At this time, some form of


personal action document is usually initiated for the newemployee and is placed in the employee’s permanentrecord. Figure 8.4 is an example of such a form.

Figure 8.4 is a computer-printed document called aPersonnel Action Form (PAF) indicating all data thatare required about the new employee. Note the perma-nent information that will be carried on file. The PAF isserially numbered, is created from data stored on mag-netic discs, and is maintained in the employee’s person-nel file. When a change has to be made, such as job title,marital status, or rate of pay, the PAF is retrieved fromthe employee’s record, changes are made under the itemto be changed, and the corrected PAF is used to changethe data in the computer storage. Once new informationis stored, a new PAF is created and placed in the em-ployee’s record to await the next need for processing. Along-time employee might have many PAFs stored inthe personnel file.

Figure 8-3 EmploymentChecklist. Once an applicant hasbeen prescreened and interviewed,has had references checked, andhas received an offer ofemployment, the checklist is usedto ensure completion of datarequired to place the employee onthe payroll.

When either regular or special performance ap-praisals are given, the last (most current) PAF will beused to record the appraisal. Figure 8.5 is a standardform used to record such appraisals, as well as writtenwarnings and matters involving terminations. Theseforms are usually found on the reverse side of the PAF.Since performance appraisals may signify a raise in pay,the appropriate pay increase information would be indi-cated on the front side of the PAF (Figure 8.4). Allrecordings on PAFs, whether on one side or both, re-quire the submission of data, storage of information, and


creation of a new PAF to be stored in the employee’srecord.

The PAF and performance appraisal system shouldbe thoroughly explained to the new employee, alongwith assignment of a payroll number. The employershould also explain how and when the staff is paid andwhen the first paycheck may be expected.

The Employee HandbookThe new employee should be provided with a copy ofthe hotel or hospital employee’s handbook and should

Figure 8-4 PersonnelAction Form (PAF) is adata-processing formused to collect and storeinformation about anemployee. Note thevarious bits ofinformation collected.(Courtesy of White LodgingServices.)

be told to read it thoroughly. Since the new housekeep-ing employee is not working just for the housekeepingdepartment but is to become integrated as a member ofthe entire staff, reading this handbook is extremely im-portant to ensure that proper instructions in the rulesand regulations of the hotel are presented. The hand-book should be developed in such a way as to inspire thenew employee to become a fully participating memberof the organization.As an example, a generic employee’shandbook is presented in Appendix C. Note the tone ofthe welcoming letter and the manner in which the rulesand regulations are presented.


Familiarization Tour of the FacilitiesUpon completion of the acquisition phase, a facility tourshould be conducted for one or all new employees. Fornew facilities, access to the property should be gainedwithin about one week before opening, and many newemployees can be taken on a tour simultaneously. It ispossible for employees to work in the hotel housekeep-ing department for years and never to have visited theshowroom, dining rooms, ballrooms, or even the execu-tive office areas. A tour of the complete facility meldsemployees into the total organization, and a completeinformative tour should never be neglected.

Figure 8-5 The reverseside of the PAF may beused to recordperformance appraisals,written warnings, ormatters involvingterminations.

For ongoing operations, after acquisition, the new em-ployee may be turned over to a department supervisor,who becomes the tour director. An appreciation of thetotal involvement of each employee is strengthenedwhen a facilities tour is complete and thorough. If nec-essary, the property tour might be postponed until afterthe orientation meeting; however, the orientation activ-ity of staffing is not complete until a property tour isconducted.

Orientation MeetingThe orientation meeting should not be conducted untilthe employee has had an opportunity to become at leastpartially familiar with the surroundings. After approxi-mately two weeks, the employee will have many ques-tions about experiences, the new job, training, and therules and regulations listed in the Property and Depart-ment Handbooks (see the following section on training).Employee orientation meetings that are scheduled toosoon fail to answer many questions that will developwithin the first two weeks of employment.

The meeting should be held in a comfortable setting,with refreshments provided. It is usually conducted bythe director of human resources and is attended by asmany of the facility managers as possible. Most certainly,the general manager or hospital administration mem-bers of the executive committee, the security director,and the new employees’ department heads should at-tend. Each of these managers should have an opportu-nity to welcome the new employees and give them achance to associate names with faces. All managers andnew employees should wear name tags. In orientationmeetings, a brief history of the company and companygoals should be presented.

A planned orientation meeting should not be con-cluded without someone stressing the importance ofeach position. Every position must have a purpose be-hind it and is therefore important to the overall func-tioning of the facility. An excellent statement of this phi-losophy was once offered by a general manager whosaid, “The person mopping a floor in the kitchen at 3:00A.M. is just as valuable to this operation as I am—we justdo different things.”

The orientation meeting should be scheduled to allowfor many questions. And there should be someone in at-tendance who can answer all of them.

