As a salon owner and an employer, one of my biggest fears is having my employees not want to come into work. No one should ever dread coming to work, which is why it’s incredibly important to build a great workplace culture.

Before I dive into how to build your salon’s culture, I want to address what “culture” means. A good workplace culture is not about the “perks” you provide. In other words, health insurance, paid time off, etc. While those are important for employee satisfaction, they are separate from building culture. It’s not about giving everyone what  they want.

So, what does culture mean? A great salon culture means having healthy, thriving relationships. You want your employees to trust each other and feel confident that the team will be there for them on both personal and professional matters. When you have a good culture, you can feel that positivity in the salon, which will add to your clients’ experience when they visit. A salon should be a fun and relaxing place, and clients notice when stylists interact with each other in a positive way. Good culture keeps employees and clients happy and engaged – so you want to do your best to build a healthy environment for your salon.

Tips for Building Salon Culture

My first piece of advice would be to send out a survey to your employees. This survey should ask them how they feel about the vibe of the salon and their relationships with each other and with management. This survey should include questions such as…

• Do you feel the other team members have your back?
• Do you feel that your suggestions and ideas are heard?
• Do you feel that your opinion matters?

The answers to these questions will help you gauge if your employees feel there is a healthy workplace culture. Whether there is a lot of positive feedback or very little, there’s always room to improve, so here are three tips to help build salon culture.

1. Have regular team meetings. A team meeting is a great place for everyone to share their ideas and provide input into the operations behind the salon. It makes everyone feel heard and valued. When your employees feel invested in the growth and success of your salon, they are more likely to put in effort and stay with you as an employee.
2. Schedule one-on-one check-ins. Spending time with your employees is a great way to show that you value them. You want to get to know your team on an individual basis. So, take the time to grab a cup of coffee or get a glass of wine with your employees and really get to know them on a personal level.
3. Host team events. Team meetings are great to get your employees engaged in a professional way, but team events help your employees bond on a personal level. A team event could be a group outing to volunteer one afternoon, which is also a great way to give back to your community. Or, just do something fun like bowling or going to a local comedy club!

These are some simple ways to build your salon culture. Speaking from experience, there will be times when the morale is lower than others, so never stop working on building a healthy, fun salon culture.

Do you have any other tips or suggestions on how to successfully build salon culture? I’d love to hear from you! Email info@meetyourstylist.com or leave a comment on one of our social pages!

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