Housekeeping and Other Departments

Coordination with Security Department

The coordination here is mainly concerned with the prevention of fire and thefts and the safekeeping of keys and lost property. There are so many security hazards on the floor that this liaison is particularly important and housekeeper cooperates by endeavoring to see that housekeeping staff are aware of the hazards. Housekeeping personnel should also report anything of a suspicious nature immediately to the security staff. However, a guest may take advantage of this privacy and may be engaged in certain illegal activities such as gambling, smuggling and so on. Housekeeping personnel have to be alert to this risk and seek the security department’s intervention if necessary. The security department is responsible for conducting training sessions on handling emergency situations for the staff. For example, they conduct fire drills to train staff to gear up in a fire emergency.

Coordination with Food and Beverage Department

The food and beverage department consist of both the service staff as well as the kitchen staff. The coordination of housekeeping with the restaurants and banquet halls is mainly concerned with the provision of linen and uniforms. The linen room supervisor, under the supervision of the executive housekeeper, needs to have sufficient stock of clean napery to meet the demands of the F & B department’s restaurant and banquet function. On his/her part, the restaurant manager should ensure that the time set for the exchange of linen is respected; that linen is not lost or misused; and that intimation of forthcoming banquet function is conveyed to housekeeping well in advance. Beside extra/special linen, housekeeping may also have to arrange for flower decorations for banquet.

Coordinating between two departments becomes particularly necessary in the case of room service, so that friction does not arise over matters such as waiters not collecting trays from guestrooms or room service staff leaving soiled trays in the corridors or causing extra work through careless spills on the carpet.

In many hotels, housekeeping also looks after pest control in restaurants, kitchens, and store attached to them. Both restaurant and kitchen staff required clean uniforms on a daily basis, for which they need to communicate with housekeeping. Provision of staff meals for housekeeping personnel, on the other hand, is the responsibility of the kitchen staff.

Coordination with Personnel Department

Housekeeping coordinates with the personnel department for recruitments of housekeeping staff, managing their salaries and wages, addressing indiscipline, following through grievance procedures, issuing identity cards for employee, running induction program, maintaining locker facilities, completing income tax formalities, effecting transfers, promotions, appraisals, and exit formalities, procuring trainees and organizing training sessions.

Coordination with Purchase Department

The purchase department procures out-stock items for housekeeping, such as guest supplies and amenities, stationery, linen, cleaning materials and equipment, and so on. Housekeeping should convey their requirement to purchase by way of advance notice in the form of a purchase requisition.

Coordination with Stores

Coordination with stores ensures the availability of day-to-day necessities of housekeeping. Larger hotels have a store attached to the housekeeping department that stock linen, supplies and so on. Smaller hotels may stock them in the general store, except for linen, which is sent to the housekeeping department on purchase. Communication with stores is by way of a requisition form, which housekeeping sends to stores when it requires certain items.