Marlene Lamont of Urban Hair & Beauty shares her advice.
Published:Shorter days, colder weather and the post-Christmas slowdown can all affect salon morale. Marlene Lamont of Urban Hair & Beauty shares practical ways salon owners can keep their teams motivated through the winter months.
As the darker evenings return, maintaining team motivation can become more challenging. Alongside colder weather and flu season, the financial pressures associated with Christmas can contribute to lower motivation and productivity among salon teams.
At Urban Hair & Beauty, Marlene Lamont says the team focuses on creating a positive salon environment through better lighting, uplifting music and recognising achievements, however small.
For many salon professionals, winter can mean arriving at work in the dark and leaving after sunset. Improving salon lighting could help create a brighter working environment by replicating some of the qualities of natural daylight.
Lamont suggests that better lighting can help reduce gloomy, high-contrast shadows associated with darker surroundings. Warmer lighting around styling mirrors can also flatter clients’ complexions during the winter months, helping to create a more positive atmosphere for both clients and staff.
Music can also play an important role in setting the mood in a salon. Starting the day with an energetic playlist can help establish a positive atmosphere and provide a distraction from the gloomy weather outside. At Urban Hair & Beauty, the team particularly enjoys throwback playlists to keep the energy upbeat throughout the day.
Recognising achievements doesn’t have to involve major milestones. According to Lamont, celebrating smaller successes can be particularly valuable during the darker winter months, when physical and mental fatigue can affect salon teams.
That could mean acknowledging a particularly successful balayage, a happy client review or simply recognising a team member’s good work.
The approach can be particularly useful when salons experience the contrast between the busy pre-Christmas period and the quieter weeks that often follow in January. Recognising these smaller achievements can help create positive momentum and re-energise the team.
Rather than viewing the quieter post-Christmas period purely as a slump, salon owners could use it as an opportunity to refocus their teams.
Setting goals for the year ahead can give staff a clear sense of direction when appointment books are quieter. Lamont suggests using quieter weeks for team training, workshops and education days, giving staff something new to focus on while developing their skills.
Creating milestones throughout the year can also give the team goals to work towards and something to look forward to.
For salon owners, small changes to the working environment and team culture could make the winter months feel more positive. From creating a brighter, more energetic salon to recognising everyday achievements and investing in education, the quieter season can become an opportunity to build team morale and prepare for the year ahead.
Follow on Instagram @marlenelamont for more inspiration and advice.
Read Now: Why Education is Essential to a Successful Hairdressing Career.
View this post on Instagram
