Unit 3 Managing Housekeeping Personnel

 

UNIT 3

MANAGING HOUSEKEEPING PERSONNEL

 

SCHEDULING

Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimizing work and workloads in a production process or manufacturing process. Scheduling is used to allocate plant and machinery resources, plan human resources, plan production processes and purchase materials. Once the executive housekeeper determines who will work in the department, he or she needs to determine when each will work. Effective scheduling makes sure all the necessary tasks are accomplished.

CREATING ROTATIONAL AND STANDING SCHEDULE

Using various management and forecasting tools, professional housekeepers generally make up a standing schedule that serves as a broad, long term framework for scheduling. The standard schedule reflects the number of workers needed on average to do the work assigned to the department. Computers have eased the formerly labour intensive task of scheduling.

In some properties, this standard schedule includes a rotation element. Previously, having weekends off was a perquisite of seniority. With rotational scheduling all employees have regular opportunities to have weekends or at least one weekend day off. For example, if an employee works Sunday through Thursday one week, he or she may work Monday through Friday the next and so on. Rotational scheduling works equally well for individuals or teams.

CREATING DAILY SCHEDULES

The EHK or an Assistant housekeeper prepares the daily work schedule for the housekeeping department. He or she must determine how much work there will be in order to schedule the optimum amount of staff to get work done. Generally, the actual schedule is posted one or two weeks in advance, and then modified if necessary. Data needed to determine this includes:

·         Advance reservations: Which are the reservations made prior to the day of check in?

·         Night Auditor’s Report: Which indicates how many rooms, will be due outs or check outs, which means the guest’s stay is ending, how many rooms are occupied, notes any last minute reservation calls.

·         Occupancy or room forecast: An educated guess of how many rooms or functions will be booked for that day; initial forecasts are made months in advance, then recalculated several weeks in advance, one week in advance and finally in detail the night before.

·         Historic Occupancy trends, actual rooms’ sales for the period tracked over a number of years.

·         Special events such as conventions or trade shows and holidays.

Typically, a next day room forecast is sent to housekeeping daily between noon and 2 p.m. This information is the basis of the following day’s schedule. If check outs will be heavy, extra staff has to be scheduled. Check out rooms must be thoroughly cleaned before the next guest occupies them. Employees should check schedules at the beginning and end of their shifts because scheduling refinements are on-going.

Technology plays a useful role in making sure the housekeeping department has the latest occupancy and reservation information. Computer links from the front office can update the information in the housekeeping department instantaneously and the staff member doing the scheduling can respond accordingly.

WORK STUDY

Work study is a combination of two groups of techniques, method study and work measurement, which are used to examine people's work and indicate the factors which affect efficiency. Work study is normally used in an attempt to increase output from a given quantity of resources with little or no further capital investment. This is achieved by systematically analyzing existing operations, processes and work methods.

 

The basic procedure of work study is as follows:

 

·         Select the job or process to be studied.

·         Record from direct observation everything that happens in order to obtain data for analysis.

·         Examine the recorded facts critically and challenge everything that is done, considering in turn: the purpose of the activity, the place where it is performed; the sequence in which the elements are performed; the person who is doing it; the means by which it is done.

·         Develop the most economic methods, taking into account all the circumstances.

·         Measure the amount of work involved in the method used and calculates a “standard time” for doing it.

·         Define the new method and the related time.

·         Install the new method and time as agreed standard practice.

·         Maintain the new standard practice by proper control procedures.

 

The procedures in method study consist of the following stages:

 

1.      Select the work to be studied

2.      Record the facts

3.      Examine the facts

4.      Develop a better method

5.      Introduce and maintain the better method

 

 

Stage 1: Select the work to be studied.

·                     Routine or repetitive tasks, where some of the following problems occur:

            - Poor quality work,

            - Delays,

            - Frequent accidents,

            - Inefficient use of space,

            - Excessive absenteeism,

            - Poor working conditions.

·                     Area to perform the task.

·                     Cleaning aids.

Stage 2: Record the facts.

·                     Techniques for comparison and ease of understanding:

            - Charts... process charts, etc.

            - Diagrams... flow diagrams, string diagrams, etc.

            - Models... 3D, 2D to scale, templates, etc.

            - Filming... using cine or still films.

Stage 3: Examine the facts.

·                     Purpose

·                     Place

·                     Sequence

·                     Person

·                     Means.

 

Stage 4: Develop a better method.

