My intuition is turning out to be a disaster!

[Carlalouise]

In April I took the plunge to move my home salon to the high street and in a very short space of time the salon has exceeded my expectations so about a month ago i decided to give my wage up to pay for another beautician to come on board and help me out.

I advertised, interviewed and thought about who and what I wanted, the decision wasn't quick as I really wanted someone with experience and also capable of helping me build a good brand and reputation. One person really stood out, she was a head beautician in a very good salon in my area, she also had skills that i didn't so i trade tested her and decided to pay a bit more than I wanted to get her.

After spending a lot of money on extra insurance and products 6 weeks in it's been a nightmare! She's overslept, been Ill 3 times, wont leave her phone alone, boyfriend needs to know whats she's doing every minute of the day and if he doesn't he turns up. Every time she comes in she's having or had a drama, as soon as my backs turned she doing something completely unprofessional, for example - she text me when i was out of the salon to ask if she could go home early and my little apprentice told me that it came up on the Ipad and she was actually in doing a massage!!! I've caught her out giving freebies to her friends, the list goes on . My husband says it's my fault because I'm too friendly and i don't act like a boss, what I'm trying to do is create a nice relaxing, friendly atmosphere.

Anyway i am now getting complaints left, right and centre about her, clients don't like her work and also don't like the fact that she goes on about herself, I think I've even lost a few.

Why haven't you sacked her, I hear you shout! Well one reason is I have three big pamper parties coming up and a lot of the treatments booked I don't do e.g acrylic nails and eyelash extensions.

Should I get rid of her now and take the loss of the parties and booked treatments on the chin or should I sit her down AGAIN, tell her I'm not happy and neither are the clients and see if she improves??

I know I sound wishy washy and pathetic but Ive invested a lot of money in this person and also feel partly responsible because i may not of managed the situation well.

 

[laurakate]

Have a review with her. Discuss what you're pleased with about her work and what you'd like her to change/improve on.

Treat this meeting as a normal review in the hope that things can be ironed out now and only need to be escalated if the bad stuff continues after that.

 

[ch-ela]

If there is no trust, then I would be looking to get rid of her as soon as possible. Harsh I know, but sometimes it's better for a clean cut rather than lots of mending.

As for the pamper parties, could you take on some help just to cover those? Some mobile techs might be interested in doing some free-lancing? (never sure of my spelling so appologies if wrong). I've never seen it advertised here, but I'm trying to think of why it wouldn't work. It might cost you more than you had planned but you wouldn't be letting the people down that had already booked the parties and you might find yourself a new employee at the same time.

 

[perfect10kb]

Ok Well having been a boss before I know how difficult it is to get good reliable staff .

Now in normal circumstances I would say sit her down and voice your concerns to see if the situation can be improved

However looking at the list of things that she does coupled with the comments you have been getting from your current customers about her I really think she is a lost cause .

There are just too many things that she does which are totally unprofessional and I don't think she will be able to break all of those habits - Just asking too much for someone to change THAT much

Did you not take references from her last salon as I can't believe if she acts like this with you that she did not do that before

I think if you keep her then the situation with your current customers will just get worse . If they say they don't like her or her work then it does not bode well for the Pamper Parties either .

So in a nutshell if it was me I would be saying bye bye to her and trying to sort something regarding the pamper parties . The Pamper Parties are just not a good enough reason for keeping her and may well just add to the damage already done

When you next consider taking someone on then do a trade day with her first and get your feedback fro the customers she treats . Will give you a better idea of how she interacts and behaves

x

 

[Carlalouise]

Thank you for your advice ladies.

This is why my gut instinct has let me down, i interviewed her twice and she came across very knowledgable and professional, for the first week or so I thought I had come up trumps, clients loved her, she was getting them to re-book and coming up with lots of good ideas and suggestions. Then unfortunately the more comfortable she got with me the more she disclosed and the drama's here, sick there scenarios started to happen.

 

[Lady Murasaki]

Before you do anything you need to address these issues with her and give her a period of time to redeem herself

Is still in her probation period? If so you can sack her without notice otherwise you will have to start off by giving her a verbal warning and take or from there.

Acas should be able to help you with this.

If you can try and keep her on until the pamper party is out of the way

 

[tonicj]

Unfortunately a boss is a boss and not a friend when it comes to business. I understand you want to have a friendly and warm atmosphere but this young lady was probably checking you out from the start hence her professional attitude at the beginning and then the lapse when she could see you were becoming more and more relaxed. There needs to be boundaries in a professional working relationship where the staff member knows not to overstep the mark. It might be an idea to sit her down and explain your issues with her but sometimes when you become friendly it's hard to go back and show a different side. Whatever way you approach this the only thing to do is to learn from it. I'm sorry this has happened to you and I hope it all works out for you xx

 

[wonderwoman]

if clients are complaining, are you seriously gona let this carry on until your buisness reputation is destroyed? My answer is yes, because you know she has the skills for the pamper party, but will you get great reviews, will her skill set change?..... who knows, because you aint repremanding her. A frank discussion needs to be made. Clear concise and jotting down exactly what you're paying her more for.

My other concern is that yes, you do sound too wishy washy and you need to become firm. Its your buisness and your money invested. Buck up!!!

