Training Day

“I know this may sound like a no-brainer, but you’d would be surprised at how many salons take the sink-or-swim approach when it comes to training new employees,” says Tiffani Douglas, nail tech, author, and founder of Tiffani’s Beauty Parlor, a site dedicated to providing marketing and business information. “New hires should always be given a walk through the facility and taught proper salon protocol. Training is a lost art in today’s world because employers don’t feel they have the time or resources to do so, but a couple hours out of your schedule could make a world of difference to your staff and their output.”

Here are Douglas’ five reasons why salon owners should train new employees:

1. Makes them feel confident in their new space. It’s hard stepping into a new house of divas. Showing them the ropes early on helps them adjust quickly.

2. Better service experience for clients. Nobody likes a fumbling, bumbling service provider. If a new employee is taught her job according to your specifications in the beginning, it creates a better, more relaxed environment for the client.

3. Uniform services. There is nothing worse than going to Jane and getting a five-minute foot massage versus getting a 15-minute foot massage from Kate. All services should have a protocol and approximate times set for each part of the treatment in order for your services to be consistent.

4. Get to know your new employee’s work habits. Spending time training your new hires gives you an opportunity to learn their work styles. Are they fast, slow, precise, messy, neat? Get to know how they work and it puts you in a better position to manage them accordingly. Don’t wait until something goes wrong.

5. It’s just the right thing to do. By training your employees you are essentially setting them up for longevity and personal and professional success in your salon.