·                     Elimination,

·                     Combination,

·                     Simplification,

·                     Change of sequence.

 

Stage 5: Introduce and maintain a better method.

·                     Detailed planning and preparation,

·                     Assistance and cooperation of staff,

·                     Monitoring progress.

Also consider:

·                     Motion economy,

·                     Work measurement,

·                     Ergonomics.

 

 

Method study

 

Method study (often called motion study, method analysis or methods engineering) is the systematic recording and critical examination of existing and proposed ways of doing work in order to develop and apply easier and more effective methods and to reduce costs. It is used to improve processes and procedures, plant layout, design of plant and equipment; to reduce human effort and fatigue, use of materials, machines and manpower, and to develop better physical and working environments. The basic stages of method study are shown in figure 5.1. Method study is a complex technique that combines several simple tools, mostly charts and diagrams and other recording techniques.

 

The commonly used method study tools are:

·         Analysis Of Films;

·         Memotion Photography (Memory And Motion - A Way Of Using Film To Analyze Movements);

·         Micro motion Analysis;

·         Question Techniques (General And Specific Questions Which Help To Indicate Purpose, Place, Sequence, Person And Means).

 

 

WORK MEASUREMENT

Work measurement is the application of techniques designed to establish the time for a qualified worker to do a specified job at a defined level of performance. It is concerned with investigating, reducing and subsequently eliminating ineffective time. Work measurement establishes the time a qualified worker needs to carry out a specified job at a defined level of performance. Whereas method study helps us eliminate unnecessary movement, work measurement helps in investigating, reducing and subsequently eliminating ineffective time, during which useful work is not being performed.

 

 People tend to work at different rates, depending on a number of factors:

1.      The type of job involved.

2.      The amount of mechanization.

3.      The working environment.

4.      The amount of job satisfaction.

5.      The rate of pay and value of incentive.

6.      The ability and attitudes of fellow workers.

7.      The amount of rest periods.

8.      Is the job full-time or part-time, etc.?

 

Note: It is possible to work out a standard time for a job by calculating the average time it would take a number of operators to perform it.

 

TABLE OF PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

 

After developing the House Breakout Plan and the Staffing Guide, the executive housekeeper can develop one of the most important day-to-day tools for effective management of the housekeeping department—the Table of Personnel Requirements—illustrated in Table2.2. This table has been developed for the model hotel, in which there are 353 rooms and in which each section housekeeper will clean an average of 18 rooms per day. At each percent of occupancy, the table establishes the number of rooms that will require service, the number of housekeepers required at the rate of 18 rooms cleaned per day each working 8 hours a day, the number of housekeeper-hours required in an 8-hour workday, the number of housekeeper-hours per week, and the number of housekeeper-hours per 28-day period. Construction of the table starts at zero base (see end of table), noting that at zero occupancy no GRAs are required. Occupancy through 18 rooms requires one section housekeeper working an 8-hour day, occupancy through 36 rooms requires the addition of the second section housekeeper, and so on until occupancy above96 percent requires the addition of the 20th section housekeeper. Every executive housekeeper must have a table of personnel requirements in order that the number of GRAs and the number of GRAs hours per day, per week, and per period may be determined quickly for every given occupancy. Such information becomes vital to the efficient scheduling and administration of any housekeeping department.

TABLE 2.2   Table of Personnel Requirementsa
	Percent of	Number of	Number of			GRA Hours/
	Occupancy	Rooms	GRAs per Day	GRA Hours/Day	GRA Hours/Week	28-Day Period
100		353	20	160	1120	4480
99		350	20	160	1120	4480
98		346	20	160	1120	4480
97		343	20	160	1120	4480
96		339	19	152	1064	4256
95		336	19	152	1064	4256
94		332	19	152	1064	4256
93		329	19	152	1064	4256
92		325	19	152	1064	4256
91		322	18	144	1008	4032
90		318	18	144	1008	4032
89		315	18	144	1008	4032
88		311	18	144	1008	4032
87		308	18	144	1008	4032
86		304	17	136	952	3808
85		300	17	136	952	3808
84		297	17	136	952	3808
83		293	17	136	952	3808
82		290	17	136	952	3808
81		286	16	128	896	3584
80		283	16	128	896	3584
79		279	16	128	896	3584
78		276	16	128	896	3584
77		272	16	128	896	3584
76		269	15	120	840	3360
75		265	15	120	840	3360
74		262	15	120	840	3360
73		258	15	120	840	3360
72		255	15	120	840	3360
71		251	14	112	784	3136
70		248	14	112	784	3136
69		244	14	112	784	3136
68		241	14	112	784	3136
67		237	14	112	784	3136
66		234	13	104	728	2912
65		230	13	104	728	2912
64		227	13	104	728	2912
63		223	13	104	728	2912
62		220	13	104	728	2912
61		216	12	96	672	2688
60		212	12	96	672	2688
59		209	12	96	672	2688
58		205	12	96	672	2688
57		203	12	96	672	2688
56		199	12	96	672	2688
55		195	11	88	616	2464
54		191	11	88	616	2464
53		187	11	88	616	2464
52		184	11	88	616	2464
51		181	11	88	616	2464
50		177	10	80	560	2240

