Ricky Allen stresses the importance of recognising and rewarding your team, especially amidst the current staff shortage crisis.
It may surprise you to realise that your number-one asset is your staff. Without them, you do not have a business. During these strange times, it’s been easier for some staff not to work – so much so that keeping and retaining staff has become a major issue for clinics and medispas.
When you bring in a new staff member, it takes them approximately six months to have a positive economic impact on your business. Unfortunately, staff shortages will continue for some time so it is better to become a proactive employer whom no staff will want to leave. So let’s look at some really important ways to achieve this.
Hire well
The first and most important thing to achieve is to hire well. Deciding exactly what tasks you will require each staff member to perform is the essential first step in this process.
If possible, it’s a good idea to engage the services of an HR specialist such as Lizzie Boots, who specialises in the cosmetic enhancement industry and has intricate knowledge of the requisite qualifications and experience. Her role is to find suitable candidates, with you making the final decision. She is also up to date on any government changes regarding employment, which is essential.
This saves you the time taken by interviewing lots of people, many of whom are frankly not suitable except they may look the part or just love the idea of working in the industry – an industry we know is not easy but hard work, and it is definitely not about just getting free treatments.
When you perform that final interview, include one of your staff members as they will be looking at different aspects from you.
Once you have made that decision to hire, make sure the suitable candidate signs all the legal paperwork – this can also be handled by your HR specialist. A proper employment contract is an essential requirement and should include a trial period because no matter how thorough the interview process, sometimes people are just not right for your business.
Next, make sure that the new staff member gets sufficient training, including ‘selling’ treatments and skincare products your clinic offers. You should have written protocols for all the different aspects of your business and this should include areas such as customer service and infection control as well as detailed instructions for all treatments. All clients should be reassured that whoever looks after them in your business will give them the same level of treatment care and achieve similar results.
Set them up for success
The next aspect is to reward staff by offering them extra education, such as further training, study and attendance at medical conferences, to help them grow. This helps to achieve a high level of staff loyalty.
The more they learn, the more they will earn and the more they will feel a valued part of your business.
Allow staff to come to you with educational opportunities they would like to undertake. I know of staff members who have finished nursing degrees with the assistance of their employer and have gone on to make an even greater contribution to the business.
Just make sure their contract states that if you pay for their ongoing education and they leave as soon as they have completed the course, they must repay the money. After all, one of the aims of offering continued education should be to improve your business and not someone else’s.
Recognise & reward
The next aspect is to set up a system where every month you choose a Staff Member of the Month and their name goes on a board in the waiting room for all to see. Personal recognition is so important in making a staff member feel valued. This recognition should include some sort of monetary reward as well.
From all the monthly winners you can them choose the Staff Member of the Year. This is a real feather in any staff member’s cap and will give the winner a real sense of achievement.
Make sure you have regular staff meetings where the team is encouraged to contribute. You will be surprised what a positive effect this can have on growing your business and the ideas your staff will come up with.
Pay well. You will make that money back many times. This is also another way the staff member feels valued and appreciated.
One medispa owner, who has a very good business with many long-term staff members, really impressed me with her end- of-year initiative. Every year at Christmastime she organises a special treat for the staff. One year she had the Tiffany store in her state open early and the staff enjoyed ‘breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and each received a store gift voucher to spend that day. I have no doubt that all of her staff would really have felt very appreciated and special. I, for one, would have loved to have worked for that medispa!
As an aside, we tend to forget that when you are looking to sell your business, having long-term staff really does make your business seem more attractive to a buyer. They know that quality of care will continue and that the business must be well run to have kept the majority of staff for so long.
Finally, if there’s one thing to remember, it’s this: Put yourself in your employees’ shoes and you will have productive, happy and long- term staff. AMP
Ricky Allen will be holding her Advanced Skincare and Treatment courses and Medispa Marketing and Management courses around Australia this coming year. Call 0412 700 720 or email rickyall@tpg.com.au for more information.
