Sal Capizzi, Marketing Director at Book4Time and a former Director of Spa and Wellness at NEXUS Luxury Collection, shares his expert insight into your reader questions.
Send your queries about managing staff, operations, and anything else you want to know (challenge him!) to scapizzi@spaexecutive.com.
Q. Hello, Sal.
I have been happily working at my hotel-resort spa for one and a half years as a spa coordinator. My manager has informed all of us that our hours would be cut because of this slow time.
I was hired full-time before the newest part-time coordinator, yet she has more hours than I have weekly. I really enjoy my career and do not know what to do or who to turn to about this unfair amount of hours that has been given to me. Please advise me.
Thank you.
A. Hello,
First and foremost I am sorry your hours have been reduced. The past couple of years in the spa and wellness industry have been a bit volatile for everyone from management to practitioners, especially if you are working at a resort that is highly dependent on travel demand.
My first thought would be to have a discussion with your boss to learn the hard facts. I would be curious to know if this happened last year as well, I know you had mentioned you have been with this brand for a year and a half. Do they have a slow season each year or was this a one-off decision?
Nonetheless, frustrating because you may have a family to take care of or other people depending on you.
I would schedule a time to meet your manager and ask questions like: How long do they anticipate this “slow period?” If it is an annual occurrence, why wasn’t it mentioned to you when you were hired? Is this solely based on the slow period and not because of performance related issues? But also tune into what your gut is telling you. Have you noticed a change in foot traffic? Does the spa seem slower? If yes, then budgeting in that department is definitely coming into play and that’s never easy for anybody from the messenger to the recipient.
But this isn’t the end of the world. The majority of people in the industry are wearing many hats right now. Do you see yourself in a management position in the future? Now may be a great time to segue. Let your boss, and their boss know that you are interested in picking up additional hours across other departments if possible. Highlight your strengths and the transferable skills you have learned in this department and from the brand itself to showcase your worth. Hopefully they see that you’re eager to not only learn more but your commitment to stay with this brand.
I do hope this helps and that they have additional opportunities for you before the spa needs you back full time again.
Sometimes all hands are tied when it comes to certain things and it may be time to see yourself at another brand or even begin passively or actively looking for another opportunity you are interested in. It’s always tough to make that call especially when you love what you do and the co-workers with whom you have spent the past year and a half building relationships. But if it comes to that point, you should rest easier knowing that you put your best foot forward and opened yourself up to your boss and the company by expressing that you wanted to learn more and take on more with them!
Good luck!
Sal.
Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.
Unfortunately, it is an unspoken agreement, through out the spa industry, to hire a lot more service providers than needed because they would rather give a few hours to a lot of employees than a lot of hours to a few employees to avoid having to give benefits.
As a FT dual License service provider at Terranea Resort, my hours were cut, FT status was taken away, but yet more employees were hired and during busy seasons management outsources/ zeel.
It is disgusting to work in a ‘wellness’ industry on be made to feel that only the paying guests wellness matters.