Quality Standard

Discuss and evaluate ways how housekeeping standards could be maintained and monitored during this period to ensure all types of customers receive quality service. In addition, suggest and critique some appropriate incentives for staff to maintain set standards. This assignment seeks to explain how the new General Manager (GM) would address the following issues rising by the housekeeping department and how to maintaining the standards.

The results of the case study indicate that Head Housekeeper (HK) have to plan how to minimise problems such as high expenditure, poor communication between staff, customer complaints, reduce utility costs by 40% by end of the next year. Management is a fast-paced and diverse role that involves a high level of responsibility, decision-making, strategic planning, developing policies and procedures, and monitoring budgets. According to Jones, C. & Paul, V. (1995 p317, 318) Management involves identifying and controlling all resources; controlling people, material, time and money. Those are achieved by through organisation, co-ordination, and communication.

The actual standards required will depend on a particular need of customers or accommodation users and their needs and requirements. Raghubalan, argues that “the housekeeping are demands highly skilled specialisation, which in turn requires a sizeable investment in term of infrastructure and equipment to achieve a highly results.” (Raghubalan, 2007 p732). A standard of hotel depends on the categories of the hotel and room design. E.g: A luxury hotels are expected to offer world-class facilities and amenities.

However a budget or economy-class hotel will offer only the basic facilities and amenities for a budget-conscious traveller. According to the findings of the report the majority of complaints and compliments received by hotel HK concern to standards of hygiene in guests’ rooms; a survey made by Fizzback (2007), which is based on a data collected from 500 consumers while staying in their rooms, found that a third of room complaints are about cleanliness nearly a third 29% of all positive feedback received was praise for how clean guests’ rooms were, with guests particularly valuing a clean bathroom.

However, Head housekeeper has to do his own survey also implementing quality management standard (QMS), in order to meet standards, by clarifying business objectives, to avoid an expensive mistakes. Therefore he will get excellent benefit such as achieve a standard HK first need to implement a QMS. By implementing a QMS will help housekeeping to: achieve greater reliability in the activities involved in providing products or services, reduce expensive mistakes, increase efficiency by improving use of time and resources, improve customer satisfaction, market business more effectively, exploit new market sectors and territories, manage growth more effectively by making it easier to integrate new employees, constantly improve products, processes and systems.

The HK are required to be aware of labour cost before starting staff training, staffing can be very expensive where other full-time, part time, or casuals. Jones, & Paul, (1995, p335) states that in order to utilise staff and equipment, particularly expensive ‘capital’ equipment efficiently equipment as well as staff must be scheduled. This will help to reduce waiting time when equipment is being used elsewhere, being transport or receiving maintenance. This includes machines being used between departments, for instance the housekeeper and maintenance has to schedule should work out which department will need the most.

Quality standard is frequently updated to keep in line any changing requirements and changes in job breakdowns. Of course, staffs have to be informed by any improvement or changes through staff training and supervision…, Jones, & Paul, (1995, p317), Therefore Head housekeeper has to implement a regular check to monitor the performance of staff and also customer questioner in order to achieve quality and standard.

By going that Housekeeping will be aware of any problems in the future, and will increase profit-making particularly first impressions, will improve tension and attitude among staff to staff, and customer to staff. Jones argues “the a survey taken in the past show that aesthetic standard do affect reputation and repeat business and, as such, can be regarded as part of the corporation image and marketing strategy.” (Jones, C. & Paul, V. 1995, p85)

Hunter & Roberts (2005). States that housekeeping is frequently worked under pressure to achieve high productivity without compromising high quality ratings. Because of those demanding edge relations between housekeeping and reception can create problems because one department does not appreciate the pressures they can apply to another. For example, a particular group of employees’ such as receptionists may need training to yield management techniques. (Boella, 2000, p122).

To overcome those situations Head housekeeper has to “plan for natural replacement caused by retirements, resignations etc.., and it needs to ensure that sufficient competent management is available for expansion plans. However, in a healthy organisation these plans must also extend to satisfying an individual’s reasonable aspirations; for example, if an employer stands in the way of an employee’s trying to obtain a recognised qualification by not allowing adequate time off, the employee certainly will place his qualification before his job and will find an employer who are willing to assist him. So the housekeeping must therefore adequate plan and resources to exist to recruit, motivate, train, develop, and retain its existing and future management”. (Boella, 1996, p128 ; 129).

The quality standards and brand-specific presentation of today demand a good eye for detail. Having access to guests’ personal territory and belongings requires an honest individual who is respectful of the guests’ privacy. Of course, a reliable worker who is seldom late or off sick is always valued. Particularly in the “self-checking” scenario, where supervision is less intense, room attendants need to be self-motivated with a high level of personal pride in their work. The various forms of “empowerment” or “taking ownership” programmes all depend upon room attendants that have the social confidence to address guests courteously and sometimes to deal tactfully with an unhappy guest. Source: Caterer ; Hotelkeeper (K�hn, 2007)

To conclude this case study some points had to be meet in how Head housekeeper will address all responsibilities and how he will keep the standard of the hotel how to keep staff motivated how to reduce costs, how to minimise complaints from customers and staff. “Whichever approach is adopted it is to be more challenging at the turn of the century for various reasons. These include increasing competition between employers, increasing development needs and expectations of management, flatter organisations with fewer promotion opportunities. (Boella, 1996, p128). However is the outcome Head housekeeper has to have those points into account?

Quality Standard seems to be easy to achieve but is not straight for word lots of research has to be done in order to achieve demand, meet customers’ satisfaction. In other hand Head housekeeper to achieve that he has to non-judgmental in how to approach his staff so they can work together to again excellent results. The best way to achieve those follow Jones ideology that staff has to be motivated by appraisals, awards in orders to maintain good communication between them; or Maslow and Hezberg,” arguing that people work for a complex package, including money, security, self-esteem of others, job satisfaction”….(Boella, 1996, p153).

Bibliography

Boella, M. (1996) Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry, 6th Ed. Stanley Thornes. P153, Chapter12

Boella, M. (2000) Human Resource Management in the Hospitality Industry, 7th Ed. Stanley Thornes. P122, Chapter 8

Jones, C. & Paul, V. (1995) Accommodation Management, London: Batsford