The Spa at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Solving Employee Retention Through Talent Development
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The Spa at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Solving Employee Retention Through Talent Development
Employee retention continues to be a challenge for spa directors and owners . No employee is created equal , so spa directors and managers need to find a way to customize employee recognition and take into consideration each employee ’ s unique wants , needs and career aspirations . By accommodating employees ’ professional and personal requests ( within reason , of course ), it ’ s possible to prevent them from straying to greener pastures .
While some companies lean toward a more traditional route of keeping employees happy — like providing monthly training and staff meetings to optimize their potential — others implement highly creative and collaborative strategies , like The Spa at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Jasper , Canada .
24 PULSE ■ March / April 2018 incentives to stay The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge financially supports ongoing education that pertains to its employees ’ career paths , further implementing effective policies and programs to ensure massage therapists and estheticians stick around , and want to stick around .
Christine MacLeod , director of spa at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge , has figured out a formula that not only prioritizes employee education , but incentivizes it .
“ We set aside a certain amount of resources and budgets that goes toward education for our massage therapists and estheticians ,” she tells us . “ Of
course , you must be an exemplary employee to receive it ; you have to have shown that you ’ ve worked for it , you ’ ve earned it .”
Every window makes for incredible views at fairmont Jasper Park lodge .
Starting during the interview and hiring process , the MacLeod asks the direction the potential employee would like to go in concerning their career . After a month passes , she asks the same question , and upon an employee ’ s threemonth review ( after they have fully learned their position ), MacLeod works with Fairmont and the employee to put together an action plan to get the employee to where they want to be .
It ’ s vital to identify exactly what is important to each of your employees . This should be part of every business ’ s hiring and retaining process . For some , that may be the ability to get
arE you , like Macleod , ready for the next big challenge ? stay tuned for our May issue , which focuses on rEtail ! in the meantime , head to the isPa academy to learn about best practices for sales and retail in the spa industry . promoted or another form of monetary reward . For others , it could be public recognition , paid time off , continued training or education . Additionally , an initiative that has “ turned everything around ” for the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge was the implementation of a $ 1,000 sign-on bonus with the requirement that employees stay with the company for one year . It is paid back if they don ’ t hold up their end of the bargain .
“ Since implementing these programs , retention has increased significantly ,” MacLeod adds . “ It ’ s kept people here so much longer , and we don ’ t have a big turnaround anymore .”
MacLeod added that it was a struggle to even find therapists before , and now ,