The end of the year means many salon owners are busy preparing for the upcoming tanning season. In addition to sprucing up your salons, adding new equipment and stocking lotions and other retail items, many of you are in the process of hiring and training new employees.
To help set the standard of operations, every salon should have an employee handbook that outlines salon policies, duties, expectations and procedures. The handbook should be given to all employees on their first day and reviewed thoroughly during the training process. The following is a list of what should be included in your employee handbook.
The Disclaimer. A typical handbook begins with a short history of your salon and its mission statement or philosophy. It also clearly states that the handbook is an overview of employee rules, policies and procedures, and that it does not cover every possible situation that may arise. It also states that the business reserves the right to make changes to the handbook without prior notice or employee consent.
The Policies. Outline salon policies in such a way that, if you are not around, the employee can refer to the book to handle any situation. This is important because handbooks should reflect an operator’s overall management philosophy. Some salon operators believe in the old adage that says the customer is always right. If that is your belief, be sure to make that clear in a chapter that deals with employee-customer relations.
Think about the key bits of information and knowledge you expect an employees to know. Talk to other salon operators—never be afraid or too proud to ask others for help. Start with the basics and let the handbook take shape over time. Include paragraphs about shift-change procedures and notes about who handles customer complaints. The handbook should cover every area of operation from dress-code policies to calling in sick. Some suggested chapter titles include Salon Mission Statement, Salon Operation, Policies and Procedures, Professional Behavior and Appearance, Performance Standards, Disciplinary Procedures and Emergency Procedures. Other topics you may consider including are: smoking policies, Internet/e-mail/telephone policies, drug-test policies and FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) policies if you have 50 or more employees.
Be sure to include information about who is eligible for vacation time, when a team member has an employment review, etc. If you are truly a professional salon, you don’t want employees to wing it. You want business to be done consistently.
Policies to Review Closely. Most employee handbooks contain the basics mentioned above; however, due to the nature of the industry and the average age of a salon employee, there are a few areas that may require additional attention to detail.
