Housekeeping Safety for Employees in Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG)

This paper investigates the issue of workplace injuries in the housekeeping department of Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) and suggests techniques to reduce them. It fills the gap created by previous studies and provides valuable insight on the topic. The paper aims to identify the techniques through which employees can be engaged to minimize the health-related issues and investigates the safety practices and protocols followed by other hotels. It also identifies the new technologies and tools which can reduce the number as well as the impact of injuries.

Housekeeping safety for employees
Professor name
Word count

Contents
Background................................................................................................................................. 3
Section 2 Literature review..........................................................................................................3
Section 2.1 primary research proposal.....................................................................................4
Section 2.2 research objectives...............................................................................................5
Section 2.3 research questions................................................................................................5
Section 2.4 list of information...................................................................................................6
Section 2.5 Quality assessment...............................................................................................9
Section 3 Research methodology..............................................................................................12
Section 3.1 research approach and technique.......................................................................12
Section 3.2 population analysis..............................................................................................13
Section 3.3 sample designing................................................................................................13
Section 3.4 implementation of the plan..................................................................................14
Section 3.5 suggested questions............................................................................................15
Section 3.6 project schedule..................................................................................................16
References................................................................................................................................ 18

Background
The business organization considered in this assignment is a hotel company named as
Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) which is one of the big names in the hotel industry. It has
5518 hotels and 825746 rooms globally. One of its hotels Intercontinental Sydney was opened in
the year1985; there are 509 contemporary guest rooms out of which 90 are guest room attendant.
This particular hotel is facing the problem of workplace injuries (DaRos, 2018). Workplace
injuries lower the morale of the employees, reduce the productivity and efficiency in the working
as well as cost dear to employers in the form of compensation.
Workplace injuries must be minimized to keep the organization in a sound working
position. Housekeeping services are related to workplace hazards; during maintenance work
related to housekeeping, employees get injured. Thus, in order to reduce the injury at the
workplace, sound technical methods and approaches must be used. This paper aims to research
the injuries sustained during housekeeping in IHG. There are many research proposals available
on search engines regarding the topic but till now, the injuries related to housekeeping in a hotel
is not deliberated upon. This paper fills the gap created by previous studies. It would b helpful
for IHG to consider this research while making decisions regarding the housekeeping services in
its widespread hotel business (Gawde & Kurlikar, 2018).
Section 2 Literature review
The IHG hotel is considered as one of the best hotel companies in the world. The
operations of the company are wide-reaching but one of its branches namely Intercontinental
Sydney is facing the problem of an increased number of injuries in the housekeeping department.
Other big corporate giants have decided to reduce the chances of injuries in the workplace so

Intercontinental Sydney cannot remain behind. In order to reduce the operational cost, workplace
injuries are necessary to be reduced. To date, Intercontinental Sydney has not been able to be as
productive in the housekeeping department. workplace injuries and other health issue have led to
reduced productivity, absenteeism, less concentration on work and increased direct cost due to a
compensation claim (Landers & Maguire, 2004). This paper will enable InterContinental Sydney
to know exactly where they are lacking behind on leveraging employee engagement on
workplace safety and its importance of reinforcing the concept of hotel’s health and safety
culture and the value of engaging the housekeeping staff. Intercontinental Sydney can use this
paper for the information to make a decision on different ways and tools to implement
comprehensive health and safety programs which successfully manage the department’s growing
health and safety issue (Buchanan, et al., 2010).
Section 2.1 primary research proposal
As mentioned above, there are wide gaps in the studies related to injuries in the housekeeping
department of the hotel industry. There is no dearth of a research proposal on the hotel industry
but the data regarding the injuries in the housekeeping department of the hotel has been lacking
in many ways. The housekeeping department has not been paid much attention due to its nature
of work but this department deserves equal attention as there can be fatal injuries to the
employees working in the housekeeping department as well. This paper gives valuable insight
into the issue. The paper fills the gap created by other studies leading Tobias attitude and false
results (Trotto, 2015).

