Six Ways to Celebrate International Housekeepers Week

International Housekeepers Week (IHW) is well underway, but it’s not too late to show your housekeeping staff how important their work means to you and your business.

Established by IEHA, a division of ISSA, in 1981, today IHW is celebrated globally in thousands of facilities from Dubai to Hong Kong, Houston to Dublin. How you celebrate the event is up to you—it can be a day of fun activity dedicated to recognizing your staff, or a whole week of events that ends with a ceremony where individuals throughout the entire business take a minute to thank cleaners for a job well done.

Here are six simple ways to show your housekeeping team how much you appreciate them during IHW:

1. Throw a party or picnic. Whether a special breakfast, pizza lunch, or potluck picnic, gather your team for a meal where you can tell them how important they are and thank them collectively and individually for what they do.
2. Give service awards. Recognize employees who have been with the company, one, five, 10, or more years. Show them you appreciate their loyalty with a certificate of achievement and a token of appreciation like a gift card to their favorite restaurant or a paid afternoon off.
3. Take a field trip. Break out of the normal work routine and offer a group trip to a nail salon for manicures, an afternoon at a museum or evening ball game, or to another favorite attraction in your area.
4. Treat them. If a party or field trip doesn’t fit into the schedule, bring in cupcakes or give out new coffee mugs or giftbags with sweet treats or snacks and handwritten thank-you messages.
5. Have a theme day. Select a day or days during the week when staff can relax and show their creative sides, like a Hawaiian Shirt Day or a Favorite Sports Team Day. Have staff members vote for best costume or theme day attire. Recognize winners with a small prize.
6. Publicize your appreciation. Take photos of your cleaning team and its star performers. Create a “Wall of Thanks” in your facility with staff photos or post staff photos to your business social media sites thanking your team members and letting the whole world know the importance they play in keeping facilities clean and safe and people healthy.

It’s never too late to thank a housekeeper for a job well done or begin planning for next year’s special activities. The next IHW will be held September 6-12, 2020.