PULSE POINTS

BY JOSH CORMAN

According to the U . S . Travel Association , Americans took an average of 20.3 days off work per year between 1976 and 2000 , with a peak of 21.2 days off in 1981 . By 2018 , that number had fallen to 17.4 days taken , leaving more than 750 million vacation days unused . If Americans returned to that pre-2000 average , it would equate to 447 million additional days of vacation time used .

IF INTEREST IN AND CONVERSATION ABOUT spa industry workforce and talent management issues at the ISPA Stronger Together Summit are any indication , there may be no more pressing topic facing the industry at this moment . But , of course ,“ workforce and talent management ” is a broad category , and the challenges that exist under the umbrella of those terms are varied .

One of those challenges for spa leaders is managing the expectations and well-being of existing staff to ensure a strong retention rate while also evaluating the compensation packages and other benefits offered to new hires as they seek to recruit the best available candidates for open positions . There may be no point at which those two goals collide more forcefully than during consideration of a spa ’ s paid time off policies . The COVID-19 pandemic vaulted conversations about workplace culture and benefits directly into the spotlight as businesses prioritized employees ’ mental and physical well-being over the last year and sought more ways to support stressed-out staff and prevent burnout . Paid time off ( or the lack of it ) is seen as a critical component of supporting employees and providing them an opportunity to recharge and practice self-care .

Time for an Update ? The 2019 ISPA U . S . Spa Industry Study Compensation Supplement revealed that , by and large , the compensation structure most often used for service provider employee paid time off is straight hourly pay . That structure is in place for 80 percent of nail technicians and estheticians and 83 percent of massage therapists . However , the added spotlight on paid time off policies during the pandemic have raised an important question for industry leaders : Is it time to overhaul — or at least update — existing policies to make spa benefits packages more appealing and put the spa workforce in a position to thrive in the long term ?

46 PULSE ^■ JULY 2021