Beyond Words

Remember the interpersonal communication graphic in Communications 101 that looks something like this: Sender>Message>Receiver? Many former students currently in responsible management positions undoubtedly snickered at the simplicity of the model.

But what appeared elementary in school is extraordinarily relevant — and complicated — in the real world. Relations with a variety of communication stakeholders — employees, vendors, clients, investors, media and the community at large — are instrumental to your business and personal success.

Leaving communication to chance is a business oversight because possibilities for miscommunication are as infinite as the experiences and mindsets of individuals. Work is a social product, and savvy managers learn quickly not to take communication processes for granted.

Most communication dos and don’ts generally are learned on the job, not in a classroom. Like managers everywhere, housekeeping professionals eventually master critical communication skills to help them achieve client satisfaction, and ultimately, complement the business goals of their respective organizations.

Treat employees like celebrities
Executive housekeeper Laurie Guida has been with Hyatt Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla., for 20 years where she oversees 100 line staffers in the 750-room hotel. Guida knows providing exceptional, personalized service to guests only is possible with a well-informed, meticulous frontline staff. She considers each and every guest a “celebrity,” and sees to it that their requests are honored graciously: This person wants extra towels; that person wants their room cleaned and beds turned down at a precise time.

“You have to be extremely flexible because of the needs and wants of guests, and Laurie does that extremely well,” says Michael Connolly assistant rooms executive and Guida’s boss.

Guida knows she can rely on her staff to be highly responsive to guests and their requests, because she treats her staff like celebrities — giving them her immediate attention whenever it’s needed.

“If your employee needs you for anything at all, just do it then,” Guida advises. “You never want to keep your staff waiting, no matter what the answer. Good relationships with staff are number one; then they’ll take good care of the customer. I’m not touching every guest — it’s my staff that is.”

This responsiveness to the needs of frontline employees is anchored with daily, pre-shift 15-minute meetings incorporating a “wake-up” exercise, training, a refresher, a rundown of current hotel events, and special guest requests. The meeting is wrapped up with Q&A.

During these meetings, Guida communicates the hotel’s preferred placement of furnishings and amenities using posters and enlarged photographs. She says the visual aids are priceless — worth a thousand words — especially when working with a multicultural staff. Daily inspections ensure quality standards are maintained and scores are tracked. Rewards like movie tickets or gift certificates are presented to employees with good scores at future meetings. Executives often visit these meetings to acknowledge the importance of the front line to corporate objectives, and to thank them for their caring and detailed execution.

The daily meeting also instills a fresh mindset in the housekeepers, which helps them stay attuned to the expectations of guests who aren’t just paying for clean sheets and towels, but for a memorable, enjoyable stay.

Large meetings are held twice a year to communicate additional information about chemicals, safety and quality standards. In an interesting twist, much of this information is dispersed through the use of videotapes created by Hyatt, including shots of the workers in action throughout the year. This approach lends an additional element of “employee as celebrity” and bestows a larger dimension to their cleaning routines.

“It motivates them,” Guida says.

In addition to annual evaluations, employees are invited to participate in a confidential, internal opinion survey once a year. Employees, including Guida, use these observations to improve personal performances. Guida says the survey results help her to better understand where her staff is coming from.

“We all realize no two people are alike,” Connolly says.
“I encourage Laurie to try new things,” he says. “It’s her department to run, and I’m here to help her get to that end solution.”

Be visible, and promote a professional image
Connolly doesn’t wait for Guida to come to him, but manages by “walking around.”

“If you become isolated from your coworkers, especially in operations, you’re not going to know what’s going on,” says Connolly. “It’s very important — especially for an executive housekeeper.”

Ron Zoulek, environmental services manager for St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee, maintains high visibility with his staff of 280 and the rest of the hospital occupants.

“Visibility is key,” Zoulek says. “A successful housekeeping manager needs to get out in the trenches. You see them, they see you. You’re in touch with the quality of work, and it will be much easier for you to correct those things, and the rest of the staff will know you care.”

Some communication tactics Zoulek employs:

• Rephrase what you are told to ensure you are hearing the sender’s intended message correctly. “Clarify and verify,” Zoulek says. “There can be a lot of confusion, both ways — especially in this industry, where you have a very diverse population.”
  
  
• Maintain your composure. “If someone’s screaming and yelling at you, you can’t do it back or you’ll escalate the entire process,” he says.
  
  
• Communicate information using the “Keep It Simple, Stupid” principle (a.k.a. KISS). “Using high-tech words often does not work,” Zoulek says. “Keep it short, sweet and simple. If it’s not, you’re going to lose them.” Conversely, he recommends explaining why things are done certain ways to help keep employees motivated to do their assignments.
  

Societal stereotypes can present morale problems for cleaners. Working in prestige-conscious settings and being subordinate to several layers of management and customers compounds the morale problem.

