“I think it’s beneficial to have multiple sources
evaluating their skills, because one person may
catch something that the other person didn’t.”
— SUSAN HUNNELL, Spa Director, St. Julien Hotel & Spa
standard each week,” says Hunnell. “We break it down
by department and roleplay what it looks like and what it
shouldn’t look like.”
Down the road, Hunnell hopes to extend the
onboarding process by adding a purposeful mentorship
program. Although informal mentor-mentee relationships
already tend to form among veterans and new hires, a
more structured program would “give new hires
someone they know they can go to,” according to
Hunnell.
a guest, evaluate them, train them, familiarize them with
your team, and then periodically refresh their knowledge.
And once you commit the time, personnel and funds to
make that happen, the effect of proper onboarding can lift
your spa’s workforce to new heights. n
F E AT U R E D S O U R C E S
Playing the Long Game
The experience that a new hire has in their first few days
or weeks is critical to their long-term success and,
therefore, the success of your spa. The spas featured here
all understand that proper onboarding is more than just
doing paperwork: you have to make the new hire feel like
KIM GREEN
Owner
ALTITUDE SPA
TERESA
SOKOLOW SUSAN HUNNELL
Regional Director
of Operations ST. JULIEN HOTEL & SPA
Spa Director
MILK + HONEY SPA
DID YOU KNOW?
IN A RECENT SURVEY OF THE ISPA VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE, 89 percent of respondents said
they’re responsible for interviewing job applicants and 70 percent prepare job descriptions for
open positions. Once an employee is hired, 82 percent said that they set employee goals and 74
percent conduct performance reviews.
With human resources occupying so much of a spa director’s time, the brand-new ISPA Talent
Symposium is a must-attend event. To be held April 15 in Santa Barbara, California, the ISPA
Talent Symposium will feature highly-skilled business leaders and world-renowned experts on
hiring, interviewing, company culture and performance reviews. This limited-availability event
will provide every attendee with the tools, tips and strategies needed to hire, evaluate and retain
employees more successfully.
To learn more about the ISPA Talent Symposium, visit experienceispa.com.
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