Handling dismissals in your salon

Hello, Phil Jackson here from Build Your Salon, bringing you the tools you need to master to build the salon business you deserve. A bit of a grotty one today, I want to talk you through my five golden rules for termination and dismissals. Welcome! It's a sad reality that if you have a salon team for any length of time, at some stage you're probably going to have to dismiss somebody or terminate their employment. And I would love to say that after over 17 years, 18 years of salon ownership, that it gets easier and that it doesn't hurt anymore. But that would be a lie, because it does. Even now, I make sure I'm directly involved. I think the least I can do is make sure I'm directly involved if I'm terminating someone's employment. And it still keeps me awake at night. It still hurts to have to let someone go. It hurts to admit that I couldn't be the manager and provide the workplace that meant that they could thrive. And do you know something? It should matter. It should hurt. We're talking about decisions that affect someone's whole career. So absolutely, it's right to take those decisions seriously and to lose a little bit of sleep over it. That said, I do have five golden rules for when I'm terminating someone's employment that I'd like to share with you today. Hopefully, to make what is inevitably a painful process just a little more bearable. First up, always take legal advice. And this is also my disclaimer. I'm not a qualified employment expert. I'm not a qualified HR expert. I'm not legally qualified. You should always seek the advice of someone who's qualified and indemnified before making any decision about the future of your business. So even if I've employed identical twins on the same day and they're being terminated for exactly the same thing a week apart, I still pick up the phone and make sure there's somebody who's legally qualified to talk me through the dismissal process, to make sure I've ticked all the boxes and make sure that I've followed proper legal procedures. Tip number two is to terminate as soon as you've decided that it's time for someone to go.

What I hate seeing is salons that know they're going to dismiss somebody, but it doesn't suit them this week because that person's particularly busy, or it doesn't suit them this week because Susan's going on holiday. It's just not fair. The nicest, kindest thing you can do in a horrible situation is to let them go as soon as possible. Don't keep them in a salon where you know they have no future. Let them go. Let them spread their wings. Let them find someone that can manage them properly and provide them with a workplace where they can thrive. It's cruel to keep hold of somebody if you know that you're going to be getting rid of them. So as soon as I've made up my mind and checked with my legal helpline, I book the meeting and we get the job done. Very similarly, I always terminate someone's employment at the beginning of the day, first thing in the morning. So I would normally ask them to come into work 10 or 15 minutes early, and then I would dismiss them there and then, and they leave there and then. I don't like dismissing people at the end of the day. I think it feels ever so slightly mercenary, a tiny bit money grabbing, like you're trying to squeeze out the last few pounds worth of value from somebody before you sack them. So I terminate them at the very beginning of the day and they leave the premises immediately. Next up, I never allow anyone to work their notice period in the salon. I always make sure that if they're going to leave, they leave straight away and I will pay them their gardener leave or the little bit of annual leave they've got left over. Let's just get them out of the salon and let them get on with their lives as soon as possible. I have made one exception for that in the past. I had a member of the team that was working and then she put her notice in because she was going to go travelling for a year. So she wasn't leaving on bad terms. She wasn't leaving and taking a whole load of clients to another salon with her either. So absolutely, I let her work her notice period. But in 18 years, that's the only time I've let anyone set foot in my salon after either I've decided they're leaving or they've decided they're leaving. So we always terminate at the earliest opportunity and we never get them to work their notice period. And finally, I want you to be the best friend you can be about this. So if you're terminating someone's employment, I always make a point of offering my help. So I will always say to them, I appreciate this is a horrible situation.

I know it's going to be painful for us both, but I want to help you on your way. If you want my help as an employer putting your CV together, if you want my help with interview technique, if you think that will help you get a better job, then please pick up the phone at any stage and ask for that help. And I will be happy to work with you to find somewhere that you can thrive. Also, interestingly, in 18 years, nobody has ever taken me up on the offer. But I like to know that in that difficult situation, I've done everything I can to help them move on to a position which is better suited to their needs. I hope that's been useful to you. If it has, pop over to the Build Your Salon Facebook page and let me know. I love hearing about how well you salon owners and managers are doing. Don't forget to subscribe because I do a broadcast like this every single week and I would hate you to miss out on the content that I'm sharing. If you have already subscribed, I will see you in a week. Take care.