Section 2.2 research objectives
There are many objectives of conducting this study. It throws valuable light on the nature of
housekeeping department as an injury-prone department. the various objectives are as follows:
a) To investigate different techniques which can be helpful in reducing the number of injuries
at the workplace?
b) To fill the gap related to injury in the hotel industry in general and housekeeping department
in particular so that in future this case study can be helpful for the researchers (Melnyk, 2017).
This study will provide invaluable insight on the topic which can be considered by the
International Sydney to arrive at a decision related to the housekeeping department of its hotel.
c) To understand appropriate information and tools for the safer system of work. A safe system
is necessary to keep the daily operations smoothly going on in the business organization (Walter,
2011).
d) To implement appropriate measures for controlling injuries by inspection and monitoring in
the particular hotel.
e) To identify the role of technology in reducing the number of injuries in the housekeeping
department.
f) To overview the safety practices opted by the competitors leading to a competitive
advantage for them in relation to fiscal terms
Section 2.3 research questions
This paper aims to answer many questions related to the topic of injuries in the housekeeping
department of a hotel. The questions addressed are as follows:
a) How and to what extent the business organizations can employ employees in reducing
workplace injuries.

b) What are the main reasons for the increased number of injuries in housekeeping department
as a room attendant
c) What are the types of safety measures available to deal with the situation and minimize the
health-related injuries
d) What are the new technologies which can reduce the fatal injuries in the housekeeping
department of a hotel?
e) What is the importance of safety inspection, incident investigation, and reporting of incident
and injuries of the workplace?
Section 2.4 list of information
a) Employees engagement to reduce the workplace safety and health hazards
Involvement of employees or an inclusive approach will lead to the surety of the intended result.
There must be engaged at the employee level in an organization to assure the inclusivity
approach which will satisfy the employees and all another relevant stakeholder (Deros, Ismail, &
Yusof, 2012). This paper aims to identify the techniques through which employees can be
engaged to minimize the health-related issues
b) Imitating other hotels
Health issues are surfaced in the housekeeping department of each hotel but all do not have so
many fatal injuries as many International Sydney has. This paper investigates the issue in depth
and identifies the safety practices and protocols followed by other hotels. It may make the
organization competitive in the market due to less operational cost as the issues related to the
cost of compensation will be sorted out (Benhason, 2018). Many hotels have embraced the

digital transformation that gives a competitive edge to the organization using it. All the functions
will be networked and monitored in a better way. Because of effective monitoring, there will be
fewer opportunities for reckless behavior. Digital transformation will take the organization to an
altogether new level or better to say the 4th industrial revolution (Torpie, 2014).
c) Investigating the matter
There must be some reasons behind the fatal injuries in the hotel. This paper identifies those
reasons and presents a complete picture. Once the cause is removed, the number of injuries will
be reduced automatically. This will lead to a reduction in maintenance cost and efficiency and
productivity in the working of the organization (Mangiardi, 2018). The employees will be
satisfied and they will be contributing to the growth of the hotel. The satisfied employees will
work with more sincerity leading to efficiency in the working of the hotel. This will lead to
strategic operational management which will ultimately lead to more profit. Thus, it is indirectly
related to capital resources (Jilcha & Kitaw, 2016).
d) Gathering the information
For any study, there is a need to have sufficient information. This paper will collect the necessary
information and presents in a suitable form so that effective decision regarding the issue can be
made. This information will be helpful for future researchers as well as International Sydney
hotel. I will provide a glimpse of related causes and issues. Information gathered will serve as an
effective tool to be used in various other studies at different points of time. There will be better
channelization of information along with knowledge management (Rahman & Jaffar, 2017).
Information gathered is valuable from the perspective of future studies.

e) Availability of new technologies and tools
There are many new technologies available in the market which can reduce the number as well
as the impact of injuries. The new technology can be helpful in replacing or doing the work of
human beings. Use of new technology will keep the manpower morale high so it will aid the
organization in its profit-making efforts. This paper identifies these new tools and technologies,
industry-wide training and material on guidance related to workplace health safeguards. The new
technologies and tools will bring efficiency to the organization. The digital transformation is the
recent new technology which can adequately be used for improving the operational management
conditions in the organization (Gawde, 2018). The new technologies can be very helpfl in
reducing the vulnerability if manpower to health hazard.
f) Investigating and reporting the issue
The investigation of health hazard happened and its reporting is very much necessary to take the
matter into consideration (Hrymak & Pérezgonzález, 2007). This paper tells about the
importance of safety inspection, incident investigation, and reporting of incidents and injuries.
The issue can be sorted out only when it is taken into consideration so reporting the incidence is
very much important. Importance of investigation cannot be denied. Investigation removes the
cause of injury and prevents other employees from a workplace hazard (Levy, Wegman, Baron,
& Sokas, 2017).
Section 2.5 Quality assessment