 

TABLE 2.2			(Continued)
	Percent of		Number of	Number of			GRA Hours/
	Occupancy		Rooms	GRAs per Day	GRA Hours/Day	GRA Hours/Week	28-Day Period
49			173	10	80	560	2240
48			169	10	80	560	2240
47			166	10	80	560	2240
46			162	9	72	504	2016
45			159	9	72	504	2016
44			156	9	72	504	2016
43			152	9	72	504	2016
42			149	9	72	504	2016
41			145	9	72	504	2016
40			142	8	64	448	1792
39			138	8	64	448	1792
38			135	8	64	448	1792
37			131	8	64	448	1792
36			127	8	64	448	1792
35			124	7	56	392	1568
34			121	7	56	392	1568
33			117	7	56	392	1568
32			114	7	56	392	1568
31			110	7	56	392	1568
30			106	6	48	336	1344
29			103	6	48	336	1344
28			99	6	48	336	1344
27			96	6	48	336	1344
26			91	6	48	336	1344
25			89	5	40	280	1120
24			85	5	40	280	1120
23			82	5	40	280	1120
22			78	5	40	280	1120
21			75	5	40	280	1120
20			71	4	32	224	896
19			67	4	32	224	896
18			64	4	32	224	896
17			60	4	32	224	896
16			57	4	32	224	896
15			53	3	24	168	672
14			50	3	24	168	672
13			46	3	24	168	672
12			43	3	24	168	672
11			39	3	24	168	672
10			36	2	16	112	448
9			32	2	16	112	448
8			29	2	16	112	448
7			25	2	16	112	448
6			22	2	16	112	448
5			18	1	8	56	224
4			15	1	8	56	224
3			11	1	8	56	224
2			7	1	8	56	224
1			4	1	8	56	224
0			0	0	0	0	0 base

 

(This table is for a 353-room hotel with a work criterion of 18 rooms per day to be cleaned by one GRA.)

 

JOB ANALYSIS

Job Analysis can be understood as the process of gathering information related to the specific job. The information encompasses knowledge, skill, and ability, possessed by the incumbent, to perform the job effectively. It is helpful in the preparation of job description and job specification. In finer terms, Job Analysis means an in-depth examination and evaluation of a particular Job.

In other words Job Analysis is a detailed examination and evaluation of the job to determine the necessary information regarding the nature of the job. It includes thorough study, observation, and reporting of what the job involves, qualifications of the job holder, working conditions, abilities, skills, competencies, duties, responsibilities, etc. Job Description and Job Specification are the two products of Job Analysis. It is performed by an expert known as Job Analyst.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS 

Also known as employee specifications, a job specification is a written statement of educational qualifications, specific qualities, level of experience, physical, emotional, technical and communication skills required to perform a job, responsibilities involved in a job and other unusual sensory demands. It also includes general health, mental health, intelligence, aptitude, memory, judgment, leadership skills, emotional ability, adaptability, flexibility, values and ethics, manners and creativity, etc. Job specifications should be written as job descriptions are prepared. Job specifications are simple statements of what the various incumbents to positions will be expected to do.

Example:

Section Housekeeper (hotels) [often Guestroom Attendant, or GRA] The incumbent will work as a member of a housekeeping team, cleaning and servicing for occupancy of approximately 18 hotel guestrooms each day. Work will generally include the tasks of bed making, vacuuming, dusting, and bathroom cleaning. Incumbent will also be expected to maintain equipment provided for work and load housekeeper’s cart before the end of each day’s operation. Section housekeepers must be willing to work their share of weekends and be dependable in coming to work each day scheduled. Any special qualifications, such as ability to speak a foreign language, might also be listed.

