5 Tips for Hotel Housekeeping Personal Safety

Finding and maintaining quality staff isn't always easy for hotels and motels, and it is becoming even more challenging as employee expectations for work-life balance, compensation, and employee benefits evolve. Though economy and mid-level hotels can’t always compete with larger hotel chains, that doesn’t mean they can’t offer a desirable workplace.
September 21, 2021 | Hotels
By: Leslie S.
Leslie Stoll is a Staff Loss Control Consultant. Leslie joined the Acuity team in January 2020. She is well versed on assessing risk exposures to help identify, evaluate, and control risk with practical solutions and recommendations. Leslie is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), holds the Associates in Risk Management designation (ARM) from the Insurance Institute of America, and is a graduate of Illinois State University’s Safety Program. Leslie began her career working in private industry (manufacturing) and later transitioned into the insurance industry. Outside of her career, Leslie uses her knowledge of safety and risk assessment to teach women’s self-defense classes at her family’s martial arts school.

Loss Control Consultant

Finding and maintaining quality staff isn't always easy for hotels and motels, and it is becoming even more challenging as employee expectations for work-life balance, compensation, and employee benefits evolve. Though economy and mid-level hotels can’t always compete with larger hotel chains, that doesn’t mean they can’t offer a desirable workplace.

 

Once you find topnotch employees, keeping them around will make your business run smoother. You do not want to lose them because they feel unsafe at work. Harassment and assault incidents, which have increased in the industry, can ruin your hotel's reputation as a safe workplace and a safe place for guests to stay. You can help reduce the chance of an incident by implementing security and personal safety programs. Below are some ideas to help you improve personal safety for your housekeeping staff.

 

  • Skip daily service. Reduce risk of exposure to violence by decreasing the number of times staff enter rooms. During the 2020 pandemic, daily housekeeping services were eliminated at many hotels. If guests agree to skip daily housekeeping, your risk of workplace violence decreases.
  • Clean in teams. Instead of assigning housekeepers a block of rooms to clean by floor, consider having them work alongside each other on the same floor. With a coworker nearby, your staff will be able to easily call for assistance when needed.
  • Provide personal panic buttons. In some cities, personal panic buttons are now required for housekeeping staff. If local ordinances do not exist, you can still implement controls to give your staff peace of mind. A quick internet search for personal panic alarms will produce plenty of low-cost options that can be activated easily with the pull of a cord or push of a button. If you have a larger budget, there are devices that track employee locations and can alert the front desk of an issue.
  • Create a safety culture. Do your employees really understand how important their safety is to the success of your hotel? Many employees just want to do their job as effectively as possible, which can sometimes lead them to take unnecessary risk. Your staff should be reminded often that they can walk away from an unsafe situation without risk of negative consequences.
  • Monitor the property. Utilize your security cameras for more than after-the-fact review. Cameras should be continually monitored for unusual situations to proactively respond to concerns. Taking frequent and routine walks of the property will also help you keep your employees safe. Guests with bad intentions are less likely to strike if they sense a well-monitored property.

 

These simple and low-cost ideas can make a huge impact on employee personal safety. Please take some time to consider what your facility can do to reduce the risk of a workplace violence incident.

By: Leslie S.
Leslie Stoll is a Staff Loss Control Consultant. Leslie joined the Acuity team in January 2020. She is well versed on assessing risk exposures to help identify, evaluate, and control risk with practical solutions and recommendations. Leslie is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), holds the Associates in Risk Management designation (ARM) from the Insurance Institute of America, and is a graduate of Illinois State University’s Safety Program. Leslie began her career working in private industry (manufacturing) and later transitioned into the insurance industry. Outside of her career, Leslie uses her knowledge of safety and risk assessment to teach women’s self-defense classes at her family’s martial arts school.

Loss Control Consultant