Although the new employee will be gaining confi-dence and security in the position as training ends andwork is actually performed, informal orientation maycontinue for quite some time. The formal orientation,however, ends with the orientation meeting (althoughthe facility tour may be conducted after the meeting). Fi-nally, it should be remembered that good orientationprocedures lead to worker satisfaction and help quietthe anxieties and fears that a new employee may have.When a good orientation is neglected, the seeds of dis-satisfaction are planted.


Training

GeneralThe efficiency and economy with which any departmentwill operate will depend on the ability of each memberof the organization to do his or her job. Such ability willdepend in part on past experiences, but more commonlyit can be credited to the type and quality of training of-fered. Employees, regardless of past experiences, alwaysneed some degree of training before starting a new job.

Small institutions may try to avoid training by hiringpeople who are already trained in the general functionswith which they will be involved. However, most institu-tions recognize the need for training that is specificallyoriented toward the new experience, and will have a doc-umented training program.

Some employers of housekeeping personnel find iteasier to train completely unskilled and untrained per-sonnel. In such cases, bad or undesirable practices do nothave to be trained out of an employee. Previous experi-ence and education should, however, be analyzed andconsidered in the training of each new employee in or-der that efficiencies in training can be recognized. If anunderstanding of department standards and policies canbe demonstrated by a new employee, that portion oftraining may be shortened or modified. However, skilland ability must be demonstrated before training can bealtered. Finally, training is the best method to communi-cate the company’s way of doing things, without whichthe new employee may do work contrary to companypolicy.

First TrainingFirst training of a new employee actually starts with acontinuation of department orientation.When a new em-ployee is turned over to the housekeeping or environ-mental services department, orientation usually contin-ues by familiarizing the employee with department rulesand regulations. Many housekeeping departments havetheir own department employee handbooks. For an ex-ample, see Appendix D, which contains the housekeep-ing department rules and regulations for Bally’s CasinoResort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Compare this handbookwith that of the generic handbook (Appendix C). Al-though these handbooks are for completely differenttypes of organizations, the substance of their publica-tions is essentially the same; both are designed to famil-iarize each new employee with his or her surroundings.Handbooks should be written in such a way as to inspireemployees to become team members, committed tocompany objectives.

A Systematic Approach to TrainingTraining may be defined as those activities that are de-signed to help an employee begin performing tasks forwhich he or she is hired or to help the employee improveperformance in a job already assigned. The purpose of

training is to enable an employee to begin an assignedjob or to improve upon techniques already in use.

In hotel or hospital housekeeping operations, thereare three basic areas in which training activity shouldtake place: skills, attitudes, and knowledge.

SKILLS TRAINING. A sample list of skills in which abasic housekeeping employee must be trained follows:

1. Bed making: Specific techniques; company policy2. Vacuuming: Techniques; use and care of equipment3. Dusting: Techniques; use of products4. Window and mirror cleaning: Techniques and

products5. Setup awareness: Room setups; what a properly ser-

viced room should look like6. Bathroom cleaning: Tub and toilet sanitation; ap-

pearance; methods of cleaning and results desired7. Daily routine: An orderly procedure for the conduct

of the day’s work; daily communications8. Caring for and using equipment: Housekeeper cart;

loading9. Industrial safety: Product use; guest safety; fire and

other emergencies

The best reference for the skills that require trainingis the job description for which the person is beingtrained.

ATTITUDE GUIDANCE. Employees need guidance intheir attitudes about the work that must be done. Theyneed to be guided in their thinking about rooms thatmay present a unique problem in cleaning. Attitudesamong section housekeepers need to be such that, occa-sionally, when rooms require extra effort to be broughtback to standard, it is viewed as being a part of render-ing service to the guest who paid to enjoy the room.Carol Mondesir,1 director of housekeeping, SheratonCentre, Toronto, states that:

A hotel is meant to be enjoyed and, occasionally, therooms are left quite messed up. However, as long asthey’re not vandalized, it’s part of the territory. Thewhole idea of being in the hospitality business is to makethe guest’s stay as pleasant as possible. The rooms arethere to be enjoyed.

Positive relationships with various agencies and peo-ple also need to be developed.

The following is a list of areas in which attitude guid-ance is important:

1. The guest/patient2. The department manager and immediate supervisor3. A guestroom that is in a state of great disarray4. The hotel and company5. The uniform6. Appearance7. Personal hygiene


MEETING STANDARDS. The most important task ofthe trainer is to prepare new employees to meet stan-dards. With this aim in mind, sequence of performance in cleaning a guestroom is most important in order thatefficiency in accomplishing day-to-day tasks may be de-veloped. In addition, the best method of accomplishing atask should be presented to the new trainee. Once thetask has been learned, the next thing is to meet stan-dards, which may not necessarily mean doing the job theway the person has been trained. Setting standards ofperformance is discussed in Chapter 11 under “Opera-tional Controls.”

