In a labor-challenged hotel world, it can be argued that stewarding faces the biggest hurdles of any department when it comes to finding and keeping quality employees. Many candidates speak little or no English, and the jobs they’re applying for are usually thankless—cleaning, dishwashing, and moving food, supplies, and equipment to every corner of the property. And when a top-notch steward is hired, they’re often lured away by another department after a few months.
“It seems like we eventually lose all the good ones,” says Raft Ingram, former executive steward at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, who retired in June after 20 years at the hotel.
Because of these operational “facts of life,” some hotels are resigned to viewing stewarding employees as revolving-door staff. But others carefully evaluate applicants from a long-term standpoint and therefore benefit from lower turnover and higher productivity.
“I still have 10 people that I hired when this hotel opened in 1986,” says Dave Hardy, executive steward, Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center. “It’s very difficult to find good employees, but when we do, we have to create a desire in them to work for us.”
Hardy and Ingram have more than 40 years of stewarding experience between them. Here they offer tips to slow the revolving door.
TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD
“My evaluation starts when I pick up the applicant at HR, and by the time I get to my office, 90 percent of the interview is over,” says Hardy, adding that he “sees no point in pursuing it further” if two of the following three traits aren’t present:
- A strong handshake.
- Direct eye contact.
- A confident stride through the back of the house.
“I look to see if they’re alongside me, keeping up, or if they’re behind me, staying close to the wall. That lets me know if they’re going to be a middle-of-the-road type of employee,” Hardy says.
The candidate’s age can be a factor too. Ingram says the pool of applicants has become increasingly younger over the past 20 years, due to what he believes are computer-based jobs becoming more available for experienced workers. Many new-hires are unaware of how challenging stewarding is, leading to turnover.
“There are times when it seems like the best person was hired, then two days later they say, ‘This isn’t for me’ and walk away,” says Ingram. “That’s when it’s necessary to re-evaluate what type of person you’re trying to hire.”
Hardy says if a candidate passes his test, he spends four hours with them touring the property, showing them the equipment, and explaining the job details. If there is a language barrier— Hardy has staff from Haiti, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, for example—he makes sure another employee can translate accurately so there is no miscommunication.
“It’s necessary to be sincere for those four hours. Let them know exactly what is expected, and if they decide to take the job, move forward. On the other side, they want proper pay for the proper job done, so don’t promise them overtime that can’t be delivered,” Hardy says.
TRAINING
A person may not need a college degree to work in stewarding, but they do need extensive training. A steward handles potentially hazardous cleaning products and thousands of dollars of equipment each day, so to throw them into the mix without proper knowledge is bad for the employee and, ultimately, the property.
“The first 90 days are critical. Don’t hire someone and expect them to immediately wash dishes in the volume we do at a banquet hotel. It takes a lot of training,” Hardy adds.
At the Orlando Marriott, a new-hire steward goes through a 90-day evaluation period, which includes cross-training in banquets and the cafeteria. Hardy sits down with them after 30 days and evaluates their progress. He says this is crucial, because if something isn’t right, it’s often too late to change after 90 days.
CAREER PATHS
If an executive steward has trained the staff well and they perform spectacularly, another department often notices and hires them away. For some employees, that is the ultimate goal. Many are from other countries and were trained in professions like accounting, but they take a stewarding job because that’s what is offered at the time.
Hardy encourages his staff to pursue their career dreams outside of stewarding, but he asks that they work at least a year in his department before he recommends them for a transfer. “I tell them right off the bat, if they give me 110 percent, I’ll work 110 percent on getting them where they want to go.”
To fill the vacancy, Hardy asks the departing employee to help find a replacement that is “as good as they are.” This can be through family, friends, or contacts at other hotels. And when it comes to other properties, Hardy keeps a constant watch for talent. “We know who’s good at other facilities. In some cases, there’s a person who has been in one place for years but is only getting a pay raise of two percent each year. If we can pay more, I try to recruit them.”
Ingram says the dwindling pool of stewarding talent leads more hotels to use outsourced contract labor to fill the gaps. It’s a growing trend based on industry reality, but it can also lead to low morale by reinforcing existing staff members’ feelings of being interchangeable.
To keep productivity and spirits high, Ingram says an executive steward must consistently remind employees that they are vital to the hotel’s success. “Keep them motivated by constantly praising them. I nominated them for associate of the month, threw a stewarding-only Christmas party every year, and for Valentine’s Day, I bought teddy bears for our female stewards,” Ingram says.
Hardy has 91 stewards under his supervision and says his system has produced some back-of-the-house superstars. “I’ve got a guy from Haiti who can load a conveyor-type dish machine faster than five people can remove the dishes. He loves doing it, and he loves making other people have to keep up,” Hardy says. “I just try to instill the need to be the best, then wherever that employee goes, it benefits the entire property.”
Michael Costa is industry relations editor for HOTEL F&B.
