Pulse June 2020 | Page 36

MEMBER PERSPECTIVES BY RYAN O’GARA AND JAMISON STOIKE RESET YOUR RETENTION Talent Strategies for a New Normal AS THE WORLD RETURNS TO NORMAL after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spa industry will rebound. Pent-up demand for travel and soothing human touch will bring business back to spas and resource partners, even if consumers are demanding different treatments, clearer hygiene standards and greater transparency than before. This means that spas will soon be bringing back team members who were furloughed or laid-off to meet demand; but don’t assume that just because the employees return, they’ll stay around. The issues with employee retention and hiring that dogged the spa industry before this crisis won’t disappear, and now is the time to rethink what you’re doing to build a stronger workforce, deepen their connection to your spa and, ultimately, get off of the hiring treadmill. In advance of April’s canceled ISPA Talent Symposium, ISPA turned to its members for their most successful Workforce Innovations—from unique incentive programs to whole-team brainstorming and new talent pipelines. In this month’s “Member Perspectives,” we’ll highlight a few such innovations geared towards helping you retain your employees once the spa industry is up and running once more. Partial Tuition Reimbursement — The Broadmoor Hotel The Broadmoor Hotel partially reimburses tuition for recent graduates. It requires those in this program to work for the Broadmoor for at least one year, and it targets candidates that it thinks will stay at least two to four years to limit turnover. The reimbursement funds are distributed either biannually or annually and are contingent on the employee meeting the Broadmoor’s standards, like having a full inventory of services to offer, being a good steward to the 32 PULSE ■ JUNE 2020