DISPLACING THE 'MAD' MAN

This long strip of land along a busy road right behind the fence wall of my house was not an eye sore until a man made the place his abode. 

It was also the frontage of the house. Whenever it got weedy, I took personal responsibility to have the weeds cleared. I gathered and burned litters dropped by passersby or blown there by the wind. However since this man started ‘patronizing’ this space, there was an extra cleaning to do- burning with the aid of kerosene or diesel the garbage dumped there by him. He was a lunatic.

It was a whole operation: going out there as early as 5:00 a.m. when he was not there, gathering tied up garbage in black polythene bags, old shoes and rugs; avoiding touching them with my hands even though wearing gloves and setting the filth ablaze.

Whenever he came around, after the cleaning operation, he would sometimes just sit and stare or lie down and sleep. I could never tell if he ever got upset.

For close to two years, I thought I could do nothing about his presence which hunted me. Is there a law I could stand on to report him to the police?  A constant thought amused me; ‘here in Ghana; where does one go with such a report and be taken seriously?’ 

Many times I harbored my fears whenever  I had to get out of the car to open the gate and he was sitting there, although he seemed harmless.  I wondered if I could talk with him, beg him to leave? How would I say? Will he understand? How would he respond?

I found myself even praying about how to rid off this unwelcomed visitor.  Ah!  A garden!  The thought lingered in my mind. What should be planted? Thorny plants will obviously ward him off but that would be cruel of me and a lot of work for me whenever I had to work in this part of the garden. Grassing the area along with some shrubs will make the place quite inviting and comfortable, a haven for him.

I tossed and turned several ideas in my mind until I settled on the Tricolor dwarf oyster plant. These are purple foliage plants, easy to work with and which form a good ground cover. A few patches of purple Wandering Jew complimented my efforts. With its subtly attractive texture and color, the dwarf oyster has provided a neat appearance and a dense bed displacing the lunatic.

Now, he just passes by. I figure out he has found a new abode somewhere else; I do not know, but I would want to ask the owner of his new abode to try a hand at a garden to displace him! 

DAYTIME NIGHTMARES

Everyone had a story to tell. It was my first time taking on a job to clean hotel guestrooms in a large and busy hotel chain. That was several years ago. 

I had received an orientation on quality cleaning of guestrooms but the stories my colleagues told me about their varied encounters even if I should follow the established procedure (knocking three times and announcing, ‘housekeeping’) sent shivers down my spine.  Did I really want to do this job? I prayed and hoped that I would never come across such situations- a nude man just out of the bathroom, a guest who had hanged himself, a room abused by the occupant and several other stories which I leave to tell another time.

Of more recent times, however, I have had to spend much more time in the house. My passion for housekeeping may account for my concerns on how the house is maintained. Often the services of ‘various hands’ are sought to assist, but I always dread the experiences I am likely to encounter with them. Collectively, they are referred to as artisans: plumbers, electricians, painters, bricklayers, tilers, welders, carpenters, gardeners etc. Their services do not come cheap. They usually get their jobs through recommendations from their own clients. Upon presentation of an invoice they are given the amount they need to purchase the materials. Yet when they are ready to carry out their tasks, they ask; ‘do you have a ladder? a wheel barrow, etc? (Equipment I thought they should have acquired). 

Have you observed that many complete their tasks leaving the house littered and dirty irrespective of how well kept the house was before they arrived? Painters do not seem to see spots and splashes of paint they have stained the floors, the plants and ladder you provided them with; carpenters and masons leave debris of broken down cement works, piles of left over sand and stones even after they have ‘cleaned’. Sometimes damages are caused and all they can say is ‘sorry’.

I had two coconut trees aged about 35 years which had grown too tall and needed to be cut. I called up one who convinced me he could cut them. I was not at home when he carried out the operation with his colleague. When I returned the coconut trees had fallen on to my office destroying the structure, furniture and fittings. Should you pay him the already negotiated fee?

By the time a mason who had been recommended to me by a friend completed his tasks in the house, he had painted a pavement he was tasked to construct with red paint when I knew there was no such cost item on his invoice!

A carpenter coming to replace ceilings spread out about 12 pieces of 4 by 8 sheets of plywood right on the lawn in front of the entrance to the house!

You may be using an artisan for the first time. Even if recommended, take a few moments to have him/her explain how they intend to carry out the task. Subtly draw his/her attention to concerns and watch over the work occasionally.

 
They work as though they are on a construction site. You will avoid these daytime nightmares in your own house.

HOTEL HOUSEKEEPING: NEW TRENDS AND PRACTICES

While pursuing my hotel management course several years ago, I had the opportunity to carry out a field study on the Rooms Division of Hilton Hotel, Spokane, Washington State, U.S.A ; that was in the 1980’s -room attendants were using hand-held computer devices to communicate to their supervisors! Hotel housekeeping staff still conduct room checks after guests vacate their rooms through hand held Wi-Fi enabled devices to report the status of guestrooms. Computers are now used in hotel housekeeping operations for the following:

1.      Rooms Management

2.      Forecasting Guest Room Attendant (GRA) Requirement

3.      Housekeeping History & GRA Performance

4.      Stock Control

5.      Housekeeping Records

6.      Work Methods

7.      Files

8.      Word-Processing

9.      Planning System

10.  Energy Saving

Not so for most hotel housekeeping operations in Ghana.  One would think that since the development of trends serves to meet guest expectations, enhance service delivery and improve efficiency, the housekeeping department being the largest in virtually all hotel properties, and considering that it is a cost center, not generating revenue, would attract the use of current technologies.

