Is this normal within a salon and how to change it?

[EmmaLF]

God it must be great to have so much time to fully clean a room after each client. When I'm booked back to back I only just have time to change couch roll etc before sending my next client in. Anyway back to the question asked, my boss has me do up my own hours at the end of the week. So I fill in a column of all the days with my start time and end time. If my last client left at 6 and I was there til 6:30 I put 6:30 on the sheet. She doesn't expect me to hang around cleaning up or waiting on her last client to leave for free. If its only 10 minutes I don't bother putting it down but that's just my personal choice.

 

[ch-ela]

No I am not a salon manager. She expects everyone to stay whilst she locks up. So I cannot just leave, if she takes on say a wax on at like 5.45 she may not have the client leave till 6.10 then ultimately you need to clean the room then she locks up. Music and shutters are not allowed to go down until the last client leaves.

I think it's nicer for the client if the music isn't switched off and the shutters aren't down before they leave. As you can see in this thread, we all have different expectations of what is necessary or important. She is ultimately the boss, so she dictates what the standards should be in her salon.
Do you get to go home earlier, come in later or have a longer lunchbreak? Is it a problem for you to stay or are you just wanting to be paid for the extra time? Maybe she feels she is being generous in a different way that, in her mind, compensates for this.
I would have a word with her about staying later than originally understood and see what she says.
Oh, and it takes no longer than two minutes to change couchroll, empty a bin and wash hands between each client, even if they are booked back to back. Were not talking about spring cleaning here.

 

[Airey fairy]

I think all salons expect you to be work ready and at your work station at start time, so if your first client is 9.00am then at 9.00am you should be ready to go, just like working in a supermarket etc. The only reason i can see for staying late unpaid is if you yourself over run on time, but if not then you should be paid, what are your timings salons normally are less compared to a spa, but if you finished your last client at say 6.00pm then i would pay you until 6.00pm but i would expect your work station to be clean and tidy when you leave, that is just common decency and normal working practice. With my staff all training costs must be repaid if staff leave within 12 months , regardless if training was administered inhouse or not but all staff receive their certificates when any course is completed we just have the photo copies.

Your really generous we keep the actual Certs and give them their Certs when they leave and have paid back or wages have been done just food for thought I'd hate for you to be put of pocket ... Then have to re train someone else to take that therapists place xx

 

[squidgernetball]

I also agree that it's not nice to start closing up while clients are still there. I would feel very uncomfortable. However if I choose to do some extra treatments or my clients are running late and I want my staff to stay until I'm finished and we all leave together, I would expect to pay them. If you're in a treatment room with a client, your staff could empty bins, do any washing/washing up generally tidy and head off home. The only exception being if you're in an extremely isolated location or your client is a first time male client. We always stay if it's a first time male client and we're in the most rural location but are happy to lock up on our own although I occasionally call my husband as im leaving, especially in winter. If I wanted staff to stay I would pay them.

Vic x

 

[louise mcdermott]

No I am not a salon manager. She expects everyone to stay whilst she locks up. So I cannot just leave, if she takes on say a wax on at like 5.45 she may not have the client leave till 6.10 then ultimately you need to clean the room then she locks up. Music and shutters are not allowed to go down until the last client leaves.

 

[mrsd88]

At my last job we had to be there half an hour before (unpaid) to set up & half an hour after (unpaid) to close down, if you leave within 6months of any training it is to be paid back & we were paid any hours of training we did. Hope this helps

 

[AcidPerm]

At my last job we had to be there half an hour before (unpaid) to set up & half an hour after (unpaid) to close down, if you leave within 6months of any training it is to be paid back & we were paid any hours of training we did. Hope this helps

Oh dear! Even if you signed a contract requiring you to repay your training costs or limit your ability to work within a certain radius doesn't automatically make it legally enforceable. Plus, you should be paid for all hours worked. Did you work shorter days to cover the extra time before and after closing?

Always get professional legal advice on contract matters!

 

[rubywoo]

The bottom line here is that if you are a business owner or employer, you are not stupid, you are well aware of your budget and wages bill therefore expecting employees to carry out unpaid work that is required for the efficacious running or your business and ergo the generation of profit within your establishment is in my personal opinion morally questionable, I'm afraid I'm not sure of where the law stands on this subject as I've never expected anyone to carry out work for free for me.

If you are ever unsure about your rights as an employer or employee please contact ACAS http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461 who give excellent and accurate advice on all employment issues. You will then have the correct information to start a discussion with your boss on how to change the situation.

I know this may upset some people, but whether your staff are on minimum wage or above a fair wage, is adding x amount of minutes a day to your wage bill so awful knowing that your spa will run like a well oiled machine. To me it's priceless, treat people with the respect and dignity they deserve. When my employees are happy they pour it all over my clients and we're permanently booked four weeks in advance, everyone's a winner!

 

[squidgernetball]

The bottom line here is that if you are a business owner or employer, you are not stupid, you are well aware of your budget and wages bill therefore expecting employees to carry out unpaid work that is required for the efficacious running or your business and ergo the generation of profit within your establishment is in my personal opinion morally questionable, I'm afraid I'm not sure of where the law stands on this subject as I've never expected anyone to carry out work for free for me.

If you are ever unsure about your rights as an employer or employee please contact ACAS http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1461 who give excellent and accurate advice on all employment issues. You will then have the correct information to start a discussion with your boss on how to change the situation.

I know this may upset some people, but whether your staff are on minimum wage or above a fair wage, is adding x amount of minutes a day to your wage bill so awful knowing that your spa will run like a well oiled machine. To me it's priceless, treat people with the respect and dignity they deserve. When my employees are happy they pour it all over my clients and we're permanently booked four weeks in advance, everyone's a winner!

Totally agree x

 

[Kim Lawless]

So getting back to the original question............I think that you should be paid for every hour that you are there but you should get in 15mins before and stay 15mins later.

Look at it this way. If your salon has gaps in the day then general cleaning of areas outside the treatment room (which would be cleaned after every client) can be done during those gaps so no real need to get in too early or stay too late. however, if your salon is banged out all day with no time to do general cleaning in between then the owner will be making enough money to pay you or pay a cleaner. Sorted!

 

[surf girl]

Well well this thread got a bit rude diddnt it! I'm more like squidgernetball, if I've been booked solid all say till late, I will down tools and walk out as soon as the last client is gone! There's nothing wrong with that! I come in extra early the next day and give it a huge clean before the 1st client arrives, I was so chocka on Saturday that there wasn't one clean cup or tool in the whole shop! Spent Sunday sorting it all out tho, couldn't possibly have done it on Saturday after the last client I was bushwhacked! I don't completey understand how some of you can have time or energy to clean up at the end of a late day? Maybe your workload isn't very challenging? Or no family to rush home to? I'd love to go into a clean salon of a morning lol but it's only early week that ever happens!

 

[domz85]

I agree with kahuna, i have a home salon and ideally would love to clean it at the end of the day so its nice for the morning, sometimes im just so done i leave it until the next morning.
When working for someone else i dont expect to be paid for getting there 10mins before or after if im just cleaning up after my self ect my first manager of a shop would write extra time once it hit 15mins after closing i didnt mind. My partner was told to get to work 30mins before and not paid that drivs me nuts!!he then always left on the buzzer and would avoid making sales that would keep him back which is bad but a reflection of management (retail shop)