Staff will return if they leave with love

Staff retention is by far the biggest bugbear we hear from salon owners. Yet, however cross/disappointed/upset you are when a staff member hands in their notice, leaving on a bad note is a loss for everyone. What if, next time a stylists declares they’re off to ‘spread their wings’, you support their ambitions? You never know, they might come back…

Tune in to your staff

Salon owner Janet Maitland is a big champion of the value of letting staff leave on good terms, with the intention to welcome them back. “If they leave with love, they’ll come back,” she says in our Respectfully podcast. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, listen HERE. It’s crammed full of golden nuggets of advice from Janet on attracting and retaining staff.

You can have it all

When senior stylist Amy Burgess asked Q Hair and Beauty managing director Dawn Lawrence Grant if she could take a six-month sabbatical to tour Asia, Dawn was more than obliging.

“We’re delighted to support Amy’s ambition as she has chosen absolutely the right time to embark on this,” explains Dawn. “She is well-established as a very talented stylist and I’m glad to see she is set on achieving her own personal goals without it affecting her career.

“I believe good salons should encourage their team members to broaden their horizons, gain a wealth of life experience at a young age yet be able to come back and pick up where they left off.”

How the staff feel

“I was a bit nervous about asking Dawn if I could take some time off to travel and come back to Q on my return,” Amy admits. “I was thrilled when the first thing she said was ‘Wow!’ Working here is like being part of the Q family and I know this is where my career lies – once I get back I will be totally focused on it – and on saving for a mortgage.”

So next time an employee gingerly approaches you clasping their letter of resignation, remember: ‘What gets rewarded, gets repeated’.

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