Nevertheless there are other emerging trends and practices in hotels in Ghana which may take a while (snail pace) to be embraced by the industry at large. 

Here is a run through some key initiatives in response to particular challenges:

In response to the high utility consumption of hotels which translates into very high bills 

• Installation of water recycling mechanisms, water treatment plants, underground wells and/or  harvesting rainwater   

• Installation of solar energy panels and utilization of energy saving measures at the time of construction

• Usage of CFLs(compact fluorescent light, energy-saving light, and compact fluorescent tube) rather than incandescent bulbs

• Usage of sensors in plumbing and electrical distribution systems in public rooms

• The preference for showers in the guest rooms over bathtubs

• Reusing waste water from rooms and kitchens after treatment for watering gardens

In response to the promotion of global environmental concerns to be Eco-friendly:

• Waste management(separation at point of collection and better storage)

• Guests being reminded to switch off the lights while leaving their rooms

• Guestrooms being cleaned at the request of guests

• Creating floral arrangements using flowers that have  longer lifespan

In response to growing safety and security issues in hotels

• Usage of key cards for swiping (no room number mentioned on card so no security threats in case key is lost)

• Peepholes/door viewers on doors  

In response to instant assessment of hotels by social media

• Training of personnel

• Creation and implementation of  SOPs(standard operating procedures)

•  Outsourcing of façade cleaning, horticulture and pest control

In response to better understanding of sanitation and hygiene practices

• Color coding of dusters and cleaning fabrics

In response to conflict between Food and Beverage and Housekeeping

• Mini bars (refrigerators in rooms) are not filled. Instead the hotel asks the guests what he/she would prefer before their arrival.

It can be embarrassing reading the above and comparing them to current global trends. Unfortunately that is the state of our industry.

This ends my series on hotel housekeeping for the first half of the year. My next series is on the food and beverage department and I am likely to start from the kitchen. Look out for sizzling topics!

DIGNITY FOR HOTEL HOUSEKEEPERS: A '3-MAN AFFAIR'

HOTEL HOUSEKEEPERS

I recall a part-time job I had several years ago to supervise the housekeeping department of a hotel in Accra. The personnel included three mature married women and one young lady. They complained about everything and anything including not being 'respected' by management and the rest of the hotel personnel, much more, guests. They considered themselves to be 'JUST CLEANERS'. My first task was therefore to instill pride in them.

Over the years, having interacted with quite a number of hotel personnel, I have observed this attitude is not unique to those I supervised above. Many carry the same attitude in hotel housekeeping across the country.

Work is therefore a major source of dignity in our lives. Many of us spend the majority of our waking hours at work earning a living. In this part of the world, it’s a joke, it seems, to advise someone to quit the job ‘if s/he cannot take pride in it’.

For dignity to be rated high among hotel housekeeping personnel, the room attendant/housekeeper, management and staff and the hotel guest each has a role to play.

Uniforms: A professional image is crucial for success in the hotel industry irrespective of the position one holds. The right uniform sets the stage for a positive first impression, builds staff members’ confidence and may likely influence the provision of a better service. In the bigger hotels, where the uniform is consistent with hotel’s brand and identity, guests feel comfortable and well-tended by staff.

I understand the unspoken messages uniforms and dress code give. They should be functional /appropriate, promote others’ respect for the employees and be beautiful to look at on personnel.  Safety and aesthetic factors must be considered. Although housekeeping  staff may not directly service guests, they often encounter guests in the hallways or elevators and should continue to project the professional image of your hotel.

Lack of appropriate equipment and tools: Every job has its own necessary tools, no matter how skilled an employee may be, s/he will never be able to function at full capacity if there is lack of tools. Targets will not be met.

Many hotels fail to provide appropriate and adequate tools in housekeeping, or allow a lack of tools to develop when those that were initially supplied wear out or run out. The same problem is present when there is lack of tools when compared to the number of employees who need to use them. Beyond the direct impact that a lack of tools has on productivity, there is an impact on employee morale which must not be overlooked. When employees are trying to work at their jobs with pride and dedication, but are held back by a lack of tools, it is very frustrating.

Lack of Training:Tasks to be performed by housekeeping are usually assumed to be ‘easy’ so there is limited in-training for housekeeping personnel. Further, there is no opportunity for formal training to become a certified hotel housekeeper in Ghana.

Sheer Disrespect: Some people just do not value the work of others and/ or underestimate what is involved in achieving a clean and attractive environment.At first glance the job seems

Working Conditions:The work of a hotel housekeeper is demanding. Housekeepers need to bend, climb and move furniture in each room being cleaned. They may clean up to 20 rooms in a day and as a result, the work involved can be very tiring and strenuous. A job in hotel housekeeping can be rewarding.

Mistrust:Most hotels do not allow their housekeepers to use phones while at work.They are also not provided with walkies-talkie which could help with communicating incidents they encounter in guestrooms.Between hotel guests and management, housekeepers are the first suspects when a loss is reported.

Despite all the above factors some of which are influenced by management and hotel guests, the onus is still on the individual housekeeper to take pride in what s/he does. As advised by an Executive Housekeeper, 'you must first want to do it then love it to be in it'.