An operations manual is necessary to operate your property, assigning responsibility, and create complete checklists.

Welcome to another addition of hospitality property school.

I’m your host Gerry MacPherson and today we are going to talk about setting up your properties operations manual.

 

 

In the last podcast and we looked at the Hospitality Properties Organizational Structure. Determining what duties are necessary to operate your property, assigning responsibility, and creating complete checklists of what is required to complete each responsibility.

These checklists will become your businesses operations manual.

 

I this podcast I will look at the operations manual itself.

When your operations manual is complete, it should contain a series of organised checklists divided into categories.

For example:

  • Housekeeping
  • Customer service
  • Breakfasts
  • Accounting
  • Maintenance
  • And on, and on

 

Each checklist needs to detail the specific steps each housekeeper, front desk agent, maintenance person, accountant etc, must take to do each task in the right order.

The checklist needs to cover every detail, with drawings when required and a place to check as each detail is completed.

At the bottom of the checklist, a place for a signature confirming everything is done.

 

Now you might have some on employees who do not like the idea of being monitored like this.  I’ve heard some say they felt like children.  Have you ever gone to the grocery store knowing you had to pick up three items get to the store and only remember two of the items?  If you have a checklist, this would not be a problem.

 

If you run into this problem with employees not wanting to change, ask them how they would feel the next time they jump on a flight, they found out the pilot did not do a pre-flight check or the next time their car was in for a safety inspection, the mechanic just looked at it and said “looks good  to me”, without looking under the hood or when your child was in to see the doctor and the doctor just touched their head and said “perfectly healthy” … you might be a little concerned.

 

You might say, these are very important, of course, they should do more checking.

Well, your business is very important and employees with the good work ethic are very important your business.

With a system like this in place, even a brand new employee would not require weeks or even days of training and monitoring. Instead, they would be consistently working your business, the way you designed, like a pro, in no time.

Do you like consistency in your favourite restaurant? Hair salon? Coffee shop?

 

So, you might ask “what should I have a checklist for?”

The simple answer – EVERYTHING!

  • When the outdoor lights turn on
  • How much fruit should be in the bowl at reception and what it should look like?
  • What bills have to be paid and when
  • What items are recycled?
  • How the towels should be folded
  • How a uniform should be worn

 

You get the idea, everything should have a checklist, with diagrams.

If you have this system in place and work it properly, there will rarely be any errors – it works!

Your operation manual will be worth its weight in gold but that does not mean its set in stone.  It has to be treated it like a living, breathing entity. If you or your employees find a way to do something better – change it.

 

The only guideline you should have is that

“Any criticism is constructive and with an alternative option.”

 

I would like to hear about your operation manual, and how it works for you. If you would like to share or have any questions or feedback you can leave them in the comments section of the show notes at:

 

keystonehospitalitydevelopment.com/khdc004

 

If you have topic ideas that are important to you and would like us to cover, feel free to reach out to use on

Facebook at facebook.com/keystonehdc

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Or email at

info@keystonehospitalitydevelopment.com

 

That’s it for today’s session, let’s continue to work together to put heads in your beds.

Until next time, have a fun day.

 

Music Credit:

Sun Spark
http://www.danosongs.com/

 

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KHDC 004- How to Create Your Operations Manual