Before you can combat staff turnover,you need to understand why people change jobs . Turnover will always be a threat to your salon’s continued growth and bottom line. By determining the causes of staff turnover, you can start taking preventative measures to combat this obstacle. These are some of the causes of staff turnover:

  • Unrealistic career and earning expectations Sadly many hairdressers change jobs too frequently , especially young hairdressers just starting their careers due to unrealistic career earning and job expectations. Far too many want to run before they walk. Please read my article Beware the Grass is Greener Syndrome found in my business articles of interest on my web site, it is designed to help combat staff turnover and misunderstandings between hairdressers and salon owners.
  • Salon Gossip and Pettiness A negative salon environment affects everyone. A house divided will never grow, everyone should contribute to a positive and professional salon environment. Nobody will be happy working in these types of working conditions. As leader of your team it is your responsibility to make  their jobs fun and uplifting so your team will look forward to coming to work everyday.
  • Poor Job Change Decisions Many hairdressers often make poor job change decisions, without carefully considering the consequences of their decision, try to find a mutual solution first, if they still want to make a change,  let them know that if they leave on good terms you will keep the doors open for possible employment if their new job is not what they expected. If they still decide to go to another  make sure you conduct an exit interview and find out the reasons for changing jobs. Please read my article titled Beware of the Grass is Greener Syndrome to be found on my articles of interest and share with your staff.
  • Poor Communication Between Staff and Management When managing your team create an environment of trust not fear. It is important that you keep lines of communication between staff and management open. Let your staff know that your door is always open.
  • Lack of a Team Environment Everyone working together sharing the same team values will create a positive and professional salon environment.
  • Too Much Down Time Between Customers Who,s really at fault, the owner, the hairdresser, the economy? Probably all the above. People seldom take personal responsibility for their own success or failure,it is much easier to blame the boss if your not busy enough. I urge you to work hard to keep your staff busy, making sure you measure their customer return rate.
  • No Standards of Performance How can you expect your staff to perform if they do not know what is expected and how those expectations will be measured. Employee training and development is critical, and it begins with your employee handbook.
  • Burnout and Fatigue As leader of your team it is your responsibility to recognize the warning signs then address the problem. Be sensitive to the needs of your team. Many challenges may relate to personal problems at home. Always offer support and understanding towards the needs of your staff when warranted.
  • Lack of Education Invest in your salon’s greatest profit potential by educating your staff.  As leader of your team you must work hard to make your staff successful and help them grow. Give them the educational tools and support in helping them reach higher levels of excellence.
  • Poor Leadership Skills Praise, incentives and rewards are great incentives in taking your team to a higher level.I urge all salon owners to to work hard at developing strong leadership skills. My book on leadership will be very helpful to you in this area.
  • Too Much Downtime —  who’s fault? Salon Owner? hairdresser? Probably both. Every salon from time to time will experience slow periods especially after the holiday season.Use this time to improve your marketing skills, social media, educating your team, and measure their performance and customer return rate and referrals.

Staff turnover will always be a business challenge, turnover can be prevented if you follow these guidelines in understanding why people change jobs. My personal growth success classes will help you bridge this gap between staff and management.

In most next blog I will offer steps you can take to combat this business challenge.