FLOWER ARRANGEMENT (Japanese, Western/ Traditional, Free style arrangements)

FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

(Japanese, western, traditional & free style)

Definition- It is a decorative art of organizing flowers, fillers and foliage, to achieve harmony of form, color, and texture, thereby adding cheer, life, and beauty to the surroundings

Flower arrangements in hotels-In hotels flowers are used significantly. Different types of flowers and arrangements are preferred as per the area and occasion.

Basic principle of flower arrangements

a)      Proportion and Scale: Proportion relates to the height of plant material, size of container, its shape, size of room, wall or table. Scale concerns relative size and proportion concerns relative amounts of the flowers, foliage, fillers and other accessories with respect to the surroundings

b)      Harmony and Unity: In a pleasing flower arrangement, the plant material, container, base, accessory and setting should have harmony and unity altogether.

c)      Balance: Physical as well as visual balance is very much important for an arrangement.

d)      Rhythm: It is the related movement in respect to line, form, pattern or color. The eye should move smoothly and freely without any distraction

e)      Emphasis: This involves having one or more areas in the arrangement to which the eye is drawn and on which it rests for a short time. This point is known as a ‘focal point’ or ‘center of interest’. The usual methods to achieve emphasis is either to include a dominating flower, small group of dominating flowers or use striking foliage.

STYLES OF FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

• Line (Japanese/ oriental) arrangements
• Mass (European) arrangements
• Line-mass (Western/ traditional) arrangements

 LINE ARRANGEMENTS

In this arrangement, most of the display is done in a line with limited use of plant material. Best example for line arrangements is Ikebana.

 

Literal meaning of word ikebana is ‘making flowers live’ in Japanese. They are symbolic representations of an ideal harmony that exists between earthly and eternal life. In this arrangement Heaven, Man and Earth are represented by means of three main branches:

1. Shin-It is the tallest line represents ‘heaven’ it ends to the central axis of the vase. This stem should be 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 times the height of the container.

2. Soe- the second highest stem, represents man- facing and looking towards heaven. It provides width to the arrangement and is about three-fourth the height of the tallest spray. This stem forms an angle of about 45 degree with the rim of the container.

3. Hikae- the lowest stem, denotes earth. This branch is about half as tall as the one signifying man and extends very little beyond the diameter of the container, forming an angle of about 75 degrees with the rim of the container. It is placed opposite the branch signifying man and is used to balance the arrangement.

Point to remember: In ikebana, always use an odd number of flowers, as per Japanese mythology, odd numbers are lucky as well as more aesthetic. Thus, in all arrangements, three, five, or seven flower sprays are used.

OHARA is the most popular school for ikebana. According to further categorization for Ikebana, explained by this school-

1. Rikka – the first Ikebana style – which aimed not so much at revealing the beauty of flowers as at using flowers to embody an elevated concept of the cosmos.

2. A classical arrangement in a tall cylindrical vase with a flowing and natural effect is called Nagerie (meaning thrown in).

3. A formal arrangement, basically a triangular one is called the Seika style which has strict rules governing the lengths and angles of the stems.

4. When a tall vase without a pin-holder is used, the arrangement is said to be in the hikae style. It highlights vertical lines, emphasizing on bringing out the flowers' natural charms and arranging them in a tasteful and elegant manner. In this, the length of the primary stem is one and a half times the height of the vase, and the secondary and ornamental stems are around half the length of the primary branch.

5. When a flat or low container is used, it is called a moribana style. It is an informal arrangement in a shallow container in which a pin-holder is used as mechanics.   

6. A floating arrangement is called Ukibana. 

7. A special arrangement using fruits and vegetables called as Morimano (literal meaning pile up), also known as basket arrangement. 

MASS ARRANGEMENTS

A mass arrangement may be defined as one that emphasizes a large mass of flowers as a whole unit, rather than individual branches or flowers. Most period arrangements are mass arrangements, so this style is also known as European arrangements.

  

LINE- MASS ARRANGEMENTS

A line-mass arrangement also known as a massed line arrangement. It has higher part consisting of lines and another separate, but well-integrated, lower part that forms a mass. If the mass is more important than the line, it might well be called as mass-line instead of a line-mass arrangement.

