“A trial and error approach to team building is just too costly.” – Jon Gonzales
The biggest mistake a salon owner can make is hiring the wrong person to add to your team. The inability to hire and keep the right staff–a team that shares your vision, goals, and quality control standards–is one of the leading causes of salon failure. No business can continue to grow and remain profitable without a winning team and the constant threat of staff turnover.
It’s difficult enough finding committed hairdressers only to lose them to a competitor after you have invested time, money, and effort towards their education and development. A trial and error approach to building your championship team is just unacceptable in today’s competitive economy.
As salon owners we must rely heavily on the performance, productivity, and stability of our staff to grow our business. Developing and keeping your winning team will be crucial for the long term success and profitability of your business.
Putting together a winning team will require hard work, time, diligence, a competitive spirit, organization, and a strong desire to succeed. When you carelessly hire staff, you will be exposing yourself, your team, and your business to a lot of hardships and uncertainty.
The following guidelines will help you make better decisions when adding a new member to your team:
Failure to Check Background and Character — check for references from past employers, teachers, and work history. There are companies that will run back ground checks for you, such as business.com.
Hiring Out of Desperation — many salon owners do not have a contingency plan to overcome turnover, thus many lower their hiring standards when they suddenly lose a member of their team just to fill a chair, only to regret their hiring decision later on. Remember: hiring people for the wrong reasons will never bring you a winning team and business stability.
Lack of a Staff Development Program — no guidelines in place to measure personal qualities, such as personal appearance, attitudes, personalities, people skills etc. For more on this, be sure to read my chapter on Creating your Salon.
Poor Interviewing Skills — what you want are applicants who share your vision, goals, and are willing to accept your quality control standards. Ask the right questions and then listen to their responses. Set aside time for the interview.
Unrealistic Earning and Career Expectations — are their expectations unrealistic? Do they want to run before they walk? You want to hire workers who are willing to be patient with their growth and development.
Compensation — should clearly be spelled out. Personally, I put all new applicants on a six-month probationary period paying them minimum wage, then give them a raise after the six-month period, which is a combination of hourly wages and commissions.
Compatibility — will they be compatible with your other staff members? Will they share your team vision and goals with you and your team? Will they work with the team, or against your team?
Seeking Advice — do you seek the opinions of your key senior staff before you make your hiring decisions? Be sure to get their insight and thoughts about who they want to work with! It’s crucial to keep your team working together.
Employee Hand Book — spell out clearly the major terms and conditions of their employment, such as probationary agreements, rules and regulations, job descriptions etc. Not only will you protect the employment rights of your employees, but also your rights as an employer. Be sure to follow my example on how to create an excellent employee handbook.
Your Business an At Will Employer — this means that either party are free to end employment relationship at any time without cause or notice. To many salon owners, this may seem like too much work and effort, but keep in mind all the ramifications such as turnover, business instability, salon pettiness, negativity, and unprofessional work environment if you hire the wrong people who do not share your goals and vision.
Keep Updated on the Latest Labor Laws — as a business owner, it’s crucial to keep an eye on any change in labor laws, as it will directly affect both you and your employees. Ensure your workplace is not violated any labor laws on behalf of your employees.
Watch out for the new laws concerning hourly and overtime pay mandates.
If you follow these steps to avoiding hiring mistakes, you’ll guarantee that every hire you make will only benefit your team, and your business.
For more information on developing your winning team be sure to view my book: Creating Your Salon.
Jon’s next all day personal development success seminar for your staff covers the above topics and more. If you are looking for more tools to turn your salon and your team into an absolute success, be sure to invest in your salon’s greatest asset,educate your team.sure to sign up for his which will be held on Monday November 13, 2017 in Las Vegas Nevada. Click here for complete information.