WARD’S WORLD

Team talk

Team performance reviews can be hard to fit in and even harder to face, particularly when there are issues to address, but they are one of the most crucial tasks of a manager, writes Hellen Ward

The thought of conducting our annual performance reviews with the senior team always fills me with horror. Not because I don’t like analysing their performance or spending time one on one with them – far from it – but it is a mammoth task, and while other managers conduct our trainee appraisals, the senior managers and senior operators really need a review from me and me alone.

To get through everyone (working three days per week and needing time for my other responsibilities) means I can only do two per day, so it takes a while to complete.

I allow one hour for performance reviews, and we use a self-assessment form for the team member, where they grade themselves on specific areas – from their financial performance to communication skills, and from their ability to upsell to appearance, punctuality and column utilisation. I use the same form, and we compare the grades, discussing action points and goals

In a large team, it’s probably easier to evaluate people. You might see them most days but there isn’t so much interaction that the appraisal gets too personal. Covering off a bit of small talk at the start is a good intro to the work-related stuff, but too much of the personal side and the essential element of evaluating their KPIs and raising any issues can get lost. Some of the team get emotional in their appraisals and treat me as their confidante regarding personal stuff, which is always a privilege. But it’s a delicate balancing act to ensure the gritty stuff is covered, too.

At the same time, I conduct zone meetings – we work in a zoned space, so have separate team meetings about the day-to-day stuff when needed, with each team working in their specific areas, from reception to colourists, stylists to the juniors and spa team – on top of our regular six-weekly staff meeting. We try to have a managers’ meeting on the morning of the entire team staff meeting so we are able to communicate swiftly to the wider team.

Positive stance

HR takes time and effort. Managing people (staff and clients alike, not to mention suppliers) is a huge part of my work, so being an effective communicator is key. A performance review must remain positive and proactive – it’s not the employee’s opportunity to berate the company.

In this new industry climate of chair and room renting, of course you cannot and should not discuss the performance review or treat the team member with any element of control, direction or supervision (otherwise you are treating them as an employee and it is disguised employment) so enforcing standards and policies becomes far greyer, which is why being a glorified landlord wouldn’t work for me. But for conventional employees, feedback on their goals, aims and objectives, and ensuring they are working well and are happy, is key.

I find some of the best points, ideas and suggestions get raised in the team meetings where we have open forums to discuss issues. Recently, a team member said they wanted to enforce a new policy about clients having conversations on their mobiles on speaker and disrupting the peace of those around them. Not only is it rude and not conducive to a relaxing environment, it’s also very difficult to concentrate when someone is so distracted.

“NOT POINTING OUT POOR PERFORMANCE is like your dentist being too scared to tell you that POOR ORAL HYGIENE could lead to GUM DISEASE”

Another team member suggested it would be amazing to have an icon on our software that highlighted if the client was running to their booked schedule – not whether they arrived late, but whether their booked service was running on time. In a salon like ours where clients see multiple operators, our policy is that if the client doesn’t arrive on time, the operator must do what they can in the time remaining but the client still pays for the full service, whether they receive it or not, so the subsequent operator bookings aren’t affected.

Enforcing this results in training and educating your clients to arrive promptly, otherwise they are not getting their full value for money. Tolerating the serial offenders who often turn up late affects the smooth running of not just your columns but the entire salon, so it’s worth being strict.

Open forum

I’ve long said that getting the team involved in your decision making is critical to making a business work, from which brands you stock and use to what maintenance needs doing; making them part of the solution and asking them to help solve the key issues always pays dividends.

Where there are performance issues, one thing is certain – they need raising. In a whole team meeting, it’s tempting to try to soften the blow and generalise, adopting the “if the cap fits wear it” scenario with “some people do x and y”, but often that gets lost on the serial offenders. So, I find it more effective to first bring issues up in a smaller department meeting and if there is still no change, as a last resort speak to the person directly about the issue. If there seems to be no behavioural change, you either accept it (never the right course of action) or stand your ground. In my experience it requires consistency on both sides – their willingness to change and your ability to be consistent in asking for and expecting the performance from them.

It’s important they know your standards will always be the same and you will be firm but fair about it. But, more importantly, it requires a knowledge and understanding on their side, pointed out by you, of why it matters to you and why the policy exists. Evaluating this may come down to you having to ask yourself “could they do it if their life depended on it?” If they could, it’s often an attitude issue, if not, it’s a training issue as it’s coming down to knowledge or skill.

Not pointing out poor performance is like your dentist being too scared to tell you that poor oral hygiene could lead to gum disease. Truth can be uncomfortable, but one thing is for sure, we have a duty of care and responsibility to ensure we are helping our employees maximise their performance – always. It pays dividends on both sides.

Hellen Ward is managing director of Richard Ward Hair & Metrospa in London, vice president of The Hair & Beauty Charity and co-founder of Salon Employers Association (SEA).