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What are the Different Housekeeping Supervisor Jobs?

T. Webster
T. Webster

Various housekeeper supervisor jobs include overseeing cleaning or laundry crews in hotels, hospitals or virtually any business that requires cleaning or linen services. Specific duties of the job vary with the needs of a particular business and the size of its cleaning crew. If the staff is small, housekeeper supervisors might be expected to work alongside the cleaning crews.

The main duties of housekeeper supervisors are managing a department and supervising a staff. Housekeeping supervisors oversee other cleaning staff members to ensure that the work is being done correctly, safely and efficiently. This can be done while working with the cleaning staff or by checking the staff members' work after it has been completed.

A housekeeping supervisor ensures rooms are cleaned effectively by staff members.
A housekeeping supervisor ensures rooms are cleaned effectively by staff members.

One of the most common housekeeping supervisor jobs is working for a hotel. In this role, the supervisor is usually responsible for inspecting guest rooms and resolving any guest complaints. Guest complaints can arise if rooms are not adequately cleaned or stocked. For example, the housekeeping supervisor would likely handle the complaint if there are no clean towels in a bathroom.

Housekeeping supervisor jobs can require some cleaning and supervisory experience.
Housekeeping supervisor jobs can require some cleaning and supervisory experience.

Housekeeping supervisor jobs at hospitals might also involve some contact with clients. Cleaning at hospitals and other healthcare facilities sometimes happens while patients are resting in their rooms. For this reason, it is necessary for the cleaners to cause as little disruption as possible.

The housekeeping supervisor’s role in a hospital setting consists mainly of scheduling and managing the cleaning crew. It is also important to ensure that all procedures and safety precautions are followed. Healthcare facilities have strict requirements for cleanliness, because directly impact a patient’s recovery and comfort.

Some housekeeping supervisor jobs focus more on laundry than on cleaning. In these positions, the supervisor will make sure that the workers are properly cleaning and sorting the laundry. In smaller businessesses, a housekeeper supervisor might oversee both cleaning and laundry functions.

Other responsibilities related to housekeeping supervisor jobs include reviewing employment applications and interviewing and hiring staff members. Supervisors can also be responsible for training new cleaning staff members. This includes showing trainees everything that must be completed every day. A housekeeping supervisor might also write evaluations and counsel employees on how to make improvements in their work performance, if needed.

Housekeeping supervisor jobs can require some cleaning and supervisory experience. It is possible, however, for a cleaner to get experience and then move up into a supervisory position. The job usually requires at least a high school diploma. In some cases, additional training or a degree is required.

Employers tend to fill housekeeping supervisor jobs with healthy, dependable and hard-working people. An ability to lead others is a necessity. Good communication and interpersonal skills are also desirable for supervisors who have a lot of interaction with other staff members or clients.

Discussion Comments

Euroxati

I don't know if I would call this "housekeeping", but I once had a job where I worked in college cafeteria. When all of the students left, before clocking out, we always made it our duty to make sure the tables were cleaned, the dishes were put away, and the food racks were spotless. Though this may not fit into housekeeping, as it wasn't part of our "main" duties, so to speak, it still has quite a few similarities.

Viranty

Based on my experience as a housekeeper, I feel that it's beneficial to have experience with other janitor duties before moving on to said position. Whether you've worked as a janitor in high school, or you've cleaned the college floors at night, it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Also, being experienced with cleaning duties will help you prepare a lot more, especially when it comes to the bigger messes. For example, what if you were working at a hospital, and someone vomited in one of the rooms? If you were experienced with these things, though disgusting, you would have little to no trouble with it. However, if it was your first day on the day, it might be more trouble than it's really worth.

Hazali

While I've never had a job as a housekeeper, I do think it would be interesting, regardless of the fact that it's basically a janitor position, only you're tending to someone's house and not a public bathroom. Also, when working the position, I'm assuming one thing you need to remember is that you need to clean things the way the house owners want you to. In other words, even though everything should be tidy, always make sure everything is organized. For example, what if the house owners want the dishes stacked in a certain way, or the forks and spoons aligned in order? Though this might only be a minor annoyance to some, it's still something to take into consideration.

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    • A housekeeping supervisor ensures rooms are cleaned effectively by staff members.
      By: Kzenon
      A housekeeping supervisor ensures rooms are cleaned effectively by staff members.
    • Housekeeping supervisor jobs can require some cleaning and supervisory experience.
      By: Michael Flippo
      Housekeeping supervisor jobs can require some cleaning and supervisory experience.