Rydges Bell City and the Welfare of the Employees - Case Study Example

Student name: Instructor’s name: Course name: Date of submission: Contents Contents 2 Executive summary 3 Introduction 3 Cleaning materials and equipment’s 4 Cleaning equipment of a housekeeper 4 Chemical stores 4 Unhygienic Practices 5 Staff Duties 5 Security measures followed 8 Conclusion and recommendation 9 References List 10 Executive summary This report provides analysis about the Rydges Bell City and the welfare of the employees. It seeks to check on the type of materials and equipment’s used by the housekeepers at the hotel. All the information provided in the report is as a result of a 3 x 8 hours’ work placement shifts at the hotel. The chemical storage facilities have also been analyzed and how the employees, especially the housekeepers get accessed to these storage facilities. The main duties of the workers have also been analyzed considering the fact that the hotel is a very busy institution for workers. The report also provides information about the security situations that have to be considered by the housekeepers. It goes an extra mile to discuss how the hotel management has prepared for any security risk that may arise. Introduction Located in Melbourne’s inner north, Rydges Bell City has completely different rooms from the rest of the hotels in the entire country and will definitely blow you up. The hotel is a complex of its own due to the vast services offered from the hotel. The hotel offers accommodation facilities and other recreational facilities that include bar, restaurant, swimming pool, the gym and sauna, barbeque, car parking and internal laundry. Apart from the stated facilities, the accommodation rooms each have specialized services, which include high speed Wi-Fi, LCD TV, self-contained kitchenettes, a large dining area among others. The physical location of the hotel is not something to go by at this time. However, it is located at a position that is easily accessible from the neighboring town and the Melbourne Airport mainly by means of train or bus. The complex facility of the Rydges Bell City calls for a continuous cleaning of areas mainly used, which facilitates the maintenance of good hygienic level for the customers. The housekeepers play a key role in ensuring that the good hygienic levels are maintained (Thilani 2009, p. 24). Cleaning materials and equipment’s The hotel uses different types of cleaning equipment’s that include vacuum cleaner; wet vacuums; wet extractions; mops; rotary floor machines; cleaning containers; brushes; brooms and dusters. These were the equipment’s observed to be used frequently by the housekeepers. Cleaning equipment of a housekeeper A vacuum cleaner is handy equipment fixed with nozzles and attachment. Vacuum cleaner is mainly used in cleaning the floor with the use of power and a detergent. Wet extractions include water injections and suction, which are used for washing and sucking water from the surfaces. The Lighter transportable tank and Heavy duty push cart variety are the two types of wet extractors. In order to get the perfect cleaning, the first instance is for the housekeeper to spray the water and detergent on the surface. Later, the individual then uses suction to suck the water, in the built-in tank, of the wet extractor. Mops are easiest types of equipment’s and can be used when cleaning small areas. They clean dust from floors. Rotary floor machines are applied when conducting multipurpose cleaning. This may include shampoo, polish and scrub. It can be applicable in both floors and carpets by holding or hanging one attachment. Brooms are used when removing large particles of soil from hard and tough floors. Soft brooms were used in cleaning inside the accommodation rooms where too much scratching is not required. Hard brooms, on the other hand, were used in scrubbing the stairways and walking paths outside the facility. Dusters are used, in the hotel, to clean loose dust and wash various surfaces (Pamela 2009). Chemical stores In the first floor, chemicals and detergents are all stored in a single room. The room was far away from the dining areas and was only accessible to the housekeepers after being given permission from their supervisor. Some detergents that are used frequently by the customers and the staff members were placed in strategic locations accessible to all people using them. Unhygienic Practices However much, the housekeepers are working hard in ensuring that the hotel remains clean all the time, there were some unhygienic areas. The rubbish collection site, for example, was situated not far from public areas. There was a stench smell emanating from the point of dumping. Staff Duties Rydges Bell City hotel is a very busy area and for the housekeepers, their duties are quite varied. Housekeepers are also known as maids and are known to majorly carry out cleaning activities within an organization. This is not different when it comes to the Rydges Bell City hotel. First, the housekeepers take part in replacing towels and soiled linen, as well as, cleaning the ones that have been used. Once a room has been used by a customer, the housekeepers check in and replace the toiletries that have already been used with clean ones. When cleaning the used linens and towels, they are keen to clean them thoroughly to the extent of applying detergents, which ensures that the linens and towels remain clean. This implies they will be free from contagious pathogens that could otherwise be transferred from one person to another. The furniture both in the rooms and the serviced offices must also remain clean and dust free at all times. The barbeque area is also maintained by frequently cleaning it. The housekeepers also play a role of reporting to the executive housekeepers who is their supervisor. They therefore, take stock of the items in an accommodation room. Incase anything is missing from the room, and then they will report it to the supervisor who will, in turn, contact the customer on the missing item. If an item belonging to customers who just used the room is found, then they will have to use the right procedure in reporting such issues, which includes informing the lost and found department (Thilani 2009, p. 55). Each of the housekeepers has been assigned an area in which they are responsible for the specified area. The duties in these areas that are done on a regular basis are inclusive of cleaning windows, the stairways and emptying the trash can. Housekeepers assigned a specific accommodation room, will have to clean the windows only in the room and conduct any other task that may arise from the room. This has gone to the extent where if a faulty occurs then the housekeeper responsible for that specific area will be responsible for it. In case of lights failure, then they will have to replace the bulbs or the