Purpose of Job Specification

·         Described on the basis of job description, job specification helps candidates analyze whether are eligible to apply for a particular job vacancy or not.

·         It helps recruiting team of an organization understand what level of qualifications, qualities and set of characteristics should be present in a candidate to make him or her eligible for the job opening.

·         Job Specification gives detailed information about any job including job responsibilities, desired technical and physical skills, conversational ability and much more.

·         It helps in selecting the most appropriate candidate for a particular job.

·         Job description and job specification are two integral parts of job analysis. They define a job fully and guide both employer and employee on how to go about the whole process of recruitment and selection. Both data sets are extremely relevant for creating a right fit between job and talent, evaluate performance and analyze training needs and measuring the worth of a particular job.

 

JOB DESCRIPTION

The main purpose of job description is to collect job-related data in order to advertise for a particular job. It helps in attracting, targeting, recruiting and selecting the right candidate for the right job. It is done to determine what needs to be delivered in a particular job. It clarifies what employees are supposed to do if selected for that particular job opening. It gives recruiting staff a clear view what kind of candidate is required by a particular department or division to perform a specific task or job. It also clarifies who will report to whom.

Along with the development of the Table of Personnel Requirements, a set of job descriptions and/or position descriptions must also be developed. This is done by developing a sequence of individual tasks for operations that may be grouped and then assigned to a single person. The grouping of such tasks is the creation of the position and job description. If one is to take full advantage of the motivators of achievement—growth, responsibility, and recognition—one must examine every job very closely in order to see to it that the factors that make up the job itself will form the satisfiers. All too often, jobs are designed around people of special ability. This is not necessarily unprofessional, provided there is no possibility of losing the person for whom the job was designed. In most situations, however, this is not possible. When a person of special quality leaves or is transferred, we hope to fill the position with someone of equal capability. If no one can be found with the same abilities, the job must be redefined. This is often time-consuming and may cause some reorganizing. It is a much wiser course of action first to specify the tasks that must be accomplished and then to group these tasks into logical units that have the lowest per unit cost. When there is a choice about which tasks should be combined into a single job, the criterion of lowest per unit cost is applied. Because cost is to be minimized, it is logical to design tasks and combine them in such a fashion that the lowest level of skill is required. For example, we would not want to combine the task performed by a guestroom attendant with those of a supervisor, because different skill levels are required. Similarly, the tasks involved in the job of a guestroom attendant should not be combined with those involved in the job of lobby housekeeper. The rationale is that it would not be cost-effective to have people cleaning rooms one minute and fulfilling other maintenance tasks in the lobby the next.

The objectives of a study of job descriptions must therefore be:

 

Purpose of Job Description

·         The main purpose of job description is to collect job-related data in order to advertise for a particular job. It helps in attracting, targeting, recruiting and selecting the right candidate for the right job.

·         It is done to determine what needs to be delivered in a particular job. It clarifies what employees are supposed to do if selected for that particular job opening.

·         It gives recruiting staff a clear view what kind of candidate is required by a particular department or division to perform a specific task or job.

·         It also clarifies who will report to whom.

 

TEAM WORK

Typically, teamwork is defined as: Co-operation between those who are working on a task. Teamwork is generally understood as the willingness of a group of people to work together to achieve a common aim.

Rather than scheduling housekeepers on an individual basis, housekeeping teams may be formed. A housekeeping team consists of one supervisor (senior GRA) who is in charge and one section GRA for each section within a division. Because a house division includes the cleaning and care of corridors, stairwells, elevators, and designated service areas, as well as associated guestrooms, the additional position of section housekeeping aide is required on a team. This position may be filled by any person capable of performing the work set forth in the job description (see job description of the section housekeeping aide in Appendix B). Teams consisting of one senior GRA, five guestroom attendants (GRAs), and one housekeeping aide can now be formed, identified by a corresponding colour designation, and assigned to corresponding house divisions (for instance, red team to the red division; yellow team to the yellow division). Recall that the team system of organization thus far deals only with the subject of staffing. The actual day-to-day scheduling within teams will be based on actual occupancy.

 

 

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

Motivation in the workplace is defined as the willingness to exert high levels of effort toward organizational goals conditioned by the effort's ability to satisfy some individual needs. Motivated employees improve an organization's productivity and its competitive advantage. Motivation is an essential component of good performance. Motivated staffs are more likely to be productive and loyal to the property. When an employee is motivated, it reflects that he / she feels valuable to the establishment and that management is finding ways to make work more enjoyable and rewarding.

