RETURNING AFTER COVID-19
Safety first Want to know how to safely re-open after lockdown 3.0? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
F
irstly, I want everyone who’s reading this to take a big sigh of relief. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s looking like, hopefully, the COVID-19 pandemic will soon be a thing of the past. Naturally, questions will arise. You might be wondering how you can prepare your establishment ready for customers. The world is a very different place compared to just over a year ago, which means businesses of all kinds have needed to adapt. Overall, the biggest change for barbers will probably be the continued implementation of PPE and social distancing measures. Digital Product Manager at online tools and PPE retailer Zoro, Kelly Friel, outlines the key things you need to consider before opening your business after the third lockdown. With almost twenty years of experience and supplying PPE to a wide range of trades, Kelly has given us some of the best advice which we think that you should take into consideration.
Kelly said: “Although the guidance from the government hasn’t altered much since the last time barbershops were allowed to reopen, a barber’s job relies on being in close contact with customers. This means there’ll still be a huge focus on layering PPE, including gloves, face masks, face shields, and aprons to offer the best protection. You
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may also choose to employ temperature screening for both staff and customers.” Naturally, it’s not just PPE that you’ll need to keep up to stock on. You’ll also need to make sure that your shop is fully prepared with all the essential cleaning supplies needed. Extra precautions could be taken such as not sharing tools. Being in a workplace that heavily
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involves contact with your clients, you’ll still need to be sure to take extra steps. This can be easier said than done for smaller spaces, but Kelly offers this advice: “If your business is small and you don’t have the room to space your chairs out, you might need to put up Perspex screens between stations or offer fewer appointments to allow customers to be spaced apart.” It’s been hard to keep up with business what with the global pandemic and all. Sadly, now that everything is back open again, it’s still heavily advised that the number of clients that you see each day is reduced. You might need to consider staying open later to see as many clients safely as possible. However, the verdict isn’t all bad! Kelly explains: “The good news is there’ll certainly be no shortage of customers. From those who have let their hair grow through lockdown, to customers looking for someone to fix their DIY haircut, barbershops and salons will have their hands full for quite a while.” See? Silver linings! Something which we’ve noticed to be proving worrisome for some of you barbers and barbershop owners out there is the unexpected costs that come from purchasing PPE for yourself and
your staff. Kelly recommends buying in bulk to help save some money in the long run. Remember, a hefty fine is much worse than spending a little extra on the correct PPE! The next issue is, how would people know how to correctly use PPE? Kelly goes on to say: “As a general rule, mask, visors, and gloves should fit snugly to the body so gaps are kept to a minimum, but not too tight that it becomes uncomfortable. Reusable PPE, such as visors, should be disinfected after seeing each client, while disposable PPE, such as masks, gloves, aprons, and wipes, should be disposed of in a bin with a lid.” Be sure to stay in the loop with any and all health and safety updates, COVID or otherwise. Keeping your team, yourself and your clients updated with the latest information is essential to keeping your business up and running and to boosting morale. “There’s a lot of information about and it can sometimes feel like we’re being bombarded with news. I’d always recommend following the latest government advice, so you know you’re getting the most up-to-date and accurate information.” Adds Kelly With that information, it’s clear how important PPE truly is in the current
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climate is. But what about generic day-to-day stuff that doesn’t necessarily revolve around all of the new PPE rules that we’ve picked up, such as washing your hands? Health and Safety Advisor Nigel Bonsor shares what he believes our immediate future will look like within the barbering industry: “I am expecting barbershops to open with a tidal wave of customers desperate for a decent haircut! Social media has been inundated with home haircut disasters, so barbers will be trying to salvage poorly executed haircuts as well as work on longer hair. “During this time, the threat of the pandemic will not have passed, so there will be a huge conflict between maintaining good health and safety practices and squeezing in as many services as possible.” A key factor to keep in mind is that the opening of barbershop does have a chance of going back on itself if the R rate doesn’t stick to the current decline. Everyone must do their bit to ensure that the workplace is safe. “I am expecting longer initial working hours to be the norm to get the clients through the door. With this in mind, physical and psychological burnout
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may be a risk, especially as barbers will have gone from extended periods of no activity to what will feel like an endless queue of waiting clients. It will most probably feel like the pre-Christmas/New Year rush.” Adds Nigel. Time management will be of the utmost importance. You must ensure that
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any bookings allow a decent amount of time for not only the cuts and styles you’re offering, but adequate time for sanitisation too. As always, the government guidelines will be the best source of information on how you should sanitise exactly. It’s also important to keep in mind that there has
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been an increase in surprise inspections across the UK since the pandemic has started. One thing to expect, as Nigel mentions, is a significant amount of burnout and mental stress. There is nothing wrong with that at all, it’s going to be a 0-100 scenario and will be difficult to get used to at first. There are services, such as MIND, who are there to provide help. Mark Macvier, owner and founder of SliderCuts, has knowledge on mental health and is determined to help people out as much as possible through his writing and public speaking. Mark says: “When the barbershops reopen, I’m expecting a crazy immense rush. I think things will go back to normal almost straight away to be honest, and will very much be back to business as usual. I think it won’t be people’s psyches or mental states that will be affected, I think for most it will be their physical state. It’s hard to go from doing nothing to something. People have potentially gone from maybe waking up late to now having to wake up early and, in most cases, commute. It’s going to be exhausting. All of a sudden everyone
RETURNING AFTER COVID-19 will be going back to 10-12 hour shifts on your feet, back-to-back. It’ll feel like a lot.” It’s going to be a whole new experience, that’s for sure! I think that I speak for more than just us at Barber Mag when I say that, on occasion, it can be hard to keep up with the day-to-day conversations verbally. It’s important to understand that it will take some time to get back to what’s considered normal. Mark continues: “Firstly, everyone will be exhausted pretty quickly, but I don’t think this is necessarily a negative thing. The reason people will be so busy is because we’re in an industry where people miss you, so it’s actually a good thing for the rush. You get to bounce back so quickly. “But what effect will this have on business owners of barbershops? Well, a good one, people will go back to making money in the first few weeks of being open. The flip side of it though, is that you could burn yourself out in those initial few weeks as well. It will end up having a positive effect on people’s mentalities going back into an environment where everyone is talking again and debating and connecting and once again getting that sense of community which is, to me, what a barbershop is all about.” Overall, we’ve learned a couple of tips here and there about PPE, hygiene and a little about keeping your mental state in check. It’s important to remember to take frequent breaks, prioritise clients and hygiene and, arguably most importantly, look after yourselves! Mark shares his final thoughts on the matter: “I would say guard your mental state, guard your mental health, mental mind, know what your limits are, know what your mental capacity is. Take breaks, do what you can but don’t burn yourself out because of the adjustment you’ve made for the past four months. You might have to give yourself longer breaks for a short period of time, but we’re a caring and passionate industry. The important thing to take on board is that we, as a community, are here for you, whether you’re a barbershop owner, barber, stylist or even a barbering magazine writer (Hey, that’s us!) Stay safe, there is a light at the end of this tunnel! Visit www.zoro.co.uk
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