Staff training ideas for salons and spas

Re-Indoctrinate Your Staff
While it's important to indoctrinate new staff, it is just as important to create a process by which you're constantly re-indoctrinating your existing ones.
Salon/Spa Owners and managers often expend significant effort, time and money to indoctrinate new staff. However, sometimes they fail to close the door behind them and re-indoctrinate their current staff.
Whether you are experiencing growth or even seeing a decrease in headcount, your most critical asset is still your staff. And re-indoctrination is your tool to retain superstars.
The focus of the re-indoctrination process begins before the stylist/staff joins your company, and it doesn't end until he or she leaves your organization. The major components of re-indoctrination include on-boarding, "water cooler" coaching, goal setting, performance evaluations/stylist/staff development, and living the salon/spa’s vision, mission and values.
On-Boarding
You've just hired a new stylist/staff. The offer letter has been sent and the new hire paperwork is ready for his first day. Now your Indoctrination efforts must begin in earnest. Once the person has accepted your offer, you have to ensure she will report for first day. Depending on the time frame between the offer and start date, you may need to have several conversations with your new stylist/staff, reassuring the candidate of her decision to join your company.
One method of cementing your initial relationship is to send the new hire paperwork to them ahead of time. Have them read and sign the documents prior to their start day.
After the new stylist/staff arrives, she goes through your orientation process. Orientation is a welcoming event, an event that must encompass more than just processing the new hire paperwork and providing general introductions. In this tender phase of a new relationship, you set the tone for the stylist/staff and help her confirm her decision to join your company. On- boarding continues as you introduce her to her new role -- what the job is and how it needs to done to be successfully executed. This is the time where you work hard to remove the new stylist/staff's fears, worries and anxieties of making the transition to your company and start the retraining of any bad habits from their last salon/spa employment.
On-boarding can last days, weeks or even months, depending on the role and individual. It's your job as a re-indoctrinator to make the stylist/staff comfortable, set expectations, explain, help, guide and direct her on a continuum to success.
On-boarding is a critical component during an new hire. First you must re-indoctrinate (get commitments) from your existing team. That means everyone from the top to the bottom of your organization. Personal, one-on-one conversations are best. And conduct them face-to-face whenever you can. Whether it's a written or verbal commitment, solidify your foundation and re-indoctrinate your current staff before you attempt to indoctrinate your new team members.
Water Cooler Coaching
You've finished your on-boarding process, and the stylist/staff is happy and productive. Now comes your next phase of re-indoctrination -- water cooler coaching.
This form of coaching is a conversation at the “water cooler,” in the hallways or in private. This applies when you observe positive or negative events. Having an immediate and candid conversation with the stylist/staff strengthens positive behavior; it also makes the stylist/staff aware of the negatives that need to be changed.
Positive coaching is simple and direct. Speak with the stylist/staff immediately. It's OK to do it with others around. Congratulate the stylist/staff specifically on what he did; ask for his input on how he handled the situation. Let him confirm the positive experience, as this will reinforce his behavior. Again, commend him and ask that he repeat the behavior. This is another step in your re-indoctrination process.
Not everyone will be the “perfect” stylist/staff. Sometimes corrective coaching has to occur. This, too, is another opportunity to re-indoctrinate your stylist/staff. You have to clarify the objective with the stylist/staff. You may recommend extra training. You may work with the stylist/staff to remove obstacles to deliver the desired results. The message you send must be clear and specific. This is a caring conversation, as it reinforces that you want the behavior to change. And remember to meet in private for these re-indoctrination events.




Performance Reviews and Stylist/staff Development
Your re-indoctrination activity continues whenever you conduct performance reviews and discuss career planning. Performance reviews are meant to summarize the events of a specific period of time. This must occur every week in the form of follow up on goal setting with your evaluation reports. Other meetings might occur in the first 90 days, every six months or annually. Bear in mind, performance reviews are exactly that -- a review of a specific period of time. Now is not the time for surprises; it's a written summary of past known events. Reviews are a strong mechanism to ensure staff remain on-board with you.
Re-indoctrination also occurs with your stylist/staff's career planning discussions. Career discussions are future focused. These are the discussions where staff further commit to your organization with their personalized growth plans. Likewise, you display your commitment to their future growth by providing processes, resources, and avenues for growth. The key is stylist/staff involvement and making stylist/staff development an stylist/staff-driven process. Their buy-in and self-accountability helps cement your continuing re-indoctrination efforts.
Vision, Mission and Values
These are often overlooked ways to re-indoctrinate your staff on a daily basis. Living your vision, mission and values begins with each leader and must spread throughout the company. Staff must see, hear and understand how and why these areas are important. Staff who know, understand, communicate and live your salon/spa’s vision, mission and values are committed staff. Hence, they re-indoctrinate themselves to your company each and every day.
The net impact of re-indoctrination is you will see a more committed workforce, decreased turnover, increased productivity, more stylist/staff referrals, happier customers and, most likely, improved margins.
What are you waiting for? Take your first step today to re-indoctrinate yourself. Then implement the process throughout your company.