KNOWLEDGE TRAINING. Areas of knowledge inwhich the employee needs to be trained are as follows:

1. Thorough knowledge of the hotel layout; employeemust be able to give directions and to tell the guestabout the hotel, restaurants, and other facilities

2. Knowledge of employee rights and benefits3. Understanding of grievance procedure4. Knowing top managers by sight and by name

Ongoing TrainingThere is a need to conduct ongoing training for all em-ployees, regardless of how long they have been membersof the department. There are two instances when addi-tional training is needed: (1) the purchase of new equip-ment, and (2) change in or unusual employee behaviorwhile on the job.

When new equipment is purchased, employees needto know how the new equipment differs from presentequipment, what new skills or knowledge are required tooperate the equipment, who will need this knowledge,and when. New equipment may also require new atti-tudes about work habits.

Employee behavior while on the job that is seen as anindicator for additional training may be divided into twocategories: events that the manager witnesses and eventsthat the manager is told about by the employees.

Events that the manager witnesses that indicate aneed for training are frequent employee absence, con-siderable spoilage of products, carelessness, a high rateof accidents, and resisting direction by supervisors.

Events that the manager might be told about that in-dicate a need for training are that something doesn’twork right (product isn’t any good), something is dan-gerous to work with, something is making work harder.

Although training is vital for any organization tofunction at top efficiency, it is expensive. The money andman-hours expended must therefore be worth the in-vestment. There must be a balance between the dollarsspent training employees and the benefits of productiv-ity and high-efficiency performance. A simple method ofdetermining the need for training is to measure perfor-mance of workers: Find out what is going on at presenton the job, and match this performance with what should

be happening.The difference, if any, describes how muchtraining is needed.

In conducting performance analysis, the followingquestion should be asked: Could the employee do thejob or task if his or her life depended on the result? Ifthe employee could not do the job even if his or her lifedepended on the outcome, there is a deficiency ofknowledge (DK). If the employee could have done thejob if his or her life depended on the outcome, but didnot, there is a deficiency of execution (DE). Some of thecauses of deficiencies of execution include task interfer-ence, lack of feedback (employee doesn’t know whenthe job is being performed correctly or incorrectly), andthe balance of consequences (some employees like do-ing certain tasks better than others).

If either deficiency of knowledge or deficiency of ex-ecution exists, training must be conducted.The approachor the method of training may differ, however. Deficien-cies of knowledge can be corrected by training the em-ployee to do the job, then observing and correcting asnecessary until the task is proficiently performed. Defi-ciency of execution is usually corrected by searching forthe underlying cause of lack of performance, not byteaching the actual task.

Training MethodsThere are numerous methods or ways to conduct train-ing. Each method has its own advantages and disadvan-tages, which must be weighed in the light of benefits tobe gained. Some methods are more expensive than oth-ers but are also more effective in terms of time requiredfor comprehension and proficiency that must be devel-oped. Several useful methods of training housekeepingpersonnel are listed and discussed.

ON-THE-JOB TRAINING. Using on-the-job training(OJT), a technique in which “learning by doing” is theadvantage, the instructor demonstrates the procedureand then watches the students perform it. With this tech-nique, one instructor can handle several students. Inhousekeeping operations, the instructor is usually aGRA who is doing the instructing in the rooms that havebeen assigned for cleaning that day. The OJT method isnot operationally productive until the student is profi-cient enough in the training tasks to absorb part of theoperational load.

SIMULATION TRAINING. With simulation training, amodel room (unrented) is set up and used to train sev-eral employees. Whereas OJT requires progress towarddaily production of ready rooms, simulation requiresthat the model room not be rented. In addition, thetrainer is not productive in cleaning ready rooms. Theadvantages of simulation training are that it allows thetraining process to be stopped, discussed, and repeated ifnecessary. Simulation is an excellent method, providedthe trainer’s time is paid for out of training funds, and


clean room production is not necessary during the workday.

COACH-PUPIL METHOD. The coach-pupil method issimilar to OJT except that each instructor has only onestudent (a one-to-one relationship). This method is de-sired, provided that there are enough qualified instruc-tors to have several training units in progress at the sametime.

LECTURES. The lecture method reaches the largestnumber of students per instructor. Practically all trainingprograms use this type of instruction for certain seg-ments. Unfortunately, the lecture method can be thedullest training technique, and therefore requires in-structors who are gifted in presentation capabilities. Inaddition, space for lectures may be difficult to obtainand may require special facilities.

CONFERENCES. The conference method of instruc-tion is often referred to as workshop training. This tech-nique involves a group of students who formulate ideas,do problem solving, and report on projects. The confer-ence or workshop technique is excellent for supervisorytraining.

