An Alternate Approach to Increase Productivity, Morale

On average, a room attendant spends 25 to 30 minutes servicing a standard guestroom. But is there a more efficient and productive way? Consider the possibilities of using a team cleaning approach.

Increased productivity and task specialization. When two attendants service a guestroom at the same time, they can turn it more than twice as fast than if one housekeeper works alone. The one job that usually takes the longest is to strip and make the beds. With two attendants, one stands at each side of the bed, thus cutting travel time significantly. Next, one attendant focuses solely on the bathroom while the other empties the trash, dusts, vacuums, and attends to windows and other related tasks.

Increased morale and safety. A team approach also permits room attendants to specialize in either bathrooms or guestrooms. Generally, younger attendants may be better suited to clean bathrooms, as this work is a little more strenuous. Employees who are paired up can “watch each other’s back,” creating a more secure work environment; urge each other to maintain pace so productivity doesn’t slack off; and even chat while making the bed. This will likely lead to greater job satisfaction and increased employee morale.

About the Author
Dr. William D. Frye is an associate professor in the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Niagara University and co-author of AH&LEI’s housekeeping textbook Managing Housekeeping Operation.

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Dr. William D. Frye is a hospitality educator, researcher, consultant, and former hotel general manager. He is the co-author of AHLEI’s housekeeping textbook Managing Housekeeping Operations.

2 COMMENTS

  1. However, in reality the chit chat that the paired staff engages in while cleaning the room and between rooms more than offsets any efficiencies.

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