“We try very hard to promote professionalism within our department,” Zoulek says. “If they look and act like professionals, they’ll be treated like professionals. It’s a style of communication. I require all my [male] supervisors to wear a shirt and tie. Females have to be dressed appropriately, as well — no sweatshirts. Our cleaning staff wear uniforms that must be neat, ironed and in good repair.

“But it can be tough for some employees,” Zoulek says. “Some feel they’re being ‘walked on,’ that there’s no cooperation and that everyone looks down on them. That’s a real personal thing, depending on what’s going on in the area in which you’re working.”

New nomenclature and job titles are encouraging a more refined sensibility of housekeeping.

“It’s no longer ‘janitor’ but ‘housekeeper,’ ‘environmental assistant,’ or ‘project worker,’ ” Zoulek says. “Generally, across the nation, I see an increase in respect for housekeeping.”

Communicate proactively for big dividends
Sixty percent of Brian Wormwood’s front line staff speak Spanish as their first language. Wormwood, assistant director of the University of Central Florida-Orlando physical plant, is learning the language, but for now, he must rely on others to translate for him. This increases the chance of his message being misinterpreted, or not delivered in a timely manner.

But soon he’ll be over his learning curve, and already is used to presenting all of his announcements and training (written or verbal) in both English and Spanish. He even recently presented a PowerPoint slide show in both languages, which scored big points with his staff for effort and for his courage to appear vulnerable.

“They had a great time listening to me chop up the language,” he says.

Since his employees punch time clocks at a variety of campus locations, Wormwood conducts bimonthly informational meetings when they pick up their paychecks at the central office. He thinks more formal meetings bring focus, which helps his employees retain the information they’re given.

In 2002, 131 state employees served the housekeeping needs of 4,500 students living in residence halls and many more attending classes.

“It’s important we be proactive before there are any concerns,” Wormwood says.

“We make a point of getting to know the residence assistants and housing coordinators so we can understand their needs,” adds Montel Watson, associate director of administrative services. Customers are encouraged to troubleshoot small things themselves, like how to operate thermostats, circuit breakers, etc.

And if there is a problem the customer cannot remedy, it’s resolved as fast as humanly possible.

“When I hear of any problem, I admit a problem and fix it,” says Wormwood. “When problems come up we try not to place blame, but ask how can we work so people understand the process — so it doesn’t happen again.”

In addition to meeting with the university’s associate director and deans every six months, annual meetings with professors also facilitate cordial relations, and Wormwood says face-to-face is the communication route he prefers no matter whom he’s dealing with.

“You’re guaranteed your message has a better chance of being received,” he says. “Communication is everything — the success or failure of everything you do.”

Be flexible, using core values as a roadmap
As facilities manager with the Ohio Department of Public Safety, Jeff DuBois manages three employees and about 30 housekeeping contractors who perform everything from carpet to restroom cleaning. DuBois also prefers face time to phone or e-mail — especially to resolve conflict.

“Try to close that loop as quickly as possible,” DuBois suggests, echoing the urgency of Guida, Zoulek and Wormwood.

His experience in both private and public enterprise has provided him with insight into communication styles.

“One of the things I learned early is that there are certain ways of doing things, and certain words people want to hear, and it changes with each corporate culture,” DuBois says. “The message may be the same, but the way it’s presented may be different. You have to come up with the right way to present something to the right person, and sometimes you have to be a little creative. Message-giving involves how people hear and process things.

“Learning and experiencing are different for everyone, which affects approach, and the types of words you use,” he says. “You might have to spoon-feed a novice, but with someone with a lot of experience in facilities, you can get right to the point of the matter. My boss here has been interesting. Because of his military background I have to rethink how I communicate.”

DuBois says his open approach to management and easygoing style are complemented by those of his boss, Daniel Davies, a former military helicopter pilot. Davies says his military experience helped him become adept at sending and receiving messages accurately; and to be more patient in trying to understand what people are trying to tell him.

“I try to make a point to understand perceptions and needs before I make a decision,” he says.

DuBois says Davies has helped him understand the value of better planning.

DuBois points out that planning is important because “I can’t be everywhere in a 365,000-square-foot building.”

Davies’ planning process helps DuBois as a manager to share specific goals and values for managing vendors, including continuous communications.

Davies also points out the importance of setting up quality control processes, laying out expectations, gathering feedback from vendors and managers, and continual monitoring to ensure all parties are heading down the same path.

“If the standards are not there, there is usually a legitimate reason for it,” Davies says.

Davies uses core values to guide him to be a successful communicator: excellence, empowerment, commitment, diversity, respect, customer satisfaction and mutual trust. He promotes these values through written communication, and leading by example.

“I’m there to reinforce and adjust,” he says. “I don’t try to micromanage.”