 Line-mass arrangements combine the best qualities of the oriental line arrangements with those of the occidental mass arrangements. It may be defined as a arrangement in which both the line and the mass are important

Triangular arrangement (Symmetrical & asymmetrical arrangement):

 

  

Circular arrangement:

    Fan-shaped flower arrangement:

 Hogarth flower arrangement:

 

      Crescent arrangement:

 

 

YOU TUBE VIDEOS for different style of flower arrangement

 1. Japanese flower arrangement (Ikebana)

2. Western/ traditional flower arrangement

i) MASS ARRANGEMENTS

ii) LINE ARRANGEMENTS

iii) COLOR ARRANGEMENTS

3. FREE STYLE FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS

 MODERN FLOWER ARRANGEMENT IDEAS

STAFFING: Calculating staff requirement

Time and motion study

Time and motion study is helpful in calculating staffing level for a department

Concept: This is the study to calculate about a specific TASK, in which it is being identified that on an average how long it takes to perform the specified task.

To do a time and motion study, several staff members perform the same task-one by one against the timer, than their movements are compared and analyzed for on an average duration to perform the task. The best practices derived from this study are then used as a specific plan to perform that task, so that the resulting performance will be more standardized, adapted and implemented.

To do time and motion study, different methods which can be used by Executive housekeeper are as follows:

1.       Pathway chart
2.       Process chart
3.       Operation chart
4.       Cyclography
5.       Chrono-cyclography

Productivity Standard

Concept: It determines the quantity of work to be done by the department employees. Productivity standards must be determined in order to staff the department within the limitation with the hotel operating budget plans.

After determining the information from time and motion study and retaining the need of maintaining performance standard, Executive Housekeeper can easily develop the productivity standards for department/ employees. There are certain factors that influence the productivity standards, which vary from property to property, and some of those important factors are as follows:

·       Type of the property;

·       Surface to clean and standard of cleanliness to maintain;

·       Accessibility of work area from service areas;

·       Frequency of cleaning;

·       Amount of traffic in the work areas;

·       Type of cleaning supplies and equipment available; etc.

Standard operating manuals

Job procedures specify the procedure, equipment required, safety factors to be refer while performing specific task.  Updating job procedures is necessary, as and when changes in equipment, cleaning materials, and so on, occur. They are commonly known as ‘SOP’s’ or standard operating procedures. SOPs’ help in standardizing the job; identifying training required for performing  the job; compiling work schedules  and staffing for the department.

 

STAFFING

FINDING THE RIGHT STAFF: to find the ideal staff is to determine what work needs to be done and what skills the candidate needs to accomplish this work. These functions and skills are defined in two separate documents: a job description and a job specification.

Job Description: The job description is a written description of the job to be performed in a job position. This is done by developing a sequence of individual tasks that may be grouped and then assigned to a single person. The grouping of such tasks leads to the creation of the position and job description.

Job specification: The job specification refers to the minimum human qualities or traits required to perform in a job position.

While determining staff strength, it must be remembered that each property will have its individual requirements. The factors to be considered here are:

1.       The type of hotel it is

2.       The location of the hotel

3.       Traditions and customs of the locality

4.       The size of the hotel (in terms of the number of rooms)

5.       The occupancy rate of the hotel

6.       Management needs

7.       Company policies

8.       The quantity of work to be done

9.       The quality of work expected, that is, the standards to be met

10.   The time needed to do the work

11.   The frequency with which the work needs to be done

12.   The time when the work area is available

13.   The amount of guest traffic in the area

 

Thumb rule for developing a staffing guide: Depending upon the time and motion study, the productivity standard for manning housekeeping staff is:

 Executive housekeeper                      1                           only for a hotel over 300 rooms

Asst. Housekeeper                              1                           1:150-300 rooms

Floor supervisor                                  1:30/ rooms       (for morning shift)

                                                            1:60/ rooms      (for an evening shift)

                                                            1/shift                 (night shift)

Public area supervisor                         1/shift/ 10,000 sq. ft.

Linen/uniform room supervisor          1

Linen/uniform room helper                 1

Room Attendant                                   1:14-16 rooms (for morning shift)

                                                             1:50 rooms (for evening shift)

Housemen                                            1:60 rooms

Desk attendant                                     1/shift

Horticulturist                                       1

Gardener                                              1/4500 sq.ft. of landscaped area

Procedure for developing a staffing guide

To develop the staffing guide of room attendant for 500 room’s property, number of employees and labour cost is to calculate:

1.       TO CALCULATE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:

Productivity standard of a room attendant in a shift is to clean 16 (maximum) guestrooms.       

