MANAGING NEGATIVITY

In order to maintain a positive salon environment, it is important to address any negativity coming from your team, advises salon business expert Liz McKeon

Negativity in the workplace can cause distractions that lead to reduced productivity and diminished employee morale Therefore, it is important to address issues between staff at the onset of problems, rather than allowing those issues to grow.

Negativity can impact the team in many ways, including:

Employee motivation – when employees enjoy their jobs and the people they work with, they are motivated to show up to work every day and perform to the best of their ability. Negative people can detract from this motivation.

Job satisfaction – a major component of employee satisfaction is feeling supported, comfortable and safe at work. Negativity from co-workers can reduce these positive feelings.

Employee focus – negative employees can take the focus away from projects and responsibilities. The employee may become the topic of conversation, rather than the salon tasks.

There are a number of steps you can take to deal with negative employees:

1 Listen – if an employee comes to you with a concern about a co-worker who has become too negative, listen before responding. Remember, what one person sees as negativity may just be a misunderstanding or a personality difference. Take careful notes about the complaint and remember to thank the person for their honesty and bringing the matter to your attention. Always avoid promising any actions or consequences.

2 Research the situation – before speaking to the person, find out more about the situation. Get different perspectives from other team members. Ask open-ended questions that allow people to offer their opinions, as you want honest answers. Choose your words carefully.

3 Address your concerns – if you have noticed instances of negativity from a team member, arrange an informal meeting. Be prepared to carefully explain your observations, using specific examples. You can mention how this may be affecting other employees, along with the salon business.

4 Avoid accusations – try to avoid directly accusing anybody of negative traits. Instead, ask the person why they think these behaviours might be causing problems for others. Again, make sure to actively listen to gauge what their perception is. Hopefully, the employee will understand how their behaviour has been inappropriate.

5 Stay true to your company values – explain the salon’s core values and demonstrate how the employee’s actions can promote or discourage those values. Most of the time, people don’t understand the full implications of behaviour until it is pointed out.

6 Offer positive statements – don’t spend the entire meeting talking about the negative behaviour. Balance the feedback by offering praise for areas where they are doing great, positive feedback from clients and how you value them as a team member. Hopefully, this will be enough for the person to get back to their best selves.

7 Document your notes – always keep detailed records of your observations, conversations and meetings. Include dates and times. Have your employee sign off on meeting agendas and the plan of action agreed, showing their agreement and consent. Note concerns on employee review documentation. If you have any concerns, contact your HR company before engaging in any discussions, and follow their instructions.

8 Avoid gossip – even though it might be difficult, you must remain neutral and open-minded. Don’t get involved in gossip, and if conversations turn nasty instead of factual, remind all employees that this behaviour is most unhelpful.

9 Watch out for ‘pushback’ – this can take many forms, but it basically presents as total resistance to an instruction or unwanted change. It can take the form of silence, arguing or passive-aggressive responses. Generally, the more significant the change, the more pushback you get. Pushback can be harmful to the morale and productivity of the team.

Learning to effectively deal with pushback is necessary in salon management – your success is built on your credibility.

Once you take these steps, focus on maintaining a positive workplace. Create an atmosphere that fosters open and honest communication among all team members and management, encouraging staff to address issues when they’re manageable, preventing larger problems in future.