DEMONSTRATIONS. When new products or equip-ment are being introduced, demonstrations are excel-lent. Many demonstrations may be conducted by ven-dors and purveyors as a part of the sale of equipmentand products. Difficulties may arise when language bar-riers exist. It is also important that no more informationbe presented than can be absorbed in a reasonable pe-riod of time; otherwise misunderstandings may arise.

Training AidsMany hotels use training aids in a conference room, orpost messages on an employee bulletin board. Asidefrom the usual training aids such as chalkboards, bulletinboards, charts, graphs, and diagrams, photographs cansupply clear and accurate references for how roomsshould be set up, maids’ carts loaded, and routines ac-complished. Most housekeeping operations have filmson guest contact and courtesy that may also be used intraining. Motion pictures speak directly to many peoplewho may not understand proper procedures from read-ing about them. Many training techniques may be com-bined to develop a well-rounded training plan.

DevelopmentIt is possible to have two students sitting side by side ina classroom, with one being trained and the other beingdeveloped. Recall that the definition of training ispreparing a person to do a job for which he or she ishired or to improve upon performance of a current job.Development is preparing a person for advancement orto assume greater responsibility. The techniques are the

same, but the end result is quite different.Whereas train-ing begins after orientation of an employee who is hiredto do a specific job, upon introduction of new equip-ment, or upon observation and communication with em-ployees indicating a need for training, development be-gins with the identification of a specific employee whohas shown potential for advancement. Training for pro-motion or to improve potential is in fact developmentand must always include a much neglected type of train-ing—supervisory training.

Many forms of developmental training may be givenon the property; other forms might include sending can-didates to schools and seminars. Developmental train-ing is associated primarily with supervisors and mana-gerial development and may encompass many types ofexperiences.

Figure 8.6 is an example of a developmental trainingprogram for a junior manager who will soon become in-volved in housekeeping department management. Notethe various developmental tasks that the trainee mustperform over a period of 12 months.

Development of individuals within the organizationlooks to future potential and promotion of employees.Specifically, those employees who demonstrate leader-ship potential should be developed through supervisorytraining for advancement to positions of greater respon-sibility. Unfortunately, many outstanding workers havetheir performance rewarded by promotion but are givenno development training. The excellent section house-keeper who is advanced to the position of senior house-keeper without the benefit of supervisory training isquickly seen to be unhappy and frustrated and may pos-sibly become a loss to the department. It is thereforemost essential that individual potential be developed inan orderly and systematic manner, or else this potentialmay never be recognized.

While undergoing managerial development as speci-fied in Figure 8.6, student and management alike shouldnot lose sight of the primary aim of the program, whichis the learning and potential development of the trainee,not departmental production. Even though there will betimes that the trainee may be given specific responsibil-ities to oversee operations, clean guestrooms, or servicepublic areas, advantage should not be taken of thetrainee or the situation to the detriment of the develop-ment function. Development of new growth in thetrainee becomes difficult when the training instructor orcoordinator is not only developing a new manager but isalso being held responsible for the production of someaspect of housekeeping operations.

Records and Reports

Whether you are conducting a training or a developmentprogram, suitable records of training progress should bemaintained both by the training supervisor and the stu-dent. Periodic evaluations of the student’s progress


should be conducted, and successful completion of theprogram should be recognized. Public recognition ofachievement will inspire the newly trained or developedemployee to achieve standards of performance and tostrive for advancement.

Once an employee is trained or developed and his orher satisfactory performance has been recognized andrecorded, the person should perform satisfactorily tostandards. Future performance may be based on begin-ning performance after training. If an employee’s per-formance begins to fall short of standards and expecta-tions, there has to be a reason other than lack of skills.The reason for unsatisfactory performance must then besought out and addressed. This type of follow-up is notpossible unless suitable records of training and develop-ment are maintained and used for comparison.

Evaluation and Performance Appraisal

Although evaluation and performance appraisal for em-ployees will occur as work progresses, it is not uncom-mon to find the design of systems for appraisal as part oforganization and staffing functions. This is true becausefirst appraisal and evaluation occurs during training,which is an activity of staffing. Once trainees begin tohave their performance appraised, the methods used willcontinue throughout employment. As a part of training,new employees should be told how, when, and by whomtheir performances will be evaluated, and should be ad-vised that questions regarding their performance will beregularly answered.

Probationary PeriodInitial employment should be probationary in nature, al-lowing the new employee to improve efficiency to wherethe designated number of rooms cleaned per day can beachieved in a probationary period (about three months).Should a large number of employees be unable to achievethe standard within that time, the standard should be in-vestigated. Should only one or two employees be unableto meet the standard of rooms cleaned per day, an evalu-ation of the employee in training should either reveal thereason why or indicate the employee as unsuitable forfurther retention. An employee who, after suitable train-ing, cannot meet a reasonable performance standardshould not be allowed to continue employment. Similarly,an employee who has met required performance stan-dards in the specified probationary period should be con-tinued into regular employment status and thus achieve areasonable degree of security in employment.