 

No. of rooms in a property	Productivity standard (16/ morning shift)	Number of GRAs’ required (for morning shift)	Number of relievers required (1:6 GRA)	TOTAL no. of GRAs’ required for morning shift
500	500/16=31.25	31	31/6=5.16	36
450	450/16=28.12	28	28/6=4.66≈5	33
425	425/16-26.56	27	27/6=4.5≈5	32

2.       TO CALCULATE LABOUR COST:

Step 1: Determine the labour hours

In morning shift, productivity standard for guestroom attendants is 30 minutes (0.5 hours).

No. of rooms in a property (to clean)	Productivity standard for GRA	Labour hours/ day
500	.5 hrs (30 min.)	250 hrs
450	.5 hrs (30 min.)	225 hrs
425	.5 hrs (30 min.)	213 hrs

The actual number of room attendants scheduled by the executive housekeeper will finally depend on the number of full-time and part-time room attendants available to her.

 

Step 2: Determine the labour cost

LABOUR COST=LABOUR HOURS/DAY x AVERAGE RATE OF GRA/ DAY

 Assume, average hourly rate for room attendants is Rs 10 (for 31 GRAs)

So for a property having 500 rooms, where Labour hours of GRAs = 250 hrs (from step 1), per day labour cost will be:

250 hrs x Rs 10 = Rs. 2500

The staffing guide table should be completed for all positions and all occupancy levels in a similar way, taking productivity standards for the various positions into account.

  

DUTY ROSTERS

Duty rosters specify the allotment of jobs, hours of duty, and days off for each member of the staff. To make for an even share of duties, the roster should be rotated every five weeks. Duty rosters must be simple in format, easy to interpret, clearly written, and displayed on the staff notice board at least a week in advance.

 Types of duty roaster

Most hotels operate 24 hours a day and these hours are covered in three shifts. Each shift’s duration is 9 hrs. and these shifts are normally scheduled to overlap by an hour with the next shift to facilitate handovers and takeovers.

1. Straight Shift: This type of shift extends for a period of 9 hrs with a break of 1 hour. For example the morning shift and evening are both straight shifts.
2. Night Shift/Graveyard Shift: A standard shift is actually a type of straight shift that normally starts from 10 p.m. and concludes at 7 a.m.
3. Break Shift/Split Shift/Staggered shift: This type of shift is split into two sessions that add up to a regular shift of 9-10 hours. This includes a break of 3-6 hours.
4. Rotating Shift: An employee may be given a particular shift for a week or two, and then changed over to the next shift. This rotation is done to ensure that all employees get a fair share of all the shifts.
5. Swing shift-the swing shift runs from 4:00 in the afternoon until midnight. Variations may run from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, 6:00 PM to 2:00 AM, and so forth

Advantages of a duty roster: Planning a duty roster in advance helps to ensure:

·       The exact number of staff required to be on duty at any given occupancy.

·       That staff working hours are as per their employment contract.

·       Regular off-days are availed for enhancing productivity.

·       Knowledge of which employees are present on the premises in instances of emergencies.

·       Accuracy in attendance and payroll reports.

 

Steps in making a roster

The steps in making up a duty roster are as follows:

·       Ascertain occupancy levels and events expected in the hotel.

·       Ascertain spread of duty hours to be scheduled in the roaster. It includes time for briefing, debriefing, breaks and movement time.

·       Ascertain the type of shift-straight shift, break shift, rotating shift, or any other alternative scheduling-to be used.

·       Ascertain the number of full-time and part-time staff on the payroll.

·       Ascertain the number of labour hours per day and per week required for various positions. Incorporate coffee breaks and mealtime allowances in the roster.

·       Ascertain that each employee gets a weekly off day after 6 working days. Provide for compensatory offs. Schedule one reliever per 6 employees.

• Ascertain closed days and restricted holidays, and any contingency planning that may be needed. 

INVENTORY CONTROL PROCEDURE

 

INVENTORY CONTROL PROCEDURE

 

KEY WORDS

INVENTORY is a list for different items, held available in stock by a department

INVENTORY CONTROL a management function for classifying, ordering, receiving, issuing and accounting different items used for daily housekeeping operation.

