Industry Work Placement - Rydges Bell City Hotel - Case Study Example

Industry Work Placement Hurdle Report: Rydges Bell City Hotel Introduction This report provides an account of my experience working as a housekeeper during a work placement at the Rydges Bell City Hotel. Located in Melbourne’s inner north, the hotel offers luxury and comfort providing a home away from home for its clients. Rydges Bell is famous for its luxury, sleek open-plan studios, and its affordable comfortable budget rooms with access to extensive resort style facilities. Overall, the work placement experience equipped me with necessary knowledge and skills in preparation for a career in professional housekeeping. The first section of this report discusses the house keeping duties that I undertook during the work placement followed by a discussion on the cleaning materials and equipment used. Lastly, this report explores security issues encountered in the course of the work placement period. Staff Duties The daily duties assigned during the three hour shift at the Rydges Bell City Hotel encompassed housekeeping duties in three rooms. In each room, I was expected to spend a maximum of thirty minutes cleaning and tiding up. Tasks in each room involved; changing the bed sheets, vacuuming the carpet, scrubbing the bath tab, cleaning the sink and the toilet, emptying the ash tray and dustbin, cleaning the cupboards/drawers and mopping the floor. Besides this, I was also expected to carry out other duties that are part of housekeeping which involved; restocking room supplies, cleaning the refrigerator, replacing furniture, opening the curtains and windows to air the room and removing room service trays. I also ensured that all the laundry for cleaning was delivered to the laundry room. In the course of these duties, I found that observing standard measures of efficiency was paramount for the management of the hotel. For this reason specific protocols were to be observed during housekeeping. For instance, top-down cleaning ensured that dusty areas were to be cleaned first, this included making of beds and dusting shelves. Once all surfaces were clean I avoided walking or touching on the cleaned areas as per the management’s directive. One final look to check for missed spots was mandatory to ensure that the room was clean enough for the next occupant before locking the room. I discovered that having someone to help with the housekeeping was more beneficial than working alone. I found that when cleaning and tidying a room with a colleague, we spent less time cleaning each room and I felt less tired than when I worked on the entire room alone. However, I noted that while working in pairs we were prone to make small mistakes due to lack of attention to details. In the event that we distributed duties between ourselves certain tasks were more likely to be over looked as a result of confusions. In one instance, a colleague forgot to empty the ashtray and in another he emptied the dustbin but forgot to clean it. I also at one point over looked some dusty surfaces thinking that my colleague would clean it. Following an inspection by our supervisor, we were requested to clean the room again. Working at Rydges Bell presented opportunities for job rotation. There were options to work in the front desk, stock-room and laundry room. I had most experience working housekeeping followed by doing the laundry. My time at the reception although minimal in experience, exposed me to the industries’ hospitality principles in acknowledging, respecting and showing courtesy to guests. Whereas this was a prerequisite for all staff at different levels it was principal for the front desk attendants at the reception. Opportunity for promotion was also available as one could work their way up from the rooms division of lodgement properties, housekeeping and maintenance to the front office at the reception. It is the management’s prerogative to identify potential in employees and consider their exceptional works and efforts in their duties as a basis for awarding them with promotions or alternative rewards such as increased pay or acknowledgement for their outstanding efforts (O’Donnel et al 2000). Daily housekeeper’s briefs proved to be important reminders of what was expected. It also provided an avenue for staff to interact with management and air concerns on various issues pertaining to health, safety, equipments and work roles among many other issues. Management on the other hand used the daily briefng to communicate and to consult with us on changes made with regard to new policies and procedures on health and safety at the workplace (Safe Work Australia 2011). Moreover, the daily briefs proved substantially crucial for updating staff on pertinent issues such as special guests staying in the hotel, new policies or procedures to be followed and codes of conduct that were expected of staff members (Talwar 2006). Cleaning materials and equipment The tools employed in cleaning include electrical equipment such as; scrubbers, polishers, extraction machine, wet and dry vacuum cleaners and rotary floor machine among others. Other materials and equipments used