EvaluationEvaluation of personnel is an attempt to measure se-lected traits, characteristics, and productivity. Unfortu-nately, evaluations are generally objective in nature, andraters are seldom trained in the art of subjective evalua-tion. Initiative, self-control, and leadership ability do not


Figure 8-6 Hotel HousekeepingManagement Trainee ProgramDevelopment Training Schedule,used to cycle the trainee throughthe various functions involved ina hotel housekeepingdepartment. Note the position ofthe person who will coach thedevelopment in the various skills,and the time expected to bespent in each area.

lend themselves to measurement; therefore such charac-teristics are estimated. How well they are estimated de-pends to a great extent on the person doing the estimat-ing. Two raters using the same form and rating the sameperson will probably arrive at different conclusions.

Certain policies on the use of evaluations should beestablished so that they are understood by both the per-

son doing the evaluating and the person being evalu-ated. These policies must be established and dissemi-nated by management. In order to establish such poli-cies, the following questions, among others, must beanswered and communicated to all those involved in theevaluation: What will evaluations be used for? Will eval-uations influence promotions, become a part of the em-

ployee’s record, be used as periodic checks, or be usedfor counseling and guidance? What qualities are going tobe evaluated? Who is going to be evaluated? Who willdo the evaluating?

Reliable evaluations require careful planning andtake considerable time, skill, and work. An evaluationmust be understood by the employee.

Evaluation should be used at the end of a probation-ary period, and the employee must understand at the


beginning of the period that he or she will be observedand evaluated. Each item, as well as what impact theevaluation will have on future employment, should beexplained to the employee. People undergoing periodicevaluations, such as at the end of one year’s employ-ment, should also know why evaluations are being con-ducted and what may result from the evaluation. In bothsituations, the evaluation should be used for counselingand guidance so that performance may be improved

Figure 8-6 (continued)


Executive Profile Cigdem Duygulu Spanning the Globe

by Andi M. Vance, Editor, Executive Housekeeping Today

The official publication of the International Executive Housekeepers Association, Inc.

(This article first appeared in the February 2002 issue of Executive Housekeeping Today.)

The Great JourneyAs a small child, Cigdem Duygulu would wander throughout her

grandparents’ bed and breakfast in Golcuk, Turkey, each summer. She’dmake friends with the guests and assist with small tasks, while her par-ents worked in the kitchen and other areas of the hotel. Her blood runsthick with the hospitality gene; luckily, she recognized this at an ex-tremely early age.

The bed and breakfast welcomed a regular guest each summer, a gen-tleman from Switzerland who pampered Cigdem with gifts of soap andcookies from his country. He related tales from faraway places, openingher eyes to the world beyond the small city and village in Turkey whereshe lived with her family. “He showed me that there were so many thingsin the world to see,” Duygulu recalls. “My dream was to get out of thecountry. I wanted to leave Turkey and travel as much as possible.”

Taking her collection of soaps with her, Duygulu left high school topursue her Bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality management atGazi University in Ankara, Turkey. Her superior performance and effortswere recognized by the University and rewarded with a six-month intern-ship at the Bade Hotel Baren in Zurich, Switzerland. She went on the in-ternship to gain experience in the hotel industry, but she received muchmore of an education than she had expected.

“I was on the German-speaking side of the country,” she reminisces.“On my first day, the General Manager approached me and told me to gohere and there and do this. I didn’t know what he said, so I asked the as-sistant, ‘Do you speak English?’ She said, ‘No.’ I said to myself, ‘Oh no!What am I going to do? No one speaks English or Turkish!’ Later, I foundout that the assistant spoke five languages. She just didn’t communicatewith me in English so I would learn German.”

From that point, Duygulu began taking classes so she would learn thelanguage. Already, she was relatively fluent in English and French, butwas most familiar with her native tongue of Turkish. As a child, her twoaunts would read her stories from America and Europe and assist her inthe translation as she went. “They were very fluent in English andFrench,” she relates. “They would teach me a lot and help me with myeducation.”

