MEET MECHELE

Mechele has been a beauty industry leader since 1997. She is the owner of Rain Salon & Spa | Aveda,  which was her dream from the beginning of her journey as a stylist. With help from family, friends and many leaders in various areas she was able to open the doors to Rain Salon & Spa in 2008.  

With the assistance of a great team, Rain Salon & Spa became an Aveda Lifestyle Salon and Spa, the highest level of salon in Aveda network. Rain has been honored numerous times with local awards from Best of Boise, has been a top 200 Aveda Salon according to Salon Today, and boasts an incredible team of 35 women who recently helped Rain celebrate 15 years of business! She loves a challenge and mentored many stylists to become great at what they do. Mechele feels power is in sharing and she lives by this daily.

“By investing in your employees, you can create a thriving business that stands the test of time.”

MECHELE DUKE

Employee retention is a crucial aspect of any business, and the salon industry is no exception. In an industry where customer service and personal connections are key, it’s essential to keep your employees happy, motivated, and engaged to ensure a consistent level of service and customer satisfaction.

The following are some key strategies that can help improve employee retention in your salon:

1. Competitive Compensation and Benefits: Offering competitive compensation and benefits is a critical component in attracting and retaining top talent in the salon industry. Providing health benefits, paid time off, and bonuses can make a significant impact on an employee’s overall job satisfaction and loyalty to your business. In addition to the compensation itself,  it’s also important to maintain transparency and understanding regarding what they are being paid, how often they are paid and what steps they can take to grow. With Aura, we’re able to give our employees the transparency needed to see and understand their benchmarks for growth and  how much they are going to be paid right from their phone.
2. Ongoing Education and Training: The beauty industry is constantly evolving, and continuing education and training are essential for success. Providing your employees with ongoing training and education that does not interfere with their personal lives not only helps them improve their skills but also shows them that you value their growth and development. This, in turn, can increase their loyalty and commitment to your business. It’s important to understand how your employees best learn and provide access to both virtual and in salon training, as well as, create an environment that encourages development and mentorship.
3. Positive Work Environment: Creating a positive and supportive work environment is key to employee retention in the salon industry. It’s essential to have a win/win mentality to maintain balance and motivation in the salon. A positive workplace culture fosters teamwork, improves morale, and creates a sense of community. Creating an environment where your employees feel valued and respected can increase job satisfaction and help build a long-term relationship with your business.To achieve this, we start our days with a team huddle to encourage open dialogue among the team and discuss work and personal achievements. It’s important that your employees understand that they are valued as a person in addition to their work performance.
4. Recognition and Rewards: Recognizing your employees’ hard work and contributions is an essential aspect of retaining top talent in the salon industry. Offering incentives, such as employee-of-the-month awards or recognition programs, can boost morale and increase productivity. It’s important to understand how each of your employees define success and what their ideal reward is (i.e. gift cards, bonus, recognition, flexibility) to increase motivation.
5. Autonomy and Flexibility: Offering autonomy and flexibility is a great way to reward positive performance. It’s important to create an environment of mutual respect and goals. Giving your employees the opportunity to define goals, and contribute to the strategy to achieve those goals with your guidance can help retain top talent. Increasing autonomy and flexibility can take many different forms, varying from compensation/benchmark transparency to scheduling flexibility to access to booking and so on.

Employee retention is a critical component of success in the salon industry. By offering competitive compensation and benefits, ongoing education and training, creating a positive work environment, providing recognition and rewards, and offering flexibility, you can attract and retain top talent, increase job satisfaction, and improve customer service and satisfaction. By investing in your employees, you can create a thriving business that stands the test of time.