'Housekeeping is about selfless work which leads to guest satisfaction'

Meenu Tognatta Jun 24, 2020

AT THE outset, every Housekeeper needs to have a strong will to work towards what I consider as the “selfless cause” of maintaining the sanitisation and upkeep of a hotel, which usually does not get as many compliments as other front-line departments in the Hotel industry. But once one overcomes this factor, pride and passion drive one’s daily routine.

Once this bridge has been crossed, the rest becomes easy, especially if one is part of an organisation which adopts and practices world-class standards and operating procedures. With this complimenting the efforts of the Housekeeping team, we effortlessly get the desired results – Guest Satisfaction!

Indeed, staff training is an ongoing operational procedure, not an out-of-the-box phenomenon. Moreover, our training methods are not about textbook teaching, but hands-on methodologies, which add that spark at work and help inspire high levels of motivation amongst the house-keeping staff.

MANAGEMENT MANTRA

Although I like to keep it simple, my management style revolves around certain core principles:

Know: This is about knowing my team and their respective SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Strengths). This helps me identify the perfect resource for the right job.

Connect: This is believing in an open-door policy where I am approachable to the team at all time, so as to manage the sensitivity of an otherwise complex hierarchy.

Empower: In my department ‘We’ are all Leaders and ‘I’ have no space in it. Delegating work in a highly multi-skilled department is of prime importance and even more challenging is making sure the team is accountable for their roles.

Recognise: Rewarding and Counselling are the two most vital aspects of any Leader’s role. The art of balancing it defines how motivated the team is by the end of the day.

ROLE MODEL

I idolise former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam for his simple approach to solving the biggest challenges of his life. His futuristic vision and side-lining negativity through self-belief, are truly an inspiration to so many of us in the modern world.

INITIATIVES

I am proud to have created a tool which quantifies the product percentage defect in guest areas. This has allowed us to not only enhance coordination within the Housekeeping team but also monitor and rectify problems quickly for effective, long-term results.

We have also organised housekeeping workshops and training sessions for self-development. I also travel extensively to strengthen understanding with all our hotels pan-India. This helps all Housekeeping units to feel connected via regular video conferencing that updates them on the latest developments.

My staff is also encouraged to participate in professional forums to share knowledge and encourage youth to join housekeeping as a profession.

All these initiatives help us share creativity and solutions across boundaries.

FUTURE OUTLOOK

ITC has always contributed to the nation through various CSR initiatives, besides maintaining high level of standards in all our brands. The recent pandemic has only strengthened us as a family to overcome the current situation and adopt a new change of work standard to maintain and enhance customer trust and loyalty.

ENDURANCE & SENSITIVITY ARE FEMALE ATTRIBUTES

I am fortunate that being a female leader and therefore, inherently possessing the twin qualities of endurance and sensitivity, have added value to my role in Housekeeping. Women are also perfectionists by nature who put their stamp of effectiveness in any role they play, although that also poses a challenge at times.

So, I’d like to invite young women to come forward and become front-line managers, connect with the customer for first-hand information, possessing financial knowledge as well as attributes like cleanliness, an eye for detail, patience and Innovation. If these come naturally to someone, then Housekeeping may be more than just a successful career.

However, the current scenario has proven wrong many amongst us who thought Housekeeping can afford to do without a futuristic approach. We now not only need to provide the balance between maintaining the anticipated huge cost for upkeep and maintaining top-of-the-line hygiene standards for hotels as per the global requirements, but also being in tune with the technological developments around the globe and being effective cost-management resources.

Yet, I’m very optimistic about the next generation of Housekeepers, and wish them the very best!