If You Want To Motivate Your Staff, Empower Them

By Leslie Robinson, Mane Image Hair, Merrillville, Indiana

If you want to keep your staff happy and you want to motivate them at the same time, ask them a simple question: “What can I do to make your job easier?” Then listen. Let them vent, and try to put yourself in their shoes.

Among the changes made following these conversations, we have adjusted schedules to make their lives more liveable and taken into consideration schooling issues, daycare, finances, and more. We have arranged staff outings on Saturdays after work to help relieve stress. We close for an hour when it’s a staff member’s birthday for a party with cake and presents. We put notes on paychecks highlighting their achievements and offer commissions on gross sales of hair and retail products. And we restructured paid time off. Instead of offering one week of sick pay and one week of vacation, we offer PTO to be used as needed. We also are flexible when it comes to family time. I support my staff members in choosing family events instead of working. I will gladly move appointments to prioritize their family time. This never bites me in the rear because they will gladly be there for Mane Image when push comes to shove.

Changes to my business practices also help motivate my staff. Here are a few of the changes we’ve made:

I have found that emailing my entire database about our ever-changing requirements, supply issues, etc., has lessened the complaints from clients and helps to motivate staff to want to come to work.

Any policy changes such as wearing masks, changes to salon hours, etc., is a decision made by the majority in our salon.

For our many clients on programs, we are no longer accepting monthly payments. Everything is prepaid in full. We do offer 12 months 0% financing through a lender, so our client can still pay monthly but we get money upfront. The staff members, as a result, have been getting larger commission checks.

We are requiring a $500 per system prepayment on program hair. If a program is set to renew in January 2022, we are requiring $500 per system the client wants to be included in next year’s program. That way we can order them in advance because it is taking six months to receive the hair. Staff will get commission now and are less stressed about whether the client will have hair when it’s time.

We have dropped many clients from programs as their hair orders are so specific and impossible to get. If they insist, we have them put a $500 deposit down to place the order. When the hair arrives we charge ala carte for hair and services. The staff feels a weight has been lifted off of them.

I actively follow AHLC forums for people selling inventory. I have purchased inventory to support and motivate my staff. My staff feels better that they have backup hair if a client is in need.

I spend many hours looking for vendors and inventory and new options for my staff. I involve them in ordering and trying new vendors. Empowering them gives them the motivation to learn and grow.