Unless you are a sole practitioner, you depend on a team of capable people to run your business and serve clients. Yet recruiting top talent is a problem for employers. Fortune writes that “The job market is already very near what economists call full employment. Most of the 4.6% of the labor force that is currently unemployed are simply in between jobs. A similar number—approximately 7.5 million—is underemployed, including part-timers who want more hours and those who aren’t looking for work and thus are not counted as unemployed.”
Recruiting millennials, those born between the early 80s and late 90s, poses other challenges. Millennials often think and work differently than the other generations. A LinkedIn survey found that millennials want to know about a company’s culture and values before accepting a position. While compensation and benefits are important, millennials also care about opportunities for advancement and challenging work.
To create a winning culture at your spa or massage practice, you’ll want to:
Share your vision: Make your team feel they are part of something bigger. Share your spa or massage business goals and convey how each team member can individually help you achieve them.
Acknowledge achievements: Everyone wants to feel appreciated for a job well done. Don’t take it for granted that your employees know you are satisfied with their work – tell them. Getting a ‘high five’ from the boss means a lot and builds a connection with your team.
Be open: Trust is important in any relationship and no less so between your team and you. Give honest input and invite feedback, though make it clear you are seeking ways to improve your spa or massage practice versus offering a gripe session.
Provide training: As your business grows, your team needs to take on new responsibilities or expand their skill set to offer new services, such as new skin treatments or massage. Invest in the training that your business will require and enable team members to take courses that will help them meet their own professional goals. Training can include:
- Continuing education onsite at training centers or online is essential for massage therapists and skin care professionals to expand their treatment protocol skills and retain their licenses. To encourage education, you may want to pay all or part of the professional CE classes' fees.
- Joining associations is another way to provide your staff with training. Many offer seminars and conferences, and online training, which can be a cost-effective way to enhance and build someone’s skills and know-how.
- Consider sending someone to a class who can come back and share what they learned. Make sure whoever you select has good communication and interaction skills.
- Invite professionals from your industry to a brown bag lunch to talk to your team. Or choose someone on your own team who has a special skill or experience to conduct an in-house training session.
With so much of your success depending on your team, take the time to build a business where everyone feels their contribution matter.