Staff are an integral part of your business, without them you have no team, but have them while they are unhappy and some days you're better off without them!
Your team is at the heart of your salon and it's culture. What they say and do on a daily basis impacts on your business, which is why you need to make sure they are satisfied in their work.
Whats the best way to find out if your team are satisfied? Ask them! Don't wait for them to come to you, as so often its to late by then.
Regular appraisals give you an opportunity to connect with your team, get feedback on progress and set/reset goals. It's important that you allow your staff to ‘appraise themselves’ in this process, letting them create a map of their strengths and weakness is an ideal starting point for a one on one discussion.
It's also important that their performance goals align with the performance goals of your business - you need to be on the same page!
Unfortunately, dissatisfied staff can be detrimental to your business and your team mojo, so its important to regularly connect with your staff. Appraisals should happen every 6 months. The ideal times of the year are Jan/Feb for the first one and July/August for the second one.
If you haven't had a formal appraisal process for your team before it can be quite a daunting thought, once you have that first round under your belt though you will be amazed at what you uncover and the positive impact it has on your team. Don't forget to make a note in your diary when the next round is due as 6 months comes around quickly and you want to embed the process in your salon culture!
