Did you know that the average employee lifespan of salon staff is between three and five years? Besides that, 1/3rd of new employees quit their salon job just after six months. That is why employee retention is one of the best things you can do to ensure your staff stays.
If you don’t know where to begin, you are in the right place. Here is everything you must know about what is salon employee retention and the various strategies.
The Importance Of Employee Retention
Before we move on to the different employee retention strategies, here are the top reasons it is important:
1. Reduce Turnover Expenses
Replacing an employee costs a lot of time and money. Organizations in the US pay more than one trillion in turnover expenses each year. That is why it is important to retain your employees.
It will reduce the cost of hiring new employees, training them, and keeping them working for you. So, if keeping costs low is important to you and your business, be sure to implement an employee retention program for your business.
2. Increase Productivity Levels
When employees keep leaving and new ones keep coming, it hinders the productivity of your business. That is because when existing employees leave and there is a gap, the rest of your staff will have to pick up their workload, and this can burn them out.
It also takes a long time for new employees to be incredibly productive as they have to go through a learning curve. So, if you want to keep your productivity levels consistent, then you must keep implementing employee retention ideas in your salon business.
3. Better Customer Experience
Finally, one of the key aspects of offering a positive customer experience is retaining your employees. That is because a customer experience includes everything from post-sale support to interactions with employees. That is why employee turnover can take a toll on your salon business.
New employees will take time to build relationships with your customers, and even customers will not be completely comfortable with new employees. Some customers may even leave to go to a salon where the previous employee works. That is why it is crucial that you invest in employee retention.
The Top Employee Retention Strategies For Your Salon Business
Now that you are familiar with why employee retention matters, it is time to learn some employee retention strategies. You must implement these strategies consistently for the best results:
1. Create Personal Connections With Your Staff
Employees don’t just work to get the best salary and benefits. Instead, they also work longer where they make meaningful connections. That is why it is crucial for you to create personal connections with your salon staff.
If your employees feel that you don’t care about them, then they will not care about staying at the salon either. You have to make them feel that you value them more than just an employee. Even if the employees don’t have job security, they might still leave if they feel that they are not valued.
2. Create A Communicative And Healthy Working Environment
A healthy work environment is one of the best things you can do for your salon business. Your employees must feel safe when they are communicating with you and their colleagues. Everything, from morale to productivity and well-being, will enhance when the work environment is healthy.
Of course, if your team has excellent communication, it will also keep the clients coming, as they will feel the positive energy in your salon. That is why creating a communicative and healthy environment is one of the top employee retention strategies you must implement.
3. Be Approachable And Open To Feedback
Another important employee retention strategy is to take feedback from your employees. Once you do, you must ensure that you also act on that feedback so that employees can feel heard. Keep your contact at all times with your employees.
You can even have a meeting every month where you can take suggestions from your employees to improve the workplace. Creating such a culture and environment is one of the best ways to keep your employees' morale high. So, always let your employees know that you are available and open to communication.
4. Offer Training For Employees To Grow
If employees feel stuck in their job, they will not be productive and might leave for places where there is room to grow. That is why offering training is important. After all, what your employees may have learnt during their certifications might be outdated now.
Training them will keep them up to date with everything, and they will also want to grow. If they implement new skills from their training, be sure to reward them so they can feel recognized. Training is one of the most important aspects of a successful employee retention program.
5. Appreciate And Reward Your Employees
Finally, you must always give credit where it is due. That means you need to appreciate and reward your employees for their hard work. It can be as simple as saying thank you or as extreme as offering extra vacation days or a bonus.
In the long run, employees will know that their contributions matter and they will feel heard and seen. Observe your employees and appreciate them where it is needed. Even an appreciative smile or thank you can go a long way in improving someone’s morale.
Final Words
These are some of the best employee retention strategies you can begin implementing in your salon business. It will take time for you to keep implementing these strategies, but they will reap the best results for a long time to come. You can also see what works best for your salon's employee retention rate.
Be sure to track progress and see what strategies bring the best results. Once you have all this information, you can create an excellent employee retention program that will help you keep your employees happy for a long time.
