Category Archives: Hotel Employees

Cart Prepping for Efficiency

A well-organized and well-stocked housekeeping cart is the key to efficiency. It enables room attendants to avoid wasting time looking for a cleaning item or making trips back to the linen room for more supplies. The specific amounts of items loaded onto a cart will vary according to the types of rooms being cleaned, the amenities offered by the property, and, of course, the size of the cart itself. A room attendant’s cart is generally spacious enough to carry all the supplies needed for a half-day’s room assignments.

housekeeping cart

Stocking the Cart
Most carts have three shelves—the lower two for linen and the top for cleaning supplies and amenity items. It is just as important not to overstock a cart as it is not to understock. Overstocking increases the risk that some items will be damaged, soiled, or stolen in the course of cleaning.
In most cases, all the cleaning supplies for the guestroom and bathroom are positioned in a hand caddy on top of the cart so that the room attendant does not have to bring the entire cart into the room.
A laundry bag is usually found at one end of the cart and a trash bag is at the other. A broom and vacuum are also positioned on either end of the cart for easy access. For safety and security reasons, personal items and room keys should not be stored on the cart.

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Filed under Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Housekeeping, Maintenance

New OSHA 300 Reporting Rules

OSHA has updated the rule that pertains to the reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses. The new rule requires certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness data beginning in 2017. The goal of the rule is to encourage employers to better identify hazards, address safety issues, and prevent future injuries and illnesses.

Work Injury reporting

New Electronic Recordkeeping Requirements

Employers with 20-249 employees in certain industries must electronically submit their Form OSHA 300A information for the year 2016 by July 1, 2017. Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels, NAICS code 7211, are included in the “certain industries” listing.

  • These same employers must electronically submit their Form OSHA 300A information for 2017 by July 1, 2018.
  • Beginning in 2019, and every year thereafter, these employers must submit the Form OSHA information by March 2, 2019.

OSHA State Plan Alignment

OSHA State Plan states must adopt and enforce these requirements (or substantially identical requirements) within 6 months after the publication of the final rule.

New Whistleblower Protection

Prohibits employers from retaliation against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. (Effective November 1, 2016)


 

REMEMBER

If an OSHA inspection occurs and your organization is required to keep an OSHA 300 log, you will need to present a copy during the inspection or within 4 hours of OSHA’s request for the log.


 

This information is available on the OSHA website.

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Filed under Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Injuries, OSHA, Training, Workers' Compensation

Join Petra Risk Solutions at CH&LA’s S.A.F.E Forum & Expo

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Filed under Conferences, Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Risk Management, Theft, Training

How Overtime Rule Will Affect Hospitality

It might only be June, but hoteliers are already preparing for how the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) recently announced overtime rule will impact their properties when it takes effect Dec. 1. The rule, introduced on May 18 by the Obama administration, will broaden the number of workers eligible for overtime pay by raising the salary threshold for exempt workers to $47,476 from $23,660 per year.
Ryan Glasgow, Hunton & Williams labor and employment lawyer, has been advising employers in preparation for the final DOL rule, which will likely set the salary requirement for the professional, executive, and administrative exemptions at 40 percent of the national average for all non-hourly compensation in all industries.

clock overtime

“The DOL’s intention in increasing the salary was to increase the opportunities and increase the compensation pay to a lot of workers,” Glasgow says. “About 4 million workers are either going to be entitled to overtime or now receive an increase salary as a result of the change.”

Since hotels employ a large number of workers who fit the bill, many properties will go through an adjustment period as they restructure based on employees’ current wages.

“In the hospitality area, it’s the frontline, entry-level managers who will mostly be affected,” Glasgow says. “They have been, thus far, exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) executive exemptions. The problem is a lot of those frontline managers are currently making somewhere between $23,000 and $47,476. The hospitality industry is going to take a look at each one of those employees and decide if they’re going to increase that salary to the $47,476 level, or reclassify this person as non-exempt.”

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Filed under Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Labor Issues, Management And Ownership, Uncategorized

Keeping Hotel Housekeepers Safe

A hotel housekeeper’s duties can be grueling and intense – and can result in serious injuries.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2013 shows that hotel and motel workers had a nonfatal injury and illness rate of 5.4. The rate for all industries was 3.5.

“As more amenities continue to be offered in hotel rooms, housekeepers often are having to work even harder and more quickly,” said Gary Allread, program director of the Institute for Ergonomics at Ohio State University in Columbus.

