The simple act doing away with bedspreads, which sit above duvets on hotel beds, and pushing the headboard flush against the wall helped one hotel to improve its productivity. Hotel Michael at Resorts World Sentosa saved numerous man-hours needed to clean and prep its hotel rooms for new guest.

It was one of the eight hotels on Friday lauded for tweaking existing operational procedures to work life easier and faster for their employees. It received an award during the 31st annual Productivity Seminar organized by the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU), National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA),

The importance of productivity was reinforced by guest of honour Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Transport, Josephine Teo. She said: "The labour shortage has been worsened by the appearance of new players in the hotel industry. This makes it all the more important that steps be taken to increase productivity. This change can only take place from the bottom-up."