Keep Spirits Bright: Salon Management Strategies to Boost Staff Morale During the Holidays
The best time of year can also be one of the busiest — especially for barbershops and beauty salons. As your clients prepare for all of the social engagements of the season, they want fresh cuts and styles to flaunt around their families and friends. This probably means that as a salon manager, you’re in full swing, trying to keep up with the demand and maybe even driving some business away until things become more manageable. While it’s exhilarating to have your appointment books stacked with clients, it can also feel overwhelming, so it’s important to do what you can to ensure your team members can maintain their energy and morale to get through this busy period.
In this blog, we’ll provide tips for how you can set the tone for a positive and productive working environment, and keep spirits bright this season.
How you can uplift your salon staff during the busiest time of yearÂ
Salon management comes with a responsibility to keep yourself and your team from burning out, no matter the season. While this may sound daunting, particularly around the holidays, we have a few tips to make this feel a bit more manageable.
Set and share clear expectations and goals
First and foremost, it’s important to remember that while you have a million thoughts about how you want things to go during the holiday season, your team members can’t read your mind. Make sure you’re being clear about your expectations and also about what your staff can expect to experience this time of year. Don’t expect everyone to be on the same page. Clearly outline and communicate your objectives and target goals, but also ensure you’re providing regular updates to keep everyone informed. Knowing what kind of progress is being made can help your staff stay motivated with the focus to keep working toward the shared goals of the salon.
Maintain open lines of communication
As goals are set and tracked, make sure your voice isn’t the only one being heard. Stay open to collaboration and emphasize the importance of teamwork during this time. Holding regular team meetings to check in with everyone is a great way to demonstrate your transparency, and is an important part of salon management. Actively listening to feedback and addressing issues promptly and constructively will create a healthy environment where your team feels respected, which in turn, will likely reinforce their commitment to your salon and clients.
Recognize and appreciate the hard work of your team
As your staff works at full speed during the holidays, it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate both their individual and collective achievements. Show your appreciation with personal gestures that demonstrate your care. Treat the team to lunch. Bring them coffee each morning. Take everyone out to enjoy happy hour. By rewarding their hard work, you’re more likely to incentivize your team to prioritize their commitments and contributions to the salon.
Offer flexibility and support where it’s needed
This time of year is stressful and everyone handles stress differently. Recognize where your staff might need extra flexibility and support. If you have team members willing to provide coverage for someone who’s feeling overwhelmed, take advantage of that kindness. Creating a shared calendar that your whole team can access is a great way to track schedules, including personal commitments, so you can adequately plan for each day and operate with flexibility.
Encourage self-care and wellness
Getting through the busiest time of the year will require a healthy, realistic work-life balance for everyone on your team. To support that balance, allow your team to take advantage of resources that offer stress management techniques, like yoga classes or meditation courses. If you have the space, create an area that serves as a little oasis, or think about subsidizing programs at nearby health and wellness providers. These are gestures that can go a long way in boosting morale.
Maintain a positive and festive atmosphere
While you move through each day focused on productivity, don’t lose sight of the festivity of the season. Your clients are certainly indulging in a little self-pampering, so make sure your team is enjoying themselves, too. Decorate the salon to create some holiday ambiance and get everyone involved. Taking a little time for holiday-themed activities and celebrating the joy of the season offers important bonding moments that help everyone maintain positivity.
Provide growth and development opportunities
Right now might not be the best moment for your team members to spend time away from the salon to participate in workshops that elevate their skills, but that doesn’t mean it’s off the table for the future. Let them know you support their desire to seek continued education and will gladly help them take advantage of additional training — they may just have to wait until things return to a more normal pace. In the meantime, pay attention to opportunities in which you can provide your own guidance and mentorship along the way. They’ll probably learn a lot just by watching you handle the stress of the season!
Get the support you need, so you can support your team
This season is meant to be savored. Sure, it will certainly fly by as you find ways to fit together the salon schedule with your own personal holiday agenda, but with the help of these strategies, you can hopefully be thoughtful and intentional about how you power through each day — and encourage your team to do the same. Tapping into your best resources, like an all-in-one, cloud-based salon management software equipped with tools to meet your challenges, is a great way to get the support you need this season.
The DaySmart Salon team is here to empower you through your busiest moments, with award-winning solutions to help you work smarter and more efficiently every day. Take advantage of access to comprehensive tools designed to see you succeed, so you can focus on maintaining healthy team morale and keeping spirits bright.
Feel free to discover if DaySmart Salon has what you need to stay on track this season and beyond — start your free trial today.