Leading by Example

From grooming to attitude to a commitment to excellence, the executive housekeeper sets the tone for the entire staff. The EHK’s work habits and work attitude can be a primary motivating tool for the department. Regardless of the increasing load of paperwork that the executive housekeeper faces, there is no substitute for going on to the floors and observing staff.

Supporting staff

EHK’s frequently has to work hard to obtain higher salaries or better raises for valued employees. They must look for the best systems, supplies and equipments to help staff members do their jobs better. They will also be expected to stand by an employee accused of theft during an interrogation. But the EHK must also be fair.

Building the right incentives

A system of attainable rewards is a tried and true motivator. To be effective, an incentive program must offer something the employee really wants. Incentive programs motivate workers to accomplish a certain task or reach a certain performance standard by offering some type of reward. Incentives can be monetary such as bonuses or non-monetary such as preferred duties, etc. Tipping is a kind of guest recognition of the housekeeper’s work. Because of many variables involved in tipping, some hotel companies now offer monetary bonuses based on the in-room comment cards filled out by guests.

Why is motivation important?

Fundamentally, motivation is the combining of internal and external factors that promote desire and energy in individuals. Your motivation is what inspires you to get out of bed, carry out tasks and meet goals every day. Motivation in the workplace is what drives you to succeed at your job. Some people are motivated by how they can serve the public by doing their job. Others are motivated to excel in their particular field. Still others find their purpose in using their salary to keep their loved ones happy and healthy.

Different types of motivation benefit people in unique ways. In this article, we explain how using certain types of motivation in the workplace can benefit you and the rest of your team.

 

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

There are two terms used to describe motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. There is a time and a place for each of these types of motivation, but it is important to know which to focus on in certain workplace situations. Read on to learn about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation:

Intrinsic

Intrinsic refers to motivation that comes from within you rather than from an outside source. Intrinsic motivation is when you are driven to accomplish a task because you find it personally rewarding. If you are intrinsically motivated to complete a task, you likely enjoy the process and accomplish it willingly. Many hobbies, like working puzzles, playing sports or watching movies, provide intrinsic motivation.

Completing a task due to intrinsic motivation will usually leave you feeling personally satisfied. You may not have met any tangible goals or produced any measurable results, but you feel the effort it took to complete the task was worthwhile. Intrinsic motivation in the workplace is valuable because if you are intrinsically motivated, you likely do not need anyone else to push you or inspire you. All the motivation you need you can find within yourself.

Extrinsic

The term “extrinsic” refers to motivation that comes from an exterior source. Extrinsic motivation involves either the promise of a reward or a threat of punishment. Children typically study hard in school either because they want to earn an award for high grades or because they want to avoid getting in trouble at home. In some cases, they might be equally motivated by both consequences.

The rewards earned from completing extrinsically-motivated tasks typically do not satisfy any of your personal needs. In fact, you will likely need to sacrifice some of your own time, security or energy to reach an extrinsic goal. Extrinsic rewards usually involve money, acknowledgment or other types of compensation. Extrinsic consequences might involve monetary loss, discipline or wasted opportunities. Many employees are extrinsically motivated in the workplace by both their pay checks and career advancement.

Types of motivation

There are five types of motivation that you’ll frequently see in the workplace. Each serves a different purpose and can be useful in unique ways. Here are five types of motivation you might find in the workplace.

Affiliation motivation

Affiliation motivation is the desire to belong to a certain group of people or an organization. If you are motivated by affiliation, you thrive when supporting or interacting with a team of other employees. You find it rewarding when you can contribute to a team effort or when you are considered a valuable member of a particular group. An employee who is affiliation motivated can be a benefit in the workplace because they strive to promote connections and relationships between people. Other positive results of affiliation motivation include:

·         Excelling at interpersonal communication

·         Cooperating well with both co-workers and clients

·         Negotiating well during team discussions

·         Noticing the individual skills of team members

You might want to use affiliation motivation in the workplace when you are working to promote personal relationships, either among co-workers or with customers. Creating a group identity as a part of company culture can encourage employees to be motivated by a need to succeed as a team instead of as individuals.

