Everything was going great. You couldn’t be happier with this employee.

Maybe you hired this employee right out of school, trained them, and helped them build that “big book.”

Maybe you hired this employee for their experience. And maybe because of the clients that would follow them to your business.

But over time, things changed. Teamwork was replaced with attitude, indifference, and entitlement. They would come in, do their clients, and leave.

At company meetings, they would radiate an unsettling funk that everyone could feel. In the break room, it was non-stop complaining about anything and everything.

You had a few quasi-fierce conversations with them about their attitude to no avail.

So why not fire them? The answer is obvious. They’re busy as hell and bring in a ton of money.

As a salon/spa owner, you can relate to the above scenario and likely have your own “employee from hell” stories.

Question #1: Do you have a fierce conversation with a problem employee waiting to happen at your salon/spa?

Question #2: How long has that fierce conversation been waiting to happen?

Chances are, your answers were “yes” and “way too long.”

These two questions demonstrate just how pervasive the “bad employee” problem truly is. And it’s pretty darn bad.



Reality check #1: Most employee-based salon/spa owners fear losing productive employees to booth rental and suites.

• Suites use “escape the drama” to entice busy employees to lease and join the ranks of independents.


• Owners would rather tolerate a bad employee than lose the revenue he/she brings in.

• When leaders tolerate intolerable behavior and attitudes, everyone sees it and pays the price for inaction.


• Employees eventually blame the owner for allowing a double
  standard to exist. Once toxic waste takes hold, it gets all over
  everyone — to the point where good employees have enough and leave.

• Teamwork, quality, customer service, and productivity cannot thrive in the presence of disfunction, egotism, double standards, and persistent bad-mouthing the owner, other team members, and the company.

• When bad behavior surfaces, it must be addressed. The longer it continues, the more you enable it, and the more your inaction is being observed by the rest of your team.


• If one conversation didn’t work, have another conversation. Be
  respectful, be direct about what needs to change, and when you
  expect it to change. Follow-up meetings are a must. Otherwise, the wrong behaviors will quickly resurface.


• Long-term employees require attention, transparency, and
  appreciation. It’s a fact that many long-term employees leave
  because they feel unappreciated and taken for granted.