Staff Retention

Employee retention is critical to the long term health and success of any business. Staff retention should be one of the areas we focus on in the salon, as it helps to secure the health of the business.

There are lots of great reasons as to why we should retain our top staff members, and here we will look at some of the most important:

• A satisfied, happy employee will know what is expected of them every day whilst at work. Changing staff expectations will keep them on edge and create unhealthy stress. Changing expectations too often gives insecurity to the employee and can make them feel unsuccessful. You should stick to a specific framework within which your staff clearly know what is expected of them.
• Quality supervision equals employee retention! People leave managers and employers more often then they leave a company. It is not enough that the manager is well-liked or a nice person. A bad manager or supervisor can make employees feel unvalued and this will contribute to staff wanting to leave. The majority of complaints from staff include lack of clarity about expectations, lack of clarity regarding earning potential, lack of feedback about performance, failure to hold scheduled meetings, and a failure to build a framework within which the employee perceives they can succeed.
• Freedom of speech within the business. Does your business encourage ideas and provide an environment in which staff members are comfortable in providing feedback? If so employees will feel they have the freedom to offer ideas, add comments, criticise and commit to continuous development.
• Take advantage of your team's skills and talents. A motivated employee wants to contribute to work areas outside of their specific job description. How many of your staff members could contribute far more than they currently do? Find out their skills, talents and experience and tap into it.
• Treating all employees fairly and equally is incredibly important to retention. Pay rises and special treatment can often slip out of loose lips and affect the morale of the rest of your team. Make sure you treat everyone the same, no matter how long they have been with you.
• If an employee is failing at work ask yourself, 'what is it about the business which is causing them to fail?' More often than not the employee knows what they are supposed to do, and the answer usually lies with their tools, training, temperament or talent. Make sure you are investing in your staff so they will repay you by working hard and earning your business money.
• Your top employees, those you want to retain, will always seek frequent opportunities to learn and grow in their careers, knowledge and skills. Without giving them new challenges or learning opportunities, they feel they will stagnate.
• Your team must feel rewarded, recognised and appreciated! Frequently saying thank you goes a long way. Monetary rewards, bonuses and gifts make the thank you even more appreciated. Commissions and bonuses that are easily calculated on a daily basis, and easily understood, raise motivation and help retain staff.

Take a look at your business. Are you doing your best to retain your top talent? The cost of not doing this can be as high as when one key member of the team leaves, others often follow – quickly chased out of the door by their clients