Employment advice for salon

[Beautie]

Hi geeks,

I’ve been searching the forums and cannot seem to get up to date advice, so I’d be really appreciative if someone could help me!!

I run a small salon, which up until the end of March I had a self employed girl working with me. She was with me for 2.5yrs but when she suddenly left, she caused so much stress for me and for various reasons, the whole situation really dented my confidence. She wasn’t the nice girl I thought she was but I have learnt a lot from the whole experience and hopefully I am now a stronger person from it!!

I’m so busy working on my own, fully booked week to week turning people away, still working long hours. I’m also having to do everything else, cleaning, paperwork, reception duties etc so now is the time I really need to start thinking about having someone else here with me.

Because of what happened with the last girl, I have been researching employing someone instead of going down the S.E route, mainly for security and being able to have a set contract in place, but cannot find anything current that can guide me on how much to pay a beauty therapist, with or without experience.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation that took the plunge and employed someone? I have read the step by step from hmrc but is it all as straight forward as they make out?!
I feel like it will always be a risk employing someone not knowing how busy they’ll be and if you can afford to pay them? I earn enough to be able to take a bit of a pay cut to begin with as we’re building a clientele for them in order to pay their wages, but it’s just a worry. Can you easily ask them to leave if they’re in a probation period?

If anyone can give me some tips or advice on similar situations I would be so grateful. I think I’m just a bit worried about trusting someone else, but I can’t really continue working myself into the ground like I am.

Thank you in advance! X

 

[salonfrog]

Hi

Yes, you’ll need to register as an employer with HMRC and submit electronically details of any payments you make to your employees each time - called RTI. There are also additional forms you need to submit annually.

You’ll need employers liability insurance.

You’ll need to comply with the living wage requirements and also various other legal requirements, including holiday pay, sickness pay, health and safety and so on.

Depending on how much they earn, you’ll need to consider pension Auto Enrolment as well; which will add further cost on.

Taking on your first employee is always a big step. I’d plan to have a good cash fund up your sleeve for the early months just in case.

 

[squidgernetball]

Try and get someone part time to begin. Look at your busiest days and get them in then. Ask if they could up their hours in the future. You obviously have to pay at least NMW and above that it’s up to you. Make sure you have training clauses (if you pay for training and they leave after x time they have to pay x amount back) and so on. The NHF has contracts for employers and are fabulous but may cost more than you want to spend. At least you’d be legal!

Good luck

Vic x

 

[redlottie13]

Your situation was exactly mine 3 months ago give or take a few details!

Ok my advice is: Employ for sure! You have way more security and you can watch them like a hawk! My girls know that I do not trust at the moment and they totally understand as they also feel betrayed!
Register with national hairdressing federation for all of your legal and employment needs. I pay monthly for their service- @AcidPerm recommended it for me. It's fantastic and the contracts are free!
I also added a few clauses of my own with their guidence and can honestly say it's saved a few tears over a double gin on a Saturday night!!!

I would second what @squidernetball said. I started someone on Thursday Friday and Saturday with the promise of more hours to cover holiday and busier periods or Xmas.

If you want to inbox me your more than welcome having my number. We all need support from industry folk when the going gets very tough!

Ps well done for getting through it, it takes balls xx

 

[TheDuchess]

I'd definitely recommend the employee route. Self employed is just soo much heartache and hassle. I'd suggest your first part-time employee should be a student still studying in college. You can mentor your student employee and train them in what you need. It's difficult getting experience so your student should appreciate the opportunity - if they are still studying they will see first hand how quickly they improve skills compared to their fellow students.

Hopefully, your business will grow so that there is a full time role for when the student qualifies. If not, you can consider offering an apprenticeship - many students benefit from three years training but want/need to earn a wage after two years. I was lucky, my first student employee worked for me part-time whilst studying level 2 beauty and then level 3 nails, so I could offer her level 3 beauty as an apprentice which gave me time to grow a role for her.

I now employ another student studying complimentary therapies who may well want to do level 2 beauty as an apprentice when she finishes her level 3.

It's not plain sailing. I've had students come to me who are not at all ready for employment and it's a struggle to bring them up to standard without going bust first. You have to work out how to offer meaningful employment and structured induction without annoying your clients with substandard treatments. You need to be robust and resilience, there are no shortcuts or ideal "Mary Poppins" beauty therapists waiting for you. My ideal new recruit is a mature person retraining in beauty after working in another industry. But I have found these recruits expensive to develop. A youngster develops rapidly and if it doesn't work out you just have to move on.