Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/213903
how to survive… Firing a tech Firing, termination, lay off — whatever you call it, it's painful. Attorney and CPA Jean D. Sifleet (www.smartfast.com) tells you how to minimize the pain. > Pay attention to complaints about problems in the workplace. Employees don't always bring these issues to the boss so you have to find ways to stay in touch with the day-to-day work environment. Deal with what you find. Don't pretend the problem will go away; it won't. > Talk with the employee when you're not angry. Try to communicate what is expected, offer training, and model desired behavior. It's common for employers to accept all kinds of excuses for poor performance, mistakes, and problems. Be careful about being sucked into an employee's personal problems. Focus on job requirements and expectations. Encourage the employee to get help with her problems. The employee should not be in the workplace if unable to do her job. > When it's clear that the employee isn't working out, you need to terminate her. The longer you delay the termination, the worse it is for everyone. Unless the employee has a contract, employment is considered "at will." This means that an employee can be terminated for any reason or no reason at all, except for the prohibited reasons of race, gender, age, etc. > When doing the actual firing, schedule a meeting for privacy and treat the person with respect. Explain why the termination is occurring. Don't defend, argue, or justify. If performance-related, this should be documented. (It is better to give no reason for the termination than give an untrue reason.) Explain what action is being taken, and how and when it will occur. "Your last day will be …", "You'll be paid through …" Don't let the process drag on. > Unless you're worried about the employee damaging equipment or computers, or causing disruption in the workplace, allow her to say good-bye to fellow workers. 108 | NAILS MAGAZINE | 2013-2014 THE BIG BOOK A Groupon Deal Think a daily-deal site coupon might be for you? Here are a few ways to achieve the best experience and minimize your financial losses. Instead of discounting one specific service, run a voucher at a set price. For instance, the purchaser might pay $15 to get $30 worth of salon bucks. That way, if your typical pedicure is $40, she'll be inclined to pay the extra $10 out of pocket. Plus, there's no confusion over what service is covered or not. The client will still be happy she's getting a deal, but the final price she actually pays will be closer to the true menu price of the service. Pick a service to discount that already has a high profit margin. This may be a foot massage or a paraffin dip. Trendy or exclusive services (gel-polish and Minx come to mind) are also a good choice because it increases the likelihood you'll retain the client. Limit how many people can purchase the deal. That may mean you'll lose some potential new clients who didn't act quickly enough, but it's better than overbooking and rushing new (or worse, existing) clients out of your chair to get to the next client. Also, if your goal is to get new clients, then make sure the coupon specifies it's for new clients only. Since daily deals work best for nail techs who have mostly empty books, offer the daily deal as only for your newest nail tech. That way she gets introduced to the community and doesn't have wasted hours at the salon waiting for walk-ins. Be prepared to offer a top-notch experience. You may need to consider bringing in additional staff once the deal is eligible for redemption and for the months that follow. The daily deal brings them in, but the experience they have with you means the difference between a walk-in and a lifelong client. >>>