1. Tell us a bit about yourself
I’ve got a beautiful doggie called Skye and I enjoy doing escape rooms; I also love spending time with my nieces too, family’s really important to me. And I love my job – and my bed!
2. What do you enjoy about the job and why do you think good cleaning is so important?
I am now TGC Aberdeen West’s Housekeeping Manager, having spent time doing that role for one hotel, I now do it for all our housekeeping clients. I am responsible for the team and managing the turnaround of the rooms, checking the team is ok, inspecting the rooms, ensuring that the client’s happy, and just keeping everything moving. I also have a night team that cleans the spa so I audit that too, to check it’s at standard.
The work varies, depending on how long the guests stay. Recently there have been guests who stay 3-4 days and some guests are corporate and they stay for a week or more; others still just spend one night as a leisure break. It’s wedding season so we’re getting more and more weddings and other functions like balls here. After a big event like a wedding, there can be some interesting ways the rooms are left – you see everything in housekeeping.
I have a reasonably large team, so it’s a constant flow and service we provide. It’s a really, really good team, they’re amazing, it’s like a family. They’ve all got such a passion for the job that they deliver the best they can.
When I came on board, I was given free rein. I get on really well with the hotel managers and so we’re left to crack on with it really. I do have previous hotel management experience and so that’s been very useful in understanding what’s expected from such the lovely hotels we work for, often with a luxury offering and high standards all around.
3. How long have you worked for TGC Aberdeen West? Why did you choose us and what do you enjoy about the challenges of a supervisory role?
I started here in August 2021, having left my previous job during the pandemic. When I applied to Tidy Green Clean, this wasn’t the role I’d seen, but Callum thought I would be really suited to it.
I really enjoy managing the team. I’ve various supervisors overseeing the day-to-day operations at each hotel and client to make sure we’re always up to speed for whatever is happening, whether it’s weddings or Christmas or Hogmanay or something else.
Each of our housekeeping staff is on rotation; some work school hours, some are full time, but everyone mucks in, and I really appreciate and respect that. Even if someone’s on a day off, if we need them, they’ll come in and help. When it gets busy, they’re supportive and we all pull together and that’s what keeps me going. It is always fun to see what’s behind each hotel room door – no two days are ever the same. I do all the rotas, timesheets, orders, holidays, linen counts, and everything.
After the pandemic, it’s great to see life going back to normal, especially here because so much of life takes place in a hotel.
4. Why are Tidy Green Clean’s values about people and the environment important to you?
Before I worked here, I worked in a public sector frontline role and when I moved, I was really looking for a company that was supportive and put staff welfare first. Over the time I’ve been here, they’ve looked after me so well. I’ve never worked for a company that’s been so good at looking after people professionally and personally. It makes you want to work hard for them and be loyal because they do the same for you.
There’s a high appreciation among staff, and they pay well so our cleaners really appreciate the way they’re treated. Cleaning is such a physically hard job, and to see that the management team have taken that on board and make sure that people are treated well is exceptional. For example, we are working in rural Aberdeen a lot and so the biggest challenge is getting people who can drive and so Callum is investing in a minibus, which will really help a lot with that.
5. What would you like to see happen in the future for you at TGC?
As long as I have the staff to back me, I would love to expand and grow my teams and look after even more hotels, because I really enjoy this kind of work.