Staff Motivation is Key!

These days, with the power and popularity of the Internet, salon guests who have a bad experience can share their thoughts with thousands of people with a click of the “Enter” button. Because of this, a happy and motivated staff that is ready to provide superior guest-experiences is crucial to the success of your business! You’ve all heard the phrase, “You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” Well, it’s time to strengthen the links in your chain, because a well-trained and peppy team will make your business soar and set you apart from the rest.

What does it take to motivate an individual to do something you desire? The answer to such a question is not simple, simply because people are motivated by different things. Just as we all have unique personalities, we have unique galvanizers when it comes to motivation. Discovering these motivators will help business owners satisfy their staff. With a few simple steps, you will be on your way to a fully motivated team!

Step One is understanding employee needs and wants and using the proper reward to motivate them. Some employees have strictly monetary needs; they work because they have to. Money is the primary way to motivate them, so adding commissions to lotion and membership sales would be a great way to reward this type of employee, because when they have the ability to control the size of their paycheck, hard work becomes a very rewarding experience. The most successful salons I have encountered pay their staff based on their ability to meet goals.

Other employees are motivated by positive recognition. These individuals need reassurance that their performance is great and that they’re doing an outstanding job. You can keep “people pleasers” motivated by taking time to send an encouraging email or text to these special team members. Once in a while, you will discover an employee who is motivated by achievement. This team member feels like their performance is crucial to the success of the business as a whole. As an owner, if you show this person that you’re aware of and grateful for their achievements, they will continue to aim high, because the success of your business becomes their personal success.

Step Two is fulfilling your promises and being consistent. A strong company infrastructure and an honest business owner are crucial to this motivation process because employees see inconsistency as a sign of disrespect. From an employee’s prospective, inconsistency and a lack of timeliness means that the salon owner is either uncaring of the employee’s situation, or worse, is trying to take advantage of them. If the staff has to worry about receiving commissions on time, a negative working environment or a threatening employer, why would they stick around? Whatever means of motivation you decide to work with, keep it consistent.

Step Three is the follow-up process. The only way to find out if your staff is happy is to ask them. Obviously, asking directly to their faces may not result in truthful answers. Anonymous quarterly surveys to find their overall satisfaction level is a successful method. Many businesses also do individual reviews, which allow for positive and negative feedback from both the employee and the employer. Another method is to make staff aware of an “open door policy,” which establishes a sense of trust and honest communication in the workplace.

The purpose of these different recognition methods is to show publicly and officially that you care. A genuine “thank you” goes a long way for your employees who are working so hard. Everyone deserves and requires motivation and recognition. Remember that staff empowerment results in a healthy business atmosphere, which results in a successful business.