How to Increase Staff Productivity in Hotels?
In the hospitality organisation staffing utilisation is one of the most crucial factors that determine optimisation of operation, customer satisfaction and organisational performance.
Since hotels and accommodations have to address the needs of guests at any time of the day it is possible to increase staff productivity in hotels and increase staff effectiveness, thus, resulting in enhanced guests’ satisfaction, increased profitability and better staff-orientated environment.
Strategic Steps to Improve Staff Performance in Hotels
Here’s how hotel managers can boost staff productivity in hotels and ensure seamless hotel operations:
1. Use Technology
Embrace use of technology specifically on areas where automation is possible.
The most common method to improve the staff’s performance is to introduce technologies to the organization’s workflow.
Some of the clerical issues that may take some more time if done manually can be eased off through the use of hotel management software or a comprehensive hospitality operation solution like iNPLASS.
Automated Check-In/Check-Out: Enabling guests to check in or check out on their own through kiosks or mobile applications also make utilisation of frontal desk staff for other important tasks that can make guests wait for a long time.
Task Management Systems: Use of technology can be of great aid in disbursing and monitoring the tasks that involve the housekeeping and maintenance of other departments and sections. For instance, the clients can be alerted informing them of any guest’s emergency, need to repair or cleaning or any other service to be completed at once.
2. Training and Professional Development
Ensure that there are sufficient education, training and professional development schemes available to match the extent of the people’s skills’ deficiency.
Since staff has been entrusted with responsibilities that can transform the organization, the proper training must be provided to the staff.
Maining the staff’s constant professional development is more than just bringing their employee up to speed to get the job done right but it also enables the staff to take on more challenges effectively.
Cross-Training: Having employees of the front desk also in the housekeeping department means that during busy times or if anyone is off sick or on leave, then others are able to do more. It makes the workforce more flexible, and you can satisfy guests’ needs in a short time.
Upskilling Programs: It can be effective to provide training on growth and development on skills such as guest service, technological knowledge and effective time management thereby increasing efficiency in guests relation.
3. Promote Clarity with Language
Lack of communication is one of the biggest times wastes in the hotel business.
Problems may arise between departments that are independent but interrelated including housekeeping, maintenance and front desk which may result to delay in delivery of services or wrong services being provided to the guests hence reducing on the level of satisfaction.
Enhancing the means of communication makes it easier to run a business or an organisation and reduces cases of confusion.
Integrated Communication Tools: Implementing communication tools such as the iNPLASS that denotes interconnecting of departments ensures that the staff relay the relevant information in real-time, in respect to guest requests, room status and even maintenance.
Team Meetings: The managers and employees should attend daily meetings and briefings so that the managers explain what they expect to be achieved daily and the most important tasks that have to be accomplished.
4. Proper Staff Allocation
In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the schedule of the healthcare facility has to be optimised as well as staff allocation.
Data-Driven Scheduling: Another factor which has to do with hotel staff productivity though it deals with the number of staff available during the time of high demand. Lack of adequate staffing means that the available employees may end up working more than required and delivering services slowly while on the other hand, having many employees working requires more resources than are necessary and is equally bad.
Adaptive staffing: With the help of occupancy rates, it is possible to forecast periods of high occupancy and plan increase in staff based on historical data. Hotel management systems can use trend analysis and effective schedule distribution to fulfill guests’ expectations to not hurt employee motivation.
Flexible Shifts: For example, staffing the essential departments such as the housekeeping or the front desk might be done through adopting shift work and or having staggered start and end to avoid congestion during rush hours.
5. Prioritize Employee Well-Being
It has been seen that cheerful and healthy employees are the productive ones who can work more than others.
Hospitality industry is very rigorous and employees may work under pressure, therefore I have to pay much attention to the health and welfare of my employees.
Adequate Breaks: Make sure that the employees are allowed to rest in between their shift especially during long working hours or periods of high traffic.
Recognition and Rewards: Promoting extra service is important to any organization because people respond well to being appreciated and given a reward for their hard work. People can be given a thank you, a bonus, or be taken through the employee of the month program and this aids in making employees feel wanted.
Work-Life Balance: Providing paid vacation, flexible schedules and concerns for maintaining reasonable employee turnover rates reduces burnout levels and increases staff productivity levels at hotels.
6. Maintain Healthy Relations
High work culture promotes the principles of teamwork hence; the staff duty performance will improve.
- Improve Working Relations and Maintain a Healthy Company Culture. Creating a culture that supports its employees to get the best out of them can help minimize turnover while increasing hotel staff productivity.
Team-Building Activities: Team Building exercises, departmental picnic or any function that brings employees and departments together can help in easily overcoming relationship barriers.
Open Communication: Promote people’s communication with others through the organization’s staff and management positions. If the employee’s suggestions and complaints are heard then he is more likely to be active and committed to his work.
Final Points on Increasing Staff Productivity in Hotels
Efficiency improvement interventions for staff in hotel industries entail use of appropriate technology, communication, working hour arrangements, and positive organizational culture.
Through mastering and acquiring the hotel management solutions such as iNPLASS, the hotels’ employee welfare as well as their guests’ feedback will enable management to enhance efficiency in the operation of the hotel.
By applying these hotel staff productivity strategies, hotels are in a position to improve processes, facilitate guests’ satisfaction and hence increase hotel revenues.