How to make the wellbeing of your salon team a priority

For HJ's Mental Health Awareness Week, we speak to business consultant Liz McKeon on the importance of creating a positive work culture for your salon team to reduce stress and increase wellbeing in your salon.

Why worry about stress and burnout?

The World Health Organization has classified burnout as a medical condition. You can help to prevent staff burnout in the salon by being aware of its symptoms. Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness or uneasiness about anything with an uncertain outcome. Stress is the adverse reaction that people have to excessive pressures or other types of demands placed on them at work.

It is worth noting that stress is not an illness – it is a state. However, if stress becomes excessive and prolonged, a mental and physical illness may develop.

Do you have a happy team?

Staff wellbeing is a necessary consideration in the workplace. When wellbeing is eroded, people can become sick both mentally and physically. There is a fine line between healthy motivation and unhealthy stress. Causes of stress in the workplace are varied but might include a high workload, coping with change, conflict, bullying, ineffective management, long working hours, lack of training, threat of job loss or an unclear job specification.

If you want to avoid the above, you need to introduce wellbeing policies in the salon.

Create a positive work culture

Have a clear vision to ensure your staff know they are valued. This will mean they will be excited about making the salon a success. Encourage teamwork through training with rewards and recognition.

Training and development add value to the salon and members of the team. This can be reflected through increased sales and improved customer service. Training can counteract negative stressful pressures as it allows staff to focus on new types of learning, which is positive and motivational.

Ensure pay and working conditions reflect the responsibilities of the role and this will also ensure your staff feel secure about their job.

The art of communication

Communication encourages a positive salon culture, which helps to promote wellbeing. Aim for excellent communication between all levels of management and staff. You want to create a salon culture that respects and encourages a healthy work/life balance. For example, offering time in lieu or overtime payments for additional work will lead to your staff feeling suitably rewarded for their efforts.

In turn, this improves self-esteem and feelings of personal value and encourages commitment and job loyalty. Plus, taking an active interest in your team’s health and wellbeing and wanting your team to be happy will lead to increased productivity.

Three simple tips for a stress-free workplace

1. Create a space to relax during breaks. It is important to give staff time to escape the fast pace of the salon floor.

2. Subscribe the team to a mindfulness app. This will ensure they have some time to relax and has proven benefits for reducing stress and anxiety.

3. Create a healthy incentive scheme. Introduce a healthy snack bowl with fruit and protein bars. Provide vouchers for massage or yoga classes. If your budget allows, provide discounted gym or fitness membership as a healthy body equals a healthy mind.

Click here to read more content from HJ’s Mental Health Awareness Week.