As a salon leader, you have a lot of responsibility. You ensure the water heater works, color’s stocked, lights are on, and that your team and clients are happy.
But sometimes, you hire somebody who isn’t the right fit…and you are partially responsible.
If this has happened in your space, you know that hiring a bad fit can have a huge impact on your team, clients, and space. So how do you protect your team and culture from hiring the wrong person, and what do you do when it happens?
Let’s dig in.
Prioritize culture (not money)
Some salon owners keep stylists who aren’t a fit because they’re worried about the revenue or skills loss.
We get it, but there are tons of skilled stylists looking for great culture and leadership.
By keeping one “invaluable” person, you might repel other incredible stylists.
Why? Because they don’t want a terrible culture.
If you have a team member who isn’t a fit but you’re afraid they’re too valuable to let go, take a moment to consider their true cost.
Don’t poison the well
Have you ever worked with somebody who is a giant question mark? They’re unpredictable, gossip, cause problems, and don’t want to learn because they think they know it all.
But you keep them around because you hope something will get better or you don’t want to rock the boat.
We hate to break it to you, but this person is poisoning your culture’s well and causing you to lose good people.
Because good people will not put up with that.
If you struggle to retain or hire, look at your existing team. Is somebody deterring good talent from working with you?
Set expectations
Setting expectations seems simple, but it’s rarely done well in our industry. But it’s key to protecting the people and culture in your space.
First, set job descriptions and expectations
Our industry hates job descriptions, but stylists need them.
There should not be one job description for every and any stylist who walks into your space. There should be job descriptions for stylists at different levels with various responsibilities.
For example, if a stylist does inventory, their job description should include that. It can’t be a handshake agreement, or that they do it because they like it and are good at it. Keeping it casual makes it hard to run the team because there’s no defined expectation.
In other words, nobody knows what’s going on because there’s nowhere to look for the correct answer. The person doing the job thinks they’re doing it right, but you might think it’s wrong, creating a mess.
Take the time to create job descriptions so every person knows what’s expected of them.
Have regular conversations and evaluations.
Regular conversations and evaluations are critical for every salon.
The problem is a lot of salon owners don’t have written standards or respond when those standards aren’t upheld.
You can’t expect your team to read your mind. Establish standards and have regular conversations about those standards.
When you have these conversations, avoid saying things like…
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“Everybody’s saying,”
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“We’re all talking about,”
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“I keep hearing…”
This type of language can make a team member feel ganged up on and they can become defensive.
Instead, keep the language oriented to the two of you. Say, “Word’s gotten back to me that X, Y, Z happened. What’s going on?” Keep the conflict between you and the team member. This can help you find a resolution and establish you as an authority figure.
But wait…does this count for booth rental salons?
Absolutely.
Think about it this way: Have you ever heard of somebody being evicted for not following policy? It’s the same thing when you rent a chair.
You can have the same standards and policies. Enforce them with open communication.
Hire slow, fire fast
Let’s say you have an employee in the building and something’s not going right. You’ve had the conversations, you’ve gone over expectations, and it’s just not clicking.
In this case, it’s the kind thing for them, for you, and for everybody in your building to let this person go. To let them linger will only cause them more pain, confusion, and misunderstanding.
It may not feel kind, but allowing them to stay, poison your well, and keep themselves in misery isn’t it.
How to terminate on a good note
You’ve tried to work through it, talk through it, and it’s just not working. How do you terminate so it ends on a good note?
Kill ‘em with kindness.
Leave your pride at the door and let them know that this isn’t the right reason, season, or lifetime. Say that you hope they find what they’re looking for. If they are eligible for rehire, you can add that your door is always open.
If a terminated employee badmouths you, it’s okay to reach out to them and say you understand they’re frustrated. Be open to having a conversation so it’s no longer emotionally heavy for them.
Which leads us to…
Create legal protections for terminations
Having legal protection in place protects both you and the terminated employee.
This will look different for each business. One of the things that can help you in termination is to offer a severance. When and if they accept severance, they need to sign an agreement that releases you of liability and protects you against defamatory statements.
The severance agreement also ensures that you can’t say bad things about that stylist. You need to be kind, courteous, and wish them well. If you don’t want a stylist to speak badly about you, you need to hold the same standard.
Talk to your legal representative about drafting something up for you. DIYing this one isn’t worth it.
If you have a stylist who is a bad fit in your space, lean into empathy, kindness, and compassion. Take a step back and recognize whether this person helping or hurting your team and culture.
Know that if you hire well, manage properly, choose to lead instead of own, you will always protect the people and culture in your space.
Want to learn more on how to become a strong salon leader? Check out the Thriving Leadership Method!