Examples of affiliation motivation in the workplace include:

·         Organizing team-building exercises that encourage the employees to build trust

·         Encouraging employees to connect outside of work

·         Providing socialization opportunities in the workplace like holiday parties and baby showers

·         Prioritizing small-group projects over Housekeeping department-led or individual campaigns

·         Encouraging collaboration and cooperation between different teams

 

Competence motivation

Competence motivation relates to an individual’s need to feel competent or capable. People who are motivated by competence work typically toward goals that involve education, training and knowledge. Competence motivation pushes students to ace classes, employees to achieve certification and professionals to master industry-specific techniques. In the workplace, you might be motivated to learn to operate a new software program not because you will be rewarded for it, but rather because you want to be able to list it as a professional skill on your resume.

Companies might specifically provide opportunities for individuals who are competence motivated in order to focus on promoting highly-skilled employees. Employees who are competence motivated seek out opportunities to learn in the workplace and might take initiative when it comes to acquiring new skills. If you are competence motivated, you may be able to:

·         Learn new equipment and techniques quickly

·         Train other employees in the workplace

·         Acquire a wide variety of professional skills

·         Promote yourself as a highly-capable leader

 

Examples of competence motivation in the workplace include:

·         Implementing continuing education programs

·         Funding skill-based training sessions

·         Hosting a professional development lectureship

·         Rewarding employees who achieve certification

·         Tasking highly-skilled employees with training new hires

Achievement motivation

Achievement motivation involves the satisfaction that you gain when reaching a goal. Typically, the goal involves some sort of award or professional acknowledgment. People who are achievement motivated are not satisfied with a completed project unless it earns them some level of recognition. Achievement motivation is an extrinsic form of motivation because it requires outside sources in order to provide a sense of accomplishment.

In the workplace, achievement motivation drives individuals to be goal-oriented in their work. Employees who are achievement motivated need to be able to anticipate future acknowledgment in order to remain engaged throughout a process or project.

Examples of achievement motivation in the workplace include:

·         Promising public recognition of employees who exceed expectations

·         Guaranteeing acknowledgment of all team members who contribute to a project

·         Offering an award or certificate for a job well done

·         Implementing some sort of “Employee of the Month” program

·         Supplying opportunities for individuals to be considered for industry awards and acknowledgments

Incentive motivation

Incentive motivation involves working to earn predetermined compensation for above-average performance. Incentive motivation drives you to pursue a worthwhile reward in exchange for your time and effort. People who are incentive motivated work best when they know they will be appropriately compensated. Incentive motivation is an effective form of positive motivation that encourages success instead of punishing failure.

In the workplace, incentive motivation involves managers or supervisors providing opportunities for employees to earn specific awards. This usually fosters a predominantly goal-oriented atmosphere. In some cases, each task that an employee accomplishes each day may count toward earning a certain reward. In other situations, employees might actively exceed expectations in order to qualify for compensation beyond their usual pay check

Examples of incentive motivation in the workplace include:

·         A weekly bonus that is awarded to the employee who worked the most hours

·         Awarding an additional day of PTO to the employee with the highest sales numbers

·         Providing free lunch to the Housekeeping departments that reduce their budget by 10% before the new fiscal year

·         Allowing the entire office to clock out an hour early if the weekly customer satisfaction scores average 85% or higher.

Motivation in the workplace can take many forms. What works to motivate one individual might be ineffective for another. Understanding a wide range of motivation types can help employees find ways to stay motivated at work and can aid managers who are seeking new methods that will help their teams excel. Regardless of which type of motivation you usually use, looking at examples of how others use motivation techniques in the workplace can help you find a long-term plan that suits you and your team.

 

WELFARE AND DISCIPLINE

 

Employee welfare raises the company’s expenses but if it is done correctly, it has huge benefits for both employer and employee. Under the principles of employee welfare, if an employee feels that the management is concerned and cares for him/her as a person and not just as another employee, he/she will be more committed to his/her work. Other forms of welfare will aid the employee of financial burdens while welfare activities break the monotony of work.

An employee who feels appreciated will be more fulfilled, satisfied and more productive. This will not only lead to higher productivity but also satisfied customers and hence profitability for the company. A satisfied employee will also not go looking for other job opportunities and hence an employer will get to keep the best talents and record lower employee turnover.

During employment, the offered benefits will determine whether an employee commits to an organization or not. As such, good employee welfare enables a company to compete favourably with other employers for the recruitment and retention of quality personnel.