lighting system. One striking observation that I made was that in almost all sections of the complex, the housekeepers were in pairs. Out of curiosity, I sought understand why this was the case. I asked a young lady who was cleaning the windows in one of the accommodation rooms, why they were all working almost in pairs? Well, let’s just say that I came to learn that it is far much better working in pairs rather than single-handed. She told me how it was easier for a pair of them to do the cleanliness at a particular area since a lot had to be done. Doing it single-handedly would only subject one to being late completing the task assigned. It is also easier for a pair of housekeepers to take a full responsibility in case of faulty problem that arises. Shortly before the housekeepers start their work in the morning, they are briefed by the executive housekeeper. This is done so that the housekeepers are kept on toes. It is during these briefings that those who perform poorly in their areas are exposed and are urged to work extra hard. The complex has a lot of customers and some being higher respectful individuals, so to say, require clean and presentable environments befitting their status in society. This means that the normal program of the company is subject to change or interruption at any time. Therefore, during the briefings the housekeepers are told how the day will run and, in case, the normal operation of the hotel will be interrupted (Thilani 2009, p. 57). There are staff incentives in the complex hotel. They are the benefits that the housekeepers receive, and I could only conclude on my own that this is so that the housekeepers get motivated and keep on working. Housekeeping is a type of work that calls for constant working since the hotel should be kept clean all the time. Considering the complexity of the hotel, one would clearly conclude that cleaning the whole place is a difficult task to complete. The benefits given to the housekeepers include giving them special holidays when they requested and providing them with all the daily meals. Housekeepers do not work on the same place of work for a long time. The executive housekeepers have the task of identifying the housekeepers that work hard on their area of work. I didn’t learn of how the hotel issues the promotion but according to my own conclusion, it was based on the workers have been employees of the hotel for a long duration of time. Not only do they consider the workers who have stayed at lengthy, but also they have to review, on each and everybody’s file. This helps them to ascertain who among those who have been proposed for promotion have been working hard in his or her line of duty. These files are kept by the executive housekeeper who records daily workings of the housekeepers. There are a lot of businesses activities taking place at the hotel. This runs from the accommodation facilities, the laundry and also the kitchenette. There are some housekeepers who joined the hotel, yet they have some qualifications that could fit them into another department within the same organization. Others have enrolled to a certain organization and have classes in the evenings and weekends when they are out of work. The hotel management considers such housekeepers when they issue their papers to the management. If they meet the required standards for them to be considered, then they will be transferred to the department of their choice. There was a young lady whom I met at the dining area, in the catering section. I was keen on knowing how she came to land on the job, and she narrated the first encounter she had when she came to the hotel, she was working at the swimming pool section. She used to do manual jobs like clean the tables and chairs in the area around the swimming pool as well as taking orders from customers and delivering them to the customers. Early this year, she presented her papers to the management, and was considered to move to the catering section. She could not stop telling me how she loves cooking, and she told me she had landed at the right place (Thilani 2009, p. 64). Security measures followed Hotel housekeepers are facing increasing injuries in the line of work due to heavy workloads. In most hotels, for example, housekeepers have a certain number of rooms set to be cleaned for each day. Hotel housekeepers must therefore, rush to meet a daily number of cleaned rooms. This is so because if they fail to complete their work that they have been assigned, then they will face stiff measures like salary reduction. At the hotel, some measures have been laid down to look into matters concerning security of housekeepers (Pamela 2009). The chemicals and some equipment pose a great danger if it is wrongly used by the housekeepers. The chemicals used during cleaning, for example, are placed at an area far away from the workers. Before a chemical is used, the housekeepers are taught on how to use the chemical product appropriately to avoid wrong usage. The housekeepers have been given a special training on how to handle the equipment’s and the chemicals used. Work stress is a can affect any employee in an organization at the hotel however; the housekeepers may be affected by stress due to different reasons. To prevent this, the hotel management has created a good scheduling program for them. They are also given regular breaks in which during the time, they are allowed to hangout within the organization and free to use some of the facilities. Fair distribution and allocation of work have also been enhanced through the creation of work time table. Finally, they’re keenly monitored by their supervisors (Thilani 2009, p. 132). Constant harassment from customers is always the order of the day in most organization. However, this is not the case at the hotel as I could witness how well they treat their customers and accord them the respect they deserve. They have, therefore, been trained adequately on handling customers. Conclusion and recommendation Rydges Bell City hotel operates on a large area which is an ideal place for recreational facilities, conducting meetings and get-together parties. The hotel has strived a lot in ensuring that the hotel remains clean all the time. This has actually been a priority to the hotel management having seen how the housekeepers and other workers are dedicated in keeping the environment clean. However, despite having received a lot of recommendations from the past customers who have used the hotel, there are some areas of concern that the management should try and consider. These include keeping the surrounding environment by checking for a suitable place of dumping the dirt from the hotel. References List Pamela V. (2009) Why Housekeeping is dangerous, Hotel Workers Rising Publication. Thilani M. (2009) Housekeeping and Accommodation Operations, BPP Learning Media. Read More