OPINION T
he biggest mistake any operator can make is scheduling their rotas
not to meet the needs of the clients and the business but to meet the needs of staff . How do you do this? T e
CATHERINE ROBERTSON
Group spa director, T e Sanctuary Spa Group
only way that staffi ng levels can be achieved that truly meet the needs of the business is though fl exible working, a combination of full- and part-time staff . T ere is no magic formula for the ratios, but inevitably if you get the balance wrong then you’ll know. If you have too many full-time employees, you will have staff sitting around with no bookings, if you have too many part-time therapists it becomes harder to manage the total number of staff as you don’t see them as oſt en. Having full-time staff drives loyalty of
both the employee and the customer. It’s easier to send full-time staff on training courses and the employer can ensure that there is continuous performance. Full-time contracts in the UK generally range from 35-40 hours per week, but the alternative is to have part-time therapists who work for a minimum of four hours a week or longer.
T e advantage here is that you can pay over- time when you have heavy demand without being contractually obliged. Other businesses may use zero-hour con-
tracts. T is is a relatively recent contract under which an employer does not guar- antee the employee a fi xed number of hours per week. Instead, the employee is expected to be available for work on an ad hoc basis and only receive payment for the hours they work. A word of caution if applying this to your business – ensure that you are clear on holiday entitlement as well as the fre- quency of work; if an individual is working a set number of hours regularly, a zero-hour contract would not be applicable. T ere are a number of ways to measure the
eff ectiveness of staffi ng levels. Firstly, thera- pist occupancy – ie what percentage of the working week is fi lled with actual treatments.
Businesses may use zero-hour contracts where the employee is expected to be available for work on an ad hoc basis and only receive payment for the hours they work
A
lthough demands diff er between urban, hotel and destina-
FLEXIBLE STAFFING
Eighty per cent is the bench- mark for a well run business
– always allowing room for new clients. Be mindful that this should not include time for stock takes, cleaning or replenishing towels – while
essential, these are not revenue generating. T e second measure is through the ratio
of payroll:sales. This is calculated by the total payroll costs divided by the total sales. Aim for less than 50 per cent payroll:sales, although this may vary depending on how much additional management hours you have within your spa. A payroll:sales ratio that is more than 100 per cent essentially means that you are paying out more in salary than you are taking in income. T is is before you take any other costs into account and it is simply not a sustainable business model. A word of caution, however, saving your
way to a profi t is not a long-term solution. Getting the employment contract right is the fi rst step to success as an employer. Invest in your staff and ensure that you understand the needs of both your staff and your busi- ness. Ultimately you will achieve a happy satisfi ed workforce who meet the needs of your business and the customer.
Catherine Robertson joined T e Sanctuary in December 2010 and oversees all aspects of its fl agship business in London and three bou- tique spas. Details:
www.thesanctuary.co.uk
AMANDA WILSON
tion spas, the best solution I’ve seen is where there is a core team of full-time employees, plus permanent part-time therapists who work as allocated (primarily during peak times). On top of this, was a data base of ‘casual’ and external service contractors who could be called in to cover surplus appointment requests or remain ‘on call’ for further guest requests. In Australia, permanent part-time con-
Director, Omdanne Boutique Luxury Spa Consulting
specialist appointments or permanent staff coverage should it be required. Probably the biggest challenge of this model
tracts may be off ered by diff erent categories (or bands) with a variety of working hours stipulated. For example, one band could range from a minimum of 16 hours to a maximum 24 hours per week. Any extra time on top of the maximum hours per band would be classed as overtime. A casual employee contract with a zero-hour minimum, where therapists are required to work on an on-call basis, is also an option. External contract service provid- ers are also on call and may be contacted for
is availability of people, as casual or contract workers usually have many diff erent jobs or have their own personal client base. Casuals/ contractors may also have a regular job else- where, so their contact may be more irregular. So they are still kept up to speed, my advice would be to invest in training and induction for casuals and contractors and be inclusive with all meetings and communications. T e restaurant, retail, hotel, gaming and
airline industries are all examples of sectors which successfully addressing customer demand and staff productivity through fl ex- ible scheduling. The most efficient way to improve your
24 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital
payroll to sales percentage is by increasing revenue by addressing guest demand; and matching staff rotas to this is the easiest way. Yet you will need to ensure that schedules are confirmed
with staff at least one day beforehand. If employing a flexible staffing model,
generally you will have more booking hours available and the potential to extend open- ing hours. Remember, however, that the role of a spa receptionist or concierge is vital in maximising occupancy and driving book- ings – especially based around initial solo appointments to ensure that the most is made of bringing in part-time staff . T ey can max- imise occupancy and bookings by up-selling, adding-on, highlighting therapist modalities and off ering special promotions or packages.
Based in Australia, the Omdanne consul- tancy oversees spa projects from conception and design, through to operations and man- agement. Details:
www.omdanne.com
SPA BUSINESS 2 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86