The proper care of salon or spa clients is an integral part of its success and lies in the hands of their employees every day. A burnt out or distressed employee is more likely to make mistakes or mistreat a client, so the well-being of these employees should be a salon and spa owner’s top priority. To ensure that success, salon and spa owners should consider incorporating and implementing programs and best practices to better care for their employees who will, in turn, take better care of their clients and the business.
Listen to the team
The solid foundation to any employee appreciation program is listening to the wants and needs of the employees. Salon and spa owners who take the time to sit down with their teams, ask what they may need from the program and listen to the responses will have a more successful program and happier employees. Asking what employees feel is essential to their job satisfaction, whether it be financial rewards, extra time off, or group outings as a team. In doing this, salon and spa owners will also save themselves time and money in the trial and error of guessing what employees may value most, while also ensuring employees feel heard and valued.
Implement Feedback
Employee appreciation does not always have to come in the form of grand gestures. Sometimes the smallest demonstrations of appreciation – a personal note, a kind word or impromptu positive feedback – mean the most. Many times, individuals feel most valued when they believe their ideas have been heard and considered. It is important for salon and spa owners to not only listen to employees, but to then incorporate that feedback into the business. Consider also using social media to highlight employees, express something positive about them and promote their services. Social media is a strong tool that can be used to humanize a salon or spa’s brand, while also giving employees a moment in the spotlight.
Health and Wellness
Finally, salon and spa owners can consider encouraging wellness throughout their teams. Health and wellness have been rising trends in client services across many salons and spas over the last several years, and employees are not exempt from wanting these same services. Salon and spa owners can help employees stay healthy by sharing resources they can use to avoid illness or injury and to relax and unwind. Offering time for employees to benefit personally from the services of the salon or spa on a regular basis, at low or no cost, is another way to ensure they feel appreciated. While there is no one answer or template to a business’s employee appreciation program, a truly effective one will motivate current employees and entice new ones to join the team.
Employee appreciation should be imbedded into the culture of a business, rather than a singular moment of celebration or recognition. To keep burnout from plaguing your business, consider sitting down with employees and listening to what they may be missing in their current roles, how the business can better support them and how they’d like to be appreciated. You may be surprised by what you learn and you’ll certainly have a better understanding of those professionals who are filling appointments and keeping clients happy.
Kathy Lopez, Account Manager for SASSI, the Salon and Spa Specialty Insurance program at Brownyard Group. She can be reached at klopez@brownyard.com.
