How to Encourage Personal Development for Salon Employees
Hairstyles evolve every single day. There’s always a new hair coloring technique, cuts, or styles that are making waves. That’s why it’s very important for your stylists to evolve along with the industry. One way to ensure your stylists can meet the demands and requests of today’s clients is through continuing their education, training, and personal development.
As a salon owner, it’s your responsibility to provide continued educational opportunities and encourage personal and professional development for your stylists. Since it’s important for you and your salon to make sure that your employees are always learning, we have put together some ways that you can empower your stylists, as well as help them develop and grow within your salon.
Source: DuxX
Host Master Classes
Clients aren’t just asking for highlights these days. The sophistication and complexity of hair coloring have exceeded our wildest dreams. So when it comes to dying hair with vivid colors, or taking someone from black to platinum, there are many opportunities for stylists to hone in their technique, as well as learn from some industry professionals. As a salon owner, you can always host a coloring master class by having a colorist come to your salon and present the latest techniques to your stylists. Or you can encourage your stylists to take classes digitally. There are great platforms for online education — some that are even free! You can check out Minerva Beauty’s Facebook page where they host live-streamed hair education every weekday.
Support Their Social Media Presence
It’s more important than ever to have a presence on social media — both as a stylist and as a salon. Clients are finding their new stylists on social media, which is why you and your stylists should position yourselves in a fun and inviting way on social media. As a salon owner, you can support your stylists by making your salon more “Instagrammable.” You can do this in many ways, but one of our favorite go-to’s is creating a photo wall with a ring light where your stylists can take pictures of their work to post to their social media accounts. This wall should include a neutral backdrop or it could have your salon branding on it, as well as lighting to get the perfect shot every time. You can also include props, like signs with your company’s logo on it, to further brand recognition. While it’s important for your salon to have an Instagram account, it is equally important for your stylists to develop their own personality on social media. Having your stylists on social media can really convey the nature and personality of your salon, which is what people want to see. Aside from making your salon more Instagrammable, you can always host a marketing and social media class at the salon taught by professional marketers. This will show your employees that you’re interested in their professional and personal development and, of course, it will greatly benefit your salon in the long run.
Host Routine Product Knowledge Training
It’s critical for your stylists to know the mission and the goals behind the products you sell at your salon. By educating them on the benefits and the mission of the products on your retail displays, you empower your stylists to talk and use the products in a way that makes your clients want to buy them. You can have a brand representative come in and share their passion for the product to get stylists excited. If you want to make your stylists feel good about selling these products, you can also incentivize it with competitions or rewards.
Learn About Your Employees’ Needs
Set aside time routinely to learn about your employees’ needs. One way a salon owner can empower their employees and help them with personal development is by getting to know how your stylists work, the tools they need to do the best job, and how they want to grow within your salon. For example, if a stylist needs a certain set of shears, a new salon trolley, or styling tools to feel confident about their work, it’s good for you as a salon owner to know the types of things you need to keep in your salon to boost employee morale and encourage professional development. If you find that your stylists need new equipment or salon stations, you can always look into salon equipment financing to ensure you can meet their needs immediately without taking on too much financial burden.
Encourage Your Stylists to Teach
Outside of taking clients, many stylists make a huge impact by teaching their skills to other stylists. Not only is this an extremely beneficial experience for stylists, as they get to find their voice and share their skills, but it’s also a unique branding opportunity for your salon. By having your stylists teach classes, you can elevate your salon’s name and give your brand notoriety. To encourage your stylists to take part in teaching the classes, you can nominate them, which will speak volumes to the stylist, or suggest that they teach a skill you’ve noticed. You can have them teach the skill to the rest of your stylists or encourage them to teach to a broader audience online or at hair conferences. This may also help you attract more talented stylists interested in working at your salon.
Also Read: The Benefits of Frequent Employee Training Explained
Invest in Training
If you are thinking about adding new services to your salon offerings, it could be a unique opportunity to train your stylists to handle these services. Whether they want to go back to school to learn or it’s a service that they can learn on the job, it will mean a lot to your stylists to have your trust and the opportunity to grow within your salon. If they need to go back to school to master the new services, and you want to keep them on your roster, support your stylists by offering them tuition reimbursement for a portion or all of the cost of classes.
As a salon, you always want to be growing and improving, and you should want the same for your employees! So we hope that these tips help you identify some ways you can encourage personal and professional development among your stylists.
