application and interview processes themselves , leaders must do everything in their power to get the relationship with a potential hire off to a good start . By shining a light on all the things that reflect positively on your spa ’ s culture , you are setting up your relationships with potential hires up for success by clearly establishing your business ’ s values and enticing applicants who share those values to reach out . On the other hand , if your culture isn ’ t clearly established or feels inauthentic , applicants for whom culture is important ( which is a lot of them ) may simply move on without ever making contact .
Evolving Approaches
Though the spa industry faced workforce challenges well before the COVID-19 pandemic , there ’ s no doubt that those challenges have only been made more complex by the events of the last 15 months . As each panelist pointed out , these unprecedented times may require new approaches to employee recruitment .
Tracey Kalimeris , vice president , talent & culture at Accor , explained that offering signing , retention or referral bonuses — even if such bonuses have never been a part of your hiring strategy — is one such approach to consider . She added , however , that spas will likely need to extend their creativity even further as they define ( or redefine ) their talent strategy : “ We ’ re even looking at getting into classrooms in a different way . Let ’ s just recruit every grade 12 student and teach them everything they need to know about the hotel industry . We ’ re experts in it , so you don ’ t need to go college . We ’ ll be your university . I think that ’ s what it ’ s coming down to . It ’ s thinking about things differently .”
Outreach to schools is a key part of establishing a larger talent pool for spas to draw from , agreed Angela Biehl .“ You really have to find a way to reach that new talent pool . Look at your local schools , your massage schools , colleges . It ’ s a little bit more work on our end , but you have to do it ; you can ’ t expect it to be there anymore ,” said Biehl .
If the channels your spa typically relies on for sourcing talent have dried up , investigating new ones may be necessary . Spas that operate as part of a resort or hotel , for example , can leverage that connection by asking the hotel GM if open positions can be listed on their website , or if they can pass on any promising candidates who happen not to place at positions in the hotel . Seeking creative ways to draw the eyes of prospective employees will only become more critical as recovery from the pandemic continues , as competition for qualified therapists and service providers will only increase for the foreseeable future .
Show Them the Path
Creativity may be key to a successful talent strategy going forward , but that doesn ’ t mean it ’ s necessary to throw out every tried-and-true practice . For example , one concern among spa
“ People can see what you do online and who you are as a company — that includes great reviews from your employees . That ’ s actually a fairly easy one to manage . Simply requesting reviews from current employees so that you have people that are giving reviews who are actively there , instead of people that have left , can have a significant impact on your scores online . When you know you have great team members who are engaged or just had a promotion , being able to reach out to them and say , ‘ Hey , congratulations ! Why don ’ t you share your story ?’ can go a long way to improving your brand online .”
— ANGELA BIEHL
42 PULSE ■ JULY 2021