TRAINING IN HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

 

 

TRAINING IN HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

 

The efficiency and economy with which any department will operate will depend on the ability of each member of the organization to do his or her job. Such ability will depend in part on past experiences, but more commonly it can be credited to the type and quality of training offered. Employees, regardless of past experiences, always need some degree of training before starting a new job. Small institutions may try to avoid training by hiring people who are already trained in the general functions with which they will be involved. However, most institutions recognize the need for training that is specifically oriented toward the new experience, and will have a documented training program. Some employers of housekeeping personnel find it easier to train completely unskilled and untrained personnel. In such cases, bad or undesirable practices do not have to be trained out of an employee. Previous experience and education should, however, be analyzed and considered in the training of each new employee in order that efficiencies in training can be recognized. If an understanding of department standards and policies can be demonstrated by a new employee, that portion of training may be shortened or modified. However, skill and ability must be demonstrated before training can be altered. Finally, training is the best method to communicate the company’s way of doing things, without which the new employee may do work contrary to company policy.

Types of Training

  1. Induction Training
  2. Refresher Training
  3. Remedial Training
  4. Cross Training
  5. On-the-job Training
  6. Simulation Training
  7. Off-the-job Training

 

1.      Induction Training: Induction training is carried out when an employee is new to the organization and has to learn the required knowledge, skills, and attitude for his new position.

  1. Refresher Training: This is carried out when an old employee has to be re-trained to refresh his/her memory.
  2. Remedial Training: This is carried out for old employees when there is a change in the present working style, which may be related to a competitive environment, technological changes, or guest expectation.
  3. Cross-Training: This training enables employees to work in departments other than their specialty in periods of staff shortage.
  4. On-the-Job Training: This type of training takes place while a trainee is working on a daily schedule. The trainee in this case is under the guidance of a trainer or a ‘buddy’. As part of on-the-job training in housekeeping, the new employee may be instructed in topics such as:

·         The use and care of equipment.

·         The use and storage of cleaning agents.

·         Setting up of the room attendant’s cart, and

·         Linen, laundry, and uniform-handling procedures.

6.      Simulation Training:

·          In simulation training for housekeeping, an un-rented model-room may be set up and to train several employees.

·         The advantage of simulation training over on-the-job training is that the training process may be stopped in between, discussed again, and repeated if required for reinforcement.

·         The trainee here does not have to prepare the room for guest occupancy.

7.      Off-the-Job Training: Off-the-job training takes place away from work, in a classroom , by means of work shops, demonstrations, lectures, discussions, seminars, audio-visual presentation, case studies, and role playing.

 

·         Some topics for instruction may be:

·         Controlling expenses       

·         Demonstration for new equipment

·         Ways to meet standards

·         Stress management.

 

8.      The four-step Training method:

I.                   Prepare,

II.                 present,

III.              practice,

IV.              follow up

are the four steps for effective training programmes.

 

 

1. Prepare to Train:

—  Training should not be haphazard, but sequentially planned according to the needs of the staff.

—  Therefore, preparation is required in chalking out a training programme.

—  This involves analyzing the job and the staff’s training needs.

a) Job Analysis

—  Job analysis plays a significant role.

—  The trainee will benefit from the training only when the trainer knows exactly what is expected of the employee at work.

—   Job analysis is the process of determining what knowledge each employee needs, what tasks each employee needs to perform, and the standards to which the employee must perform the tasks.

—  The three components of a job analysis are job knowledge, a job list, and job breakdowns.

—  Job knowledge identifies what an employee needs to know to perform the tasks to the expected standards.

—  A job list enumerates in simple terms the various tasks to be accomplished.

—  A job breakdown is the complete knowhow required to perform a particular task while meeting the required standards.

b) Analysing the staff’s training needs

—  This is a must in order to prioritize training activities. The training needs of new employees and existing staff should be assessed separately.

—  A new employee’s training needs can be chalked out on the basis of job lists.

