You’ve finally managed to build a team of absolute rockstars. Their skillset is matched by their attitude and your clients are loving them. So, how to make sure they stick around for the long haul?

Reward them
It’s no secret that starting out in the beauty industry doesn’t generally come with a top salary. If you’re in a position to pay a little extra, you should, says human resources expert Shane Tarna. “In an industry where staff movement is expected, a pretty solid way of holding onto your staff if by saying them what they’re worth and not steadfastly sticking to the minimum payment if you can help it,” he says. And if you can’t afford to pay them a higher salary, there are other ways to reward them, Shane says. “Free treatments, team evenings, vouchers for the staff member of the month, all of those things tel your team that you want to look after them and that you see value in them.”

Be transparent 
Our beauty industry workers have just lived through a pretty traumatic couple of years, what with lockdowns and months of no work. It’s understandable that they’re still feeling a little on edge, given the uncertainty of the ever-changing situation. Shane says that being as clear with them about the situation as possible will go a long way to ensuring their loyalty. “More than ever, staff members want to feel safe. And the easiest way to make someone feel safe is to be honest with them. Tell them if business is suffering, and what you plan to do about it. Similarly, tell them when things are going really well, and recognise the part they’ve had to play in that.”

Listen to their ideas
If you want your staff to love your business as much as you do, give them a voice, says Shane. “It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that no one knows our business as well as we do and therefore no one’s ideas will be as good as ours. But by shutting off anyone’s ideas, you’re really ripping yourself off from a goldmine of potential winning options.” By creating an environment where your staff feel that they’re welcome to share their ideas and that their thoughts will be considered, will go some way to building that loyalty that you’re after.

Stand up for them 
We’ve all had those customers that there is no pleasing. They’ll always find something to complain about, whether it’s the temperature of the treatment room, the noise in the salon, or – worse – a staff member or the work they’ve done. “The absolute worst thing you can do for a staff member that you value is to throw them under the bus,” says Shane. “If you’re fairly certain that the customer has a baseless complaint, thank them for their feedback as always, but also express your surprise, as you’ve only known your staff member to be brilliant. Don’t make it a big deal by causing a scene. Assure the customer you’ll look into it, and then take your staff member aside. Assure them you have their back, and hear them out. Always hear them out.”