Salon owners experience a unique set of HR concerns specific to the hair and beauty industry, in addition to the more general HR issues that employers in other industries encounter.
That’s why it’s crucial that salon owners have a good understanding of how to prevent HR issues in their salon, what to do when problems arise and where to get help if they need it.
In this article, we’ll look at how you, as a salon owner, can resolve HR woes in your salon.
What Are The Most Common HR Issues For Salon Owners?
Here are just some of the numerous HR difficulties that salon owners may face.
Worker Status
Many hair salons use freelance or self-employed staff, either on a ‘rent-a-chair’ basis or by taking a percentage of a stylist’s earnings in exchange for them using the salon as a base. As a salon owner, you need to be absolutely clear about the status of each and every worker in your salon and know whether they are classed as employed or self-employed in the eyes of the law.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly common way for employers to take on staff and fill skills gaps in their workforce. However, as an employer, you will have set expectations within the apprenticeship framework that you must fulfil. Therefore, as a salon owner, you need to understand apprenticeships, the pros and cons for you as an employer and the different types of apprenticeship contracts.
Young Employees
If any of your employees are under the age of 18, you will need to be aware of the rights of young employees, including their entitlement to breaks, the legal minimum wage and the maximum hours they can work in a single day or week.
Social Media
Social media is a must-have in the hair and beauty industry and a way to showcase your work to potential clients. However, if your employees will be using social media as part of their work, you’ll need to have a clear policy in place to set out expectations around how staff conduct themselves on social media and what is (and isn’t) acceptable to post.
Staff Conduct
Staff conduct can be a real problem for many salon owners, with issues such as staff turning up late or mismanaging their time resulting in missed or late appointments, which can lead to customer complaints. There can also be issues around poor performance and clients being unhappy with the end result of their treatment.
‘Moonlighting’
Moonlighting is another common issue that salon owners can face. This is when staff take on additional work at other salons or offer their services outside of their working hours. This can be a big problem for salon owners as it can not only risk the salon’s reputation, but also lead to a loss of business if clients begin taking their custom elsewhere.
Health & Safety
Good health and safety practice is critical in the hair and beauty industry as staff frequently work with potentially hazardous substances, such as the chemicals in hair dyes and nail treatments, as well as sharp scissors, and electrical and heated appliances.
High Staff Turnover
Many salon owners struggle with high staff turnover, and recruiting and retaining high-quality employees. There can also be issues around staff not working notice periods, leaving the salon short-staffed, which can result in customer appointments being cancelled and the salon’s reputation being damaged.
Low-Skilled Staff
With so many young people entering into the hair and beauty industry immediately after school or college, salon owners can often find that it is their new employee’s first time entering the workforce, meaning they have little to no work experience or training and a lack of understanding about what’s expected of them.
How to Avoid HR Woes In Your Salon
Given there are so many potential staffing issues that may disrupt the smooth running of your salon, it’s important to make sure you are prepared in advance. After all, prevention is always better than cure.
Here are some tips to help you avoid and deal with some of the above HR issues that you may encounter in your salon.
Have Robust Staff Contracts
Ensure that your staff contracts are up-to-date and, if you want to prevent staff from working elsewhere or taking on clients ‘off the books’, then be sure to write additional clauses into your standard contracts stipulating what is and isn’t allowed.
Have A Staff Handbook
Ensure you have a comprehensive staff handbook that contains written expectations about staff behaviour, appearance and conduct. Make sure that your employees know where to access this and refer back to it if concerns or questions arise.
Have A Disciplinary Policy
As a salon owner, you need to have a robust disciplinary policy in place that complies with UK employment law and sets out clearly what will happen if staff fail to meet the expectations set out in the staff handbook or breach the terms of their employment contract.
Consider Mediation Services
If a conflict arises in your salon, whether between yourself and an employee, or two or more members of staff, HR mediation can help you resolve the tension and reach a solution in a calm, controlled way.
Install A CCTV System
CCTV can help you TO protect your staff, clients and premises. However, if you do install CCTV In your salon, you must make sure that it complies with the law and that staff and customers are aware there is CCTV on the premises.
Stay On Top Of Your Health and Safety
As an employer, you should perform regular (annually at least is advised) risk assessments and provide your employees with robust health and safety policies and training.
Provide Training
To remedy the pitfalls of having unskilled, inexperienced staff, as a salon owner you can offer training to upskill your employees. This not only leads to a more skilled, competent workforce, but it can also increase staff loyalty, which will encourage them to continue working at your salon and reduce staff turnover.
Contact Metis For Help Resolving Your Salon’s HR Issues
For advice you can count on, Metis HR are specialists in providing HR support that is uniquely tailored to the specific needs of you and your salon based business.
We’ll work closely with you to understand your unique requirements and find an outcome that’s the most beneficial for your business. If you’re a salon owner who is unsure about your next steps, or you simply want to find out more about the services we offer, get in touch with the experts at Metis HR.
You can message us via info@metishr.co.uk to discuss the next move for your business or, if you would prefer to speak directly to an experienced HR Consultant, please call us on 01706 565 332. We look forward to hearing from you.