While she continued learning the language, her eyes were opened tomany other things throughout the six-month period, which helped herrealize many things about herself and her interests. It was here that shediscovered her love for housekeeping. She enjoyed the interactions withthe guests and providing them with a warm environment for them tostay. Her attachment to the guests grew stronger, and when she foundone of her favorite guests dead from a heart attack one day, she recog-

The golden palace surroundedby waving palm trees, vastgreen plains and the ocean’ssurf is her home. A gracioushostess, she welcomes herguests with open arms, a warmsmile and impeccably cleanrooms. Throughout her entirelife, Cigdem Duygulu has beencompletely immersed in thehospitality industry. However,like the many immigrants whocome to the U.S. in search ofopportunity, she’s made a longvoyage to get where she is today.


nized just how attached she had become. “She was from the French sideof Switzerland,” Duygulu fondly recalls. “She would always make mespeak French to her; she was so nice. One morning, I knocked on herdoor and there was no answer. As I knew her routine, I laid her breakfasttrays by the table, but still she didn’t awake. When I returned to get thetrays, I saw the food was still there and she appeared to be sleeping. Isaid to myself, ‘Oh my gosh! I hope not!’ But she was!”

When Duygulu ran downstairs to find the Executive Housekeeper, shefound the hotel lobby busy with guests scurrying everywhere. She ap-proached her manager and tried to tell her in broken German that sheneeded to show her something immediately, while attempting not toportray her dismay to the guests. The Executive Housekeeper brushed heroff, telling her she was busy and didn’t have the time to go up to theroom. When she finally was able to get the Executive Housekeeper to thewoman’s room, Duygulu found herself in tears, shocked at her death.

“That was my first really traumatic experience in the business,” she recalls.

But Duygulu didn’t let that dissuade her from continuing her life in ho-tels. She wanted to pursue her career in housekeeping; she loves house-keeping. “In the housekeeping department,” she says, “I feel like I’m thehostess of the hotel. Guests are coming to my hotel, my home, and I want to welcome them. If I’m working in the housekeeping area, I feel Ican welcome them more than if I were working in other departments.”

Following the conclusion of the internship, she returned to Turkey tofinish her degree.

“At the end of it, my general manager wanted me to stay,” she ac-knowledges, “but I went back to Turkey. My country needed me at thattime. I put my resume in at a couple of places, and they called me backimmediately. As soon as I finished my degree, I became the Assistant Ex-ecutive Housekeeper at the Golden Dolphin Holiday Resort on the WestCoast of Turkey.”

Duygulu climbed her way up the ranks, working a variety of positionsuntil becoming the Executive Housekeeper at the Golden Dolphin. Afterfive years of service, her general manager told her he was relocating toSwitzerland, and invited her to join him.

She agreed. While waiting on her work papers to arrive, she workedodd jobs throughout the country before growing impatient. “At thattime,” she says with a grin, “my brother was living in New York City. Hesaid to me, ‘Cigdem, why don’t you just come here and wait on your pa-pers instead of returning to Turkey and waiting?’

“I thought to myself, it’s only a three-hour flight back to Turkey, and anine-hour flight to the States, but why not? I’d like to see the UnitedStates too!”

After arriving in the U.S., Duygulu obtained her green card. She foundit difficult to get a job, as many American hotel managers seemed not torecognize the dedication and extensive training required in earning a de-gree in hotel management in Europe. “I knew that in time I would get thejob I wanted,” she remembers. “After all, housekeeping basics remain thesame no matter where you are: provide quality service to your guests.”


Soon thereafter, she found a job and worked for a brief time at theNew York Hilton at Rockefeller Center, “It was a great job and everyonewas wonderful! Rockefeller Center was just amazing at Christmas time;guests came from everywhere to come and see it.”

While in New York, Duygulu married a man she knew from Turkey. Thetwo complement one another well, as he also works in the hospitality in-dustry—in food service. “I’m a terrible cook,” she admits with a laugh,“so food and beverage is not my deal.”

When her husband opened a restaurant with some of his friends inCoral Springs, Florida, Cigdem accompanied him. She was anxious to con-tinue her travels. After obtaining a position with Prime Hospitality Corpo-ration, she moved throughout the Southern states, opening new hotelsfor the company. “I like the idea of working in a new hotel,” she relates.So, I would keep opening the new hotels and training everyone. I lovedit! They were opening new hotels everywhere. I loved traveling andlearned a lot of things. I even got to watch a Dallas Cowboys footballgame!”

After she opened nearly 15 hotels for the company, she took an em-ployment opportunity with John Q, Hammons Hotels, where she openedup more hotels in Oklahoma, North Carolina and Florida, which led herto where she is today. After opening the Radisson Resort-Coral Springs,Duygulu found her palace by the ocean. Not far from the Everglades, thehotel also features over 17,000 square feet of meeting space, a 30,000-square-foot conference center and an 18-hole golf course designed byPGA tour player, Mark McCumber.

Satisfaction GuaranteedWith 224 rooms, Cigdem Duygulu services her guests with a continual

smile and dedication that is continually acknowledged by her manage-ment and guests. She believes that quality service is a “result of trainingroom attendants to provide more than what is expected.” She concen-trates on training and educating herself, as well as her staff. Many indi-viduals on her staff come from Haiti. She finds them anxious to learn Eng-lish, as well as other areas in the Housekeeping department. Just as shewas expected to learn German in Switzerland, she tries to help memberson her staff learn English by turning on American radio stations for themto listen to as they work in the laundry room. She teaches staff by actu-ally demonstrating what she’d like them to do. “Before I tell them whatto do, I have to do it, or do it with them,” advises Duygulu. “Particularlythose things that they don’t necessarily like doing. You have to take theaction right away, ‘Come on, we’ll do it together!’ I tell them.”

