S TA F F I N G T H E F R O N T O F F I C E 69

stressful, involving accuracy at every contact. Finding the right department head to meet the request of an incoming caller and ensuring messages are passed to guests are only two among the many tasks required every minute a person is on the job. If a message is conveyed inaccurately or if an employee fails to complete the communication process, hospitality is not projected to the guest.

Ways of applying employee empowerment concepts are explored in chapter 12. The contemporary front office manager needs extensive training and experience in this vital area to manage a workforce that delivers hospitality every day. Ensuring an employee can conduct business without constant approval from a supervisor is the goal of empowerment. The mastery of empowerment requires a supervisor to train employees and to practice much patience. Employees accustomed to direct supervision on all matters may not readily adapt to a work environment that requires independent thinking to address challenges.

Staffing the Front Office

The schedule for the front office staff is based on both budgetary targets and anticipation of guest check-ins and checkouts. An increase in the frequency of guest requests for information and front office services may affect the schedule. The front office manager must also determine labor costs by reviewing salaries and hourly wages and respective rates. The resulting figures show if the front office manager has adhered to the projected budget. Table 2-1 (page 70) shows how the costs for staffing are determined. Table 2-2 (page 72) compares these projected costs with the projected revenue generated by room rentals, which allows for a preevaluation of income and labor expenses.

The preparation of the front office schedule is broken into four steps. The first step requires the front office manager to estimate or forecast the needs of his or her department for a certain period. The front office manager must review the sales history of previous events, current functions, current reservations, anticipated walk-ins, stayovers, and checkouts for that period to determine their impact on the labor requirements for the workweek. As you can see from the listing of personnel in Step 1 (Table 2-1), all job categories are included so the front office manager can determine how each job will be affected.

Step 2 (Table 2-1), developing the schedule, is a twofold process that requires meeting both the needs of the lodging establishment and the needs of employees. The lodging establishment must deliver hospitality to the guest by remaining open 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Also, employees have personal requests for time off as well as the needs to work around family responsibilities and to put in more or less time depending on financial motivation.

Step 3 (Table 2-1), calculating the anticipated payroll, requires the front office manager to price out each category of employee. This allows the manager to determine how much money he or she has spent against the predicted income sales.

T A B L E 2 - 1 Front Office Scheduling Process

Step 1. Estimate Needs (Review Front Office Forecast First)

Desk Clerks

Night Auditors

Cashiers

Concierges

Telephone Operators

Bell Captain

Bellhops

Step 2. Develop Schedule

Step 3. Calculate Anticipated Payroll

Step 4. Summary