PAR STOCK minimum stock required to ensure daily smooth running of the department.

STOCK TAKING physical verification of inventory by counting up stock

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Inventory control is a technique of maintaining and checking the stock in a department. It involves purchasing, requisitions, receiving, storing, issuing to various sections of the department. The Inventory control system is maintained by every department to manage its inventories efficiently. Inventory control can be managed by maintaining par stock, stock taking, and accurate forecasting.

 TYPES OF INVENTORY

1.      Recycled inventory- for those items which can be used again and again in the house keeping operation

Ø  Linen: Since uniforms and linen are heavy investments, it is necessary to keep a close control on this very important asset. Effective control is possible through the following practices:

1.      Control on misuse, shortage and mix-ups

2.      Proper storage

3.      Regular stock taking

4.      Spot checks

5.      Proper supervision

To control inventory of the linen and uniform it is required to establish PAR number as this is the standard stock level needed to accommodate typical housekeeping operations on daily basis. Establishing a par number, EHK needs to consider:

1. The laundry cycle (in-house, off premises)

2. Replacement (worn, damaged, lost or stolen-based on property’s history); and

3. Emergency situations (laundry shut down, power failure, water supply)

And to maintain all the above said considerations, following points need to keep in mind by the housekeeper:  

1. Check for faulty linen chutes, carts, baskets, washers, etc. which might tear linen and uniforms.

2. Put restrictions on the misuse of linen by employees by inspecting employee locker rooms, frequent spot checks and/or fining them for misuse.

3. Laundry should be careful not to put excessive amount of bleach powder. The usual amount is 1% bleach per 100 lbs of linen.

4. Linen should be exchanged strictly on a one-to-one basis.

5. Damp white linen or uniforms should not lie on concrete or iron. Concrete stains are almost impossible to remove while iron rust cause holes after washing.

6. Employees must not wipe split food, medicines or chemicals with linen. They should use dusters especially provided for the purpose.

7. Hydro-extractors on high speed operations could tear fabrics.

8. Laundry tumblers should be checked regularly for pins, paper clips, etc. that could prick holes into the fabric.

9. Proper pressure and heat must be kept on all irons as it could cause burn stains

 Stock-Taking: It is the counting of on-hand inventory. This means identifying every item on hand, counting it and summarizing these quantities by item. There may also be a verification step, where the count results are compared to the inventory unit counts in departmental PMS system. Stock taking is a common requirement of a periodic inventory system, and may also be required as part of departmental annual audit.

Par level of LINEN	Par level of UNIFORM
1.      FIRST PAR on the bed 2.      SECOND PAR soiled linen in laundry/ chambermaids trolley 3.      THIRD PAR fresh linen in linen room/ pantry/ chambermaids trolley 4.      FOURTH PAR in case of off- premises laundry	1.      FIRST PAR  with the staff 2.      SECOND PAR soiled uniform in the locker/ laundry 3.      THIRD PAR fresh linen in uniform room/ locker 4.      FOURTH PAR in case of off- premises laundry

Discrepancies between Housekeeping manual stock count and electronic records (PMS) allow picking up on a range of issues and putting processes into place to ensure better stock control and management. This will lead to increased profits in the future.

Importance of Stock taking: It highlights stock control issues and areas where a department needs to improve on in order to be even more profitable. The importance of stock taking as follows:

·       Stock taking helps Housekeeping executive to find out any thefts in the department.

·       A regular stocktaking will also highlight problems with damaged stock, unprocessed or missing orders, and poor stock control practices.

·       Stocktaking will highlight any shortages department weren’t aware of and will prompt to order more next time.

·       Stocktaking acts to improve areas of weakness and loss.

Methods and Principle involved:

·       Physical counting is done after every three months and is also known as quarterly inventory.

·       All items are segregated and grouped including discards.

·       Counting of items in circulation and in store is separately done and added together.

·       Discards are stamped “condemned “and kept aside.

·       Counted total should tally with the last inventory figures plus issues received after that.

·       Inventory must be conducted in the presence of the housekeeper, Accounts clerk and the auditor.

·       Stock taking is conducted on three separate days, each for: Uniforms, Room linen and Restaurant linen.

