Becoming an Employer of ChoiceBy Jodie Hannaford Finding and keeping quality employees Good employees are essential - not only are they the mechanism for the provision of a service, they are the heart and soul of your business; your means of connecting with your clients to provide a unique experience and ultimately develop a successful business. It starts with you… If you want to find and keep quality employees, your company must be of the same calibre. Having clearly identified purpose, vision, philosophies and values for your spa enables you to make consistent well thought out decisions to ensure the success of your business – in all areas. This clarity provides a basis for decision making that underpins all decisions you make – from services offered, who you choose to employ, which organisations you partner with, how your supply requirements are met, systems and processes, marketing and so much more. In addition to business clarity, supporting your employees with appropriate leadership, communication, training, tools, systems and processes will encourage the generation of a reputation as an employer of choice. Remember, do what you do best and seek specialist help to provide additional support where required. There are many organisations that specialise in conducting specialised training programs, marketing, accounting and business coaching services. Key Tips:
Focus on recruitment…. Planning: Finding the right people is the link to business success. It is worthwhile thinking about your staffing requirements at an early stage as it can take time to find the right people. Purpose and vision often determine your service offerings and staffing requirements, namely skill sets and availability. You may require any combination of permanent, casual, permanent part time, and contractors. Consideration of guest demand and flexibility required in order to support your business growth is also essential at this point. Hire nice people: As simplistic as this sounds, the ever-changing nature of the spa industry and services on offer illustrates the importance of hiring nice people aligned with your business vision and values. Choosing personable, aligned people who have good skills promotes good vibes in a business. These people are pleasant to be around, most likely to create a relationship with your clients, are able to mix well with your team, demonstrate a willingness to learn and are therefore easily trained. How do you find nice people? During the interview process; were they down to earth or fanatically focused on success? The person who seems most personable is more likely to fit within your organisation's culture, work better with your team and look out for the interests of the business as a whole rather than their own self promotion and success. Tests and unconventional interview methods can provide greater insight than a couple of meetings. For example, have someone you trust conduct a ‘mystery spa’ exercise to experience skill level as well as how the potential employee conducts themselves outside of the interview process. Alternatively invite your potential employee to a training evening, or a social event to witness how they interact with people, particularly other members of your team. Are they the type of person who talks only of themselves, or are they engaging and interested in what others have to say? Key tips:
Now you have them – how to keep them Put the employee first – that includes you! As it requires a team effort to support a successful business consider everyone to be employees of a business – from owner to manager, therapist to reception. Consider making “someone’s day” (or moment) with a small act of kindness or engagement. This can turn even routine encounters into special memories both for your employees and your clients. When a business puts the employee first, many things can happen. Firstly, the employee is happy. If the employee is happy, the service provided to your clients is far more outstanding that if he or she were not happy. If the service is outstanding the client will be happy and that only spells success for a business! An open, friendly, supportive atmosphere is a must. The best form of support is being fully present for one another. Being there is also a great way to practice whole-heartedness and fight burn out, because it’s tasks performed half heartedly while juggling others that wear us out. Given the amount of time we spend at work it is important to take care to provide an environment that supports you and your employees. You will be amazed at the benefits realised by your business when you provide an atmosphere that supports the contribution of ideas and suggestions from your team:
Foster fun: Work made fun gets done, especially when we choose to do serious tasks in a light hearted, spontaneous way. Play is a state of mind that brings new energy to tasks and sparks creative solutions. Choose your attitude: Look for the worst, and you’ll find it everywhere. When you choose your response to what life offers, you can look for the best and find opportunities you never imagined possible. Attitudes are infectious and you will see significant changes in the attitudes of your employees if you take on the responsibility of adopting an attitude of looking for the best in a situation and seeking opportunities. Invest in your people: How often do you provide training? How regular is training (weekly, fortnightly, monthly)? Does it cover a range of areas (retailing, marketing, new product knowledge, new treatments, up-selling, and reception)? Establishing a training plan for your business that covers a range of areas demonstrates a focus on professional standards and commitment to your team and your clients. In addition to regular group training sessions, the establishment of a development, mentoring or cross training program enables the sharing of skills at a one to one level and reduces the need for employees to move on to a competitor business to gain new experience. Providing your employees with regular training also builds team spirit. The opportunity to continuously learn enables your team to move with the times and stay at the forefront of the spa industry. The result is happier, committed, stable and interested employees who are efficient, knowledgeable, accurate in the delivery of their duties and proud to be employed by you. (Word of mouth is the best way of attracting quality employees!) Communication and motivation: What is the driver? People need to feel they have a grasp on where the business is heading and what part they play in that process. They want to be heard. It is important to remember why your people wanted to join your business in the first place. Talking to your employees ensures that you keep track of what it is that motivates them and can act on these motivations as you develop your team. An employer cannot motivate its employees (they must WANT to work), however they can provide an environment that fosters motivated input. While money and benefits are often used as motivators other critical considerations include: opportunity for employee contribution, respect of peers and colleagues, recognition from employer, being informed, flexibility, allowing employees to do their job (lack of micro-management), sufficient resources to do their job, a fun and stimulating workplace and above all regular communication. Celebrate Success: Be clear about the expectations you have of your business and your employees. Use transparent methods for measuring performance and outcomes as you work toward the achievement of shared goals. Celebrate progress and the achievement of milestones along the way. Key Tips:
In Summary
Remember what it was that attracted the good employee in the first place. The key principles for retaining good employees lie in the delivery of the very things that attracted them to your organisation initially. Anyone who works for a business that considers and supports their needs, is just and fair, can remain flexible as well as provide other good employees to work alongside, will want to continue working in that business and will recommend your business to others. Recommended Reading: FISH! Concept developed by the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle and documented by Stephen C Lundin, John Christensen & Harry Paul. Jodie Hannaford manages a consultancy business in Melbourne, Australia |
