International Housekeepers & Environmental Services Week – September 11-17, 2022, history quotes tweet
Not many people think about housekeepers when they enter a hotel or casino. However, housekeeping as a job can be a lot of work with little to no reward. Because most don’t realize the hard work involved in housekeeping, that’s why Housekeepers Week exists to give people the opportunity to thank housekeepers for their efforts in keeping everything tidy and safe for people to be in. Read more to learn about the history of Housekeeping Week and how you can celebrate it.
HISTORY OF HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK
Throughout history, housekeeping has been viewed as a woman’s profession and it has been common practice for most middle to upper-class citizens to have housekeepers and maids. Maidens or maids were initially used instead of the housekeeper as the women lived with their employer and rarely ever got married. Very well-to-do families often employed more than one maid and may have had an entire staff of housekeepers, gardeners, drivers, and cooks. The housekeeper would be at the top of the hierarchy and oversee the lady’s maid, parlor maids, and laundry maids.
About 100-years-ago, housekeeping was a very time-consuming task. Chores that we consider simple and quick to complete would often take days because they were so time-consuming they were allocated a whole day of the week to complete. The production of goods like soap, candles, and other detergents was also considered housekeeping. When these tasks were outsourced at the advent of the Industrial Revolution, and women began to work in factories, housekeeping declined and changed to more family-oriented tasks.
With the creation of professional housekeeping services and the rise of working-class women, housekeeping personnel are still in high demand. Today, lives are so busy that it is difficult to find time to keep up with household chores, so the need for professional cleaning services has increased in the past several years.
Indeed without housekeepers, diseases would spread, and productivity would decline. That is why we need to celebrate them! Housekeepers Week has been sponsored by Integrated Environment and Health Assessment for almost 41 years and has successfully grown into a week-long celebration each year. Housekeeping is an integral profession — hotels, casinos, restaurants, and other establishments simply cannot do without these services.
CELEBRATING WITH WORLDTIMESHINDI RETWEET
HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK TIMELINE
HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK TIMELINE
1500 — 1700
The Pre-Industrial Revolution Era
Well-off families keep servants and apprentices who contribute to the upkeep and production of goods to sustain a family.
1760 — 1840
Introduction of Factories
With the introduction of factories, housekeeping becomes more family-related like raising children, cooking, and cleaning.
19th Century
The Identification as a Woman’s Job
Housekeeping becomes a feminine role less important than men’s paid labor.
1981
The Day to Celebrate Housekeepers is Established
Integrated Environment and Health Assessment, officially set up the Housekeepers Week.
2000s
The Advances in Technology
Innovations in technology have led to many labor-saving household appliances which are beneficial to housekeeping.
HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK ACTIVITIES
Say thank you
Post your appreciation on your personal and company social media channels. Make it meaningful so that these professionals feel appreciated.
Give a gift
If you have a housekeeper buy them a gift as part of this week’s festivities. Let it be something that will be of sentimental value to them.
Provide a mental health day
Let them take the day off to recharge their batteries and avoid burnout. Your housekeeper will surely appreciate this gesture.
WHY WE LOVE
There are housekeeping olympics
The housekeepers’ Las Vegas Hotels have been in the Housekeeping Olympics for 30 years.
It is a highly stressful job
According to surveys, 77% of executive housekeepers say that their job is stressful.
It’s mostly an unpaid woman’s job
Although more women now work outside the home, many still provide housekeeping services to their homes.
Housekeeping departments in hotels are big
Hotels require a lot of cleaning staff to ensure that their hotels are properly managed.
It’s time-consuming cleaning hotel rooms
It takes 65 minutes to clean a hotel room — inspect, approve, and be open for new guests.
WHY WE LOVE HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK
It celebrates an underappreciated profession
Housekeeping is a job that isn’t appreciated as much as it should be. This week enables us to recognize its importance.
It educates us about gender inequalities.
It helps create a conversation around the unequal division of housework in daily home life. Let us all be more conscious about pulling our weight.
It is about kindness
Housekeepers Week lets us give back to and say thank you to those who work hard to make our lives comfortable. They are our unseen heroes.
How to celebrate Housekeepers Week
If you’re looking at celebrating Housekeepers Week, start by saying thank you to a coworker that cleaning in your building. If you want to be extra kind, give them a gift and maybe take them out to dinner so you can forge new friendships and learn about their experiences. Share this week-long holiday on social media using the hashtag #housekeepersweek and let your friends know what holiday it is. Talk with your friends online about housekeeping and see what conversations pop into the open. For this holiday, it all about bringing kindness to others for their profession and making sure they are appreciated.
HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK FAQS
What are housekeeping activities?
Housekeeping activities include cleaning, cooking, home maintenance, shopping, and bill keeping.
What is institutional housekeeping?
It is housekeeping that is in places outside the home setting e.g hotels, hospitals, lodges, inns, etc.
What is domestic housekeeping?
It is housekeeping in residential buildings or homes.