Housekeeping

Advocates are calling for stronger protections and better ergonomics training for hotel housekeeping workers.

More work, more hazards

In 2012, hospitality workers union UNITE HERE sent a petition to the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. The petition called for a standard to protect hospitality workers as hotels compete to offer more luxurious settings for their guests. Upgraded mattresses can weigh more than 100 pounds, UNITE HERE claims, and bath linen is larger and heavier – putting housekeeping workers at risk of overexertion. More amenities, such as larger mirrors and TVs, have to be cleaned.

“What you’re seeing now when you go into the hotel room, it’s not just two pillows on a bed, it’s four or five,” said Lorne Scarlett, industry specialist with the Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia, also known as WorkSafe BC. “That process they go through stuffing a pillow, they’re doing that four to five times per bed. The cleanliness of the room is scrutinized by the larger, luxury hotels. They’re not just doing a light dust. They’re doing a very determined clean each time.”

According to Ohio State University, other injury risk factors are:

  • “Forceful exertions,” including pushing heavy carts and using vacuum cleaners
  • Awkward postures while cleaning bathrooms and other areas
  • Repetitive motions, such as cleaning mirrors and changing pillowcases Maintaining postures for long periods
  • Little rest

“The good thing is we can reduce those risks through just plain, out-front awareness and education,” Scarlett said.

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Filed under Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Injuries, Risk Management, Training, Workers' Compensation

How Your GMs Manage Their Staff

Regardless of their age, most general managers have long to-do lists each day to keep their hotels running smoothly. But when a young professional earns the title at an early stage in their career, the role comes with a unique set of challenges. Being a young general manager requires a relatively unseasoned professional to manage employees who may be older and more experienced in hospitality. During an AH&LA Under 30 Gateway webinar titled, “How to Become a GM by 30,” three general managers discussed how to gracefully establish one’s place as a young leader.

 

Business meeting

“Being a young leader in this industry, you come across many people of different ages and backgrounds, and you need to learn to manage them in different ways. It’s important to connect with them on a personal level and not try to come in as a young leader and just take charge. Understand that people who are older than you are probably seasoned in the industry and have a lot of knowledge they can share with you about service or the property you’re working at. It’s important to keep an open mind and always take feedback. There will be hard times when you need to have conversations with employees who may be older than you or the same age as you, because you’re their leader.”

Nikki Carlson, General Manager at the Tuscan Inn, Noble House Hotels & Resorts in San Francisco, Calif.

“There will always be more seasoned individuals in the industry than yourself, and that can be a challenge, but building that personal connection with employees can help smooth over any situation. If they know that you care about them genuinely, then they’ll do anything for you.”
Jennifer Wilt, General Manager at Aloft Leawood/Presidian Destinations in Kansas City, Mo.

For more info: ( http://bit.ly/28MgzxW )

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Filed under Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Training

How Employee Feedback Can Help Hoteliers

Feedback is important for any industry, as it shows quite clearly what works, and what could be improved upon. In the service industry, there are different types of feedback. Customer feedback is most commonly discussed and used, while employee feedback tends to remain focused within the HR circle. Increasing the scope of what is asked within the feedback can improve the hotel service by astonishing amounts. This is because employees know the business in and out. They have regular experience with anything that they recommend or believe is not good practice.

5-questions-on-your-new-employees-mind

Identifying Problems
A customer will give a hotelier comprehensive feedback. But a hotelier benefits from employee feedback as well, as a problem can be brought to light before a brand new customer is aware of it. Hoteliers strive to give customers an unforgettable experience so that they come back and/or spread good word of mouth about the hotel services. Anything that prevents the customer from having to face something that leads to a negative point in the feedback should be adopted.
Consider a hotel that is known throughout the city for its dinner buffet. Feedback from multiple customers shows that customers prefer multiple options for dessert (as the rival hotel buffet has started providing) instead of just a fixed dish. Had employee feedback been the norm, this problem at this hotel would have been recognized long before, because employees would have noticed it themselves during regular customer interactions.

