Any work that is done under a good management of a work team will always give better results than that which is done in an isolated and individualized manner. We have always known that a good leader is one who knows how to get his team to work together, synchronized and harmoniously. A good management and administration of employees involves and encompasses an endless number of aspects, from a correct distribution of tasks, an optimal work schedule, an adequate remuneration, in short, a universe of aspects that involve a labor relationship.
That said, one of the most relevant aspects in the hotel sector is the correct administration and management of employees’ time, as it is a sector that, due to its high demand, can often be overwhelming for many employees.
The Expert Panel of Tecnohotel Forum 2022 was recently held, in which the company Skello, employee time management software, was present, represented by Marina Pitaluga, Regional Manager of the company, who explained to the attendees how to create the optimal work schedule for each business.
Marina Pitaluga started her presentation by addressing a simple question to the attendees: “What would you do if you had 30 hours free per month?”. This was a very pertinent question to start the talk. Especially since the solution offered by Skello promises hotel employees to save this time. Thus, the recipe for success of good team management lies in a balance between costs and revenues. It also lies in providing value to the hotel’s customers.
The speaker explained to the audience that employees are the “heart of the business” and that is why they must be included in this formula. She then defined the functions of the manager, which are divided into: planning, monitoring and control, and, finally, centralization. “To perform a single task, managers are used to using 5 different tools, which makes them unproductive, they spend between 8 and 20 hours a month on these tasks, and there is a high risk of error and dissatisfaction among staff,” the speaker pointed out. In this sense, the automation of processes becomes a fundamental key to the optimization of a hotel’s staff.
However, there is one aspect that is very characteristic of hotels, and that is the different schedules and distribution of personnel, and how to achieve an optimal organization in these cases:
- Organization of schedules
As we have indicated, a hotel is in operation 24 hours a day and therefore it is important to ensure that all services are covered and that the needs of our customers are not jeopardized at any time. The need to control the timetable of our hotel staff has been reinforced with the entry into force of the mandatory time recording.
Since May 12, 2019, with the entry into force of Royal Decree-Law 8/2019, of March 8, on urgent measures for social protection and the fight against labor precariousness in working hours, the recording of workers’ hours has become mandatory and extends to all workers, not only part-time workers. The main consequence of this legal reform is that companies have been obliged to record daily the times of entry and exit of workers from their workplaces, and this record includes the actual entry and exit times.
In addition, companies must keep the working day records for four years, which must remain at the disposal of the workers, their legal representatives and the Labor and Social Security Inspection.
Failure to comply with the legal obligations in force regarding the recording of working hours will be classified as a serious infringement, and will be punished with fines ranging from 626 to 6,250 euros.
The penalties will be imposed per work center and can logically be challenged before the competent labor authority. If we want to make sure that our hotel complies with current regulations when it comes to recording the working day, we must have a timetable automation tool that allows us to have everything under control. - Hotel staff vacations
Given that the periods of greatest workload coincide with dates especially desired by any worker for their own vacations, we must be very transparent and establish clear protocols for their concession, encouraging agreement among the workers themselves if possible. - Rotating shifts
Establish a system of rotating shifts in those positions whose characteristics allow it, so that there are no differences in treatment between workers and that everyone can access leave and days off in an equitable manner. - Temporary hotel staff to reinforce the workforce
In some cases, if events are held, it may be necessary to hire temporary staff and as businessmen we must be able to assess what these staffing needs are.
Especially in high season during the months of June to September and Easter vacations (also at Christmas in some cases) we will see how our volume of customers increases and our regular staff will not be enough to meet these needs. Sometimes it can even be more practical and profitable for us to resort to Temporary Employment companies to outsource these types of processes.
These are some of the many tips that we can show you about hotel staff management, if you are interested in knowing a little more about this, do not hesitate to consult here the different articles we have about it.
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