CONTINUED

Nevertheless , it ’ s a great industry with exciting challenges . We ’ re living in this reality , but so are all the other industries . What are we going to do to differentiate ourselves , to make sure we are the place that people want to come to work ? How do we change our processes for hiring ? Our employee engagement experience ? What do we need to do ? What do we know about why people don ’ t want to come to this industry or why they want to leave ? Sometimes there are minor tweaks you can make that have a huge impact on your ability to attract and retain talent .

P : While many spas are short-staffed , demand for services is high . What would you say to spa leaders who are balancing the needs of their teams with the very real opportunity this demand creates for their businesses ? B : I saw a local hotel put a 75 percent cap on the amount of guests that could come there because they didn ’ t want to reduce the experience . They knew they didn ’ t have the talent to help . Good for them ! They never walked away from their brand and the experience they wanted to create for their guests . That ’ s the balance — yes , you can get all this revenue [ right now ], but if the services are “ less than ,” is that the right thing ? Is that what we ’ re telling employees — work , work , work — or do we say ,“ This is our brand , and we will never compromise an exceptional experience ?” If we pull back a little , in the long run , we ’ re going to create even more success because we ’ re telling customers ,“ This is a choice we made because we care about you .”

For the benefit of the employees , leaders need to be very mindful about the actions they take . Burnout is real , and regardless of the industry , right now , most businesses are operating understaffed . It ’ s incumbent upon leaders to keep their fingers on the pulse of how their employees are dealing with stress . If you ’ re in the business of creating wellness , who better to start with than employees , who are the best advocates and ambassadors for your company when you want to find talent ? That sends a big message . n

14 PULSE • MAY / JUNE 2022