Housekeeping Supervisor Job Description

No matter where you go, offices, hotels, restaurants or commercial places, housekeepers are the key staff members involved in variety of work that is going on in the establishment. Keep reading to know more.

Just imagine this scenario, you reach your office one fine day, only to find that your workstation is laden with dust. You visit the lavatory only to find it stinky.

To make it more unbearable, there is no water supply in the lavatory tap! Who will you turn to in such cases of poor office management? Your office housekeeping supervisor. Right? It may appear mundane in its tasks and basic designing but believe me housekeeping is one big work.

Coordinating and managing day-to-day activities in an office setup is a task that keeps housekeepers on their toes, right from the start of the day to the closing of the office. In hotels, there are hundreds of rooms and each has its own decorations, designing and cleaning needs.

If the rooms are not well managed, hygienic and they don't give the customer a sense of relaxation and enjoyment, he or she may not return to the same hotel next time. In short, housekeeping in any sorts of establishment is an important task. For some organizations, it can bring disaster if it is not done properly and supervised to maintain standards.

Housekeeping supervisors are managers of the work setup. Their basic task is to delegate specific duties to junior housekeepers and monitor, if the task is being done properly.

In large establishments like hotels, teams of housekeepers and managers work together to ensure that all works are completed within time and they are done to perfection. Typical duties included in the job description of a housekeeper are as follows.

• Inspect rooms frequently to check if they are serviced properly by the cleaning workers.
• Delegate duties to the housekeeping staff on daily, weekly or monthly basis.

• Groom room attendants, monitor their works and make sure that they get the best training in attending customers.
• Ensure that all areas of office premises; halls, corridors, stairs, eating places, employee workstations are clean as per the standards of cleanliness established by the rules.

• Maintain high standards of service that impresses customers.
• Appear well-groomed, presentable and set a uniform dress code for all housekeeping staff, in compliance with the hotel or office rules.
• Arrange budget for purchasing new types of cleaning equipment and train staff to handle them.

• Recommend senior authorities/management for tasks that can boost the quality of housekeeping service.
• Make special arrangements for guests as per the orders of the management.

• Participate in recruitment of housekeeping staff and worker.
• Ensure that cleaning instruments are repaired effectively, in case they don't function properly.

• Requirements and needs of customers are met adequately. It should not be such, that when the guest goes for a shower, there is no towel or soap in the bathroom. Before a customer checks in, a housekeeping supervisor has to ensure that all facilities are in the room.

• Housekeeping supervisors have to ensure that staff members or workers are comfortable while working in the setup, as loss of an experienced hand is not something that is easily repairable.

As such, no special education is required to become a housekeeping supervisor. Work experience is preferred in every case as this profession is all about gaining experience in customer management and working in teams.

Many employers, however, prefer candidates with high school degree, who are also good in communication skills. In case, you have some certifications related to the hospitality industry, it can work wonders in boosting your chances of employment.

Being bilingual and geographically aware of the area one is employed in, plays a vital role in the success of the housekeeper.

To ideally fulfill duties entailed in the job of a housekeeper, one must have personality traits like patience and a desire to serve customers. Gaining technical expertise in the work by learning its nitty gritty helps a lot in later years of career.

An ability to lead a team and motivate staff members is vital for building a great team and achieve success as a supervisor.

A skilled housekeeping supervisor, with vast years of experience is an asset for any firm in the hospitality industry. There are plenty of career opportunities in this field and in large organizations, housekeeping supervisors move on to become senior housekeeping heads or managers.

On an average, a housekeeping supervisor can earn anywhere between US$40,000 to US$60,000, depending on type of employer, years of work experience and area of work. Being a key staff member of hotels and offices, you as a housekeeping supervisor can play a key role in the success of organization employing you.