With the rapid growth of the beauty industry, many new salons are opening each day. As a result, multiple job openings have sprouted and retaining employees has never been more difficult. Hiring the best staff just doesn’t seem to cut it anymore – you need to be one step ahead and work on retaining the best talent. By doing so, you prevent your salon from going through the hiring process over and over again. Not only that – you reduce the loss of your clients, too. That’s why human resource staff play an important role in employee retention. And in the case of salons, owners and managers perform the tasks of human resources – provided that they undergo specialized education at institutions that train employees in the beauty industry.  

Why Is Employee Retention Important?

In any business, employee retention is an important concern.  On average, it costs about 9 months for a business to replace an employee who quits. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Your clients could start to leave, too – which leads to greater losses. That’s why salons must invest in staff retention. The costs are simply much lower retaining staff rather than rehiring for new positions. 

What Is The Role Of Human Resource Officers in a Salon’s Employee Retention?

When it comes to staff retention, one cannot deny the huge role that human resource staff play. All the way from training of employees to determining the best compensation package for them, HR is critical to ensuring that your employees stay. If you’re having difficulty with retaining your staff in your salon, continue reading to find out more about what you can do about it. 

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Foster a Healthy Environment 

No employee likes a toxic working environment. Management can do their part in creating a positive working environment by communicating with their colleagues. Employees’ productivity and morale would be boosted when creating a positive working environment. Understand their responsibilities and ensure that they can achieve work-life balance. Clients  easily recognize a great working environment. And once they see it in a team, they just might visit your salon more often.

Learning and Development of Employees

No matter the industry, employees will always seek growth in their job.  If employees find themselves at a dead end in their career, chances are that they will eventually leave. So what do human resource staff have to do? Nurture the employees. Train them regarding new practices in the salon industry so their skillset remains relevant. Training your staff is not only a great investment for manpower, but also for the potential services your salon can provide to your clients. 

Transparency and Consistency Are Important 

When it comes to retaining your staff, transparency is key. But you might be wondering: how can you show transparency? Be clear with goals, job descriptions, and your expectations of the hair stylists. You can even make use of timetables and KPIs to help with the salon’s operations. Employees want to do their best, but if you’re not clear enough, they won’t get that kick of self-motivation to get the job done. 

Proper Recognition 

There’s no better feeling than getting recognized for your efforts in your job. Who doesn’t love being recognized? That’s why it’s important that you reward your employees by recognizing their hard work. Employee recognition comes in many forms – it may be in the form of additional vacation leaves, paying bonuses, or a simple saying of “thanks”. 

Review Employee Performance Regularly 

Whether your salon is large or small, reviewing your employees’ performance is crucial to a high retention rate. These reviews must be done regularly and comprehensively. Defined key metrics must be set that determine employee success. When performance reviews become regular, it shows that you are committed to the growth of your staff and their careers. In turn, this helps with employee retention in salons. 

Provide Competitive Salaries, Benefits, and Incentives 

Perhaps one of the most crucial aspects in a job is the employee’s compensation. This includes salaries, benefits, and incentives. When workers are paid below their market rate, you cannot expect them to stay. For salons, maintaining a balance is crucial – you must ensure that your compensation scheme is fair while maintaining the affordability to run the operations of your business. The added benefits can also make working in your salon much more attractive. These should cover vacation leaves, health, and retirement. And don’t forget to incentivize them, too! It could be as simple as paying for their lunch or organizing a team-building activity. 

Allow Feedback 

Owners and managers must be receptive to feedback, whether that be positive or negative. Listen to what the staff have to say – this makes them feel valued in their workplace. But, it doesn’t end in being approachable and actively seeking their feedback. It’s also important that you act on their feedback so they can truly feel that their voices are heard.

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Final Word

It’s not easy retaining the best talent in the salon industry, but that shouldn’t mean that it would be impossible for them to stay. Senior staff in salons must recognize the role they play in employee retention. Hence, relevant training is required to properly perform HR and management functions. 

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The solution to employee retention is quite simple. Invest in your staff. Whether that be through training them or building stronger personal relationships with them, these surely go a long way in building employee loyalty.  

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