Pulse January / February 2020 | Page 59

SOUND OFF DO YOU EVER WONDER how your THIS MONTH’S QUESTION: peers would handle a situation? Maybe you’re curious what other leaders in the spa industry have to say on a certain subject. In Sound Off, we ask ISPA members from differing backgrounds, countries and companies the same question and see how their answers compare. “How do you foster the mental wellbeing of your employees?” LYNDSEY DUBROCK MELISSA RACKLIFF CATHERINE DAVALLE RAKESH THAPLIYAL Spa Manager La Rive Spa at Northern Quest Resort & Casino Spa Director Tallgrass Spa & Salon Executive Director of Spa Acqualina Resort & Spa Director of Spa JW Marriott Cancun Resort and Spa We work really hard to build relationships with each of our team members. We leverage our relation- ships in a holistic way to ensure that our team is successfully managing their mental wellness. Getting to know our team members as people first helps us understand what motivates and excites them. I wholeheartedly believe in an open-door policy. It is essential that my team members have a direct line to me! Other bits that keep us healthy are regular one- on-ones; a friendly, open break room; access to the outdoors; and the way we value balance and flexi- bility, and gratitude and respect. We have an idea box for them to put any ideas they have on how to improve the guest experience or their own experience at work. Then, we follow up on each idea with an implementation or provide the reason why it was not implemented. This is a good practice to show our colleagues that we value their opinions. We do one hour of wellness talk every week and practice meditation. This helps our associates talk about wellness with our guests. We also utilize our fitness instructor by having them check in with each spa associate and help them achieve their monthly fitness target, which our team loves. n KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR INBOX for the next ISPA Snapshot Survey, where you can answer upcoming Sound Off questions for the chance to be featured here. JANUARY/FEBRUARY ■ PULSE 2020 57