I May Have Actually Grown a Little Bit of Backbone Today.

I did something today that I hated.

I had to confront and employee and tell her she couldn't have something she thought she should have and was taking.

We think we are gracious to our employees in our salon. They have a four day work week, opting to work longer hours in just four days, (9-7 or 10-8) instead of working 9-6 five days a week. The ones who work on Saturdays work from 9-4. We offer the standard 1 week vacation after the first year, after five years, 2 weeks vacation and if they have the fortitude to stick it out for 10 years, a 3 week vacation. (Man, I wish I were still "just" and employee! I'd be taking 3 weeks this year!!)

This particular employee is, overall, a good worker. Occasionally, we've had to have a heart to heart if her attitude seemed to be going south or if she needed a refresher course of our expectations of her.

She starts her week vacation (which somehow ended up to be 10 days long, but that's o.k.) today. The weekend she's due back to work is a prom weekend. It is our policy that stylists do not leave early on "special event" days because, naturally, it will be busy. This particular weekend, this employee will be my most experienced stylist available but a junior stylist will be on hand as well.

Yesterday, as I was trying to make a prom appointment, I realized that she had marked off her book at noon writing underneath that she had a family reunion. I asked if she could accommodate this client and she basically said "yeah, um, if I need to, I will." I replied that I really needed her to work knowing that the junior stylist cannot take on major prom work. (She's a great stylist, but with little experience I won't rely solely on her.) I erased her markings and booked the client.

Today I happened to see her book and again, it is marked out at 12 and the client I booked had been erased. I knew without looking that she had moved it to the other stylist.

I dreaded calling her to confront her about (A.) taking off time without asking for it first and (B.) getting off early on a prom day. I was so nervous I was physically quaking inside.

THAT MADE ME SOOOO MAD!

Here I am, within my rights as an employer, nervous about stating what's right and demanding her to live up to the terms she agreed to as our employee!

I'm sympathetic to the fact that her family is having it's first reunion in a long time and people will be there that she hasn't seen in 10 years. But it's as she stated: "I can't help it the family scheduled a reunion on prom day."

Neither can I, honey.

Where Something that's None of My Business Makes Me Really Mad.

O.k., would you tell me if I was crazy and coming from out in left field? (Hold your answer. That was a rhetorical question.)

Here it is...

In the last two days, I've come to realize that I have very strong opinions when it comes to cutting a small person's hair. I know what makes sense to me when I approach a child to cut his or her hair. Watching someone else in the salon cut a child's hair yesterday and then again today made me realize that not everyone apparently shares my views. Their way included sitting the child (of maybe 1 year to 18 mos. old) in the chair and begin clipping away. Mom stands nearby. Cue child howling. This was punkin's first time haircut.

I was tempted to howl myself.

I feel strongly that a haircut should not be a traumatic experience.

And the kid shouldn't be traumatized either.

Here's a rundown of how I like to do it:
I think that if a child seems unsure, then it's important that mom be as close as possible even if it means she holds him/her in the chair on her lap. If they don't want to wear the cape--toss it aside.
Show the child the comb and how it works. Introduce the spray bottle and show them how it sprays. Show them how it rains on their head. Hand it to them and let them spray the mirror. If they aren't interested in that, show them a toy you have stashed. (I have a drawer with a few kid friendly trinkets for just such an occasion. Kids who have been coming to me awhile head straight for it before climbing up into the chair.)
Cut the hair that is presented to you, asking mom to turn the child around to make the back of the head more convenient. Move with the child. Asking them to be still (when they are rather young) is pointless. They have no concept.
Using trimmers on young boys can be tricky. The noise can be a little disconcerting but when I show them how they work, they seem a little better about it. When they get older, I let them push the button to turn on the trimmers. I tell them the trimmers are going to kiss them and we count---1,2,3, and KISS. We are done.

This method has worked well for me and I hardly ever have an inconsolable child. I just about won't cut their hair if they seem really upset and/or scared.

I do have a couple of child clients who have special needs. They both have autism. The younger one actually was calmer and successfully distracted when he stood by a window playing with some cars on a chair. With the older child we worked out a routine where she put on one of our color robes in lieu of a cape and we told her she was a princess. She would vocalize loudly at some points, but her parents would remind her of her reward after her haircut and she would settle down.

You know, now that I think about it, cutting hair for a child is not a whole lot different than cutting hair for an adult client:
Assess the client.
Consider his/her needs and desires.
Do your best to meet their expectations.
Roll with it.

Thanks. I feel better now that I've gotten that off my chest.

The Secret to Healing My Ills

People.

Honestly.

Yesterday challenged me. The fact that I felt irritable didn't make matters any better so I really had to work on my coping/professional skills.

I had a solidly booked day (which I needed) but a morning color cancelled. Bless them for calling. I waited for the next color appointment, trying to figure out when to order lunch since I had also fit a color around my lunch hour. I waited and waited and at 20 minutes after the hour determined that she was a "no show" and considered calling the next client to see if she would like to come in early. (Maybe I would get a lunch hour!) As I stood there contemplating this, guess who walked in? She walked in expecting I would still do her color (which I did, because it was a single, simple process--thankfully) and said nothing more than, " I was going to call, but just decided to come on." I was so angry, I think, because of her assumptive attitude that despite how late she was, things could go on as planned.

When I ordered my lunch, I ordered beef stew, green beans and butter beans from a local homestyle restaurant. I received what looked like the equivalent of 443 green beans, 45 butter beans and 10 carrots with strings of onions and a tablespoon of stewed beef. Oh and one small square potato. I ate it while reminding myself to be thankful in everything. Through clenched teeth.