Ø  Guest loan item- these items are not maintained in the guest room but are available if requested by the guest on request basis. Guest loan items are usually stored in the house keeping store room (departments’ centre of operation) and when requested, delivered to the guest, at no charge criteria. The housekeeping department is typically responsible for maintaining the inventory of the guests’ loan items, responding to the loan requests, and tracking the items in order to make sure that either they are returned back to the department or yet to collect before guest will depart from the property. Examples of guest loan item are iron and iron board, hair dryer, alarm clock, hard board voltage adaptor, hot   water bottle, roll away beds, etc.

Par level depends on   

•         Size and type of the hotel
•         Clientele of the hotel
•         Anticipated volume of guest’s request

Inventory control can be done by

                    i.            Proper storing and stock taking

                  ii.            Regular updating of bin cards/ inventory records.

                iii.            Standardized issuing/on-going procedure.

Ø  Machines and equipment- The executive housekeeper is responsible for seeing that members of the house-keeping department have the proper tools to carry out their assigned tasks. The executive house keeper needs to develop systems and procedures for controlling the hotels inventory of machine and equipment. Examples for housekeeping machines and equipment are vacuum, electric brooms, carpet shampoo equipment, floor scrubbing machine, etc.

PAR Number of machine/ equipment = MINIMUM / MAXIMUM QUANTITY

·       Minimum inventory level- which can be determine by adding lead time quantity and safety stock level. Lead-time quantity refers to the number of purchase units that are used up between the time that supply order is placed and the time that the order is actually received. The safety stock level for a given cleaning supply item refers to the number of purchase units that must always be on hand for the house keeping department to operate smoothly in the event of emergencies, spoilage ,unexpected delays in delivery, or other situations.

Minimum quantity = the lead time quantity  + safety stock level

·       Maximum inventory level depend on the requirement, storing capacity, self-life of the material and budget sanctioned for the particulars. It is established for each cleaning supply items refers to the greatest number of purchase units that should be in stock at any given time.

The maximum quantity = greatest no. of purchase units at a given time

Minimum/ maximum count varies with

        i.            1. Size of the hotel

      ii.            2. Number of rooms

    iii.           3.  Cleaning frequency

Inventory control process

•      1.  Proper storing and stock taking.

•       2. Standardized issuing procedure.

•      3.  Regular updation of bin cards/ equipment logs/ inventory records

2.      Non recycled inventory- those items which are consumed by the guest or used during housekeeping operations

Ø  Cleaning supplies- Cleaning supplies and small cleaning equipment are part of the non recycled inventory in the house keeping department. These items are consumed or used up in the course of routine housekeeping operations, but, controlling inventories of all cleaning supplies and ensuring their effective use is an important responsibility of the executive house keeper. Examples are brooms, dust mops, wet mops, gloves, spray bottles, cleaning rag, etc. An executive housekeeper needs to consider several important factors when determining maximum inventory quantities for cleaning supplies.

1.    First he or she must consider the amount of available storage space in the housekeeping department or the willingness of suppliers to store items at their own warehouse facilities for regular shipments in the hotel.

2. The self-life of certain items needs to be taken into account. The quality or effectiveness of some products deteriorates if they are stored too long before being used.
3. Maximum quantities should not to be set so high that large amounts of the hotel’s cash resources are unnecessarily tied up in an overstocked inventory.

Inventory control can be done by

        i.           i.  Consideration of forecasted number of occupied rooms

      ii.            ii. Maintain proper consumption record/ equipment logs and inventory card system

    iii.  Proper storage and issuing standards

    iv.  Regular stock taking

     v. Control on misuse, shortage and mix-ups/ Spot checks

                        

Ø  Guest supplies- Hotels provide a variety of guest’s room supplies and amenities for the guests’ needs and convenience. The executive housekeeper is typically responsible for storing, distributing, controlling, and maintaining adequate inventory levels of guests supply items and amenities. Examples are bathing soap, facial tissue, hangers, water glasses, mini-bar trays, match box, ashtrays, etc.

 Par level depends on

        i.            1. Usage rate (for supplies)

      ii.            2. Forecasted number of occupied rooms

Inventory control can be done by

        i.            1. Frequent monitoring

      ii.            2. Tracking pilferage ratio and consumption ratio

Video (reference vidya-mitra)

youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKxlF4LT46I