took for granted

[debs69]

Hello, I'm quite new to this so bear with me !!!
I've got my own salon and I wondered if anyone else feels like their colleagues take the mickey out of them. The girls that work for me are lovely, they mostly work hard, but at times I feel I'm doing all the hard work while their all having a laugh:cry:. Any idea's
Thanx Deb x

 

[Rosey]

I am extremely lucky with my staff - they are all great girls and very keen to muck in with pretty much anything.

I think that being the slaon owner you will always have a mountain of work and more stress than your employees - just the joys of running a business! It may be that you need to delegate tasks more - do the girls know what you need them to take off your hands? Sometimes people dont know what they should be doing and it could just be a case of allocating tasks and holding a meeting informing everyone of their new jobs. Sometimes you will have to give them a nudge, but this is all part of the job.

It is stressful - I never imagined it would be this much work, and sometimes its really tough - especially with two little ones, and I can't always take a wage!! :hug:

 

[debs69]

Thanks Rosey,
The meeting idea is a thing I think I'll be doing this week !!! I'll try to be a bit more positive and get a bit more bossey, it's just hard to be friend and boss which I know you can't be both.

 

[Rosey]

I think you can be both, but it is sometimes quite tricky! When i start to get snowed under, i try and get half an hour and write down all the jobs i can give over to a member of staff. Then the girls do these jobs in any gaps. It leaves you to get on with the things that you can't pass on to anyone else. I have one day a week out aside just for general admin, and i do this at home in the evenings and weekends too - and i still have a humungous pile of things 'to do' - plus all my home stuff too! Neverending - but it keeps me out of trouble! x

 

[debs69]

thanx again for your advice, i've just been writing a list of things i need to get off my chest so we,re gonna have a staff meeting on sat after work! i'm the same with home, kids, school runs, shopping, housework, paperwork for shop, elderly parent, my hubby is the best in the world though. i am going to be more confident and show them all who's boss !!!!! (that sounds awful ha ha )
THANKS

 

[Ragdoll >^..^<]

It has to be one of the toughest jobs, trying to be a boss and a friend, believe me ive tried and ive failed :irked: im was just too damn soft and they walked all over me. I work from home again now and my life is so much simpler and im happier and no landlord to pay rent too !
I hope you can work it out though good luck on saturday - be tough but fair ! Maybe i will try again to have my own salon in a few years, when the kids are not so dependant, who knows, my parents are moving to Barbados and we're thinking about it too so maybe it will happen there ????!!!!

 

[minky]

You could make one of the girls an assistant manageress or /supervisor ect so that she is running the salon with you and she could be in charge of making sure all job roles are being carried out properly ect ,

This may mean a bit of a pay rise but it could be worth it ,
you could start it off on a trial basis . :hug:

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Managing people is a special skill that few possess and I would recommend seeking out a course to help you learn some basic skills to make life easier for you!

From a personal point of view I don't like to have a boss - being bossed about just turns me off. Having a manager who can motivate me and make me WANT to work harder is much more satisfying.

Sit your staff down and ask them to write what they think their responsibilities are. If they know and aren't doing them then the fact they have written it down will make them see they are failing. If they don't write it down then you need to show them exactly what is expected and get them to add it to their list ... and then ask them if they can and wil commit to doing it.

You have to remember that the salon is your baby and your vision and it will be very rare to find a member of staff who will be as committed as you. you can also motivate with schemes such as employee of the month, best retail sales, best junior, best at customer service etc. People like to feel their worth and if you just say thank you to them at the end of every day it goes a long way in my book!

good luck :hug:

 

[debs69]

thanx for the advice, i really appreciate the fact that at least someones listening !!!!!!

 

[Elaine143a]

I think your first sentence said it all - "my colleagues"! I have my own salon (for 6 years), and yes staff are colleagues, but first and foremost they are your employees, not acquaintances, and not friends. This may sound very harsh but they need to know that you are employing them, not the other way round. They are not doing you a favour by working there, you are the boss. This may sound very harsh (esp those who are self employed) but I have learnt this from (bad) experience. Staff meetings are the best way to slog it out as quite often one person doesn't do something because someone else never seems to do it so they don't feel they should do it either, if that makes sense. I have one to ones with staff if I feel things are not going right and ask them why. Then it comes to light that so and so only does whatever and therefore why should they do it. The other person may have the same feelings but with a different issue (ie one person only cleans the floor but never the wax pots but the person saying it may only clean the wax pots and not the toilet!) Never divulge what issues came from what person but bring the issue to a meeting and let the staff know exactly what is expected from them - maybe do a rota if that is necessary.

I know this may sound quite dictactorial, but since I have been doing this my staff have all been happier. They know they can approach me with any subject anonymously and I will bring it up in a meeting and it will get resolved. I have only needed to have about 3 meetings to get this sorted and it has resulted in the "lazyer" members not liking it and leaving the salon - no great loss if not a team player.

As a final word, I am now very friendly with all staff and we often go out for drinks, meals etc (not too often as I am older and cannot stay the distance!) and we have a great time.

But they need to know exactly who the boss is - for their sake as well as yours. Sometimes it's a bit like having children and making sure they know the boundaries - they will try and push the boundaries but if they know you will stick to the rules they will appreciate it in the end.

Sorry for the rant but hope it helps. Having your own salon is VERY hard - I know.

 

[debs69]

thanx elaine d'ya know i always explain to people that my employees are like having a house full of naughty kids i have more hassel off them than i do my own children ha ha