Over the last decade this has consistently been the most common complaint we get from Room Attendants and Housekeeping members.
With Employers constant need for improving productivity whilst also keeping labour costs down it seems a common technique is to keep the number of Room Attendants to a minimum whilst increasing the number of rooms each needs to clean in a shift. This is short-sighted and can cause unforeseen problems for both Employers and employees.
There are a couple of telltale signs that commonly pop up when Room Attendant boards are too full.
Housekeepers could start skipping breaks to try and catch up their their rooms.
Injuries may occur due to overwork and fatigue
guest complaints can arise as Room Attendants may rush rooms through or cut corners to get rooms finished on time
Performance may be scrutinised as those who are not as fast as others could be under the spotlight
If you’re observing one or more of the above occurring in your workplace there are steps you can take. Nothing will change, unless workers demand it.
Get staff to take careful records of all missed breaks, both paid and unpaid. Write to your Employer and ask for this time to be paid back to you. Make sure you copy in your Union Organiser!
Educate all members to report all work-related injuries, ask them to keep copies of the reports.
Seek out your Health and Safety Representative. It is important this person was elected by workers, is trustworthy, has experience doing your role and has completed 2 days H&S training.
Ask to attend the next H&S Committee meeting to discuss the issue in a way it will be officially recorded. They have a responsibility to identify and if possible eliminate risks to worker Health and Safety.
Ensure anyone attending a disciplinary or performance meeting regarding a room allegedly not cleaned to standard has appropriate representation and support either from a trained Union Delegate or Organiser.
There are other approaches and avenues that can be explored to resolve this issue, but these are best utilised and discussed with the assistance of your union so get in touch with the Union Office if you’ve tried the above and not reached resolution.
Comments