include; brushes, brooms, mops, buckets, dusters, garbage receptors and window cleaning blades and sleeves. Housekeeping detergents and chemicals were as well provided. These included general and spot (e.g. window and glass) cleaning agents, disinfectants, pesticides, deodorisers, furniture and floor polishes. All chemicals and detergents were in storage in the Hotel’s main store where all housekeepers could access them when they needed to use them. The storage room also contained compartments for the cleaning equipment mentioned earlier. All detergents and chemicals are stored in labelled cabinets to ensure that the right ones were used for the right jobs. This way, housekeepers would not confuse detergents used for cleaning laundry with that for cleaning surfaces such as tables or floors. As per the management’s instructions certain procedures regarding disposal of used chemicals and cleaning detergents were emphasised during daily briefings of staff which ensures hygienic standards are met and also that the health of personnel is not compromised (Australian Government 2012). However, I observed that the management of the hotel were reluctant to provide adequate protective clothing for housekeeping particularly goggles, face masks, waterproof clothing and overalls which were in short supply. Housekeeping involves cleaning of many different places and the need for protective gear is paramount to protect the housekeeper from infections (Australian Government 2012). It is therefore necessary for the hotel’s management to allocate funds towards this initiative. Nonetheless, I noted that there were sufficient headwear and gloves available for housekeeping staff to use in the course of their duties. Security The most important security measures that I found were mandatory to adhere to was ensuring the safety of persons in the premise in the event that an emergency occurred. It was vital that all staff comply with management’s instructions, policies and procedures relating to safety during housekeeping duties (Safe Work Australia 2011). Ensuring personal safety was also a priority of the management as I was taken through rigorous safety training so as to avert potential harm or injuries associated with moving heavy objects and using complex cleaning equipments and chemicals. The training provided invaluable insights on the precautionary measures one should take when cleaning or scrubbing slippery surfaces in order to avoid slipping. Similarly, I was enlightened on how to assume posture when carrying around cleaning equipment and loads such as laundry. The skills gained from the training proved very helpful when it came to lifting heavy load as I learnt that bending my knees rather that my waist to lift the heavy load helps to maintain balance since the weight is supported by the leg muscles. Thirdly, I discovered that hugging a heavy load kept my spinal curves in a neutral position, this way I wouldn’t feel muscle pains later due to the heavy lifting. I also found it useful when I was instructed to avoid twisting/crossing my legs as I walked as this may easily cause a trip/slip and fall that may lead to grievous injuries especially when carrying a heavy load. These instructions greatly helped in averting slipping, tripping or falling during daily work duties (NSWG 2007). Moreover, there were also specific security protocols to be followed in the event that an emergency such as a fire was to occur. In summary, the acronym RACE was used by the management to communicate to staff a way of memorising the basic procedures to be followed during such an event. First, “R” stands for “Rescue”, and so the first objective was to rescue any persons in danger and ensure that all persons were out of harm’s way. “A”, stands for “Alarm”, and this means that one is to immediately notify emergency services of the fire outbreak through dialing the emergency security number. Raising alarm also involves breaking the emergency glass to set off the alarm and warning others of the immediate emergency. Thirdly, “C” stands for “Contain”, this involves preventing the fire or smoke from spreading any further by closing all doors or windows of the rooms with razing fire. Lastly, “E” stands for “Extinguish” , this entails putting off the fire using fire extinguishers (Wilkinson, Lewis & Dennis 2010). References Australian Government. 2012, SITHACS006B Clean premises and equipment. Viewed September 26 2013. New South Wales Government 2007, Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls, viewed September, 26 2013 < www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/.../preventing_slips_trips_falls_guide_1401...‎> O’Donnel, A., Mitchel, R., Arup, C., Howe, J. and Tham, J. 2000,Employment Protection and Employment Promotion: The Contested Terrain of Australian Labour Law, viewed September 26 2013 Safe Works Australia 2011, Managing the Work Environment and Facilities: Code of Practice, viewed September, 26 2013 Talwar, P 2006, Hotel and Hospitality Management: Housekeeping, Isha Books, New Delhi. Wilkinson, F.C, Lewis, L.K & Dennis, N. K 2010, Comprehensive Guide to Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Recovery, Associations of Colleges, New York. Read More