Making Employees Feel Valued
When a customer tries a restaurant, even when the food and wine is excellent, if the service isn’t up to par, the overall impression of the establishment is diminished. Of course, correct training of employees is important. However, it is not enough to just hire the right people. Hoteliers need to boost morale and make employees feel that they matter to encourage better performance.
According to Hubspot, 39 percent of employees don’t feel valued at their workplace. When management invites employee feedback, it suggests that employee opinions are considered to be essential. This helps form a connection between employee and employer.
Customers notice when they walk into a place and the energy of the employees is so infectious, that it starts rubbing off on them. The instant impression of any place where employees are enjoying their work, and even having fun while doing it, is overwhelmingly positive. To create such an atmosphere, the employees have to feel valued at their workplace. Inviting employee feedback is one such tool that makes them feel like a part of the business. Hoteliers can achieve wonders with employees who are driven by motivation that is more than just a weekly or monthly monetary return.

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Filed under Employee Benefits, Employee Practices, Employment Practices Liability, Hotel Employees, Management And Ownership

Successful Education Session at CH&LA SoCal Conference

Petra Risk Solutions had a successful education session at CH&LA‘s SoCal Conference. Todd Seiders, CLSD, Director of Risk Management, presented “Today’s Safety & Security Challenges for Hotels”. Over 100 people attended! They walked away educated and with a better understanding on how to handle phone scams, human trafficking situations, renting hotel room to minors, ADA scams, and the recent Erin Andrews/ privacy ruling.  Todd CH&LA NoCal & SoCal conference

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Filed under Claims, Conferences, Crime, Guest Issues, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Insurance, Risk Management, Theft

Hospitality Alert – Proposition 65 Warning

minor

All California businesses with 10 or more employees – including lodging establishments – are covered by Proposition 65, and they therefore have to post special “warning” notices in specific locations. There is a new Proposition 65 “warning notice” required for Bisphenol A (BPA) that takes effect May 11, 2016, and it will affect a number of lodging establishments.

The new warning – which was issued by the Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), applies to canned and bottled foods and beverages that are offered for retail sale (i.e., “foods and beverages packaged in hermetically sealed, durable metal or glass containers; including, but not limited to those containing fruits, vegetables, soups, pasta products, milk, soda, and alcoholic beverages”).

The obligation to provide BPA warnings falls primarily on manufacturers, producers, packagers, importers or distributors of canned and bottled foods and beverages. However, if a “retailer” or its authorized agent receives a specified written notice from a manufacturer, either “directly or through a trade association,” the retailer must then provide the BPA warning at every “point of sale.” (“Point-of-sale” means the area within a retail facility where customers pay for foods and beverages, such as the cash register or check-out line where the warning sign is likely to be seen and understood prior to the consumer purchasing the canned or bottled food or beverage. Point-of-sale also includes electronic check-out functions on Internet websites. OEHHA has advised CH&LA that “point-of-sale” includes vending machines.).

Hotels that sell or provide canned and bottled foods and beverages (e.g., a sundry shop or food sale area, or in connection with conventions or business meetings) will be required to post the warning.

(Note: manufacturers and others in the chain of distribution must “provide, or offer to provide, to the retail seller, at no cost, a sufficient number of the required point-of-sale warning signs ….” If you receive such a notice, ask your distributors to provide you with the warning signs.)

The specific BPA warning must:

Contain the word “WARNING” in all capital letters and bold print, and the words: “Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to the State of California to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information go to: www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/BPA.”

The warning sign should be no smaller than 5 x 5 inches. The BPA warning must be “displayed with such conspicuousness, as compared with other words, statements, designs, or devices at the point-of-sale, as to render it likely to be read and understood by an ordinary individual prior to purchase of the affected products.”

Important Note: Prop. 65 already has a different, non-BPA, warning requirement for hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that sell foods and non-alcoholic beverages (WARNING: Chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, or birth defects or other reproductive harm may be present in foods or beverages sold or served here.) In the context of hotels, this general warning for foods and non-alcoholic beverages needs to be provided in all dining rooms and areas, and also in room service menus and in other appropriate places.

Members should bear in mind that CH&LA is not a law firm, and this alert is not intended as legal advice. Lodging operators with questions should consult with legal counsel. Members are also free to contact our Member Legal Advisor, Jim Abrams (jim@calodging.com).


 

CH&LA has explanatory materials on the Prop. 65 signage requirements. CH&LA and CABBI members can access these materials in the “members” section of www.calodging.com. Non-members should contact Sandra Oberle (Sandra@calodging.com) for this information.

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Filed under Food Illnesses, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Risk Management, Training, Uncategorized

Infographic: How to Detect Bed Bugs

Infographic

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Filed under Bed Bugs, Guest Issues, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Training