I would if i didnt have the skill set required for pamper party, either hire a mobile for the day/ new blood or let the party know that you cannot complete all services. And cut all your losses with this therapist. xoxo

 

[weezie]

Have you spoken to her about it? I would approach her straight away say you have noticed that her heart doesn't seem to be in the job. If she agrees ask whether she thinks it's the right job for her (she may then quit and save you the hassle) and if she does want to keep working for you ask her what she thinks would motivate her. Turn the tables back at her. She may come up with a good solution. Then, if she is uncooperative start with the written warnings.

I would let her know she has let you down and what you expected of her but also be sympathetic as you need her to keep upbeat for your clients or it could be very uncomfortable. Laying things out for her can be done in a professional unemotional manner.

No mobile phones in the salon and no freebies are easy rules to monitor x have you got a printed copy of your expected staff conduct you could give her?

 

[Beautyandme]

In this current climate, people need to hold on to their jobs. As far as your concerned if you have been fair with her, then she needs to step up to the mark and earn her wage.

We forget there is always someone else waiting to jump into our shoes. She just needs a reminder "goodluck"

 

[TPB]

I personally think if you offer an add to mobile tech they'd be happy to quickly cover those pamper parties.

 

[hazelb]

It will be a lot easier to get a freelance tech in for the pamper parties that try and recover a tarnished reputation...if you have been starting to lose clients already!

 

[AcidPerm]

You need to learn to be a boss!

It just takes a shift in mental attitude. Never try to resolve any issues in an emotional manner or take things personally. I definitely got it wrong in my first management post until a more experienced colleague showed me the error of my ways, so there's always hope!

Just talk to her directly explaining which aspects of her work are not up to scratch and re-state clearly your requirements. Then check that she has understood what your expectations are and that she is willing to try to meet them.

If you take the easy way out and sack her, what's to say the same problems won't happen again with the next therapist you employ?

No-one is born perfect and you have both made mistakes but at least have a go at resolving it. It could be the making of both of you.

 

[Jaksnip]

You should give her a verbal warning, be friendly but very firm!!! Tell her what you expect- her to come to work, to get there on time, turned out appropriately, she should turn her phone off before she sets foot in your salon, and if her bf needs her she can feel free to contact him on her designated breaks. She should not be receiving visitors at work, ie if he turns up, tell him to sling his hook!!! Write all this down, discuss it with her, and get her to sign it. Tell her it's an action plan. Let her know in no uncertain terms, if she breaks the rules- she's out.

You could go to the college in your local area, go to a beauty tutor and ask then to recommend their best students. You could offer further training, and mentorship, in exchange for cheap labour. I know the college I'm at have v high standards, ad brilliant teaching . A wee trainee could help with your pamper parties, but get a whopper brilliant girl from college. The tutors will happily point out star students, as it will give them more experience.

 

[Pinkpants]

Forget the pamper party! You need to get rid of this poison in your shop, before you loose anymore clients. Harsh I may sound but after 13 years of employing ppl I can't see this girl changing unless you give her a brain transplant. Good luck ;-)

 

[virtues2011]

She has a probation period. Get rid. There are no friends in business!

Sent from my GT-N7100 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Serenity.spa]

There is no excuse for bad behaviour in a salon. I was a manager of a salon 7 staff members including myself. So when our boss got cancer and had to take time out for treatment I had found staff got seriously lazy, lack of cleaning chatting in front of clients about silly things, and just being a waste of space. I had to deal with my own clients and trying to organise staff and it did my head in. One of the girsls was late 3 mornings in a row not just by ten mins either. I though right I have a chance now to sort some crap out, told her on the third day as soon as she walked in the door to turn around go home and come back tomorrow with a written apology to myself and the boss for wasting our time, told her the next time she walks in my door she better be on time. She got quite a shock about it but I noticed almost instantly that the other girls had calmed down and started to get back to work cleaning and being more professional.
This is your business you are the boss you make the rules.

 

[Leely]

She needs to tell her boyfriend he can not keep turning up at your place of work, what would happen if they ended up having a heated argument?

She should not be texting you. That is very unprofessional.
She sounds as though she needs "a kick up the backside"

When I was a manager of an office, if the staff were late more than 3 times I would let them know they would not be getting their bonus that month. Harsh as it seems, but it worked. The one lad that done this several times lived 10 mins away so had no excuse really. Once his bonus was stopped 3 months in a row he got to work on time.

Maybe sit down with her and let her know they way she is acting and coming across to clients is very unprofessional and she has a week to turn things around! Let her know clients have made complaints about her, it might make her upset but it could be the kick up the backside she needs.

Good luck


Leely

 

[Balance Andover]

Get rid, she's flakey!

Do you have any therapist friend (reliable ones) who would help you in the interim?

 

[Carlalouise]

Thank you ladies for your advise, you have all been brilliant!!

I have spoken to her and Ive told her I've had several complaints, she's also well aware that her conduct with her boyfriend was very unprofessional and seemed quite responsive to what I had to say. I'm going to give it to the end of the month and see how it goes, if it doesn't improve she would have only been with me two months so I will ask her to leave. Xx