SUPERVISORY POSTS

The housekeeping department usually has the following supervisory positions:

Floor supervisor

Linen room supervisor

Public area supervisor

Uniform room supervisor

Night supervisor

Laundry supervisor

Control desk supervisor

Each supervisor is responsible for certain functions and leads a team of attendant to accomplish them. The assistant housekeeper, though, is not strictly a supervisor as per the designation, but many of the duties for this position are supervisory.

General Duties of a Supervisor:

The general duties and responsibilities of supervisors are as follows-

· To ensure that the staff are aware of their hours of work and that they adhere to the planned duty roster.

· To make any adjustments necessary in their off-days in consultation with the concerned employees.

· To instruct the staff in cleaning routines and schedules.

· To regularly fill up the cleaning and maintenance checklists and inventories after a complete physical check.

· To liaise with the maintenance department for any maintenance work required in guestrooms or public areas and to initiate work-order forms.

· To inspect and record room status regularly and liaise with the reception desk.

· To issue the relevant keys, keep track of them, and get them safely back.

· To be responsible for following the correct procedures in dealing with lost and found articles when employees hand these in.

· To check the stocks regularly, take delivery of stocks, and issue supplies to attendants.

· To supervise the staff involved in the cleaning and setting up of banquet halls, meeting rooms, and other event venues.

· To check and record the amount and condition of the house linen during collection, dispatch, storage, repair, and use.

· To arrange for the induction and training of staff.

· To regularly appraise managers of individual staff performance.

· To inform the employees of staff welfare schemes and other facilities.

· To liaise with staff from other departments in a way that shows respect for their skills and abilities.

INSPECTION MODULES FOR COMMONLY NEGLECTED AREAS (DIRTY DOZENS)

Various inspection modules are used for the thorough inspection of guestrooms, so that certain areas and aspects that tend to be neglected while cleaning and inspection are particularly checked by supervisors. Some hotels develop these as separate lists and some incorporate these neglected areas in their routine inspection checklists. These modules have easy-to-remember names such as the Quick Six Inspection or the Dirty Dozens.

In general, the most commonly neglected areas in guestrooms include:

· The area between the bed and the nightstand, where food particles, dirt and debris may accumulate since this area is usually hidden by the bedspread.

· The interiors of drawers and wardrobes, where dust may accumulate in the crevices.

· Surface below the lamps and other accessories kept on table, where dust accumulates because they tend to be overlooked.

· The tops of picture frames hung on walls, which tend to gather dust as they are not easily visible to the eye.

· The top edges and backs of doors, which if not cleaned on a regular basis may collect lot of dust.

· The diffuser grilles of radiators or air-conditioners which can collect stubborn dirt.

· Ceilings, which may show cobwebs if not attended to daily.

· The carpet area behind free-standing furniture that is near but not against the wall, such as a credenza standing to one side.

· Pillows and pillowcases, which should be free of wrinkles or stray hairs and which should have a fresh smell.

· The general odour of the room, which is often overlooked. The room should have a fresh smell.

· The tiled area next to the shower, which collects grime and shows water marks if not attended to daily.

· The area behind the toilet bowl, including pipes, cisterns and the toilet-rolls receptacles, which all provide surfaces and nooks where dirt settles.

· The area under the vanity unit and towel racks, which are hard to reach and may accumulate a lot of dust and debris. The tiles behind the vanitory unit also gets water marks and soap marks easily.

· The faucet filters, which maybe stained brown due to dirt collecting in them.

· The air vents in the toilet, which are hard to reach and which if neglected during routine cleaning, may collect stubborn grime and dust.

· The baseboards in the guest bedroom as well as the bathroom, which too accumulate dust.