Attacking attrition

Spa-Balance Consulting CEO Sonal Uberoi explains how to keep personnel in an under-staffed industry.

It is no secret that in this rapidly growing spa industry there is a shortage of spa professionals across the board, from receptionists and therapists through to spa managers and directors.

The industry is also faced with the additional challenge of a high level of staff turnover. With no new staff to fill the gaps, operators must address ways of keeping staff attrition to a minimum.

Some staff turnover at all levels will be inevitable because of the competitiveness of the spa sector. Therapists and managers alike will move on for obvious reasons: better economical conditions, better career prospects, a better brand name to have on their resumé or a new destination.

For some professionals, the economic factor is of paramount importance and they will therefore move from one company to another just for a higher salary. There is only so much one can do in this instance to retain such staff.

However, it is attrition over and above the norm that is concerning. Spa operators need to regularly review the economic packages and benefits, career prospects, training and working environment they are offering and honestly question whether what they are offering is in line with the competition and more importantly, in line with their vision and mission.

A strong brand name or high economic package will not suffice to keep talented personnel in the long-term.

Outlined below are some steps to help keep staff attrition to a minimum:

Economic package

If you are looking for high calibre candidates, ensure that you are paying them the market rate, as a minimum. Lower salaries only attract less qualified and skilled staff.

Suitable personnel

Recruiting the right type of personnel for a particular job is not always easy, especially if the spa is small and requires flexible staff with more varied experience. However, an uncaring and unfriendly personality will not make a good therapist, irrespective of the experience he or she might have in the industry.

Each department in the spa requires a different set of skills and it is therefore essential to find the right person with the adequate qualities to perform the required role.

Optimum work atmosphere

A comfortable, positive and conducive working environment will call for a happier and more efficient team. Ensure that your team looks forward to coming into work and that they are motivated to perform treatments and attend to clients.

Providing adequate tools

Do not compromise tools in order to merely offer a service in line with what the market is offering. Speak with your staff and understand their requirements. This will allow the spa professional to work more comfortably and provide the appropriate level of service to your clients.

For example, a naturopath requires a different ‘set of tools' in order to carry out a consultation than a massage therapist.

Training, training and more training

This is undoubtedly one of the most important points. Training defines the standard with which treatments are performed and services are delivered. All your staff must be trained on the treatment menu and spa offerings, but they also need to be trained and understand your spa philosophy. The whole spa team must live and practice your spa vision and mission.

Provide cross-training in other departments. This ensures that all employees are aware of all spa offerings. It also keeps them motivated and opens up to them the possibility of learning about other areas of the spa business that they might want to move on to later, preventing them moving on for promotions elsewhere.

Mentoring schemes

Mentoring schemes, such as those offered by Mandarin Oriental, not only motivate and give more responsibility to more senior personnel, but also help newer and less experienced staff to gain knowledge and progress far quicker by shadowing their mentor.

Successful schemes promote understanding of the ins and outs of the spa and encourage communication and transfer of skills within the spa. At the same time, the scheme assists staff to adjust to their new roles.

However, it is important to note that mentoring is separate from appraisal and line management responsibilities and that it does not substitute, but instead complements, the employee induction programme within the spa.

The mentor benefits from a broadening of skills; experiencing a different dimension to their current job while at the same time increasing motivation; and the chance to demonstrate additional management and supervisory skills in developing other staff.

Benefits for the mentee include: assistance in their induction into their new job and spa culture; assistance in understanding the formal and informal structures of the spa; and opportunities to reflect on their development and resolve their problems in a confidential environment with someone other than their line manager.

There are also benefits for the spa. Mentoring improves the transfer of learning within the spa, helps remove any barriers that may hinder employees' success and it brings new ideas and insights to the spa. Mentoring schemes are designed to be voluntary, and should not be forced on staff.

They provide an opportunity for those therapists, receptionists and spa attendants who are keen to grow to develop and demonstrate their capabilities.

Regular performance evaluations

Performance evaluations can sometimes be intimidating and might seem like a test. However, if conducted properly and on a regular basis, performance evaluations of all staff members not only improve communication between management and the rest of the team, but encourage both spa managers and staff to take dual responsibility for the development of each and every team member.

Before implementing performance evaluations, all staff need to be educated on the fact that these are not to be used as a tool for criticism, but instead as an aid for both staff and management to assist in the development of their staff and improve communication within the spa.

For instance, as spa director of the Six Senses Spa at Sharq Village & Spa in Doha, Qatar, I implemented a performance evaluation system.

Here, I conducted evaluations every three months. These evaluations comprised of questions that were not broad in nature asking the employee what they thought were their areas of weaknesses and what they would do to improve them.

These types of questions are very disconcerting and staff are not likely to write negative things about themselves.

Appropriate questions should be conducted both ways - for example what they like about their jobs, what areas they do not enjoy that much and why, whether the training and induction they received was sufficient for them in order to perform their role, what other areas they would like to develop.

Additionally, questions about what management could do to improve things should also be introduced. This reassures the staff that management is constantly looking to improve operational systems and working methods to better adapt to their staff and clients.

Mutual goals are then set and line management and the staff take dual responsibility to ensure that weak areas are worked on together and personal and professional goals are achieved for the benefit of the whole team.

Performance evaluations should be formal documents that are filed with the employee records so that management teams can monitor the development of their staff, who, in turn, should also have access to these evaluations in order to take pride in their own progression.

Career development programmes

In an extremely competitive market it is essential that we do everything to keep our staff motivated and take responsibility for their career development. Offer promotional incentives.

If you are a big international spa chain, transfer to other locations is a wonderful experience for therapists and spa personnel as they get to deal with different clients and spas. Get the management team involved in other projects so that they are kept motivated and are learning different areas of the spa business.

Final word

The spa industry is vast and rapidly growing, and it is inevitable that the demand for good professionals will outweigh the supply. Spa owners and managers must therefore invest in implementing all the appropriate systems within their spas to ensure that their staff stay and develop with them for as long as possible. This investment in the long-run will yield higher profits and lower expenses in recruiting and training new candidates.

Founding director of Spa-Balance Consulting Sonal Uberoi has six years' experience in spa operations and management, including developing the 70,000ft² Six Senses Spa at Sharq Village & Spa in Doha, Qatar. For more information: www.spa-balance.com