Category Archives: Employee Practices

by | February 6, 2015 · 9:03 am

Hospitality Industry Conference Update: “2015 Hospitality Law Conference”

The speakers, panelists, roundtable hosts, and facilitators of the 2015 Hospitality Law Conference represent the full spectrum of key roles in the hospitality industry:hlc2015 Private attorneys, hotel and restaurant corporate counsel, risk managers,finance executives, real estate developers, human resources managers, loss prevention managers, insurance brokers, and hotel and restaurant owners, managers, and operators

Hospitality Insurance and Loss Prevention Summit: The Petra Risk Solutions Hospitality Insurance and Loss Prevention Summit converges insurance, risk, LP, legal and finance to break down the silos of these functional areas. As we do each year, we begin with the top claims that have occurred over the last twelve months and the best practices to prevent them from occurring at your hotel or restaurant. As Worker Compensation Claims are becoming more of a challenge for the industry, we will take a deeper dive into best practices for prevention, claims handling and back to work policies.

For more: http://bit.ly/1zX3RBh

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by | February 4, 2015 · 10:26 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “Work Comp Control Can Prevent Employees from Early Check-Out”

We recently read an account of a 48-year-old female who had two complete knee replacements and got hired as a housekeeper.backinjuries-620x330 Within the first three months, she injured her bad knee, and the cost of her workers’ comp claim will be in the tens of thousands of dollars. If this employee had received a pre-placement screening prior to her hiring, the doctor may have recommended her for a different position

According to a recent study by the National Institute of Health (NIH), hotel workers have higher rates of occupational injury and illness compared with workers in other service industries, particularly in the area of musculoskeletal disorders. So is it any wonder why so many hotel employers are throwing up their arms in surrender every time they see their workers’ compensation premiums soar out of control? Many employers treat those premiums with a “there’s nothing I can do about it” mentality when there actually is something that can be done.

The starting point is always your experience mod, or the numbers that dictate what you will pay in premiums, based on your industry. Fifty percent of all experience modifiers are incorrect, and 80 percent of all experience modifiers are mismanaged. You need to understand the importance of managing and reducing your experience modifier—it’s not just a number. Taking a passive or nonchalant attitude can cost you plenty. And this can happen in a number of ways: misclassifications, incorrect payroll audits, recovery at work programs that are weak or in some cases non-existent, and an overall lack of an established safety culture.

For more: http://bit.ly/16olgqv

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Filed under Claims, Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Injuries, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training, Workers' Compensation

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by | January 12, 2015 · 9:16 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Sometimes It’s OK to Break the Rules”

Training helps, but the real issue is employee selection and retention. It’s important to hire people with a deep desire to serve, even if that means breaking the rules once in awhile. On the other side of the coin,Happy travelers GMs and department heads must have the smarts and the empathy to know when to applaud and reward a rule-breaking employee and when to coach a worker who might have stepped over the boundaries of acceptable empowerment

One of my favorite guilty-pleasure movies is “That Thing You Do,” a Tom Hanks-directed tale of the rise and fall of a one-hit-wonder singing group in the 1960s. In one scene, the band arrives in Hollywood to appear in a movie, and as they emerge from a cab in front of the since-closed-and-demolished Ambassador Hotel, the doorman greets them.

“Hi, my name is Lamarr, and this is my hotel,” he tells the new guests.

It was a throwaway line in a confection of a movie, but it demonstrates the important principal of empowerment that remains highly relevant in the hotel industry.

For more: http://bit.ly/1BUnf1J

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by | January 9, 2015 · 8:06 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “Front Desk Best Practices”

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/96622404 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Marco Johnson, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Front Desk Best Practices’. 

P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

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by | December 23, 2014 · 9:33 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Due Diligence – Standard Operating Procedures: Don’t Play Russian Roulette with Your Business”

By now you should understand how critical it is to have policies and procedures in place. Remember that it’s not enough to just have the SOPs and SSOPs documented in writing. It is imperative that you monitor compliance on a routine basis.due diligence It also requires timely updates; yearly should be sufficient. Once your policies and procedures have been established, it is important to keep your staff informed of any changes or updates as they occur

In order for a restaurant to run smoothly and deliver excellence on a consistent basis, Standard Operating Procedures (“SOPs”) and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (“SSOPs”) are an integral part of the business. No matter whether you’re a corporate chain or an independent owner/operator, it behooves you to take a moment to think about your SOPs and SSOPs. You have them, of course, don’t you? Or are they only in your head and it takes a visit to Total Recall in order to pluck them from your brain? Are they written policies or are they handed down verbally from person to person? Or will it take a lawsuit in order for you to address your policies and procedures?

For more: http://bit.ly/1vk9WRZ

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by | December 19, 2014 · 8:56 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Assessing the Midterms’ Impact on Lodging”

AH&LA is hopeful that final action on a long-term TRIA extension occurs in the coming weeks during the lame duck session.Vote The Senate passed its reauthorization bill earlier this year on a huge bipartisan vote, but action has stalled in the House.

