Whether a busy spa leader, front desk agent, or multi-talented aesthetician, a spa professional’s role involves multitasking! It requires focusing on managing schedules, inventory, events, and finances, as well as satisfying spa guests. A professional’s co-workers often look up to them and mirror their attitude and energy. Whatever their role at the spa, each team member is an integral part of the team and their energy also impacts fellow therapists, aestheticians, and even clients. Positivity begins with every team member.

To be in the right frame of mind, professionals should start with this happiness exercise. First, they must block out just three minutes. Then, they should write down three things they are grateful for – and be specific. For example, instead of writing “cookies,” they could write “homemade peanut butter cookies.”

The author of “Solve for Happy,” Mo Gawdat, explains that an individual’s “default setting is happy” and they only have to remember that to feel happy. Listing three notes of gratitude is a simple way for a professional to put their very own happiness keys into their own hands, unlocking the door to increased positivity.

“Clinical research shows volunteering, mentoring, and other acts of altruism pump up your immune function,” said Dr. Dwight McKee, a board-certified oncologist. This means taking time to foster happiness with co-workers will make the individual feel happier, too.

Here are five simple ways that actual spas are infusing happiness into the workplace:

1.  Start every meeting with a silly joke or pun to get a chuckle out of the team.
2. Decorate events with inexpensive props, like balloons, glitter, or bubbles.
3. Celebrate a staff member’s success by showering the team member with confetti.
4. Fold a towel in a creative shape, like a heart or flower, and place it on the massage table.
5. Surprise a client or spa staff member with some sample products.

Once staff are feeling happier at the spa, what will the impact be on clients and revenue? First and foremost, a happier team is more productive. Raising employee happiness raises productivity between seven and 12 percent.

Engaged employees are customer focused, more creative at work, healthier and take less time off sick, committed to put in greater effort, proud of the company, and inspired to do their best.

More engaged staff members are motivated to be the best for their guests. A study distributed by Hewitt Associates reports that companies with high levels of engagement outperformed the total stock market index and posted shareholder returns 19 percent higher than average.

When receiving a massage or facial from a service provider who is in a bad mood, clients can tell the difference between that and receiving a message from a therapist who is feeling happy. Clients who are experiencing the best that a service provider has to give are sure to feel more satisfied with their treatment, form a connection with that therapist, and become a loyal client.

How have you integrated happiness into your work every day? What impact did it have on coworkers and clients? We’d love to share your story! Send a note to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and it could be featured in the extended version of this article on DERMASCOPE.com!

References

“World Happiness Report 2017.” World Happiness Report. March 20,
2017. http://worldhappiness.report/ed/2017/.
Oswald, Andrew J., Proto, Eugenio and Sgroi, Daniel. (2015) Happiness and Productivity.
Journal of Labor Economics, 33 (4). pp. 789-822. Cohan, Peter. “6 Things Super Successful Companies Have in Common.” Inc. Dec. 2, 2013. https://www.inc.com/peter-cohan/6-things-super-successful-companies-have-in-common.html.
“2017 Trends in Global Employee Engagement.” Aon. http://www.aon.com/chile/attachments/2017-Trends-in-Global-Employee-Engagement.pdf.Lindzon, Jared. “How Employee eEngagement Can Boost the Bottom Line.” The Glob and Mail.
Dec. 2, 2014. https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/how-employee-engagement-can-boost-the-bottom-line/article21875491/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&.