We spoke to Jack Mead on making employment adaptable, flexible, and more open-minded.
"As a salon owner it's so easy to resist change to your existing employment model. Over the years we've seen a rise in staff requesting flexible working hours, wanting to get involved in projects outside of the salon and even working in other local salons. Some might have said a flat out 'no', but we've found that we get the best out of our team by being open-minded.
"If you're earning as a stylist and proving that you're making the same income working different hours or different days, that's a compelling argument for flexibility. Saturdays are our quietest day now which means that some of our team finish at 3pm. One stylist, who trained and worked in a salon less than 10 miles away, said to me that they really wanted to work at Jack & the Wolfe, so she asked the question. She's been with us three and a half years now and still works between the two salons. We also have a Global Educator working for Oribe, she works with us two days a week and finishes at a time that means she can pick her kids up. We make it work.
"We have an equal team culture and we employ everyone at Jack & the Wolfe. I feel like salons who have a traditional employment structure are struggling right now. Thousands of self-employed stylists went freelance because they had a negative experience of employment or were denied opportunities outside of their column. When I'm lucky enough to do editorial work (I've worked on Vogue and Elle recently, which has been great!), I try and bring the team along with me, if I can, for the experience.
"We try to not have a sense of hierarchy – everyone takes the bins out and we all chip in where we can. We have all generations at Jack & the Wolfe – from Boomer to Gen Z, but you have to treat people as individuals. We try not to micromanage. For example, although we have a big focus on social media we don't tell our staff to have Jack & the Wolfe written in their handle. I find with social media that it has to be organic and authentic (and it's something I teach in my Vagaro Masterclass*). I've learnt the hard way that not everyone is motivated and inspired by the same things. I do give guidance on social media, but I know that it can be a stressful thing. If people are left to their own devices, they'll often figure out what works best for them.
"We're still learning with Jack & the Wolfe after just over five years in business. We are in competition with the self-employed model, we have to make employment seem as sexy as possible. You probably do earn more money as a self-employed hairdresser but what about holiday pay, pensions, and work/life balance – it's easy to feel like you have to answer every message that comes through. At Jack & the Wolfe we have set an education budget that stylists can choose to spend on whatever they like. It's gestures like this that keep people loyal. You have a choice – you can either work with people and get the best out of them, or have a rigid structure in place that means people inevitably leave to find opportunities elsewhere."
*Free to Vagaro customers
Read next: Joe Mills Shares his Experience and Industry Insight...