town . We ’ re not getting people , so that ’ s a huge challenge because that ’ s our workforce .” Martin adds that she ’ s responded by reaching out to former employees and applicants as need has increased , with little success . COVID-19-related hesitancy , she concedes , may also be a contributing factor .“ I ’ ve got some people that haven ’ t returned to work also . They ’ re waiting for more people to be vaccinated ,” she says .
In the face of seemingly dire circumstances , there remain a number of steps spa leaders can take to cultivate a pipeline of talent . In almost every case , that means reaching well beyond the limits of job posting sites such as LinkedIn or Indeed . For Mandy Warr , owner of the Remedy Day Spa in Albuquerque , New Mexico , one such step has been cultivating a relationship with local schools .“ Just like everyone else in the industry , we were definitely having a hard time keeping a healthy talent pool ,” Warr says .“ And we actually started to see a lot of the massage schools in the area closing , and that left us with a talent pool that was
coming out of either community colleges or for-profit institutions . Their massage programs just weren ’ t as robust or in-depth as some of the others that we had previously been drawing from .” Warr reached out to some remaining local schools , seeking to make a connection and provide input on what her spa was looking for in massage therapists and estheticians .
Those connections soon evolved into relationships that gave Warr an opportunity to communicate directly with future spa professionals . In addition to speaking to graduating classes about what her spa looks for in applicants , Warr soon took things a step further and was able to establish an internship program with Carrington College , a local university .“ With this particular program , it can ’ t include hands-on work , but it includes being in the spa , learning about the front desk and back of house and how our treatment staff operate ,” Warr notes .“ It ’ s been a really good way to connect with people that are coming out of school , get a really good idea of where their skill set is and build relationships .” Warr adds that they ’ ve also recently worked with Carrington to get accreditation to offer aspiring massage therapists continuing education opportunities for skills they may lack or need to deepen after having graduated .“ That ’ s been a really great relationship we ’ ve built with Carrington that produces highly skilled staff members . By the time they ’ re working for us , that relationship is deeply rooted .”
“ Relationship ” is also a key word for Luba Sasowski , CEO of Bryght , a maker of skin care and lightening products . Sasowski sits on the boards of two esthetics schools — one in Las Vegas , Nevada , and the other in Vancouver , British Columbia — and has found that her role allows for far greater insight into potential hires than she would get from the traditional application and interview process .“ If you ’ re putting something on LinkedIn , or whatever it may be , you ’ re getting someone at two o ’ clock in the morning that ’ s just scrolling through stuff and hitting the ‘ Apply ’ button ,” she says .“ If you can get in front of the people that want to be in the business , your success rate of hiring is going to be far greater , but you have to take the time as the owner , director , whoever you are , to relish that relationship , to encourage your team to build relationships with the schools . There is a cost of time in that relationship building , but it ’ s so valuable and so rewarding because you will get
“ If you can get in front of the people that want to be in the business , your success rate of hiring is going to be far greater , but you have to take the time as the owner , director , whoever you are , to relish that relationship , to encourage your team to build relationships with the schools . There is a cost of time in that relationship building , but it ’ s so valuable and so rewarding because you will get great people from it .”
— LUBA SASOWSKI
16 PULSE ■ JUNE 2021