Executive Housekeeping Today - April 2009 - (Page 14) feature article Confessions of an Executive Housekeeper In February 2009, Budget Travel magazine published an article titled “Confessions Of A Hotel Housekeeper.” The article, authored by a frontline employee who worked at Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park five years ago, describes some of her experiences as a minimum wage-earning housekeeper while at the same time, shedding a negative light on the cleaning industry as a whole. “I cut corners everywhere I could. Instead of vacuuming, I found that just picking up the larger crumbs from the carpet would do. Rather than scrub the tub with hot water, sometimes it was just a spray-andwipe kind of day. After several weeks on the job, I discovered that the staff leader who inspected the rooms couldn’t tell the difference between a clean sink and one that was simply dry, so I would often just run a rag over the wet spots. But I never skipped changing the sheets. I wouldn’t sink that low, no matter how lazy I was feeling.” The author also describes the joy she felt every time she came across a “Do Not Disturb” sign on a guestroom door; the disgust she felt because of the messes the guests left behind; and the minimal tips she received from the guests. (To read the article in full, i by Laura M. DiGiulio, Editor visit www.budgettravel.com/btdyn/content/article/2009/01/03/ AR2009010301344.html.) Upon publication, the article went on to make headlines in the travel sections of MSN, Yahoo, CNN, and MSNBC. Simply Google the phrase “Confessions Of A Hotel Housekeeper” and you will be able to view thousands of Web sites from all over the globe that have featured or discussed the article over the past few months. But, while the article may make guests feel a bit hesitant the next time they stay in a hotel, the real victims of this media coverage are the hardworking individuals who are employed in housekeeping, and the executive housekeepers who oversee them. Therefore, IEHA decided to publish this article as a rebuttal to the Budget Travel article and provide true confessions of real-life executive housekeepers, who provide top-notch training to their staffs, check their rooms efficiently, and implement ideas such as Green cleaning, that not only provide an environmentallyfriendly “home away from home” for guests—but also help the world as a whole. And, with the ongoing implementation of Integrated Cleaning and Measurement™, housekeeping staff leaders all over the world will not only be able to tell the difference, but prove the difference between a clean sink and one that is “simply dry.” “Sometimes the media focuses too much on written material that is negatively-based; some think that these types of articles are better ignored, while others relish the idea of passing the information on to many. The statistic is that negative material is passed on at least 20 times, while positive information is only being passed on to two or three. However, this article screamed for a response because it was apparent that this worker had a lot more baggage to carry around than just cleaning rooms and attending to the needs of others,” says Beth Risinger, CEO/ Executive Director of IEHA. “Yes, of course, it is clear that training was lacking for this individual, but it is also so important to be kind, helpful, and supportive to our fellow staff members. Most often it is best to be honest with that negative employee and tell them how they are turning you and others off. Excellent teamwork cannot be accomplished when one of the team members has gone astray.” IEHA thrives on educating their members to be the best housekeeping managers with the most ef- 4 Executive Housekeeping Today/April 2009 http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010301344.html http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010301344.html http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010301344.html
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