Concerns about my employer

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BonBon

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Here, there and everywhere...
Hi geeks,
Just want to run a couple of my concerns by you all. Sorry if its a bit long winded getting to the point....
As well as my spray tanning which I tend to work for myself evenings. I also work in a beauty shop that sells cosmetics, fragrance, toiletries and nail polish and nail products.

Anyway my boss here has opened a nail bar today which my colleague and I were supposed to be doing between us but as I only do L&P enhancements, I can't do them in the shop because of fumes. So the shop is mainly doing nail art which I don't do because well I don't particularly like it myself so have never looked at doing it to be fair.
I am being put under pressure to do it but I have so many concerns over insurance, hygiene practices and don't want any part of it really. So here goes my concerns....

1. She 'thinks' we're insured under the shops public liability policy. I think it can't be adaquate to cover a nail bar too, I have not seen policy details and 'thinking' we're covered to be frank isn't good enough for me. I'm insured but only trading under my business name.

2. She bought us towels... just 2 of them... I was taught new client, clean towel. Am I being OTT..

3. Major concern - no practice in place to sterilise tools - not even barbicide..!!

4. Clients coming in today have been very young 13 or 14- no parental permission in place.

5. I can't do nail art - too fiddly but would I even need a qualification in it to be insured. Didn't cover it under manicure at college.

6. No consultation cards. I always use them.

My colleague is lovely but young and doesn't care if we're insured or not. She has a little nail table to do her nail art which she is excellent at. Observed today no sanitising or even cleaning down table at end of day.

I'm not being a bit picky am I? I studied as a mature student and I invested a lot of money in myself, not to just ignore everything was taught.

Again apologies for the essay but I would be grateful for your advice as I get the feeling my job will be at stake. :sad:
 
Bottom line is that you need insurance to do the treatments. Your employer needs to see to this.

Working on minors without parental consent sounds a bit dodgy to me.

If you're qualified in manicure I'm not sure that you would need to be qualified in nail art to be able to be insured to do it. I could be wrong but I say it on the basis that the principles or it re health and safety are the same as applying nail polish as if you were doing a French manicure or a dark polish.
 
Thanks Laurakate, its frustrating that she thinks her shop insurance covers doing treatments. My concerns fall on deaf ears with her.
I have refused to do anything until I know the cover is there, but I get the feeling the other members of non beauty trained staff think I'm being awkward.
She asked for my advice in setting it all up which I did but has chosen to turn a blind eye to some it. To add insult to injury we won't be getting paid for the treatments either.
Maybe I need to start looking elsewhere for work.....
 
Unfortunately you don't NEED insurance to carry out treatments, but woe betide you if you do and something goes wrong. Neither do you actually need to be qualified; the beauty industry in the UK is not regulated in this way. Yet.
I'm sure a quiet word in Trading Standards' ear would help...
 
Thanks Lynne, I suppose thinking about it yes there are lots of people doing treatments who aren't qualified /insured. I've read many a post of annoyed therapists commenting on such in the past. I just thought being an actual shop this wouldn't be the case! Which now has just made me a little more determined to not give in to what I believe. I have done my training and got insurance and I am not going to make myself vulnerable by working in an environment that has no regard for that.
 
What would happen if you turned up with a small stack of your own towels, sanitizer etc and got on and did the manicures professionally as you were taught to?

You could then go with the audible line..'I'm just going to sanitize your hands/my hands/ equipment before I start your maicure'

When clients start to see your approach vs the salons, nice clean towels, clean work station etc it might make them think twice about having anyone else do their hands.
After all you are just following the advice that you gave the salon owner as how it should be done.

The salon might have to up their game.
 
Her public liability insurance covers her for things like a client falling over on a slippery floor in her shop, not for treatments carried out by uninsured people. As Lynne says, pretty much anything is ok - until something goes wrong, and this is definitely not 'good practice'. Good luck with however you decide to deal with this!
 
