Housekeepers have questioned the current hierarchy and reporting structure of hotels, along with the psychological effect of job titles on morale.
Pamini Hemaprabha, executive housekeeper, regional rooms specialist & master trainer, Emirates Palace, hosted a workshop at the Hotelier Middle East Executive Housekeeper Forum, which discussed the right hierarchy and job titles for the industry.
The discussion also centred on how job titles play a psychological effect when it comes to people moving jobs, even if the responsibilities stay the same.
“Some have the word 'directors' [in the title], some don’t believe in the word ‘directors’. If an assistant exec gets an ‘assistant director’ job, they will leave,” she said.
One of the housekeepers pointed out that other excom members have “directors” in the job title, while when it comes to housekeeping, it says “executive housekeeper”.
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“It makes the team more motivated,” said Hemaprabha. Another said that with Ritz-Carlton, all the job titles say ‘director of housekeeping’.
Many housekeepers also talked about keeping the hierarchy flat and leaner at the top, so the payroll is a logical percentage.
Reporting to the hotel manager or general manager should also be a part of the executive housekeeper’s role, said one, and Hemaprabha agreed, but added that in this market, this is a challenge. “If you ask around, you will see that maybe only 10% of housekeepers report to GMs. The others don’t,” she said.
A few mentioned outsourcing laundry operations, and whether this made sense for the property or not. The initial investment into laundry is what deters some operators, said one housekeeper.
Read the full review of the Executive Housekeeper Forum in the June 2016 issue of Hotelier Middle East.
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