9 way to make sure you're promoting staff fairly

When it comes to promoting from within your team, many salon managers liken it to walking a tight rope without a net. There are so many things to consider and this checklist can be used to ensure you have considered all aspects of what is at stake. Being fair is key here. Promoting staff often stirs up negative emotions or rivalry and can make way for chatter about 'favouritism'. Nergish Wadia-Austin, Founder of PHAB Standard Ltd, a British company that recognises and rewards performance standards in hair, beauty and nails, knows all about the politics of promoting staff fairly. So she has 9 tips to share with us to ensure you promote the right person for the job and all the aspects you should consider in terms of what is at stake.

The 9 Steps to Promoting Staff

1. Understanding the job: decide whether you are replacing a job or creating a new position in your business 2. Writing out the job description: starting with the big picture of what you're hoping to achieve, then clarifying targets, resources etc. 3. Writing out the ideal candidate profile: the attitude, skills and knowledge required to achieve goals set out in point 2. 4. Decide by considering if the profile written up in point 3 matches any of your existing staff. If the choice is obvious, clear and free of doubt, then only proceed with inviting all internal applicants to apply for the interview stage. 5. If there is any doubt, my recommendation is that you open it up to external candidates as well by advertising in the usual places. These jobs are particularly effective when advertised in trade journals, online trade recruitment sites, salon website, salon social media, local press, shop windows and via existing staff incentive schemes etc. Use the appropriate wording, which you can get from points 2 & 3 of this checklist. 6. Then, invite all internal candidates to apply. 7. If you end up with a clear winner, make sure you can back it up with evidence to the traits, experience and skills in point 3. This way any unsuccessful candidates can be given fact based feedback so no unpleasantness develops in the salon. 8. When interviewing for job vacancies it is best practice to make notes about what you believe are strengths and areas requiring training in order to ideally deliver that training before the job starts. 9. Once the offer is made and official documentation is completed then it's a matter of giving the successful candidate clear guidance as to the points mentioned in tip number 2 and giving them the time, money, staff, knowledge and tools to do their job effectively! For further information or to book a course, please contact Nergish Wadia-Austin on + 44 (0) 208 840 9070 or email her directly on [email protected]