She keeps her staff motivated by constantly recognizing their efforts,“It’s the little things that are important for all of us,” she says. “You haveto communicate with them. You have to give them recognition, apprecia-tion and training. Cross-training is also very important. You have to bepositive and always take the action with them. That way, they will go theextra mile to make the guests happy too!”


“Training is knowing what you do; Education is knowing why you do it!”For Duygulu, I.E.H.A. is her family. As a charter member of the Florida

Intercoastal Chapter, she continually pursues prospective members, shar-ing her excitement about the Association, “You have to know the Associ-ation, so you can sell the Association,” she says. “Before I became a mem-ber, I was in the country for almost six months before finding I.E.H.A. Atthat time, there was no 800 number. I knew I.E.H.A. existed because mycollege books in Turkey told me there was an Association for ExecutiveHousekeepers in the U.S., but no one seemed to know how to contactI.E.H.A. I asked everyone: my general manager, assistant managers, hotelowners, even people on the street. I asked, ‘Where is this Association?!’

“I asked a vendor, and he told me of an Association he knew of inPalm Beach. I went to the meeting, and found the Florida Gold CoastChapter. That’s how I became a member!

“Now, when I call prospective members in the area, I say to them, ‘Youknow what, you don’t have to look for I.E.H.A., I’m calling you and tellingyou! We have an 800 number now, so everyone can find it! Come on!’ It’sa big thing, like the airlines, ‘Call us on our 800-number and make yourreservations now!’ I wish all Executive Housekeepers would become mem-bers of I.E.H.A. If any company is really looking at the education or de-grees, then you won’t go wrong being a member. Our conventions arelike big reunions for me, because I get to see everyone. So, I have a hugefamily!”

This past Spring concluded Duygulu’s four-year tenure as President ofthe Florida Intercoastal Chapter. While she’s maintained a variety of posi-tions within the Chapter, she’s recently stepped up to become the Assis-tant District Director for the Florida International District.

All in the FamilyCigdem Duygulu has passed down her passion for the hospitality indus-

try to her son, who currently works at the Radisson Resort Coral Springsin room service. “He’s following in my family’s footsteps, and I’m sohappy for that,” she relates excitedly. “My family just loves the tourismand hotel business! We love the people! The hotel business is a servicebusiness, and not everyone can do it. You have to really love it; other-wise, you can’t do it. You have to love the people and love your job.

“People are always complaining, ‘Oh, I don’t like this, I don’t want tobe here.’ I tell them if you don’t like it, then find another job. You’llmake the guests miserable with that attitude. You have to give 100% ofyourself and sacrifice. When everyone’s having fun during holidays andweekends, and you are working, you have to love it.”

But then again, when you live in a palace off the coast of Florida witha lifetime of hospitality in your blood, how could you not love it?

Cigdem Duygulu can be reached at the Radisson Resort Coral Springs, (954) 227-4108.


upon or corrected if necessary. Certainly, strong pointsshould be pointed out. An employee should be madeaware of good as well as not-so-good evaluations.

Evaluations should be made for a purpose and not forthe sake of an exercise. They should ultimately be usedas management tools. Evaluations should be developedto fit the policies of the particular institution using it andthe particular position being evaluated. The same evalu-ation may not be suitable for every position.

An example of an evaluation—a performance ap-praisal form—is presented in Figure 8.5 (the backside ofthe PAF—Figure 8.4). More is mentioned on the subjectof performance appraisal in Chapter 11 when we discusssubroutines in the housekeeping department.

OutsourcingIn certain locales, such as isolated resorts, hotels aretempted to use contract labor because the local marketdoes not support the necessary number of workers, par-ticularly in housekeeping. Advocates of outsourcing arequick to point out the advantages of the practice. Scarceworkers are provided to the property, and there is noneed to provide expensive employee benefits. The entirestaffing function is assumed by the contractor. There areno worries regarding recruiting, selecting, hiring, orient-ing, or even training the employees. Merely issue themuniforms and send them off to clean rooms. Some em-ployers may even be willing to relax their responsibili-ties regarding employment law such as immigration andnaturalization requirements.

Management should never forget that once a con-tracted employee dons a company uniform, the guest be-lieves (and has no reason not to) that person is an em-ployee of the hotel. The guest also believes the hotel hasmade every reasonable effort to screen that person in thehiring process to ensure that he or she is of good moralcharacter, who has the best interest of the guest at heart.

