Housekeeping team: building a balanced team in 10 points

How happy he would be to find the perfect housekeeping team easily, with the wave of a magic wand! Let's see together how to build a balanced housekeeping team in 10 points.

The new employee

It's very rare to find employees in our field who have already received significant training. Therefore, staff are often trained by more experienced employees. This is far from ideal, as it puts new employees under pressure from their very first day. On the other hand, a good, experienced, and stable team can effectively manage new employees without adding extra pressure.

The new employee with no experience will make many predictable mistakes.

• He will return to the housekeeping room several times because he did not set up his cleaning cart efficiently;
• Furthermore, the employee will be disorganized and may take up to 3 times longer than an experienced employee;
• The use of the products could cause problems: mixing two products together, cleaning in a way that causes cross-contamination, using a product on an unsuitable surface, etc.;
• Finally, the employee might not know what to do because they were not given basic instructions.

The experienced employee

Employees who have learned the regular routine should be able to count on ongoing training. Furthermore, these employees could challenge the institution with their comments and suggestions. While this might be pointless, it could also be a source of improvement for the institution. Let's keep an open mind!

There are many ways to make an employee happy, including providing opportunities for learning and potential career advancement. Furthermore, creating a positive work environment where communication is open and ideas are valued greatly contributes to employee satisfaction. Ultimately, a happy employee is more motivated, more productive, and more engaged in their daily tasks, which benefits the entire team and the organization.

The team leader

The team leader is an employee who has benefited from extensive training over the past few years and has acquired significant experience. They are therefore a role model for their team members. Even with relevant experience and training, the team leader still needs to develop certain skills. Indeed, managing a team is much more than simply telling others what to do. The team leader needs to cultivate positive and collaborative leadership, with the ability to motivate others.

Furthermore, developing effective communication skills is essential. He must be able to express himself clearly and concisely.

Building the perfect, balanced housekeeping team in 10 points

1. A little bit of everything! To have a healthy team, you need a majority of stable employees, ranging from moderately to highly experienced, with a maximum of 5% new hires. This balance will allow for effective mentoring.
2. A well-structured induction training program. This could include the following points:
   • Detailed site visit, including the housekeeping facilities
   • Training on household cleaning products
   • Training on recommended maintenance techniques
   • A written work plan, combined with one to five days of on-the-job training, depending on the complexity of the task.
   • Introduction to internal rules
3. Year-round continuing education courses. This will allow employees to refresh themselves and stay motivated.
4. A quality control rating based on a set of criteria that is applied equally to all employees. This will allow us to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Subsequently, these areas can be addressed through additional training to give employees the opportunity for continuous improvement.
5. Promote respectful communication, which allows everyone to flourish.
6. Promote collaborative and positive work. We can work together and thrive equally. Therefore, if a team learns to collaborate, it will more easily get through a difficult event.
7. A team spirit developed during fun activities, such as a trip to a sugar shack, an obstacle course, a team dinner, a brainstorming activity, etc.
8. A team leader with positive leadership, with the qualities of being egalitarian, communicative, positive, motivating and unifying.
9. An open mind to listening to everyone's ideas. What could be more motivating than being able to improve with ideas that come from within!
10. Recognize each person's strengths in a timely manner. Housekeeping is a physically demanding job and not always easy. That's why a pat on the back for an employee who's done a good job is always appreciated.