Thanks hazelb and squidgernetball. Its not a salon, its a nail table set up in the shop where I work. She asked me for advice on setting it up but seems to be not fussed about the basic fundamentals such as the hygiene, insurance etc. I haven't been working there today but I am back in tomorrow.

Thanks to everyones comments though I know I'm not been OT fussy, I have decided I am not going to have anything to do with it until the correct insurance is in place and I'm happy with the hygiene side of things. I will just carry on being a sales assistant there. I think I'm well within my rights to refuse. After all its my reputation and professionalism at stake.

I'll keep you posted on what happens and would like to say thank you all. You're all what makes this a fab site :Love:
 
Well my lovely fellow geeks... what a week. After confirming my doubts, I refused to work on the nail bar due to my doubts. They had booked an appointment in for me after I had already said the insurance was inadequate so I said I was not doing it! ( to a snotty reply.... its only filing and painting someones nails!!)

My manager told the owner who then spoke to me on the phone and again I said you don't have the correct insurance, she insisted she did and had a go at me for refusing to do it...said I dont want you anywhere near the nailbar and hung up on me....

Next an insurance certificate was brought to the shop.... A 'certificate of employers liability' and proudly stuck to the nail bar... mmmm I still don't think thats quite right...maybe if the nailbar fell on me but I've kept my mouth closed. If she thinks shes covered then fine!

Today I have been given a verbal warning at work for refusing to do it and because I have spoken up about it, stuck to my beliefs, I have a bad attitude..... which is hilarious if you know me!

Good things though. I don't have to work on the uninsured nailbar, my colleagues doing it all. The same blue towel is sat on the desk since last week and hasn't been changed after many clients, 3d gems are being stuck on childrens hands with blobs of l&P, no parental permission forms, I could go on, all my concerns are still there. I wish them good luck and hope to god nothing bad happens
for my colleagues sake.

I on the other hand am looking for another part time job and i'm going to re-visit Lynne's fab business promoting link and push push push my little empire :Love:
 
Good for you for sticking to your guns. Be prepared to find yourself out of a job soon though; pioneers get the arrows, settlers get the land.

The employer's liability insurance is unlikely to cover her clients for damaging ensuing from a treatment or product. Why not get info details from BABTAC or The Guild, and explain to her the kind of insurance you're talking about. It doesn't have to be confrontational (although I think they might take it that way...), and you can explain how you don't want her reputation to be damaged if anything goes wrong.

Good luck with your little empire!
 
Lynne I believe this to be the very beginning of losing my job. I missed out all the other politics that are going on too, as you can imagine..

Saying that I don't regret any of it. I have tried to let her know the insurance she needs to have but she insists that as a business she has the correct cover and is insulted by me even implying otherwise.
Yes i was covering my own back but hers too.... I am just going to leave them to get on with it as I think anything I now input on the whole issue will again be regarded as my 'bad attitude' !!

I have thought about opening a nail bar opposite and that would be the business name 'Bad Attitude Nails' :D

Thanks again for all your advice Lynne. I really do value your opinions.
 
Did the same thing this week I went back to my current work but under new management all previous staff have been 'released' and I was under the impression I was going to be part of a new and massively improved successful clinic/salon. But the manager and owner who is a doctor had decided she will take on therapist treatments herself by reading a manual. Glad I haven't signed a contract and helping out this week as notice and have said i do not want to be part of the team there. Literally did my best these last 2months to get clients back in the salon after a very very poor standard of service they have been receiving. They had been turning up for appointments not once or twice but 3 or 4 times for the salon to be shut. I may not own a salon or be a doctor but working within salons and being a client myself i know what should be expected and I'm not going to work somewhere where I am fighting a losing battle doing all of the repair work on my own.
Well done to you sticking to your guns I always think its not just their reputation its mine too!!!
 
Sorry current work meant to say previous work place before I had my son
 

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