The new Senate Republican Majority, combined with a larger House Republican Majority, will significantly alter the policy landscape for the business community and the lodging industry, says the government affairs team at AH&LA.

The association anticipates a busy year legislatively that includes smaller, targeted measures getting to the President’s desk and being signed into law, though likely not any grand compromises on issues like immigration or the nation’s fiscal policy. When it comes to issues impacting the lodging industry, here’s what AH&LA expects to come down the pike:

For more: http://bit.ly/13kLmJr

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Filed under Employee Benefits, Employee Practices, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

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by | December 15, 2014 · 9:23 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Hotel Housekeepers Say ‘Green’ Program Eliminates Jobs”

Chavez said housekeepers have been reprimanded for not cleaning rooms fast enough and some have resorted to working through breaks to avoid warnings. green-hotelsStill, she said, there are days when she looks at the clock at 2 p.m. and realizes she won’t finish on time. By comparison, before the program started, she could clean up to 20 rooms in a day because some rooms just needed a light touch.

A program that encourages hotel guests to decline housekeeping to conserve water and electricity sounds like a noble idea.

But hotel housekeepers say the program is killing their jobs, their legs and their backs as those workers still employed say they have to work harder because the rooms tend to be dirtier.

Fabiola Rivera, 31, said her managers expect her to clean rooms left unkempt for as many as three days at a pace of 16 rooms per day in an eight-hour shift, the same quota as if the rooms were tidied daily. And she also has to run around delivering fresh towels to guests in the program who cheat a bit.

For more: http://trib.in/1waj7sz

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Filed under Employee Practices, Green Lodging, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Training

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by | November 21, 2014 · 10:34 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Increase Hotel Profits by Keeping Your Employees Happy”

Customers often base their spending behaviors solely on their perception of the service. This is particularly true in the travel industry. Happy hotel maid at work in hotel roomQuick and efficient check-ins, a welcoming and accommodating staff, honesty and brand reliability are essential. When combined, these ingredients create the ultimate recipe for profitability.

The hospitality industry is thriving, but with that success comes responsibility. Hotel and restaurant owners need good management practices in order to remain relevant and realize sustained profits. Effective management includes overseeing employee satisfaction. Research has shown that there is a direct connection between employee contentment and customer loyalty. This is why it is important to take an interest in each staff member’s happiness.

In an accommodation industry, the key to customer satisfaction is high-quality service. However, employees who are unhappy often lack the motivation to provide such service, which results in disgruntled customers. This trickle-down effect can adversely affect a company’s revenue. Studies have proven that the attitude of an employee is directly related to a customer’s spending. Essentially, happy employees create happy customers.

For more: http://bit.ly/1xKit6j

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by | November 18, 2014 · 10:06 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Hidden Cameras Reveal How Much (And How Little) Some Hotel Maids Really Clean”

At a Crowne Plaza hotel, the maid collected all the used drinking glasses, put them into the sink, and turned on the water. Then she gathered all the dirty towels from the bathroom floor,housekeeper held onto one, and used it to help dry the cups. The Crowne Plaza maid then used the same towel to wipe down the countertop, the toilet and the bathtub. She never used soap on anything, but she did return to spray the room with air freshener.

When you check into a hotel room, you assume the maid has cleaned everything, including changing the sheets and disinfecting the bathroom. But a hidden camera investigation revealed that may not always be the case.

The Rossen Reports team booked rooms for two nights at some of the most popular hotel chains and rigged them with cameras (all three of the hotels were in northeastern New Jersey). In each case they put soda in the glasses, threw towels on the bathroom floors and made the rooms looked used before calling to have housekeeping make them up, as well as prominently displaying the card requesting that all linens be changed.

For more: http://on.today.com/1ur6PcG

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by | November 11, 2014 · 9:00 am

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “60 People Fall Ill With Norovirus at Bay Area Luxury Hotel” (VIDEO)

After the outbreak, staff members with the county’s Communicable Disease and Environmental Health Service began working with hotel managementNorovirus to implement infectious disease containment measures. The measures include frequent and comprehensive cleaning of common areas, educating employees about the virus and posting additional signage reminding employees to wash their hands.

Public health officials say 60 people who fell ill after staying at a Bay Area luxury hotel two weeks ago contracted the norovirus — a highly contagious virus that can lead to stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea.

San Mateo County health officials confirmed Friday that the guests and employees of the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City became ill sometime after Oct. 28, and traced the illness to the highly contagious norovirus, which spreads after contact with an infected person or contaminated food and water.

For more: http://lat.ms/1uYVKCD

And for more on how to help prevent Norovirus at your property, check out the video below from Petra’s own P3 Risk Management Team.

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/98741016 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Matt Karp, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Preventing Norovirus at Your Property’. 

P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

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Filed under Employee Practices, Food Illnesses, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Employees, Hotel Industry, Hotel Restaurant, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

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