It’s been a challenging few years for the industry, so it’s no wonder that business owners and staff members may be feeling stressed. But how can it be managed, or even turned around?
After more than two years of Covid-19 restrictions, salons and barbershops, like all businesses, are facing rising costs of energy and goods. There are also staff shortages, which could mean longer hours. This means it is more important than ever to keep a check on stress.
Six months after Dan Mewies opened a new ‘destination’ salon in Leicestershire, the pandemic struck. When team members returned from the first lockdown, they were struggling. ‘I was actually quite scared and nervous to lose my business,’ Dan told the NHBF Clubhouse in April this year.
His solution? Dan spent time talking to his team about how they were going to approach both the second lockdown and the return to work, and introduced a wellness package including mental health first aid. ‘Our approach was love,’ he says. ‘We’re here for you. We’re going to get through this together.’
So why is it vital to address stress (regardless of cause) – and isn’t some level of pressure just part of working life? Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at charity Mind, says pressure can be helpful in small doses – when facing a deadline, for example – but prolonged exposure to pressure can affect feelings, thoughts and behaviour. ‘Those symptoms can build up and get worse over time,’ she says.
Stress can even increase our susceptibility to viruses, says Dr Rob Yeung, chartered psychologist and author of The Confidence Project.
So what can be done?
Stella Smith, CEO of pirkx, a wellbeing benefits company, says: ‘It’s vitally important that hair and beauty business owners prioritise the wellbeing of their staff. Operating in these kinds of conditions will undoubtedly lead to stress among owners and staff. Without happy and healthy staff, there would be no business at all.’
Her advice? ‘It’s worth looking at the wellbeing benefits you are providing and ensuring staff are fully supported. Putting structures and benefits packages in place make a big difference#to supporting lives during stressful times. If business owners take the lead in providing this to their staff and themselves, everyone wins.’
Emma recommends that owners regularly communicate with staff to understand the causes of the stress they may be experiencing, implement workplace wellbeing initiatives such as employee assistance programmes and flexible working hours, and create an open, supportive culture where staff can talk about any issues they are facing.
‘Changing the negative culture around mental health and tackling the causes of stress and poor mental health at work will benefit all staff, whether they have a diagnosed mental health problem or not,’ she says.
There are, of course, actions that everyone can take as individuals in challenging times, or just day-today (see 8 stress busters). But what can salon and barber professionals do to tackle industry specific stress factors?
David Drew, salon business expert and business performance coach, says that having a plan for the business is crucial. ‘It’s amazing how much stress that takes away from you, because you then have an understanding of why you are where you are,’ he says.
This could be tackling debt, time management, branching out into other business areas or reducing outgoing costs. Doing a SWOT analysis – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats – will help too. ‘We all know what our strengths are. We all know what our weaknesses are. There are always opportunities and solutions to the problems,’ he says.
Is there a positive side?
Research suggests that embracing our feelings of stress and being more open about it can help us to deal with it. Nottingham Trent University found that showing stress can be more appealing to other people and make them more likely to treat the person experiencin stress more warmly.
The way you react to experiences, even those outside of your control, is also something that can be looked at and worked on.
‘Two people can experience identical external circumstances, such as job loss, but experience different levels of internal turmoil,’ Rob says. ‘When you feel your heart rate rising or your palms getting sweaty, that stress and anxiety are your body’s attempts to prepare for a challenging situation. So remind yourself that what you’re feeling could help you to perform better.’
‘There are things you can control in life and things you can’t,’ David concludes. ‘And there are always opportunities. No business problem is unsolvable.’
TOP TIPS
8 STRESS BUSTERS
- Discover what you find stressful and what helps you. You could make a Wellness Action Plan: bit.ly/mind-wellnessaction-plan
- Plan for how you might cope with any predictable pressure.
- Develop an end-of-day routine to help you switch off and unwind.
- Aim to build resilience: in a nutshell, you do this by prioritising your wellbeing. This then helps to reduce the impact of stress you feel.
- Spend time on activities you enjoy and that take your focus away from stressful feelings – just a walk in nature can work wonders.
- Ask for help when you need it.
- Nurture relationships with friends and family.
- Practise gratitude – write down three things that went well, or for which you are grateful, that day
RESOURCES
- NHBF blog – Dealing with a stressed employee
- NHBF Clubhouse – Handling stress