Pulse Legacy Archive June 2012 | Page 38

TURNING EMPLOYEES INTO IDEA GENERATORS BY GIANNINA SMITH BEDFORD I n a thriving spa business, employees are the essential oil that keeps the engine running smoothly. Along with performing ongoing services and tasks, employees can also be a source of creative ideas that make the spa experience more unique for customers and the overall business more efficient. Not only do innovative ideas translate to better operations, they also create an engaged spa workforce, which ultimately means better service for clients. “Your staff are usually like sponges. They want to absorb as much as you can give or teach them and in return, they will give you so much more back,” says Todd Hewitt, senior spa director at the new Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, which is opening in summer 2012. 36 PULSE n June 2012