TALENT TOPICS

BY RYAN O ’ GARA

ANGELA BARKER

President — American Massage Therapy Association

1 . How has COVID-19 changed “ employees ” expectations around salaried full-time work versus contractor-style employment ? Previously , many service providers preferred to be independent contractors because it let them move more freely and , perhaps , take home more money . However , independence comes without the sort of benefits ( health insurance and sick time , for example ) and job security that many people wished they had during the pandemic . Let ’ s begin with the data collected by the AMTA that shows over 90 percent of the massage therapists who have returned to practice have returned to their previous place of employment . This data includes therapists who owned their own practice , those who identified themselves as independent contractor and those who work as employees . We also know that traditionally during difficult economic times , the number of self-employed massage therapists does decline , but to date , the data shows less than six percent of massage therapists in all categories are considering leaving the profession .

In the AMTA consumer surveys , we learned that massage consumers have returned or want to return to getting massage . Only three percent of the consumers say they are not ready to , or may not , return to getting massages .

In August , Pulse explored how the expectations of spa professionals will change going forward — and what a spa director will need to do in response to that shift . This month will serve as an unofficial Part II regarding how the spa workforce will change due to COVID-19 . Angela Barker , the president of the American Massage Therapy Association ( AMTA ) discusses how she believes the expectations of salaried full-time work versus contract work , building a cohesive team during COVID-19 , the dynamics of using sick time , the relationship between spa directors and employees and much more .

52 PULSE ^■ OCTOBER 2020