Managers often have the heaviest workload in the salon, especially if they are also providing services to clients.
Because the demands of being a manager can ebb and flow, it's especially important for them to be aware of how they manage their time. In particular, those recently promoted to management may find themselves struggling with their new responsibilities.
Here are 10 top tips for killing time-wasters and being a more efficient salon manager!
1. Take time to plan.
Time spent organizing a schedule is not time wasted. Understanding what needs to be done, and planning how to achieve it, has a massive return on investment. Training and coaching staff can seem like an interruption to other work, but will pay off in the long run.
Don't plan for every moment of your day, however. Leave room for dealing with unexpected tasks and adapting to interruptions and changing priorities.
2. List it out.
Making lists is a vital part of planning your schedule, based on workload and priorities. These include both to-do lists for the day ahead and ongoing lists for big-picture priorities that are constantly revisited and updated.
3. Ensure that communication is flowing.
Effective communication is often one of the first things to go when a manager is struggling. Often when someone’s mind is on their workload, they skip taking the time to listen, understand, and explain. This is how misunderstandings occur.
Management relies so heavily on communication that it’s essential to check yourself regularly to ensure you are making the effort to communicate effectively with your team.
One important question: are you constantly explaining the whys — does your team always know why you’re asking them to do something and why it’s important to the salon's function? This is important.
4. Take breaks.
When you have a big workload, breaks are usually the first to go. But this is a false economy, as it means your concentration can suffer later in the day and make you less efficient.
Even a five- or ten-minute self-care break is important to pull managers out of their own heads and give them a little perspective.
Also, taking breaks is especially important for managers because they need to set an example for the rest of the team. Otherwise, it might be implied that taking a break is a sign of laziness or lack of commitment.
5. Stay on top of your inbox!
A salon's manager emails and other inboxes are usually a busy place, with all kinds of messages that need answering. Put aside a set amount of time each day to address them.
6. Plan to delegate.
Just because you can do it doesn't mean you have to. Identify the tasks you can delegate and the people who are capable of carrying them out (with the correct training).
This means taking into consideration whose jobs or careers would be furthered by assuming higher-level responsibilities for the business.
Delegating not only frees up your time, but it gives team members the opportunity to increase their own levels of responsibility and enhance their careers or positions within the salon.
7. Take time for training.
Another benefit to delegating tasks to team members is it empowers them to work more independently and confidently. Staff who are not given responsibilities tend to be more needy and require your time.
Once you pinpoint who in the salon can take over important tasks, provide them with coaching until they are comfortable and proficient in carrying them out.
This is a valid and important use of your time. Making sure everyone has the training and resources to fulfil their responsibilities will make work life easier all around.
8. Fake it til you make it.
If all else fails, make sure you appear to your team to be on top of your time management (even if you're not quite there yet). It is so important that the staff feel they can approach you for help and guidance and that they're not getting in your way.
If you give the impression of being too busy to be approached, you risk not being made aware of important issues. You will need to adjust your mindset to ensure you deal with interruptions in a flexible, open manner.
9. Know how to handle interruptions.
When a team member comes to you with an issue, the temptation is often to react and deal with it in the moment — but if it’s not truly time sensitive, the disturbance to your working day isn’t worth it.
Learn how to prioritize. Is this matter urgent (to be handled immediately), important (to be handled soon), or it can wait? Remember that some matters need you to gather more information, give thoughtful consideration, or take the time to let your emotions settle before you react.
Giving yourself time to think about how to handle something can make the difference between reacting well or poorly.
If interruptions are truly a burden on your day, consider an open/shut door policy, giving the team certain hours they can come to you with issues. Teach yourself conversation 'closers' — ways to firmly but gently end a conversation that’s dragging on or going nowhere.
10. Realize when it gets too much.
A bit of pressure is a great motivator, especially when you know you can get everything done by organizing yourself a bit more or putting in some extra hours.
But in the long term, if your workload is so consistently heavy that you can't manage it no matter what, you must take whatever steps needed to correct this. Otherwise you run the risk of burnout — which never produces a good outcome for you, the salon, or the team.
Liz McKeon, a salon business coach and founder of The International Salon Business School, is currently conducting her best-selling Salon Business Owners Retreat for 2024.
Liz is the author of 30 Days to Beauty Business Success. She can be booked for customized, in-salon coaching visits for one, two, or three days by emailing [email protected].