BUSINESS
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A POST PANDEMIC RECRUITMENT CRISIS By Brigitte Benge
When you ask any beauty salon, skin clinic or medspa owner what their biggest business challenge is, 9 out of 10 times, it has something to do with employees. Nothing new. A problem that has been burdening the beauty business owner for decades. As we start the journey of re-emerging from the debacle the pandemic presented small businesses with, this problem has accelerated to new heights.
MASSIVE SHORTAGE OF BEAUTY THERAPISTS
Before the pandemic, it was all about a shortage of ‘great’ beauty therapists. Today, it seems like a shortage of ‘any’ beauty therapist. One would have thought that the supply would have increased with many businesses shutting down permanently, but this has not been the case. There’s been a massive exodus of beauty therapists from the industry. Why is that? (1) The Rise of the Home Salon From fear of losing their job to believing that they’ll make more money and have greater flexibility, many therapists have opted to start their own home salons. Not just an Australian trend but one that is happening all over the world as a result of the pandemic. (2) Career Shift Truth is, the beauty industry is not as glamorous as so many think or in the case of beauty therapists, as so many believed when entering the industry. With the need for late nights and 70
Beauty Biz Year 14 Issue 5
Saturday work and the lack of flexibility, it impedes on their family and social lives. Gen Y and Gen Z are simply not happy about this and unlike the Gen X and Baby Boomers, they’re not prepared to accept that it’s part of the job spec, so many have left the industry altogether for ‘better working conditions’. In addition, the skill and knowledge requirements of the beauty or skin therapist of today is far greater than it has ever been. There’s so much more equipment technology to learn, more sophisticated cosmeceutical ranges to master. The pressure to perform is high. For many it’s just too much for a perceived low pay and many have opted to leave the industry altogether. Sadly, it’s the experienced therapists that are opting to leave. A great loss and cost to the industry. (3) Lack of Quality Graduates from Beauty Schools The quality of graduates of the beauty schools over the last two years has been very low, thanks to the pandemic. Learning a hands-on skill off campus does not make for a strong graduate. Couple that with the drop in government funding, potential future beauty therapists have been turned off the industry because their career path now includes massive student loans.
WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?
Well you need to do a 180 on your thinking about employees, training them and meeting them where they’re at. Chances are a lot has changed since you were a beauty graduate or even employee. Enough with the ‘When I was an employee…’. That’s not going to get you anywhere. Do some deliberate soul searching and answer these 3 questions for yourself. - Who do I really want to work for me? - What do I need to do to bring them up to the standards I need? - What will I need to do to retain them in my business? (1) Who do I really want to work for me? I mean who do you REALLY want to work for you? Understanding this is not as easy as it sounds. It must start with the culture of your business. The ideal employee must fit in with the existing culture of your business. Bring the wrong person in and the threat of your team and culture being dismantled is very real. Great therapists are made not found. Stop looking for a ready-made great therapist. She doesn’t exist and if she did, she’s happy where she is and the chances of YOU luring her away are minimal. Start looking for a great person