Types of employee welfare

Employee welfare can be categorized as statutory or non-statutory, meaning as required by the law or by the will of the management respectively. Welfare activities can also be classified as either intra-mural (inside the workplace) or extra-mural (outside the workplace).

Intramural welfare facilities are those within the working environment and include condition of the working environment (safety, cleanliness, and safety measures), employee convenience (bathrooms, drinking water), health services (first aid and treatment centre, ambulance, counselling) and women and child welfare (family planning services, maternity aid).

Extramural welfare activities are diverse with many of them being sponsored by government acts. Some include comfortable residences, proper roads and infrastructure and sanitation while constitutional acts such as the factories act of 1948 and contract labour act of 1970 are examples of governmental welfare activities.

 

DISCIPLINE IN HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

Good discipline means that employees are willing to abide by company rules and executive orders and behave in the desired fashion. Discipline implies the absence of chaos, irregularity and confusion in the behaviour of a worker. According to Calhoon, ‘Discipline is a force that prompts individuals or groups to observe rules, regulations and procedures which are deemed to be necessary for the effective functioning of an organisation’.

Employee Discipline – Meaning and Definitions

Discipline is the orderly conduct by an employee in an expected manner. It is the force or fear of a force that deters an individual or a group from doing things that are detrimental to the accomplishment of group objectives. In other words, discipline is the orderly conduct by the members of an organisation who adhere to its rules and regulations because they desire to cooperate harmoniously in forwarding the end which the group has in view. Violation of rules, regulations, procedure and norms is considered as misconduct, that is, any act which is inconsistent with the fulfilment of the expressed and implied conditions of service—or is directly linked with the general relationship of the employer and the employee—has a direct effect on the contentment or comfort of men at work or has a material bearing on the smooth and efficient working of the organisation concerned.

Every organisation wants its employees’ behaviour to be in conformity with the required system which it has prescribed in order to achieve the organisational goals. Thus, in brief, discipline is orderly conduct by the employee in an expected manner. The purpose of discipline is to encourage employees to behave sensibly at work, that is, adhere to rules and regulations. Disciplinary action is called for when an employee violates one of the rules. Richard D. Calhoon- “Discipline is the force that prompts individuals or groups to observe rules, regulations, standards and procedures deemed necessary for an organization.” Discipline means systematically conducting the business by the organizational members who strictly adhere to the essential rules and regulations. These employees/organizational members work together as a team so as to achieve organizational mission as well as vision and they truly understand that the individual and group aims and desires must be matched so as to ensure organizational success.

A disciplined employee will be organized and an organized employee will be disciplined always. Employee behaviour is the base of discipline in an organization. Discipline implies confirming with the code of conduct established by the organization. Discipline in an organization ensures productivity and efficiency. It encourages harmony and co-operation among employees as well as acts as a morale booster for the employees.

In absence of discipline, there will be chaos, confusion, corruption and disobedience in an organization. In short, discipline implies obedience, orderliness and maintenance of proper subordination among employees. Work recognition, fair and equitable treatment of employees, appropriate salary structure, effective grievance handling and job-security all contribute to organizational discipline. Therefore discipline means securing consistent behaviour in accordance with the accepted norms of behaviour. Simply stated, discipline means orderliness. It implies the absence of chaos, irregularity and confusion in the behaviour of workers. According to Richard D Calhoun, discipline is defined as “a force that prompts individuals or groups to observe the rules, regulations and procedures which are deemed to be necessary for the effective functioning of an organization.”

SWING TEAMS

Swing / relief teams, although not assigned to a regular division of hotel, are as accountable as regular teams for performance and for the condition of jointly used equipment on the days they are scheduled to work in a given division. This helps resolve problems that come up for e.g., GRA’S on occasion complain about the condition of their section after returning from their scheduled days off, or about their maid’s cart, vacuum cleaner, or other equipments. Such complaints are often resolved when the regular GRA knows exactly who will be cleaning in the section when the regular team is off. Problems are much easier to talk out when the same workers face each other and are held accountable for the condition of jointly used equipment.

As another example, let’s consider the regular GRA on the red team who works in section 1, five days each week. When the red team is off, swing team 1 woks in the red division, and Jane from that swing team regularly works in Mary’s section. On a different day, swing team 1 relieves the yellow team, and Mary and Jane both work in the hotel. Both of them, as well as their supervisor, thus have the opportunity to talk about section 1 and to discuss and resolve any problems. Also when credits are offered for the condition of section 1, the red team and swing team 1 receive equal place.