Blog Spot. Brodie Lee Tsiknaris

THE NITTY GRITTY APPRENTICE TOPIC!

Apprentices: love to them/ hate them, but as an industry we desperately need them.

There seems to be a huge shift within the industry at the moment. There is a trend to work more one on one and not bother with apprentices, I don’t care about what people do or why they do it, that’s no one’s business however, I care deeply for our future of the industry and who will train our next generation of hairdressers, who will pay it forward and what happens to the culture and existing salons.

It’s difficult and especially at the moment I’m hearing a lot of frustrated business owners and managers share their frustrations and fears when it comes to employing apprentices; their fears are valid the fear they don’t stick around, you spend money and invest time sometimes for no return and it’s harder for them to get on with their work as their work ethic is so different.

You know what, of course they’re different! It’s a different generation, times are different, people are different, and social media has brought them up. So, we as salon owners must continue to adapt and not give up on them just because they are different to what we are used to.

Personally, I think it’s a great thing that some of the old ways have changed, as they have changed for the better. Salons are paying people correctly, superannuation is paid, training is paid, and apprentices are being looked after now, culture is more important than ever, and I personally think that’s a change we needed in our industry!

As we know, as human beings we need to be able to change and grow as it is through being uncomfortable where all the magic happens. As an industry we need senior hairdressers and that means we need to focus on our training and keep on employing apprentices!

Regardless of the fears or frustrations. Some people may say “why train them when they leave?”, my answer to that is why not? You never know who will stay and who will go, you could be building yourself an absolute gem of an employee who wants to be a part of an amazing long-term, stable business and grow together and what’s more amazing than being a part of something like that!

There’s no better time than now, with all of the school leavers, it is the perfect time to find your next apprentice. I don’t believe a three-month probation period is long enough to see if someone is the right fit for your business, I believe it should be six months and have no problem extending it to that.

To ensure success in the workplace Set the goals and foundations early and make sure they understand your responsibilities as an employer and their responsibilities as an apprentice.

Challenge tip - Lose the idea of one-on-one meetings as that only leads to anxiety and the younger generation are not used to communicating that way work should be their safe space a place to nurture sure these chats need to happen but how about a different approach? Getting down on a level in which makes them feel comfortable will help you to get the most out of them. A simple five-minute notice “let’s go for a quick coffee, I’d love to get a chance to check in with you”, is a nicer way I’ve been able to connect and allows you to address any issues you might be having.

Communicate with them differently, Gen Y and below live on their phones so utilise a group chat for all messages and put anything and everything that’s important in the group chat.

Team culture is so important. In my opinion It is essential to build a beautiful culture that inspire people to be involved in something more. I truly believe that this is the magic of the business. Find the right people and focus on their strengths not the weaknesses. You don’t want all superstars in a team, you need good team players that can pass the ball to each other, kick the goals together and celebrate the wins and bring each other up from any losses.

In my opinion that’s the perfect recipe for success. A good team and culture starts at the top with you the leader/owner or manager! Shine a light on the things our younger generations care about like sustainability and human rights. The world is their future so lead by example, it’s important to be the employer that you wish to be.

Know your core values and get really clear on these as a business as they are what you stand for. Have them listed in the back room so that everyone can see and work on them every day. Practice it, preach it, and bring it to meetings for the whole team to hear.

Yes, they are extra work on top of already busy business demands but OMG they are rewarding and profitable ! We all started somewhere, someone gave us an opportunity and believed in us, we need to continue to pay it forward and share the knowledge we have to empower the next generation of hairdressers. Without us changing our ways we stay stale. I don’t ever want to become stale it’s way runner to keep learning and adapting and the youth of our industry have a lot of good to share.

They worth it, train them fast they are keen and care about being a part of the bigger picture, teach them how to make money, educate clients, share the importance of treatments at the basin tone and blow dry like super stars and watch your business grow!

Hand on my heart one of my proudest achievements in my business is watching my once apprentice who worked so hard run a booked-out column with a retention rate of 80% but most importantly I value our friendship and loyalty she supported me for many years and now I love to assist her. Like I said you never know when your next gem is coming through.