Survey of More Than 10,000 HSS Workers Shows Impact of COVID-19 and Eagerness to Return to Hospitality
ATLANTA (November 20, 2020) — Hospitality Staffing Solutions (HSS), the largest hospitality staffing firm in the United States, has released the initial 2020 results of its annual Survey of Hospitality Staff. The survey includes key findings around the impact of COVID and workforce inclination to returning to work safely during a long recovery ahead. The survey was initially conducted among deployed HSS staff prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then updated in October 2020 to measure the impact of COVID-19. The survey includes responses from more than 10,000 back-of-house HSS employees surveyed across North America — primarily housekeepers, food service employees and janitorial staff.
“This survey reveals both the resilience of the hospitality workforce and their stated desire to return to the industry during the recovery period,” said Tim McPherson, President of HSS. “Throughout the pandemic, HSS has maintained and even grown its pool of workers and continues to employ people through a mix of hospitality and other sectors. Listening closely to this team and answering their needs will be an important factor moving ahead as the hotel industry continues its recovery in 2021.”
Some of the key findings from the report related to the huge impact that the global pandemic has had on the hospitality industry:
● 68% said that they saw a reduction or elimination of hours ● 45% said they found work in other industry sectors
The survey also shows that hospitality workers strongly align their career aspirations with the hotel industry and are very much looking forward to returning to work:
● 87% of respondents said they would like to return to work in a hotel or resort ● 81% said they would feel safe returning to work in a hotel HSS workers still employed in hospitality, generally feel safe in their day-to-day work at hotels and resorts: ● 91% said that they have received adequate training to work safely. ● 90% said they have the supplies needed to perform their jobs safely and effectively
HSS worked with with ClearlyRated to compile the data for this study. ClearlyRated (formerly known as Inavero) administers more staffing agency client and talent satisfaction surveys than any other firm in the world, reporting on more than 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and job seekers each year. The complete survey and analysis covering job satisfaction, pay, and other factors will be will be made available later in Q4 of 2020. # # # About Hospitality Staffing Solutions Founded in 1990 in Atlanta, Hospitality Staffing Solutions, LLC (“HSS”) proudly claims a leading market share at the world’s leading hotel brands and management companies, and looks to continue its expansion into new geographies through organic expansion of its branch office network, strategic acquisitions, and further development of its service capabilities. Hospitality Staffing Solutions earned the 2019 & 2020 Best of Staffing Client Award for service excellence based on client ratings. Learn more about Hospitality Staffing Solutions at www.hssstaffing.com.
HSS was acquired in 2020 by Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, LLC (“KBS”) KBS is a trusted partner to leading operations and facility managers across 75,000 client locations throughout North America. We provide essential facility services that deliver healthy operations to businesses through scalable solutions customized to meet client-specific requirements. Our expertise and technology enable our teams to anticipate issues, ensure quality, and maximize efficiency. With decades of experience in facility hygiene, including being on the front lines throughout the COVID-19 crisis, KBS is committed to partnering with clients to Stay Ahead of the Curve™ with the latest advances for maintaining healthy operations. For more information, visit www.kbs-services.com.
As hotels and resorts begin to see increasing occupancy, they can face challenges in staffing for part-time work. Lower occupancy levels and different cleaning protocols often mean that staff may not be needed on a full-time basis.
HSS is working with properties to provide staff on a part-time basis as occupancy levels are in this growth period. This will allow hotels to remain flexible during the recovery period.
Opening Staffing to New Properties
Staffing partnership is an efficient model as hotels beginning to see increased occupancy. Based on past periods of recovery, staffing has been used to address challenges such as:
Decrease in HR / Recruiting support
Laid off staff that can’t be rehired
Inability to add to payroll
Increased need for flexibility in hours
An HSS Solution
HSS is working with properties during the recovery period to meet these challenges through:
Part-time Staff
50 State Recruiting
Task Force
Direct Hire
During the COVID-19 crisis, we were able to deploy our workforce to a variety of operations that required enhanced cleaning to stay up and running. Many of these positions are part-time, allowing HSS to combine employment opportunities with hotels as they rise from the crisis and begin to build occupancy.
Robust Recruiting
HSS continues its national recruiting operations, which is rapidly building our database of employees. This will allow HSS to work with hotels as they build occupancy and offer full-time employees today and into the future.
