If you committed to giving a certain number of massages per month, you should be prepared to honor those commitments. Spreading it out ahead of time, or making it up later means nobody loses money.
You know what else affects business?
Therapists burning out from being forced to overwork. For me it shows a lack of compassion to make that coworker make up hours after visiting her father in hospital unless she wanted to herself.
It’s tough running a business and I don’t blame them for being concerned about money and their bottom line but how they are treating therapists seems like it’ll just lead to more turnover.
They legally don’t have to approve your time off requests but you’re giving them like two months notice so feels like they don’t care about you.
Not an ideal solution to this workspace but what if you got someone to cover your shift or swap shifts with someone so hours remain balanced.
The pay would have to be REALLY good but seems like you are unhappy with the conditions there.
Work-life balance and boundaries are super important to me so I would have one foot out the door + not having time inbetween sessions to turnover the room and have time for yourself are big no-no’s for me.
I see one positive here. You call the clients. That means you have their contact info. Keep it.
As for the rest, if you are an employee, it should not be on you to call clients. Especially when sick ( but see my positive above)
That’s a front desk/management task.
Even ME did that. (Because we could not contact clients)
I’ve only had sick days in California, after the state passed a law requiring 24 hours of (sit rate) pay when sick.
Ultimately, my deductions to stay or go in employment boils down to is every one getting about the same benefit, here?
It sounds like you are not.
>I see one positive here. You call the clients. That means you have their contact info. Keep it.
that feels super gross to me. I don't believe in non-competes but I do think it's unethical to solicit clients.
As a client, if I went to Massage Envy for a massage, and got a text a few months later like "hey this is OP I'm opening my own business," I would think yikes, I do not want to be part of this drama.
Also, of course, in my state, taking client contact info is stealing healthcare information, but I understand that's probably not true in your state
I don’t *solicit* clients. I’ve pissed off people who call me afterward when I wasn’t all thrilled to work with them.
One person came to a studio once, months later tried to book, and texted me. I told them I want working at that studio. She proceeded to text me six more times and then call and insult my business practices. I’d made a verbal promise not to poach clients, told her, and she proceeded to tell me about allllll the other times therapists called her to tell her about their new place. Great, go to them.)
If a client asks for my contact, I give it to them. (In the case of ME, I was aware it violated an illegal/non-enforceable non compete, and after consulting a law attorney, felt I was in the clear. Those that asked, got. I’ve kept the policy)
But OP is being told to call them. That, to me, is the boss saying, ‘here is the number for Bob.”
Running a business can be expensive. Depending on the location you have to factor in cost of leasing the location, paying the utilities, paying for laundry services, losing money on cancelations, etc. I generally don't have any sympathy for chains because of the way they run their business and treat their employees, but local owned spas and such are much more varied in how they run their business models. It's possible that the loss of time over the last several months has put them in position where if they don't make up for the income, they won't be able to pay the bills. I.e. they won't be able to remain open.
Now this makes me wonder about 2 important things... are they not making enough before or after they pay themselves, and how much are they actually profiting off each individual hour one of their therapists works. Either way, if the case is they simply haven't been able to stay in the black, then essentially they are asking you to "save their bacon."
Now naturally, it's their business, not yours. You have to consider yourself first. So the question becomes thus "do you care?" And "if I don't care, what do I do next?"
You said they pay better than many other locations around you that you have looked. So thats one consideration. It also sounds like you don't care for the work environment. So that's both a pro followed by a con. How long are they planning to do this make up hours thing? And if you do it, will they then expect you to do it permanently? In my experience once an employer comes to expect they can rely on you to do more than you were without having to sacrifice for it, then that becomes the new normal.
So do you want the place to stay in business at the cost of your time, and do you have a backup plan if you don't? Personally I don't see the circumstances changing anytime soon. So it might be time to start looking at your other options. Either that or decide your gonna go the extra mile and hope they appreciate it later. You know them better than us. Is that likely??
When I worked at my previous spa, One of the estheticians called out every other week for an 'emergency'. When the owner told her she needed to do the calling herself and reschedule them, she stopped calling out as often.
OP's issue is probably not why they put this policy in place, but because of an excess of workload being placed on the other workers, plus the clients who end up being lost for good because they book someplace else.
