Get the right team for your business
Many owners are in despair thinking they can no longer find good people
to work in their salon or spa. They are convinced that the people they
require just do not exist anymore and they lay the blame variously with
education, lack of commitment to maintaining professional standards by
many of the young people coming into the industry, and the existing pay
structures. Now while it is recognised that all these areas have
contributed in part to the problem, they are not the only reasons.
I
believe highly industry suitable professional therapists do exist as
they always have - it's just a matter of recruiting the right people in
the right way. But first look at the reasons why you do need to
recruit. The three most common reasons are: | |  |
Many owners are in despair thinking they can no longer find good people to work in their salon or spa. They are convinced that the people they require just do not exist anymore and they lay the blame variously with education, lack of commitment to maintaining professional standards by many of the young people coming into the industry, and the existing pay structures. Now while it is recognised that all these areas have contributed in part to the problem, they are not the only reasons.
I believe highly industry suitable professional therapists do exist as they always have - it's just a matter of recruiting the right people in the right way. But first look at the reasons why you do need to recruit. The three most common reasons are:
- the business is expanding and you need additional therapists to provide client service and to expand the client base.
- the business is understaffed having an incorrect client-to-staff ratio which is resulting in overbooking and a drop in service standards and lower retail sale per client.
- someone has left and a vacancy now exists.
Most common is number 3: 'someone has left'. In fact employment retentions of 6 months or less is fast becoming an industry standard. What then happens is the business owner goes into a flap, throws an advertisement into the newspaper and hopes a great new employee will fall into their lap. However, the plain facts are this doesn't often happen - if you want the right person for the job you must put in the effort.
In fact it may be wiser not to automatically replace someone who has left. Take the time and opportunity to review the whole structure of your team.
If you decide to employ an additional staff member, enlist support from your team during this time. Most often they will be happy to work additional hours while you are taking the time to find the right new employee because at the end of the day they will want someone that fits in and will be a supportive team player.
Selection and recruitment
The selection and recruitment process is all about 'select slowly and hire carefully'. The following steps will assist this process:
- Decide on position requirements: Qualifications and the acceptable level of skills, be very specific; hours to be worked and if part-time/casual, will they need to be flexible (i.e. on-call available)?
- Develop a job description: List all necessary technical skills, retailing and duties including reception, housekeeping and working conditions.
- Person specifications: A crucial factor in choosing the right team member is personality, particularly in this industry - take into account energy levels, appearance, communication skills, attitude, interests and circumstances (i.e. are they available to work weekends or late night trades or do personal commitments restrict this?).
- Advertise the position: Once again be specific, listing qualifications necessary (and extra desirable ones), experience, desired attitudes, hours and any sweeteners (i.e. above award wages, incentives and /or bonuses).
- Telephone interview: This is when you short-list - you will need a list of initial questions to gather information about qualifications, experience, retail skills, etc. Remember even if you have advertised what you want, you will need to ask the questions again, have a written list and record and rate responses.
Sections of this article have been reproduced with permission from the original author - Victoria Stubbs. For the full article contact Victoria here.