Hiring Staff--how do other's "shift" their workday?

[NorthFork53]

Greetings Innkeepers,
We are restructuring our B&B Manager position in this coming off-season in order to create a more sustainable employment lifestyle for the person(s) taking care of the inn. The one manager we hired this year was superb, but overworked. She lived on site (room attached to the kitchen) and basically ran the B&B: cooked breakfasts, cleaned the house, minor repairs, bookings, guest relations, marketing, social media, etc. It was a great first season, but she felt burnt out by the end of the first season.
I would love to hear from other small B&B/Inn owners about what your employee organization looks like. Do you have a general manager? Are they full time? Do you have cleaning help? How many people work for you and what is their average "shift" in terms of hours and responsibilities, compensation?
Specifically, I wonder about changing this one-person role to a multiple person role, as a team of shifting workers. For example, a breakfast shift, a cleaning shift, and a check-in/breakfast prep shift. This would be more people to hire and manage, but might be worth it in the long-run?
What is your experience? Do you have recommendations for our restructure?
A thousand thanks!
Ana

 

[Morticia]

For us, 7 rooms, there is not enough business to hire a FT manager. We do everything but the room cleaning. For that we have a single PT employee who works about 30 hours in 2 weeks, $12/hour, 5 days on 2 days off (we do the cleaning on those 2 days).
You might want to offer your good manager a break, let her have time off during the week and get someone in to do all the tasks for 2 days/week. No one but the owner should be putting in 7 days/week with no help and no time off.
Or, hire someone to clean rooms and do laundry so she can have a few hours to herself everyday.
What size is your property and how busy are you?

 

[gillumhouse]

I have 3 rooms and do it all. IF you had hired help who did all of that single-handed, you are lucky your were not A: Walked out on B: Reported to the NLRB. Usually only an owner is the resident slave.

 

[Generic]

We are 5 rooms. I run the inn, but a housekeeper arrives at 11A and does the cleaning and leaves when she's done. So I have a break to do email, calls, shopping, etc.

 

[Lee2014]

Seven room inn and one 2 bedroom cottage owned by my grandma. My aunt and I are the slaves to the house. We just hired a lawn care crew who does the places on both sides of us. During the summer we have a college student young man who helps out around here from pulling weeds to checking in guests. The last two summers we had a girl helping clean rooms on the weekend.

 

[OnTheShore]

9 cottages; we have a crew of cleaners who come in to do the changeovers; we also have had a general helper who would work about 30 hours/week on average (including everything from cleaning to lawn mowing to painting...) One of our long-term guests works to help strip the cottages and organize the linen shed when she is here (6 to 8 weeks). The two of us manage everything else.

 

[Jcam]

11 rooms - 3 staff who just do the cleaning and checking in guests when we are out -
1 person mon to friday
1 person saturday
1 person sunday
HOwever taking on a second property and will need breakfast chef, plus waitress for breafkast, and at least 3 room cleaners on rotation.

 

[InnSemiRetirement]

I would also find out what your manager enjoys doing, and structuring the support staff to relieve the areas that are less fun for her - cleaning staff if it is housekeeping, kitchen staff if it is breakfast service and cleanup, an assistant front desk person if it is check ins and phone duty. I definitely agree that you need to find a way to give her time off as well.
I have worked at places that have one person do everything, and if that person is not the owner of the business it cannot last. I would say even if it is the owner, it cannot last if you are running a sustaining business.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

I agree with Semi and Mort - ask her what she enjoys and cover the rest.
But another way to look at it is this, she needs a day off. My thought is to hire a cleaning person to work 4 days as cleaner and one day as assistant manager covering breakfast and check ins so that the manager can leave the house and read a book at the beach.

 

[Anon Inn]

I would also find out what your manager enjoys doing, and structuring the support staff to relieve the areas that are less fun for her - cleaning staff if it is housekeeping, kitchen staff if it is breakfast service and cleanup, an assistant front desk person if it is check ins and phone duty. I definitely agree that you need to find a way to give her time off as well.
I have worked at places that have one person do everything, and if that person is not the owner of the business it cannot last. I would say even if it is the owner, it cannot last if you are running a sustaining business..

It is tough doing it all. Very tired at end of season and at most I do 4 rooms (and have to drive 2 hours round trip to do the 4th)
Very glad at the end of the season. We have very quiet and long off-seasons so good recovery time.
I just finished my taxes and filed yesterday. Today is the deadline if you took an extension in April. I blocked off everything for the last week and still got a one night walk-in couple a few days ago. They were easy, and so exhausted looking when they walked in the door I just couldn't say no.
I did try hiring help at the start of the season. She wad good and understood clean, but the day I was ill and really needed someone - her cat got sick and she cancelled. I haven't called her again and have decided not to be dependent on outside help. I think of it as my gym membership. Sorry for the hijack. Wanted to vent.

 

[InnDebt]

We have 5 rooms and are extremely lucky to have 2 housekeepers. One is Sun-Wed, the other does Thru-Sat. Last year we had someone who came everyday, but that got to be too much for one person, so when she moved we went to two. They are flexible and able to cover each other if one needs off. It's still a lot to do the rest of it ourselves but it gives us some 'free time' to do baking, errands, eat lunch etc.