past they didn ’ t feel comfortable doing that . And when you say that to an employee , they truly value that and know that you care about them .
sonal touches , like those check-in emails and spa directors asking how everybody is doing , sending notes of encouragement , because we ’ re busy .
P : Speaking of those benefits , do you think therapists and service providers will place more value on those things that give them more stability — different compensation models , health benefits and so forth ? Will spas have to rethink some of those things to attract high-quality service providers ? Z : Absolutely . One hundred percent . That ’ s very different than it was even two years ago . Our focus has always been on what else we can offer . We started offering 401 ( k ) matches for everybody . And it ’ s funny , because I mentioned the younger generation — they ’ re very much about doing philanthropic things , so we also started offering “ VTO ” or voluntary time off , where they get paid for a few hours to do volunteer work . So it ’ s really just out-of-the-box thinking and reinventing toward what people are more interested in . It ’ s definitely changed our culture , for our company and for the people who continue to work here .
And I think , again , the opportunity to focus on the health and wellness of our employee partners is big . Before COVID , a guest would be able to come in sick , and a therapist might still have to perform a massage , right ? There was no maskwearing ; there was nothing . Just empowering employees to say , ‘ You know what ? I don ’ t feel comfortable with this situation . I ’ m going to walk away and get my manager .’ It ’ s giving them the empowerment to say ‘ no ,’ when maybe in the
P : What guidance would you share for those who oversee spa directors — many of whom have been going above and beyond for months now — or for spa directors themselves ? Z : Three things come to mind : patience , flexibility and empathy . Have patience in the process . This is definitely a marathon , not a sprint , and we let people fail because it ’ s okay to fail ! I found that in this pandemic , we failed a lot , but we also learned , so making our spa directors feel that they can make mistakes , and that ’ s okay , because tomorrow might be completely different .
Then , having the flexibility to really focus on what ’ s working for them professionally and , mostly , personally , and that leads into empathy . We had weekly calls with all of our leaders , and we would go around the room , asking , ‘ What ’ s keeping you up at night ? What ’ s good in your day ? How can we help you ?’ Like with our other employee partners , making them feel that they are heard and they ’ re valued . And if somebody was going through a lot of hard times — either because of COVID or they ’ re just really burned out , we gave them time off . We said , ‘ Okay , it ’ s time for you to go a vacation , at at least for now , just to decompress .’
I remember coming into the spa industry and thinking , ‘ Wow , everybody must be so relaxed .’ It ’ s the complete opposite ! So , we have to walk the walk — if we ’ re a company of spa and wellness , we have to look in the mirror and make sure we ’ re being consistent for our leaders and our employee partners . We ’ re all about helping other people and making them feel good . Well , what are we doing for ourselves ? We sometimes just need a little reminder . n
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