Clean Talk with Rose
By Rose Galera, CEH
Hawaii Hospitality Magazine, Sept/Oct 2009
Aloha Rose,
As a newcomer to hotel housekeeping, my manager suggested that I work on building my skills and abilities. What information can you share?
A Short-Timer
Dear ST,
Management has realized the importance of having highly skilled, knowledgeable and well-trained personnel in charge of housekeeping. Housekeeping managers must be progressive and current in their thinking and must know that continual training, education and Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) are the only means to keep up to date with new techniques, products and information.
An assessment is important to determine areas and needs for self-development and self-improvement. Considering the following in the various categories, how would you rate yourself?
Administrative: planning, organizing, controlling, directing, budgeting and purchasing.
Personnel management: leadership, supervision, interviewing, counseling and discipline, performance evaluation, problem solving, labor management relations, human relations and cultural diversity/sensitivity.
Communication: written and verbal skills, making presentations, developing procedure manuals, planning /conducting group meetings.
Training: assessment, program development, skills training, supervisory training, orientation training, attitudinal training, safety training, basic legal issue updates, guest relations training and specialized training: HazCom, blood-borne, etc.
Technical knowledge: cleaning techniques, laundry operations, product and equipment knowledge, workflow, work process analysis, systems of control, time to task, procedures development, staffing and scheduling, being computer literate, office equipment usage, environmental laws and waste management.
Other: innovation, creativity, humor, team building, interdepartmental relations, networking, CPI, benchmarking, best practices, basic cleanomics (economics of cleaning) and payroll management.
On July 22, the Professional Cleaning Institute of Hawaii (PCIH) opened its doors for all in the field. It would be helpful to check out the various classes. Good luck!