Category Hospitality Employees

A typical housekeeper will clean a dozen rooms in a single shift lifting heavy mattresses, using distorted positioning, reaching at great lengths, and using repetitive motion; movements that often impact the body and can create long-term musculoskeletal disorders if proper techniques are not used. Steps can be taken to reduce or prevent musculoskeletal injuries. CA has taken the lead in promoting employee well-being and setting a new ergonomic standard. HospitalityNet, Samantha Noll, guides hoteliers through what it is they need to know.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

Rather than focus entirely on avoiding litigation, hotel employers need to change workplace culture by confronting guest and employee abuses that have plagued the industry for decades. It is not enough to write policies, employers must act consistently to enforce the policies and thoroughly train employees to be alert and mindful of guest and employee behaviors on the property. Follow through is key! Hotel employers will face some compelling issues this year. Hotel News Now, Bryan Wroten, report the challenges legal experts outlined at the recent Hospitality Law Conference in Houston.

Sexual harassment, exploitation and GDPR compliance took center stage during the first day of the Hospitality Law Conference, where legal and hotel industry experts addressed the current state of these i...

Stronger protections and better ergonomics training for hotel housekeeping staff will go into effect July 1, 2018 in California. Designed to prevent and reduce work-related injuries to housekeepers in the hotel and hospitality industry, the new regulation requires hotel and lodging employers to establish, implement and maintain an effective Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Program (MIPP) for housekeepers. Fisher Phillips, Benjamin Ebbink, explains the rule and it’s requirements employers must include in their programs.

As we reported in January, after nearly six years of discussion and debate, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board (Board) approved a standard on “Hotel Housekeeping Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention...

Criminals view hotel vulnerabilities as opportunities making them a focus of fraud, assault, cybercrime and much more.  The result of this criminal behavior often causes revenue, reputation and guest loyalty loss to the hotel owner. Every hotel owner should ensure guest, employee and property safety by investing in top security and enhancing security programs and training regularly. Mountain Home News, Adam Richards, suggests 9 ways to boost your hotel security.

Hotels are high-traffic places where a lot of money transactions are made. These two things alone make them potential targets for all sorts of nefarious behavior, from vandalism to data theft. If you want to make sure that your hotel, or the hotel you manage, is safe, here are some ways you can boost its security.

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The EEOC is settling a variety of discrimination cases at a high price to employers.  From sexual harassment and retaliation to medical disability discrimination, the hotel industry has been hit with suits across the country.  It may be a good time for hoteliers to review their workplace culture along with employee work environments. JD Supra reports a case recently filed by the EEOC. One, hoteliers may want to track.

Company Failed to Provide Ventilated Space for Employee With Asthma, Federal Agency Charges

SAN DIEGO – Merritt Hospitality, LLC and HEI Hotels and Resorts LLC, who together operate the Embassy Suites San Diego Bay, a San Diego hotel that has over 300 guest rooms, violated federal law when they denied a reasonable accommodation to an employee with asthma, the U.S...

New roll-backs by the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) suggest the organization is restoring balance between employers and employees by reviewing the legality and enforceability of employee class and collective waivers in arbitration agreements. Although the ruling is still debatable, it is expected to have consequences for employers and employees and may offer guidelines on how to make these agreements more enforceable. Employers should wait for the ruling before making any changes to their agreements. Hotel Management, Elliot Mest, reports the facts surrounding deliberations.

Class-action waivers are a tricky subject if employers want to avoid hampering employee morale, while also covering their tracks.

We often imagine the rule of law as something rigid or set in stone, but in...

Recent studies show “hotel room designs and decor, not area, determine housekeeper workloads and musculoskeletal demands. Attempts to set production standards or restriction of workloads based solely upon the average size of a hotel room could produce large variations in housekeeper workloads and exposures to MSD risk factors.”

New standard recently passed by Cal/OSHA “requires employers to identify, evaluate, and correct housekeeping related hazards with the involvement of housekeepers and their union representative.” Effective July 1, 2018, hotel employers must develop, apply, and maintain an effective Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Program (MIPP). Advisen Insurance, provides key points that must be included in each policy.

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Initiated in many forms, harassment is a widespread problem for hotel workers across the nation. Ranging from jokes to propositions to assaults, approximately 95% of women working in the hospitality industry have experienced some kind of inappropriate advance from a male guest. While cities across the nation continue to take steps to address the inappropriate behavior, hotels themselves are also urged to take a stance against the abuses by clearly stating anti-harassment policies and providing a number of outlets for reporting an incident. Fisher Phillips attorneys provide key points employers should consider immediately to minimize legal liabilities.

In April 2016 survey of 400 Chicago-area women working at hotels, nearly 50 percent indicated that they have had a guest answer the doo...

It’s no secret that ergonomic injuries at work are a widespread multi-billion dollar problem across all industries and in all states. With proper training, management support and clear processes in place, employers can systematically identify and manage ergonomic risk factors and apply solutions to reduce physical problems and increase an employee’s ability to work more efficiently.  Ergonomic claims will remain a high-priced issue for businesses that choose to ignore it. State Fund Safety News, provides inexpensive solutions to common ergonomic issues – a guide every employer should read.

Did You Know?

Ergonomic injuries account for 37 percent of all workplace injuries according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), most of them attributed to overexertion...

No industry or company is immune from the recent flood of sexual harassment claims. In fact, the insurance industry is expecting an influx of EPLI (Employment Practices Liability Insurance) claims in the entertainment, media, hospitality and other industries. Companies need to set clear policies and standards addressing behavior in the workplace then live by them.  Fischer & Phillips, Jennifer Sandberg & Joseph Shelton, lay out a 5-Step Plan to address growing sexual harassment concerns.

For several months now, it seems that each new day has brought about a fresh round of reporting on yet another high-profile sexual harassment accusation...