My attitude got better and my aggravation with people in general lessened as the day went on. I really do have great clients whom I enjoy visiting with and many make me laugh. (As in, I have to stop cutting hair because I'm doubled over laughing.)

But just to cover all my bases, I also had half a chocolate/chocolate chip muffin with a cup of "Sinful Pleasures" coffee.

Worked like a charm.

An Unusual Wedding

The college I attended (many moons ago) had a deaf school as well. The deaf had their own classes, but attended chapel with hearing students and we dined and lived together also. Since I'd never been around the deaf community before, I had a crash course in sign language. I found the deaf to be fun, funny and patient when trying to communicate with a hearing person.

I've not had much interaction with the deaf since leaving college. That's why I've been so glad to gain a sometime client who is deaf. Laurie lives up north and her mom lives (and is from) this smallish town in which I live. When Laurie comes to visit, she has me do her hair and I've been able to brush up on my very rusty sign language. Fortunately, Laurie is a whiz at reading lips.

Well, today was Laurie's wedding day.

The salon was full of fluttering hands as Laurie and her bridesmaids chattered. At one point the radio became louder and I asked someone to turn it down. I wanted to add--"so they can hear themselves talk", but I wasn't sure it was funny to anyone but me.

I (along with my family) had also been invited to the wedding. It was my girl's first wedding. She, of course, enjoyed seeing the girls in their pretty dresses. Especially the bride, who looked like a princess. My girl looked like a princess in her own right with her pretty pink dress. There was also a bit of a stir when the "ringbearer" walked in. It was Laurie's service dog, a shitzu named Tally. I had never been to a deaf wedding, so it was fascinating to watch the three interpreters take turns interpreting for the bride and groom. As the pastor spoke, the interpreter interpreted for the bride who then signed her vows and then the interpreter spoke what she signed for the audience's benefit. It was quite an orchestration.

I wanted to go to the reception, but my shoes were already hurting my feet. Add that to having a five year old in tow, and---well, just use your imagination.

A Little Work Rant

Perhaps there should be a revolving door on the front of my salon.

I live in a small community although we do have a university. We often use college students as assistants and they come and go with regularity. Schedules change with each semester and sometimes they are unable to work the schedule we need. That's understandable. There is a good bit of turnover as a result of that. That doesn't bother me.

What bothers me is the seeming increase in people who quit or we have to fire. People who consistently show up to work late, leave early (when the owners aren't there to hold them accountable) and just generally try to do the least they can get by with. We try to be gracious employers; having a meeting, discussing the problem, stating that this behavior is unacceptable. Employees nod, occasionally ask for a raise while they are at it ("because I've been with you for a long time, I've stuck with you when others left...") They leave me shaking my head in wonder.


I find it very simple. I lay out my expectations from the get go, and expect these rules and regulations to be followed. Why don't people just follow the rules?! That's what a job is! Nobody said you had to like everything about it, but while you are there (which is about a third of your day, but less for them because they almost never work an 8hr. shift) you should do what you agreed to do when you took the job. And this is a relatively short term job. This is what they are doing to get through school to do what they really want to do. It's not like they are going to be washing hair and sweeping floors for a career.

I have to do some research to break this cycle. I don't know if the secret to finding a good employee (loyal, capable, self-motivating, trustworthy, one who will work) is in the interview process, or if it is somewhere during the pow-wows we have during their employment. None of the three owners of this salon (including myself) have any business background other than what we have learned along the way.

I guess I get frustrated because, as the old saying goes, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." No amount of pep talks can change an employee's bad attitude. I guess it bothers me so much because I care about the people who work for me. I have an employee who has been through some stuff (outside the salon but it affected her work) that she should have been fired for and we decided to keep her anyway in good faith and give her a second chance. I'm all for mentoring and coming alongside people, but my loyalty with them becomes a little thin when, by their behavior, they devalue my investment in them.

Thanks for hanging through my rant. Any guidance from those with more experience than I in this area is most welcome.

Adventures in Hair

Speaking of blogging inspiration, how about you've got all these ideas and thoughts running through your head and the minute you sit down to type a post, they scram leaving you listening to crickets?!

Yeah, well....


So, that lady's color I've been working on for, what, a week now? Did it again yesterday. Really hoping that the third time's the charm. The good thing is, it's gotten better each time I've done it. I think it would have been right the second time, but she didn't want ash in her hair, she wanted neutral and gold. I gave her what she wanted, (knowing it should be ash to kill that red) and that's why I had to do it a third time. Although it was better the second time, it was still too coppery. So yesterday, guess what she got? Ash. And it looks right now.

There's a fine line between listening to the client and following my professional gut. I learned early on in my over confidence as a hairstylist that I was not the end all, be all. If a client said, "It never works when you use a razor to cut my hair," my first thought was, "Yeah, well, I'VE never cut your hair." Then, low and behold, after doing what I wanted to, I'd discover, wonder of wonders, their hair frizzed up like they stuck their finger in a light socket, when I cut it with a razor. Learn to listen was the lesson learned. BUT! There are times, like this experience with this lady's color when I listen to them and I don't go with what I know and I end up making more work for myself. And perhaps the reason I have fretted over this so much is, this is not normal for me. As far as I know, in most cases, I get it right the first time. I fret if I know a client isn't happy. Maybe I do still think I'm the end all be all.

I'm a people pleaser.

A perfectionist.

And all because red's my favorite color.