Creating a strong company culture can elevate your customer experience and place your spa among one of the best in the world. It is definitely something you should pay great attention to as it can make or break the success of your spa’s business.
So, what is company culture?
Corporate culture as defined by The Balance Careers is, “the personality of a company…the environment in which employees work. Company culture includes a variety of elements, including work environment, company mission, value, ethics, expectations, and goals.”
Perhaps a more insightful definition of company culture comes from a Forbes article by William Craig who wrote, “company culture is something that is pre-existing in your company’s genetic code; it’s not something that employees bring with them. In fact, a company with just one employee – a company with no employees, if we’re being honest – still has a culture. That sole proprietor? They’re the one with ‘vision, values, and assumptions.’ They don’t wait around for employees to provide such things; instead, they seek out those individuals who they feel would be a good match with their existing vision for the company.”
Why does company culture matter in your spa?
Your company culture is what attracts and retains top talent, and in turn, your talent is the key to your business’ success.
One of the biggest challenges in the spa industry is staffing. Top talent is naturally attracted to a great workplace culture. People want the values of their workplace in line with their own which will also help with recruitment and retention.
A study by Gallup found that businesses with more engaged employees have better odds of achieving their revenue, profit and productivity goals. The study found that the relationship between engagement and performance is significant, and that employee engagement consistently affects key performance outcomes, regardless of the organization’s industry or company.
As Shane Bird, director of Turning Stone’s award winning SKANA spa said, “the foundation to any award-winning spa is the staff.”
How to maintain a strong company culture.
Culture is exclusive to your particular working environment – respective to your own mission and values, among other things. However, there are some staples for maintaining a good company culture, including:
Open communication.
Employees should feel that they have a voice and are heard. They should also feel that their manager respects them enough to include them in the conversation beyond job-related feedback.
A collaborative environment.
When employees feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves and that they are contributory to the success of an organization, they will be invested in that success. Understanding how one’s contribution affects the big picture is key to getting the most out of their contribution.
Trust.
A good employee culture requires a manager who trusts their employees to do what they were hired to do. It also requires a manager who sets the example by being trustworthy in both words and actions.
Shared vision.
Employees will have their individual views and personalities, but for a culture to work you all must share the same vision for your organization. This vision should be woven into your company through every action by employees and management.
When you create a culture in which your team feels respected and valued, they will value and respect your guests in return, elevating the customer experience to an incomparable level.
That is what differentiates a good spa from an exceptional one.