Unfortunately, there have been several incidents inwhich the outsourced employees did not quite have thebest interest of the guest in their hearts.There have beenmore than a few cases in which outsourced workers werewanted felons who inflicted considerable bodily harm onguests during the performance of their duties. A numberof these incidents have resulted in lawsuits, with awardsagainst the hotel in the millions of dollars.

This author does not recommend outsourcing inhousekeeping, and cautions operators who ignore thisadvice to keep their guard up and continue to meet theirlegal and ethical responsibilities regarding employeesand employment law.

Summary

Staffing for both hospital and hotel housekeeping oper-ations involves the activities of selecting, interviewing,

orienting, training, and developing personnel to carryout specific functions in the organization for which theyare hired. Each activity should be performed with con-sistency, dispatch, and individual concern for each em-ployee brought into the organization.Whereas the majorpresentation of staffing in this text has been developedfor the model hotel where a mass hiring has been per-formed, each and every aspect of selecting, orienting,and training new employees applies equally to situationsin which replacement employees (perhaps only one) arebrought into the organization.

Job specifications are the documents that indicatequalifications, characteristics, and abilities inherentlyneeded in applicants. The Employee Requisition is theinstrument by which specific numbers and types of can-didates for employment are sought by the personnel de-partment for each of the operating departments.

The next step is interviewing, which should be doneby people from various departments. Actual selection,however, should only be performed by the departmentmanager for whom the employee will work.

The employee acquisition phase is vital to the suc-cessful orientation of a new employee and should not beomitted. Upon acquisition of the new employee, presen-tation of an Employee’s Handbook (Appendixes C andD) is appropriate. This handbook should contain majorcompany rules, procedures, and regulations, along withrelevant facts for the employee. Orientation is the basisfor allowing the new employee to become accustomedto new surroundings. The quality of orientation will de-termine whether the new employee will feel secure in anew setting, and it will set the stage for the relationshipthat is to follow.

As training begins, orientation continues but is nowconducted by the specific department in which the newemployee will work. There are several methods of train-ing, each of which should be used so as to gain the besteffect for the least cost. Employee performance in train-ing should be evaluated by methods similar to thoseused in evaluating operational performance that will fol-low. After new employees receive approximately 24hours of on-the-job training in the cleaning of rooms,they should become productive and be able to clean areasonable number of rooms (about 60 percent effi-cient). Continued application of skills will developgreater productivity as the new employee spends eachday working at the new skills.

As preliminary training ends, orientation should becompleted by ensuring that an employee orientationmeeting and a tour of the entire facility has taken place.Failure to complete an orientation or to provide suffi-cient training can plant the seeds of employee unrest,discontent, and possible failure of the employee’s rela-tionship with the company that might well have beenprevented.

Whether conducting training or development, ade-quate records of employee progress should be main-

tained. Records of training that have been successfullycompleted establish a base for future performance ap-praisal. Measurement of growth in skills and promotionpotential may not be recalled if training records and

Summary 173

evaluations are not initiated and continued. Employeeshave a right to expect evaluations, and usually considerobjectively prepared statements about their perfor-mance a mark of management’s caring about employees.

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

StaffingJob specificationEmployee requisitionSources of employeesProcessing applicantsControl systemApplicationPrescreeningReference to a departmentProcessing recordPrescreening interviewInterviewInterviewing techniquesInterview pitfallsReference checksOrientation programEmployee acquisition

Employment checklistPersonnel Action Form (PAF)Performance appraisalHotel or hospital employee’s

handbookFacility tourOrientation meetingTrainingFirst trainingDepartment employee’s handbookSkillsAttitudesKnowledgeMeeting standardsOngoing trainingPerformance analysisDeficiency of knowledge (DK)

Deficiency of execution (DE)On-the-job training (OJT)Simulation trainingCoach-pupil methodLecturesConferencesWorkshop trainingDemonstrationsTraining aidDevelopmentSupervisory trainingDevelopmental training programRecordsEvaluation and performance

appraisalProbationary periodOutsourcing

DISCUSSION AND REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. When should a job specification be prepared? Whatshould it contain?

2. What services should the personnel department of anorganization perform in the hiring process? What ser-vices should department managers for whom employ-ees will be working perform?

3. Draw up an interview plan. What questions would youask? What questions should be avoided?

4. After reviewing the hotel handbook in Appendix C andthe departmental handbook in Appendix D, discuss thedifferences in approach offered in these two docu-ments.

5. There are three basic areas in which housekeeping em-ployees should receive training. What are these areas?List several elements found in each area.

NOTE

1. Dan Wilton, “Housekeeping: Cleaning Up Your Hotel’sImage.” Reported in an interview with Carol Mondesirin Canadian Hotel and Restaurant, March 1984, pp.36–37.

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