February 16, 2021
Many care homes, schools, and hospitals are frustrated with housekeeping. That could be you.
Your housekeeping team might be frustrated too.
There’s nothing worse than finding dust down the sides of cushions or enduring a smell that’s rather unpleasant.
Your business could be fantastic, but you risk damaging your reputation if customers are greeted by a grubby reception or experience a dusty premises tour.
The little things matter. How many people never return to a restaurant due to cleanliness?
In short, poor housekeeping standards negatively affect your bottom line.
Effective housekeeping is vital to your success. So, I want to unpack the reasons why poor performance can creep in and explain how you can achieve a transformation that’ll benefit everyone.
Your housekeeping team might be in action outside regular hours. Many work opposite shifts to almost every other department. The invisible cleaning fairies.
This causes a fundamental communication problem. Their access to senior management is more difficult. And their ability to liaise with other departments is challenging.
A cultural problem often exists within healthcare, hospitality, and educational organisations. It can seem housekeeping just push the vacuum round and empty the bins. They exist to clean up after us.
‘Them’ and ‘us’.
This issue becomes worse when they’re picked up on what they haven’t done, instead of what they have done. That cobweb in the corner is still there (no mention of the 25 that have been removed).
Such lack of understanding puts a dent in the confidence of housekeeping teams. They keep their heads down and get on with it as best they can. Always ‘making do’ instead of seeking constructive conversations.
Left to their own devices, many housekeeping teams lack real responsibilities. The messy classroom: is that the responsibility of housekeeping? Generally, no. But you’ll find them tidying it before cleaning. Shouldn’t the teacher be encouraged to fulfil their role first?
Housekeeping staff rarely see users of the spaces they clean. And there’s often no clear system to raise an issue constructively. So, they just get on with it, not achieving other tasks instead.
It can feel demoralising and cause much worry. Housekeeping members are often on lower pay scales, earning a secondary income. It’s all to easy to call a sickie when anxiety gets too much.
How can you remain committed when you don’t feel valued and your responsibility is not clear?
There’s no formal training to become a head housekeeper, and yet, the role is incredibly broad:
The list goes on and on
This is a significant role in your organisation. It impacts EVERY other department directly – often daily. What other head of department holds that level of responsibility?
When your housekeeping team is structured and motivated correctly, the rewards to your organisation are far reaching.
And your reputation will remain firmly intact. Today, tomorrow, and for years to come.
That spotless premises will reassure parents sending their child to your school. The cleanliness of your front door will help families choose your care home over others. A spotless hospital will reassure your patients they’re in a safe place with excellent medical care. And your hotel guests will book again, having left a five-star review on TripAdvisor.
Helping you transition
But you’re flat out running your organisation. We get that. And, because housekeeping has different needs to other departments, you might not feel equipped to get involved.
This is where we come in.
And when we do, we often achieve improvements of up to 30% – quickly recovering our involvement fees.
This is our rolling 12-month programme that supports better housekeeping standards and rewards achievement. It also provides public recognition of your high standards.
We’ll come on-site to assess your cleanliness and work systems. From there, we’ll help you create a 12-month plan.
Providing remote reviews every three months, we stay in touch to support your progress.
Each year, we’ll award your housekeeping department, and individuals, with gold, silver, and bronze awards to recognise achievement.
With no formal training for housekeeping heads, we fill the gap.
On a one-to-one basis, we’ll support your head housekeeper with management and communication skills, work systems and planning, and their overall confidence to deliver an excellent job.
We’ll also carry out a tailored performance assessment for you. Mainstream appraisal methods are often inappropriate for housekeepers.
When you’re ready to transform your housekeeping team and enjoy the subsequent organisational benefits, please get in touch with me, Ian Jackson, for an initial discussion.
Email ian@capaward.co.uk
Phone 01858 540200 or speak to Ian directly on 0777 5716393
Learn more about CAP Awards at www.capaward.co.uk