Housekeeping Job Description, Qualifications, and Outlook

Individuals with the housekeeping job description perform a variety of light cleaning duties. They maintain private households or commercial establishments clean and orderly. Their duties most frequently include cleaning rooms, vacuuming, making beds, and replenishing linens.

Depending on each housekeeper job, people in the profession can handle any of a wide array of tasks. For example, the hotel housekeeper job description will be quite different than the hospital housekeeping job description. Similarly, someone with the housekeeping supervisor job will have different responsibilities than a regular housekeeper.

Job Overview: What Does a Housekeeping Professional Do?

The housekeeping job description often involves cleaning toilets, dusting furniture, doing the laundry, and other such responsibilities. Keeping steady supplies of bathroom products, changing light bulbs, replenishing fridge supplies, and making beds are also in the job description. They must also adhere to preset cleanliness standards.

Despite the tiring nature of the housekeeping job, the position isn’t all that stressful. For one, most housekeepers get to work autonomously. Furthermore, they get to finish their work in the way they prefer. However, it’s quite frequent for their work to be evaluated on the spot. This can potentially turn into a cause of stress.

Housekeeping Job Duties

Below, we have compiled a series of duties and responsibilities most often met by individuals with the housekeeping job description. They are responsibilities met by different types of housekeepers, so you might not run into all of them at your next workplace.

• Clean rooms, vacuum, make beds and replenish linens.
• Clean toilets, dust the furniture and do the laundry.
• Keep steady supplies of bathroom products, change light bulbs, replenish fridge supplies.
• Be honest and respectful, and maintain a positive attitude toward employers, guests, or patients.
• A resistance to physical labor, to dust and cleaning chemicals.
• Work either unsupervised or under supervision.
• Maintain a certain level of professionalism and follow procedure, instructions, and protocol.

Housekeeping Job Essential Skills

Since the housekeeping job description is so taxing and tiresome, it takes certain skills and abilities to pull it off. Without these skills and abilities, one might do very poorly at their job. In this case, the person may lose the job or even quit, mainly because of overexertion and stress.

Interpersonal skills. The housekeeper should have a very reliable personality and highly developed listening skills. Knowing when to be honest and when to be respectful towards employers, guests, or patients. Highly developed communication and a certain level of professionalism are also important. This professional has to know how to maintain a superior customer focus and a positive attitude. Also, a certain level of integrity is required if conflictual situations appear.

Detail-oriented. A housekeeper must have a great attention to detail in order to be able to complete their tasks successfully. The professional has to have some measure of adaptability in order to finalize each task correspondingly.  Also, quick wits and the ability to work either unsupervised or under supervision is important.

Organizational skills. Superior organizational and planning skills are also necessary. The ability to follow procedure, instructions, protocol, and being able to incorporate that in their work is extremely important for the housekeeper job. Another major characteristic it to be a good team player and work with colleagues and superiors for the accomplishment of the end purpose.

Physical strength.  High levels of energy are also necessary to be able to perform the housekeeper duties. Moderate to high levels of stamina are necessary, as well as a high physical strength since it is required to stand, kneel, crawl, bend, squat, crouch, and work in confined spaces for long periods of time. Moreover, a resistance to dust and cleaning chemicals is also useful.

Becoming a Housekeeping Professional

Since a single housekeeper can have so many responsibilities, it’s important to know what one can get into. Anyone aspiring to get the housekeeping job will run into some hard times. But they just have to smile and pull through the day. And that is only one of the difficulties posed by the position. Basically, there aren’t any educational requirements for the housekeeping job description. Older colleagues might, on occasion, help with the layout of the workplace.

Qualifications and Training

The thing which makes the housekeeper job so sought-after, yet so poorly paid, is the required education. While it is good to possess a GED or a high school diploma, it is not mandatory.

Still, the physically demanding work does require a certain level of fitness. So, exercising every now and then should help with the job. On-the-job training is also a pretty rare occurrence since most housekeepers already know what they are doing.

Work Experience

Experience isn’t really a criterion when it comes to the housekeeping job description or salary. One’s chances of getting higher paychecks do increase in time, but they do so very slowly. In fact, according to payscale.com, the median housekeeper salary only grows by $6,000 over twenty years on the job.

As for one’s chances of obtaining a job, they do grow somewhat with time and practice. In fact, older and more experienced housekeepers are more likely to get better-paying jobs. That is only available for housekeepers working in the private sector, or serving private domiciles.

Working Hours

Housekeepers usually work in shifts, although the more experienced housekeepers will usually only work days and put lower members of staff for the overnight shifts. The shifts usually last for around eight hours with a break included. Part-time hours may also be possible. Also, housekeepers might need to work weekends and bank holidays, which are usually shared out with other members of staff. Housekeepers can work in hotels or other residential establishments: holiday centers, health spas or private clubs.

Despite the low salary of about $10 per hour, the housekeeping job is very tiring. It involves getting in contact with unsanitary objects, as well as a lot of standing. So, people with back or leg issues might have trouble fitting into the occupation. Some housekeepers can have living expenses or the rent deducted from their wage, that means they earn less, however, they might receive extra money for working late and anti-social hours.

Job Outlook & Advancement Opportunities

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of employment for the housekeeping job is positive. It will grow 8% by 2024, as fast as the average for all the occupations in the United States. The growth depends on several factors, both intrinsically and extrinsically connected to the occupation.

Careers for people with the hotel housekeeping job are generally more optimistic than for those working in public sectors. Becoming a housekeeping supervisor is a possibility, as is moving up in the hotel staff. Similar promotions are available in hospitals and other places with an established hierarchy.

Conclusion

Coming with one of the best-paid jobs in hospitality, the housekeeping job description is very tiring and taxing. Still, because of the practically non-existent education standards, it is one of the most sought-after in hospitality. It certainly isn’t a job for everyone, as a certain set of skills and qualities are mandatory for the position.