How to create and manage your team

The Golden Guide to Managing and Retaining your Salon Team 

Whether you just have yourself to manage, a team of 2, 5 or a team of 100 we can all agree…Without our team, we simply would not be here.

Last month at SalonIQ we focused on our team on a one-to-one basis…What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses and how can we help them progress and grow? How can we ensure that our team love working at SalonIQ, enjoy their day and are still going to be here in 12+ months’ time but, has grown and evolved?  

Your team are remarkably like your clients. You need to educate your team, to retain your team and, when they leave to go home each day, they should have a smile on their faces. 

Let’s break it down 

To retain those we employ, we need to first review and set our culture, would you want to join your team if you were looking for a new position or if you were looking for your very first job role in life? 

Team loyalty – The Hair & Beauty industry is well known (sadly) for team members hopping from one salon to another quickly and effectively taking their clients with them when they leave. Creating a loyal culture within your salon will help reduce the need to leave without care for the business that has supported them.  

Questions to ask yourself: 

• What is your salon culture like? 
• How do your teams communicate? 
• What happens when there is conflict? 
• Are people motivated to come to your salon and work? 

Flexible hours – Do you offer your team flexible hours to help ensure the best work/life balance? Offering flexible hours that suit both you and them can give you that edge against other salons. 

One in four Saturdays off – The shift may be moving for some salons, meaning that Saturdays may not be your busiest day of the week, however we all know that when your team have a BBQ, party or family event planned…it will no doubt fall on a Saturday. Giving your salon team the opportunity to say YES will earn you brownie points for sure…Plus reducing the “sick” days that can throw a whole host of unwanted drama. 

An extra day off or leave early on Birthdays – Time is often more precious to us than a gift. Offer a birthday treat for your team by gifting a day off, or the ability to finish a little earlier. If I were offered a free day off or a bottle of champagne, I know which one I would be more thankful for.  Do bare in mind that this will be different for each person, so in your ext one to one with each of your team members ask the question and make a note. 

Path for progression – Progression is vital. It doesn’t have to be huge leaps forward, however employees who are offered internal progression and professional development opportunities are more likely to stay with you than those who are not.

Understand what motivates each team member – You can only motivate and inspire people if they know what they are working towards. Make sure you discover what motivates everyone, is it money, is it self-satisfaction or perhaps it’s learning something new. Remember to also ensure your team are aware of your vision and what your ultimate goals are for your salon business. 

“The system is literally life-changing when running a business, customer experience, marketing to your clients and motivating your team”. Michelle Hart

 

Once you have a clear plan in place, SalonIQ will be ready and waiting to help you monitor your team’s performance. I know I work more effectively when I have clear objectives and have that carrot dangled ahead of me. Set out clear KPIs, and give your team access to their own KPI dashboard so they can see just how close they are to reaching target and keep pushing for more.  

Take advantage of your live SalonIQ team dashboard…view a whole host of data such as service totals, rebooking %, new clients and much more for any day, week, month, or custom period, the options are endless.  

If you would like to find out more about how SalonIQ will help you manage and inspire your team click here.