A change is as good as a rest!

They say a change is as good as a rest but we've had both.

Our team Zoom meetings throughout lockdown showed us that, while we all missing our work, there was also an element of cherishing the time we were suddenly given to spend with our families.

It felt like there was an opportunity to look at our work life and perhaps re-evaluate our priorities.

So I decided that I would take our time to reopen. Making sure we had everything in place to keep the team and our clients safe but also take the time to make sure that there is a better work/life balance. I didn't want to rush back in to working every hour I had - although the temptation was there, given that we had a long waiting list of clients to get through.

I had been following salons in the US and England - who were open earlier than us - and hearing stories of staff working ridiculous hours to catch up with demand. But I could only see that ending in burnt out team members feeling miserable. It's tough to get back to work after a long time off!

So the team and I decided to look at concentrating our working hours to less days throughout the working week. If I do a full day on a Thursday and extend some of my evening hours, for example, I can have an extra day off during the week!

We were already working to reduce staff members on the salon floor to control numbers for safety measures - so then the idea of a split rota made sense. During Phase 1 our rota allows for a maximum of 3 stylists in the salon. Each stylist working in their own control work station.

So we're back, with hourly appointments and a new rota and opening hours....and we are all enjoying this new pace. The challenge now is to see how much of the balance we can maintain once we extend our service menu in Phase 2.

With that said, I'm off for the next three days...time with my family - getting the kids ready for going back to school and answering all the queries from clients!!

Scott x