Research question Assessment Rationale Gaps in knowledge
What options the
competitors has
explored to reduce the
issues of injury in
housekeeping
department
2/3 based on
the three
quality
dimensions
The information met the quality
dimensions. For engaging the hotel’s staff
and creating a safety culture, management
team of Ontario’s Marriott Residence Inn
London has come up with the unusual
concept for training which is called
Scavenger Hunt. In addition to this,
Shangri-La Hotels and Resort have taken
initiative to a safety and security program
by achieving certification under the
Occupational Health and Safety
Management System (kostuch, 2018). The
American Hotel and Lodging Association
(AHLA) along with other hotel corporation
has committed to improving employee
workplace safety in the industry with the
new technology and enhanced training and
resources.
Overall, the
information is
suitable to be used.
A conclusive
research can be
done over the topic
and the
information
gathered in the
study can be used
for the purpose of
conclusive
researches in
future
The issue of heath or
injury is how much
important in case of
house-keeping
2/3 based on
the three
quality
dimensions
The information met the quality
dimensions but there are some ambiguities
regarding the health issue in housekeeping
department. Health issue is not only the
The research is
exploratory in
nature so there can
be different

department of
International Sydney
(IS) Hotel
compulsion but part of the corporate
governance that will lead to better
workplace and culture. This will increase
the productivity and bring efficiency in the
working of the organization. Workplace
safety is not only a national issue, but it is
also an international debate. Many
international organizations like ILO
(International Labour Organization) rakes
up the issue of workplace safety in the
world community. There are effective
methods to deal with the issues of injury
which must be paid attention so that health
hazards are minimized. A famous quote is
that health is wealth; if the health of
employees is not good, the organization
cannot generate wealth. The health is to be
considered on a priority basis (Ndejjo, et
al., 2015).
interpretations by
different
individuals; this
creates the
ambiguity
How the workplace
safety is related to
operational cost of the
particular business
1/3 on the
basis of
three quality
The information met the question and there
is sound explanation of importance of
workplace safety measures in relation to
operational cost. The good health will
The study
effectively
determines the
importance of

organization dimensions reduce the maintenance cost as there will
be less absenteeism and more productivity.
The work culture will be improved with
more efficiency in the working
organization. Morale of the employees will
be boosted up leading to effective work-
balance. It is a common notion that if the
employees are able to maintain work-
balance, they tend to be more satisfied,
further leading to efficiency and
productivity. Every organization must
adhere to safety norms as it is part of good
governance; along with that safe workplace
is the legal obligation under several
international rules and regulations which
need not to be described here. There are
many organizations which have their own
workplace safety measures, the
Intercontinental Sydney (IS) hotel can
imitate their approach (Senthil, et al.,
2015).
workplace safety
measures. The
study fills the gap
created by
previous studies.
There have been
numerous searches
related to
workplace safety
measures but the
specific issue of
Housekeeping
department in a 5
start hotel is not
generally
considered. This
study considers
this issue and fills
the gap created by
previous
researches

Section 3 Research methodology
Section 3.1 research approach and technique
The research methodology to be adopted in this study is explorative. This method is chosen as
there is a need to find out the causes of injuries happening in the hotel. The descriptive study will
not be able to give a suitable answer to the question as the descriptive study only answer the
question of how not why. But, here there is a need to find out why the injuries are occurring in
the housekeeping department of the hotel. To find out the answer to this question is mentioned in
the objective also. Moreover, the descriptive method is a quantitative method which takes time
and cost. In addition to this, the descriptive method needs experts which are not viable under the
scope of this study. In an exploratory study, the nature of variables is in the hand of researchers
which is not possible in a descriptive study (Sacadura-Leite, et al., 2018).
An exploratory study is flexible and adaptable to change. So if in the future need arises the study
can be easily modified according to unique needs. Time and resources are saved in this study
Moreover, descriptive study is a cross-sectional study which does not fit in the current scenario
of the issue. The nature of information gathered in the study will be answers to Multiple Choice
Questions prepared for the intended population (Morrison, 2016). The intended population
includes employees of Intercontinental Sydney; the employees which are in the housekeeping
department will be considered without any bias. The employees of other departments may be
presented with information regarding the study and their views can be taken to further explore
the issue. There are many tangible methods but MCQ method is chosen because of easy
understanding and less time with employees. So the study will not take much time and the
employees will be able to present their view through MCQ or questionnaire method. Also, it is
easy to form questions related to hotel industry as compared to conducting observation analysis
in the descriptive study. This is another advantage of an exploratory study.

