Simon Hill, owner and head stylist of SESH Hairdressing, talks us through his actions as a salon owner towards his team for Mental Health Awareness week. He shares what they would normally do if the salon was open and talks the importance of mental health for his team every single day and not just once a year. His arrangements for this year have been a little different though, due to lockdown…
”Mental Health Awareness week highlights the importance of taking care of our mental state of mind and nurturing this, however I believe this is something we need to make a conscious effort to do all year round.
At SESH Hairdressing we host an annual ‘Mindfulness Week’ which we unfortunately missed out on this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During this time our team are given time with local psychologists or Pilates experts to chat to them about their overall wellbeing and mental health.
Instead of this, to keep our team engaged and up to date with each other we have been doing a quiz night every Thursday with partners too. We have found this a great, light-hearted way to stay in touch and have some much-needed fun too. A simple exercise like this once a week can be invaluable to your team during this time and gives some relief from what this very difficult time. On Fridays I send the team an updated video with information on our return to work. Again, this may seem like a simple thing to do however it has been so well received and appreciated from the SESH team. Giving them something to look forward to in returning to work and including them in the process along the way is an excellent mental motivation and gives focus. I always include information from the latest government updates and ensure they are completely aware of what we as a business are doing during this time.
Last week prior to Mental Health Awareness week, I arranged one-to-one video calls with each of the team. This was designed to check in with them individually and provide an open platform should they wish to voice any concerns or discuss any issues. Giving each member of your team this dedicated time allows them to open up to you if they are struggling and often they may need someone else to chat to other than the person they are living with. This was probably the best thing I have done for my team so far in lockdown. They all really appreciated it and it was really well received.
In addition to this, in order to nurture my teams mental health even more, I have given them access to a sports psychologist who has been sharing techniques to stay positive and focused during lockdown. This expert also provides access to various online fitness coaches which the team are loving. Again, a small gesture like this could be priceless to any member of your team and if they are struggling this could change their state of mind even for a short while.
During this time we must remember to put our mental health first to ensure we can return to work in the best state possible as a team.”
Totally agree, Simon.
At Colour World UK we believe in colourists being equally important as hairdressers to the success of a salon business! Clients deserve excellent colour services, embracing the importance of a great colour consultation through to end result. We salute manufacturers and brands offering a great product innovation which enables colour technicians to explore their creativity and offer a bespoke colour to every client. We offer colour conversation and inspiration for you to browse, and respect colour-focused education and events from what’s on and where to our own Colour World UK event which support our industry and promise to do our best to bring you news and information to help you succeed.
Looking for some more colour inspiration? Here you go:
