Spent By Consumers Worldwide

How to Recruit and Retain Spa Staff and Executives

By Benjamin Farber President, Bristol Associates

According to the 2022 ISPA U.S. Spa Industry Study, spa revenues have reverted to pre-pandemic records. And while there has been an increase in spa employees since the previous study, employers are still struggling to attract, recruit, and retain them.

Now that more people are realizing the importance of self-care, there is a higher demand for health and wellness services at hotels and resorts but not enough employees to fully accommodate guests.

The increase in people switching careers and working independently have forced companies to raise the bar when attracting spa employees, especially when considering inflation and cost of living in certain areas.

As an employer, you may be wondering - how exactly can you recruit and retain the right spa employees during this candidate-driven market? Simply put, your company must be open to changing and adapting to the market to reap the rewards.

Recruiting Spa Staff

When recruiting spa staff members, your priority is to create a streamlined and timely hiring process. Many staff-level job seekers don't want to risk waiting for a certain opportunity if it means another week or month of getting unpaid (or underpaid); this can be a substantial loss for those living paycheck to paycheck. If another spa with similar wages and perks comes to them with an offer first, why wouldn't they seize the opportunity?

If your company has a low application submission rate, it may be a sign to refine the hiring process. Are the qualifications and responsibilities listed in the job description too demanding? Is the application too tedious? How personalized are the outreach emails and phone calls? How long do candidates have to wait until your organization follows up about their application or interview? To avoid losing out on potential staff members, you must create a positive candidate experience during the hiring process, from start to finish.

When determining benefits, staff-level employees are likely to focus on the short-term over the longterm when evaluating an opportunity. Research how competitors in your area are attracting spa staff and see if your organization can go above and beyond their offerings.

And if your organization is facing hiring budget constraints, your team should strive to maintain a positive brand. Recent studies report that a majority of Millennials and Gen Z professionals are willing to take a pay cut to work for environmentally and socially responsible companies.

Recruiting Spa Executives

Though spa executives also want the hiring process to move in a timely fashion, they are looking at their career from a larger standpoint. Based on my experience speaking with hospitality executives for nearly 20 years, they have the financial stability to be flexible regarding the length of the hiring process compared to staff-level candidates. When executive candidates receive one offer but suspect they may be getting another, they are willing to wait it out for the sake of figuring out which path is best for their career. They may even negotiate their start date to be able to take a vacation beforehand or decide to give their former employer longer than two weeks' notice before their official resignation.

Think of the long-term benefits you can offer these seasoned professionals. Executives understand that compensation will come based on their performance, but they ultimately want to join organizations that will continue to challenge them and recognize their hard work. How is the corporate culture? What is the company going to do to support their career growth? And a newer incentive to consider nowadays - is there an option to work remotely full-time or part of the time? Because work-life balance has increased in value, executives are using hybrid and fully remote work as a bargaining chip during the negotiation process.

If your company doesn't have enough time and resources to find the right spa executive, hire an executive search firm that can fulfill your company's hiring needs. Executive recruiters are a valuable resource with understanding the industry and current job market. They act as the bridge between the employer and job seeker with the goal of making the hiring process smoother for both parties.

Regardless of your decision to do the recruiting inhouse or outsource the work, you must know what you want. Every employer wants to hire the "right" candidate for their team, but what exactly does that entail? As much as using third-party vendors are a huge help in the recruitment process, you shouldn't be completely hands-off either. You know your spa the best. To find your ideal executive, you need to be able to decide what qualities and skillsets are needed to make a mark at your company. After all, the leadership you choose will heavily influence the culture and performance of your spa department.

Health is Wealth: Retaining Your Spa Employees

Once you've hired your employees, the next hurdle is making sure you are doing everything in your power to keep them happy and motivated to stay at your organization long-term.

Laura Putnam, CEO and Founder of Motion Infusion and bestselling author of Workplace Wellness That Works, explains that the issue companies are facing isn't a labor shortage but a well-being shortage. Your spa is meant to promote health and wellness, but how often is this practiced within your own department?

From a business standpoint, you cannot operate your spa properly if your employees are burnt out. As customers continue to see the value in prioritizing their well-being, your organization should work hard at fostering a healthy and positive work environment for its workers. Consider how much time you put into ensuring your customers come back to use your services. Now, how can you do the same for your employees? your workers want? Ask them directly. Do they want better compensation? Are they feeling overworked? Do they need more training? Do they want more recognition for their work?

Maintaining consistent communication with your spa team members is crucial. It can be surprising how much useful insight you can get from your team on how to elevate the employee and guest experience. Taking the time to listen - and I mean really listen - to your employees is a simple, yet effective way to make them feel supported and appreciated. As long as you follow through, that is. Any employer can advertise how much they care about their employees, but your workers won't believe it until they see it. Do your best to implement changes within your department based on their feedback. Actions speak louder than words.