—  The tasks in the job list should be prioritized according to simplicity and importance.

—  The training sessions should be started with simple tasks.

—  To asses a current employee’s training needs, their work performance needs to be observed for 2-3 days.

—   Their performance on these tasks should then be rated on a scale of 1 to 5.

—  On tasks in which they score less than 3, the staff need training.

C) Prepare to train

The three basic areas in which employees should be trained are

—  skills,

—  attitude, and

—  knowledge.

v  Skill Training

—  Skills include the practical and technical aspects of the job that an employee has to perform.

—  Skills training is essential for an employee to meet the standards set by the organization. Some important skills that a trainee GRA needs to learn are :

—  Arranging the room attendant’s cart.

—  Bed-making.

—  Dusting (damp and dry)

—  Vacuuming

—  Floor and carpet cleaning

—  Cleaning of hard surfaces.

—  Using equipment

—  Safety & security procedures, etc

v  Attitude Training

-          Housekeeping trainees need to be guided into thinking that no task is menial, that all tasks are important in rendering service to a guest.

-          The development of interpersonal skills also comes under the head of attitude training.

Attitude training may be required in the following areas:

—  Rendering services to the guests

—  Dealing with superiors & sub-ordinates.

—  Management

—  Personal hygiene and grooming.

—  Cleaning public areas and bathrooms.

v  Knowledge Training

—  A new employees needs to gain knowledge regarding the organization, its procedures, policies, and rules, and his/her co-workers.

                Some of the areas in which new employees require knowledge are:

—  The layout of the entire hotel.

—  Hotel managers and HODs

—  Co-workers with whom he/she is to coordinate

—  Employee rights and benefits.

—  Grievance procedures.

—  Emergency procedures.

—  Telephone courtesy.

—  The housekeeping department’s common procedures (for example, handling keys and ensuring maintenance).

—  Room status codes.

2. Present the training programme (Implementing the training programme)

—  People learn by perceiving information via their senses in approximately the following proportions:

  • Seeing 75%
  • Hearing 13%
  • Feeling            6%
  • Smelling 3%
  • Tasting 3%

 

The old Chinese proverb is relevant to training.

I hear  ----       I forget

I See    ----       I remember

I do      ----       I understand

 

Start the training session with an introduction. While planning how to introduce a topic, keep the following points in mind:

o   I           =          Interest---Create interest about the topic

o   N         =          Need-----Explain the importance of the session.

o   T          =          Title----Emphasize the title.

o   R         =          Range-----Discuss the range of the topic to be covered.

o   O         =          Objective-----Enumerate the objectives to be achieved at the end of the session.

Teaching skills to trainees

—  When teaching skills to trainees, they need to be told as well as shown how to perform tasks.

—  Job breakdown act as guides to accomplishing this step in training.

—  The new employee should be given written job breakdown a day in advance, so that they can participate in the training session readily.

            Some recommendations for teaching new skills to a trainee are listed below:

—  Demonstrate the skill at a normal speed.

—  Breakdown the presentation of large amounts of information into sessions for easier assimilation.

—  Repeat the demonstration at a slower pace, asking the trainees to perform along with you.

—  Use visual aids wherever necessary.

—  Encourage the trainees; once they are confident, allow them to practise on their own.

—  Follow up to see how the trainee is performing.

Summarizing and concluding the session

            This includes:

—  Recapitulation of the main points.

—  Inviting further clarification and discussion, and

—  An assessment of the trainees’ learning.

3. Practice

—  After the training session, give the trainees ample opportunity and time to practice on their own, because when they do, they understand better.

—  Encourage them during the practice and appreciate correct performance.

—  Do not allow shortcuts at this stage, or else they will become a habit later.

4. Follow up

—  Follow-up is important to make the employees good workers and comfortable in their jobs.

—  Follow-up includes continuing on-the-job training, appraising performance, giving feedback, and evaluating progress.