How to retain your best staff

Since the n°1 reason why clients get into a new spa is Word-of-Mouth, your two main marketing tools to attract new clients and retain them are your existing clients (who will talk to friends, colleagues, & family), and most importantly: your staff. Not all staff to be precise, especially your talented staff, pro-active, with the right spa-attitude and a genuine culture of service.

Spa Eastman (in Quebec) one of the 3 finalists in the Americas for the World Spa Awards says “Staff is first, and clients follow.”

Key questions to ask are “how much did you invest in recruiting talented staff, in training them to get from Good to Great and in making them happy, so that they stay and wow your clients with consistency?

Probably the answer is “not enough” because, sadly, “Labor” is still considered a cost, rather than an investment. In our experience-based economy, it is not only your architectural atmosphere that creates the experience that clients want to find and reconnect with on a monthly basis… I believe it is the warm and nurturing relationship they have with your staff.

In June 2011, our study “Best Practices of Spa Managers” for the HOTel & SPA Forum at the Ritz, Paris states that:

• 30% of therapists and receptionist are likely to leave within 2 years,
• the 3 main reasons why spa associates leave are: a higher paycheck, moving away or physical pain or accident due to stress repetitive injuries (SRI).

To offset this reality and make sure you retain your best employees, you might consider the following in 2012:

• make sure you offer a motivating package with fair pay, including an exciting monthly bonus, and also a deterring malus (based on timeliness, tidiness, team-spirit, completion objectives, clients referrals…)
• give opportunities to learn and grow, because therapists and aestheticians are more likely to be “thirsty” for knowledge and recognition, rather than “hungry” for commissions. Why not start a mentoring program? Build a progressive in-house on-going education program over 2 to 3 years
• create career steps, with increasing responsibilities (trainee, assistant, junior, senior, assistant Manager of a unit/dept.
• share duties, responsibilities, accountabilities, and rewards, so that your staff can grow leadership abilities.

As a manager, and a leader, it is your duty to provide a pleasant environment for people to feel confident enough to use their talents. Make sure you praise the associates who go the extra mile for their clients, that you respect them in leading by example and that you give them a sense of belonging.

Some of the therapist I met during our trainings or conferences tell me that they feel they are working on a factory line, pressured by objectives to always “make more money”. Obviously, they have lost their sense of purpose; they are not aligned with the mission of the Spa that they once joined with glee.

As Albert Schweitzer said: “In each life, at a certain moment, our inner fire goes out. It is usually brought back to life through the encounter with another living being. Those who revive the inner light deserve our deepest gratitude.”

Clearly, it is you duty as a Spa owner or Manager to revive their inner light so that they can sparkle with enthusiasm and create fireworks in the eyes, hearts and minds of your clients!

Jean-Guy de Gabriac