As hotels and resorts look toward operating in during the COVID recovery period, safety is a major concern. HSS has always taken the safety of its workers very seriously, providing training and a national safety team focused on training and monitoring conditions, partnering with hotels on protocols, and ensure that workers are practicing safe work habits and are entering safe work environments.
The HSS safety protocols have changed significantly as hotel staff return to work. New safety training protocols protect HSS employees but also protect hotel staff as well as hotel guests. The new HSS safety training for hotel housekeepers and cleaning staff covers topics such as:
Proper use of PPE, including masks
The use of chemical disinfectants
Social distancing
Guest Room and Public Area Cleaning Protocols
Proper disposal of PPE
In addition, the guide also provides an overview of levels of deep clean and protocols for COVID remediation. While the new safety protocols are primarily aimed at HSS staff, our safety is working with hotels and resorts on their own safety protocols and providing the guide as a reference for hotel staff training as well.
HSS employs a national safety team as part of its overall focus on compliance. Compliance remains a major focus for HSS during the recovery. We have maintained a strong pool of hospitality and cleaning staff during the crisis and will continue to put safety and compliance at the forefront during this recovery which protects our workers, hotel staff, and their guests.
HSS is working with its parent company KBS to deliver COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting to hotels and resorts. As part of the multi-level COVID-19 response, this service focuses on rooms and other areas that were potentially exposed to the virus.
Specialized Deep Cleaning Teams
Specially trained and equipped teams perform a deep cleaning and disinfection on all horizontal and vertical surfaces. The services include HEPA vacuuming all carpeted areas, machine cleaning all floor surfaces with EPA registered disinfectant cleaning solutions, hygiene barrier cleaning, the proper application of virucides, and disinfecting all furniture and fixtures.
Workers for this service are equipped with head-to-toe level 4 PPE and a minimum five-hour wait time is required before entering the space for cleaning. All linens are removed from the space in red biohazard bags.
Once rooms are disinfected and safe to enter, professional housekeeping teams can enter and prepare the rooms to be guest ready. HSS can offer this service as part of the overall service.
Specialized Hotel Cleaning For:
Hotels Housing First Responders
Properties Repurposed as Medical Facilities
Closed Properties Reopening
Planning for Future Outbreaks
Expanded Services
HSS can offer hotels a wide range of other services that are helping leading hotels emerge from the crisis. These include enhanced deep cleans for non-COVID-19 response, and offering services and staff to adjust the frequency and scope of cleaning throughout hotels.
Keeping Our Workers Safe
Our culture is built on the belief that: all work is honorable, we acknowledge the dignity of those who do it, and we do things the right way. Our entire organization is dedicated to the success of our clients and the well-being of our workforce. During our response to the COVID-19 crisis, we always maintained our rigorous standards for worker safety, ensuring they have the equipment and training required to minimize risk.
Another shout out to our team working in La Habra, California seen here holding flowers for Mother’s Day. This group of incredible women have worked in various hotels and are today helping to clean and disinfect for distribution centers for pharmacies. Thank you to all of the HSS Heroes in the field!
Like many businesses in the hospitality sector, the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted our business here at HSS. However, we’ve been able to turn our focus quickly to areas that do have a need for cleaning services. Working with our parent company, KBS we’ve been able to deploy our dedicated workers to senior living facilities, shipping and fulfillment centers, pharmacies, grocery stores, and medical facilities nationwide.
About KBS Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, LLC (“KBS”) is a leading North American provider of technology-enabled, integrated facility management services to the industrial, commercial, logistics, retail, and hospitality sectors. With more than 64,000 active customer locations in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, and Puerto Rico, KBS sets the industry standard for delivering consistently high-quality and cost-effective facility service solutions. For more information on Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, please visit www.kbs-services.com.
Margarita has been cleaning rooms for first responders at a client hotel in Thousand Oaks, CA. Working with state and national regulations on PPE, she’s staying safe throughout this crisis. Thank you Margarita!
Like many businesses in the hospitality sector, the coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted our business here at HSS. However, we’ve been able to turn our focus quickly to areas that do have a need for cleaning services. Working with our parent company, KBS we’ve been able to deploy our dedicated workers to senior living facilities, shipping and fulfillment centers, pharmacies, grocery stores, and medical facilities nationwide.
HSS Now Offers Part-Time Staffing
HSS Enhanced Safety Training
HSS is working with its parent company KBS to deliver COVID-19 cleaning and disinfecting to hotels and resorts. As part of the multi-level COVID-19 response, this service focuses on rooms and other areas that were potentially exposed to the virus.
