Pulse March 2019 | Page 44

THE HUMAN TOUCH your spa prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Say it many times—in the employee handbook, guest paperwork, adver- tising materials, postings in the employee breakroom. conduct regular trainings, formal and informal, for all members of the team (including both owners and leadership). Talk about the importance of preventing discrimi- nation, harassment and retaliation during staff meetings and when you’re welcoming guests to the spa. make sure that employees and guests alike know that they can always express a concern and create an atmosphere that encourages reporting of any concerns, even if they don’t rise to the necessary level to constitute a violation of law. Then, show through your actions and those of your team members that “make sure that employees and guests alike know that they can always express a concern and create an atmosphere that encourages reporting of any concerns.” you meant what you said. if a staff member or guest performs below your expectations, investigate the matter and determine the appropriate response. for some situations, a “first warning” is all that it takes to resolve the situation. for others, though, you may need to consider termination of an employee or guest, and perhaps even whether you will consider actions to ban the person from your premises. as with all these decisions, bringing in legal counsel to provide advice from the very beginning may be a wise investment with significant positive impact. Spread the Word Educate your staff about what to do if they see, hear about or experience harassment, discrimination or retali- ation. unfortunately, even the best (cONTINUED ON PaGE 44) 42 PULSE n march 2019