With advantages, the exploratory study has some disadvantages as well. Exploratory study
generates qualitative information, there can be ambiguity and bias in the interpretation of this
information. Moreover, the sample to be considered is small because of the exploratory nature of
study so many important views are not taken into consideration (Lee, Moon, Lee, & Kim, 2014).
Section 3.2 population analysis
The population to be examined for the purpose of study belongs to the age of 20 to 50 years. the
estimated size of the population is 200. All the employees working in the hotel will be
considered; but out of them, only 200 will be selected through a random sample survey technique
so the employees will be from a different background. There will be no discrimination on the
basis of race, gender, religion, and ethnicity (Habraken, Schaff, I.P.Leistikow, & Resinders,
2009). All the ethical codes of conduct will be employed to be used in the study causing least
harm to the population. as far as primary research is concerned, the manager can be approached
as he or she knows the complete information regarding the working style of the hotel.
Section 3.3 sample designing
The sample considered here is of 200 people. There will be segmentation of the sample for easy
data analysis. The collective, as well as the individual view, will be taken. Data regarding the
health injuries occurred in recent past will be examined. The nature of health injuries will be
ascertained. There will be an effective question-answer session and ample time will be provided
to employees to explain their view. Along with employees, the manager will be approached and
his view will also be considered (Mohammed & Rashid, 2012). The questionnaire method will
provide an opportunity for everyone to give views regarding the issue. This will lead to finding

out the real cause behind increasing number of health-related hazards in the work premises of the
housekeeping department of the particular hotel. The sample taken, though small, is adequate for
the purpose of ascertaining the causes of the problem. The organization can conduct the
conclusive study using the data from this research proposal as it will complete the groundwork
needed. But this cannot be used for decision making at the highest level; the decision making at
the highest level requires intensive surveying with a wide sample of the population. But this
study will definitely able to provide a glimpse of the problem (Benhason, 2018)
Section 3.4 implementation of the plan
The project will be planned and scheduled. The initial step is the population analysis which will
take 7 days to complete. After that target population will be identified that will take 3 days. The
population sample will be chosen through random sample surveying technique, as mentioned
above. After the identification of the target population, the questionnaire paper will be prepared.
The question paper will have four answers related to the issue; the identified employee will have
to choose the most plausible answer (Deros, Ismail, & Yusof, 2012).
There will be questions related to a number of injuries happened in the recent past, nature, and
cause of injuries, severity, and consequences of the injury. There will be questions on the amount
of compensation given by the hotel company individually to every person who got injured, as
well as, the collective sum of a full year (Habraken, Schaff, I.P.Leistikow, & Resinders, 2009).
The questions will be asked on the role of technology in reducing the fatal injuries along with a
desire to implement change in the organization. After that, the data gathered will be analyzed;
suitable findings will be made. Data will be interpreted and the exact cause behind the issue will

be identified. This study and resulting data might be used by the hotel to minimize the injuries by
adopting suitable tools, methodology, and technology.
Section 3.5 suggested questions
The study addresses many research questions which are as follows:
a) How and to what extent the business organizations can employ employees in reducing
workplace injuries.
b) What are the main reasons for the increased number of injuries in housekeeping department
as a room attendant
c) What are the types of safety measures available with employees to deal with the situation
and minimize the health-related injuries
d) What are the new technologies which can reduce the fatal injuries in the housekeeping
department of a hotel?
e) What is the importance of safety inspection, incident investigation, and reporting of incident
and injuries of the workplace?
f) What strategy the competitors are employing to deal with safety hazards at work place?
h) What is the attitude of international community and organizations on the issue?
i) What are the best methods to prevent the health injuries in housekeeping department of 5 star
hotels?
j) how does the workplace injuries affect the morale of employees?
Research question Reasoning or objective met
Question a) and b) Meet the objective of finding the reason behind the increased
number of injuries and provide a glimpse on role of employees in

minimizing the same
Question c) and d) Effectively address the question of safety measures available with
employees and technological solutions present in the market.
Question e) and f) Effectively deals with the competition advantage of adversaries
and find the importance of reporting of incidents
Question g) Effectively address the issue of increased number of injuries in
Housekeeping department of a 5 star hotel
Question h) Give the international scenario related to the topic
Question i) The question identifies the method of reducing the fatal injuries
Question j) The effect of workplace injuries on morale of employee is
discussed
Section 3.6 project schedule
Task Duration Start Finish status
Population analysis
and target population
identification
5 days 3/12/ 2018 8/12/2018 Completed
Random Sample
Surveying
5 days 8/12/2018 13/12/2018 Pending
Questionnaire
preparation
5 days 13/12/2018 18/12/2018 pending

Actual plan
implementation
5 days 18/12/2018 23/12/2018 Pending
Data analysis 5 days 23/12/2018 28/12/2019 Pending
Population anlysis
Random sample surveying
Questionnaire Prepartion
Plan implementation
Data analysis
12/3 12/8 12/13 12/18 12/23

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