As my research and investigation continues into finding the cause and solution to, stop the walkouts, I recently talked to a spa owner, in Pennsylvania, who was going through yet another walkout. We will call her, Jane.
Janes just had a nail tech walk out the previous week. She was blocked from texting her and her social media channels. The nail tech gave a note to the front desk staff person when she arrived at the salon an hour before opening to clean out her supplies and station. Yes, she left a note with the receptionist, not with her boss to tell her or give any notice. This employee did send a scathing text to Jane’s husband though refusing to pay for the classes that Jane paid for her to take . Claiming that “Jane has already made enough money off of her.”
In reality, Jane hasn’t had a regular paycheck in over 4 years and she signed a loan and 5 year lease to do major renovations for a hairstylist who backed out of the deal. She can’t understand why this is happening like so many salon and spa owners. In Jane’s case, after finding this employee’s email open on the front desk of her spa complaining about Jane, how much she hated her to former staff members that had walked out a year prior. Jane still tried to talk to the employee about why she felt like that, and the employee admitted that she was having a hard time at home. Jane tried to help the employee work through her issues and bad feelings towards Jane. Continuing to train and develop her. This employee was in a high-end day spa and often used offensive language. I had an experience much like this with an employee who used the name of the Lord in vain in front of several high-end clients. Jane tried to raise her employees level of professionalism. Work with her and explain why they needed to talk professionally in this environment.
The real kicker, the staff members who walked out previously, fought the most and couldn’t get along with this nail tech in Jane’s spa a year ago and now they were emailing one another? I have seen this over and over again. As Jane said, this is the psychology of it, (she had to explain this one to me twice.) “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
So after hearing this story, I had to add another item to the employee agreements we are creating for a Salon and Spa Owner’s Survival Tool Kit. How to handle repayment for classes and other perks that need to be repaid if a staff member doesn’t stay for the time agreed upon to offset the price of the class to the owner. So here is a reimbursable education agreement you can download now for free. Get it signed BEFORE you pay for the class. It kept me from paying for a class for an employee who was not planning on staying the time required. She refused to sign it and paid for the class herself. It also revealed to me to start looking for a new assistant, because I knew she wasn’t going to be around much longer. I hope this helps you. Let me know!