Even when we love our jobs, some days are harder than others to get up and at it. And on those inevitable days when we just aren’t feeling it, sometimes the only thing motivating us to put our game face on is looking forward to the camaraderie of our co-workers and the creative freedom of the spaces we work in. As a salon owner, managing your team includes cultivating these types of positive work environments that will inspire your crew to keep showing up and producing the five-star service that keeps your clients satisfied. 

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Keeping morale high doesn’t have to mean pizza parties and high-fives. As grown and successful GlossBosses, there are several more strategic tactics you can employ as a business owner to create a salon vibe that keeps your staff feeling fulfilled. Ahead, find five ways to ensure your salon embodies a motivating atmosphere that your staff will look forward to working in day after day.

1. Create an Exciting Onboarding Process

What’s better than that first-day-of-work feeling? A seamless onboarding process that makes the new job transition a breeze. Setting a positive tone starts on day one, so be sure to have an organized plan of action for welcoming new team members as soon as they walk in the door. Keep the rest of your staff in the loop on new hires and encourage them to make introductions or set aside time to get to know the latest addition. On an administrative level, create a checklist of tools, tasks, and tips that your new employee will need to know for a smooth introductory period. The easiest way to get them on track is to make sure they’re set up on your GlossGenius account so they have access to all of your favorite features. Calendars, client notes, and inventory, among other things, will all be immediately available at their fingertips so they can jump right in.

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2. Design a Relaxing Break Area

Not having a dedicated break room might immediately send your newest staff the wrong message. Rather than making them feel awkward or aimless when taking breaks, encourage moments of rest throughout the day by creating a space where they feel welcome to slip away, whether it's for a few minutes or a full meal. An ideal break room is separate enough from the main workspace so that your team won’t be constantly interrupted or feel pressured to respond to clients who can peer into the room. Inside the break area, you’ll want to make sure you have furniture and equipment that makes sense for the space – a table and chairs for weary stylists to get off their feet, a fridge to stash snacks, lunches, or leftovers, and storage for people to keep their personal items.

3. Provide Empowering Educational Moments 

As you grow your salon business, you’re not only building your brand, you’re becoming part of each employee’s unique career journey. Whether they work with you forever, or whether this partnership is a step along the way, most people work harder when they feel empowered in their professional growth as an individual. Make time for team training on new techniques, invite beauty business coaches into the salon for mini masterclasses, or set aside a budget for team members to attend industry events and conferences. Not only will they feel like you value their growth, but they’ll also know that you care about them as individuals as well. Investing in education for your employees also creates a stronger advantage for your salon as a whole. Who wouldn’t want to say they are home to a team that has top-tier expertise or knows how to use the latest state-of-the-art equipment. When you have specialized employees, you also have the opportunity to raise your prices.

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4. Host Team Happy Hours

…or dinners, or bowling matches, or spa days. You know your team better than anyone and you know what kind of activities they’ll collectively find most rewarding. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what exactly you do, as long as you carve out time to create a sense of fellowship while showing that you appreciate the hard work your team puts in. Start saving a budget for small events throughout the year or larger annual happenings that your team can look forward to. Even if you’re not yet at a place to fully fund salon-wide events, you can opt for more budget-friendly ideas like hosting a themed potluck, starting a salon softball team, or getting the first round of drinks at the group’s favorite nearby bar.

5. Empower Them with Great Tools 

When you provide your squad with quality tools to support their workflow, we can just about guarantee you’ll end up with a more focused team and a salon that runs like a well-oiled machine. Keeping everyone on the same page with top-of-the-line technology will maintain a professional presentation across the board. Your entire team will work smarter, save time, and avoid confusion – all key factors for consistently wowing your clients. With GlossGenius’s Teams feature, you’ll unlock a new level of employee engagement that will make your crew feel more invested in the business and more plugged in on the brand’s strategy for success.

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When your staff is onboarded with GlossGenius Teams, you can:

• Share as much or as little as you want: With deeply customizable options for each employee, you can easily grant as much or as little access as you wish. Set permissions in your GlossGenius app by applying our preset roles, or creating custom rules that allow personalized access for each employee.
  
• Show off your beautiful crew: Encourage each team member to upload a picture and short bio on your booking site so clients can get to know your team. Doing so also allows customers to easily book by their preferred professional or by the services they offer.
  
• Create a culture of growth: Whether you have individual go-getters or a group of providers who enjoy a bit of friendly competition, you can get everyone involved with the growth of the salon by knowing how to access their personal stats. With our Reports and Analytics features, every member on your GlossGenius can zoom in on their individual performance across a variety of metrics allowing them to assess how they’re tracking against their personal goals and contributing to the collective salon success.
  
• Keep everyone stocked up: From back bar basics to retail favorites, using our all-in-one beauty hub for inventory management will ensure everyone has the products they need at all times. GlossGenius’s inventory management system can track the sales and services of all employees on the app and will notify you when you've hit your minimum threshold so there’s never any doubt about when and how much you need to reorder.
  
• Get people paid easier: Treat employees to a stunning card reader to make checkouts fast and flawless. For members of your team, all credit card payments will be deposited to the owner's linked bank account, creating a streamlined income flow (with the same low processing rate of 2.6%) to easily process payroll.