Final Thoughts

From my experience, spas are often perceived as a different entity when conversing with hospitality clients. Employers rave about their hotel rooms, food and beverage outlets, and award-winning golf courses, but I rarely hear about their spas. In this candidate-driven market, employers need to shift their perspective and treat their spas with the same attention as they would their other divisions if they want positive results.

While the industry is bouncing back it doesn't mean that everything will (and should) go back to the way things were. The reality is that the "new normal" is here to stay. Employees will continue to put their health and wellness at the forefront when considering future opportunities, so it's in the employer's best interest to keep that in mind when improving their recruitment and retention strategies.

Hiring and retaining the right spa employees is a delicate process that will take time, effort, and an open mind. If you really want to make a difference and improve the way your spa operates, the people who are best for the job will want an employer who genuinely cares about them and fairly compensates them for their work.

All of these changes won't happen overnight, of course. But as long as your company is keeping the needs of your spa employees top of mind, you are one step closer to running an award winning spa

About Benjamin Farber: He represents the 3rd generation of proud family ownership of Bristol Associates. He joined the firm in 2003 with an initial focus in the Hospitality Division. Currently, Mr. Farber remains very involved with Bristol's diverse range of clients, as well as oversees the administrative functions of the firm. He has served as a panelist for multiple conferences and has been featured in many industry publications.

Wellness Accounts For 1 In Every 20 Dollars Spent By Consumers Worldwide

The wellness economy represents 5.1% of total global GDP and at $1.2 trillion the US nearly doubles the size of the second-largest national wellness market, according to new research released this month.

Those headline figures were highlighted in a new report by The Global Wellness Institute (GWI), who joined forces with the Global Wellness Summit (GWS) for the inaugural broadcast of the Global Wellness News live from Times Square in New York City.

The report, titled The Global Wellness Economy: Country Rankings, is the first research to measure the wellness economies of 150 nations, and follows the non-profit’s most recent valuation of the $4.4 trillion wellness economy.

The report set out to establish which nations are growing, which are shrinking, how national wellness markets differ and why.

Among the top 20 wellness markets, the United States ($1.2 trillion) and China ($683 billion) unsurprisingly tower over their nearest nations, given their huge populations – 329.5 million and 1.4 billion respectively.

At $1.2 trillion, the US nearly doubles the size of the second-largest market and accounts for 28% of the entire global wellness market, while the top ten markets represent 71% of the world total.

However, the report found that Switzerland ($4,372 per capita) and Iceland ($3,728) punch far above their weight, with individual consumers investing the most in their wellness. In third, the US spends $3,685 per capita on wellness each year.

The Top 10 Wellness Markets: Germany: $224 billion UK: $158 billion France: $133 billion Canada: $95 billion South Korea: $94 billion Italy: $92 billion Australia: $84 billion

Wellness Tourism

The report also shone a spotlight on the vital role wellness plays for tourism-dependent nations, noting that Aruba featured in 10th for nations where consumers spend the most on wellness per capita.

“It may seem surprising to see Aruba rank in the top 10 as it’s not as wealthy as the other ranked countries. This is the tourism effect, where high-spending inbound wellness tourists represent a disproportionate part of the wellness market,” the report’s authors wrote.

In ranking countries by the size of their wellness economy with the size of their total GDP, the Seychelles (16.5%), Maldives (14.5%), Aruba (11.9%), Costa Rica (11.4%), and St. Lucia (10%) make up the top five.

“This is a window into the powerful contribution that wellness tourism brings to their economies, but also shows how in these small countries wellness is more of an ‘export industry’ and for the most part out of reach of locals,” the report noted.

Nutrition, Personal Beauty and Fitness account for 60% of total wellness market

The country rankings also revealed how different wellness sectors dominate in different nations. Both worldwide and in most countries, the wellness market is concentrated in three sectors: These three segments account for more than 60% of the total wellness market.

The report’s findings did however identify a wide national and regional variance. In Japan, for example, personal care and beauty represents a much bigger share of wellness spending than in most countries.

For China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Turkey, traditional/complementary medicine is more prominent; in Germany, it’s wellness tourism, spas and thermal/mineral springs; while in Sub-Saharan Africa, public health and prevention spending dominates.

Commenting on the report, Katherine Johnston, GWI senior research fellow stressed that the size of a wellness market does not necessarily capture which countries are most “well” or which have the best health outcomes or fair access to wellness.

“There’s much research to do,” she said. “Who is benefitting from the growth of the wellness economy in each country, and who is not? What’s the relationship between the wellness market and the health and well-being of a nation’s population? What can governments and policymakers do to bring more wellness to more people?”

About the Global Wellness Institute: The Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is considered the leading global research and educational resource for the global wellness industry and is known for introducing major industry initiatives and regional events that bring together leaders to chart the future. GWI positively impacts global health and wellness by educating public institutions, businesses and individuals on how they can work to prevent disease, reduce stress and enhance the overall quality of life. Its mission is to empower wellness worldwide.