1. Front Office Workshifts
FOF601 – Front Office Procedures

2. Introduction
Front Office work shifts may vary with guest business patterns. A program of flexible work hours or flextime, allows employees to vary the time they start and end work.
Certain busy hours during a week shift, however may require the presence of a majority of the staff. For example, one front desk agent may work from 6am – 2pm, so that wake up calls and checks out can be handed more efficiently through the 7am shift change.
On the other hand, scheduling of front desk agent to work from 10am – 6pm may allow for smooth processing for late morning check outs and guest arrivals during the time when evening shift personnel are scheduled for a meal break.

3. Contd
Other type of alternative scheduling include variations on the traditional workweek of five 8 hour days. A compressed work schedule occurs when an employee works 40 hours in fewer than 5 days [ for instance, four 10 hour days]
Job sharing is an arrangement in which two or more part time employees share the responsibilities of one full time position. Each worker may perform all aspects of the position on alternate days, or divide the duties while the employees work simultaneously.

4. Part-Time
These employees are an increasingly important source of labor for the hospitality industry. Many potential workers, such as students, parents of young children, and retirees, may not be available to work full time.
Part time workers give the front office the flexibility to respond to fluctuating guest demands while reducing overall labor costs.

5. Work shifts
A 40-hour work week is the typical workload for front office employees in most hotels. A front office may work any one of the property’s work shifts, depending on the front office needs and staff members availability. Traditional front office work shifts are:
Day Shift
AM shift/Morning Shift – 0700hrs – 1500hrs
Afternoon Shift
PM shift/Swing Shift – 1500hrs – 2300hrs
Night Shift
MN shift/Graveyard shift – 2300hrs – 07000hrs

6. AM Shift (0700hrs – 1500hrs)
Recount Float & handover from midnight shift
Post Breakfast/Lunch charges or AM Tea if any conferences
Deal with checkout guests (Normal or Express check out)
Early check ins
Wake Up calls
Deal with External & Internal Calls
Balance all Breakfast/Lunch charges
Convert Foreign Currencies to Resident Guests
Liaise with Housekeeper on Room Status (i.e. VD Rooms).Before Check in Housekeeper release the VD rooms to VC rooms( ready for Check in guests)
Reservation – deal with future booking or dayroom guests
Post any beverage charges
Recount float and handover to Shift II

7. Major Task for PM Shift (Swing Shift)
Recount float from Shift 1 ensure it is balance
Posting any late lunch sale (optional)
Posting pm tea (optional)
Posting accommodation charges to all in house guest
Balance bar sale
Posting dinner/balance dinner sale
Posting any counter service for telephone charges, fax, etc
Attend to switchboard/guest enquiries et (optional)
Receive reservation(optional)
Recount float & handover shift 3/graveyard shift

8. Midnight Shift Recount Float and handover to Shift I or AM Shift
Audit all accounts from all Operational Outlets e.g.
Restaurant – Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner/AM orPM Tea
Bar – Beverages from all shifts
Cash – any cash transaction. ( Front Office/Bar/Restaurant)
Credit Cards - Balance all credit card payments
Audit every dockets such as restaurant dkt/bar dkt/Foreign Currency Voucher etc
Close off the trading account of the day
Recount float and handover to Shift I

9. Any Questions