By Scott Nichols, salon operator and consultant

As I write this article this month, we are currently facing a hot summer and an employee shortage – two items when combined can be hard on a company. There’s not much we can do when there is weekend after weekend of beautiful weather. I always say that if you are in the tanning industry, we are probably one of the only ones wishing for rain on Saturday and Sunday! In Wisconsin, the average temperature in June was 93 degrees vs 77 degrees last year.

But, like I said, there is not much we can do about the weather. What I want to talk to you about today is the employee shortage but more specifically keeping employees and reducing turnover. Keeping a strong staff can be a challenge, but it can be done. Here are a few things that I have found that work.

1. You must give the employee a purpose. Today’s generation of employees likes to be praised, and we need to do just that. As management, we need to give attention to the employees who pick up an extra shift, exceed any goals you give them and do the extra cleaning that needs to be done – just to name a few examples. When an employee is praised throughout your company it creates a spark that becomes addictive. Employees become eager to come into work and do their best.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.