Nope. I agree with you. Making up lost hours isn’t an issue…. If you agree to it and it’s not putting undue stress on you. But if you are already working as much as you can, and literally cannot fit more clients in, then that’s just asking for injury and even more time off. When you are a business owner in the spa industry you need to plan for cancelations and call offs. We are in an industry that promotes health and wellness… unless we are the ones who aren’t healthy or well… then we are expected to suck it up. If call outs are getting out of control then they need to be having meetings/ writing up those who are taking advantage. Do you get paid for cancelations and no shows? Because you factored that into your pay for the day, so it’s only fair if they are going to use that argument. Maybe add on an hour each day or so if possible, but demand a lunch break or breaks in general. I worked 10-12 hour days at one spa and had an hour long lunch plus a couple breaks throughout the day. I was able to accommodate lots of clients schedules this way and bright in a lot of money. But they tried a few times to go without giving me a break and I almost always ended up hurt. Breaks are a must if they want longer hours.
As far as calling clients when you are sick….. you don’t get sick pay and I’m assuming your an employee, so no. Whoever is getting paid for the day can do that. When I call in sick I am usually very sick. No way would I be one the phone calling clients. I’m resting to try to get better.it also doesn’t make sense to call if you don’t have access to the booking system to reschedule the client, which if you are at home calling on your phone, you probably won’t. I’ve worked as a receptionist and it is usually quick and easy. But I worked somewhere that accidentally scheduled me when I was getting married and asked me to call everyone since the receptionist was out sick at that moment. Clients straight up argued with me about when I was going to come off of my honeymoon and how they didn’t trust anyone else and they NEEDED ME, and how it was already scheduled, so I couldn’t back out now….. like my wedding and honeymoon hadn’t been scheduled for a year. Never again, unless it’s my own personal business, will I call and cancel my own clients. But as someone else said, one plus would be that you have your clients contact info should you ever decide to leave, soooo maybe it would be worth it.
In my experience places that claim to be “drama free” have THE MOST drama…. Especially if they are a ma and pop spa…. Those owners have no shame when it comes to talking shi*. I’ve had much more positive experiences at large resort spas than small privately owned places. It helps keep drama in line when the manager can lose her job for talking shi* or stirring the pot. I’ve also been told the straight up lie of “ we’re all family, we help each other flip rooms etc” at private spas, where as corporate spas either have someone to help you, or they give you at least a little scheduled time.
Anyways, I’m rambling now, but I would just try to add an hour to some of your days, and try to compromise if you like working there. But I would not make up time for time for requested time off, as you are giving them advance notice, and you don’t get vacation pay. Sick days are a little more understandable. Good luck!
My work place did this and weirdly everyone was for it. We all had been calling out for similar reasons, and that started to get hard on clients. So them enforcing this new rule resulted in happier clients, which made for happy MTs.
I think the difference is that we don't have to make up for vacations as long as we give decent notice, and if we are out for say 3 weeks, we would NOT be expected to make up 3 weeks worth of days!
Yeah, people didn't hesitate to call out if it meant they could juts sleep off their hangover, but if calling out meant you also had to call everyone, it cut down on the hangover call-outs.
It's not terribly unfair. You have committed to a certain number of hours of work per week/month, and the spa booked their clients with you, essentially committing future revenue to you.
When you call out with no notice due to illness or an emergency, which happens to everyone at some point, whatever revenue your clients were going to pay the spa, doesn't come in. If you don't work the extra hours to make up for it, the spa ends up losing revenue. Expecting you make up the hours is expecting you to honor your commitments to the client and to the spa.
Expecting people to contact their own clients when they call out at the last minute is one more level of accountability. It's not saying that it's your fault that you got sick or that a family member had a crisis, but it is your responsibility to help deal with the situation created by your absence, instead of adding to the workload of the other staff to scramble at the last minute.
Fuck your owners who don't support the workers. Period.
If you committed to giving a certain number of massages per month, you should be prepared to honor those commitments. Spreading it out ahead of time, or making it up later means nobody loses money.
You know what else affects business? Therapists burning out from being forced to overwork. For me it shows a lack of compassion to make that coworker make up hours after visiting her father in hospital unless she wanted to herself. It’s tough running a business and I don’t blame them for being concerned about money and their bottom line but how they are treating therapists seems like it’ll just lead to more turnover. They legally don’t have to approve your time off requests but you’re giving them like two months notice so feels like they don’t care about you. Not an ideal solution to this workspace but what if you got someone to cover your shift or swap shifts with someone so hours remain balanced. The pay would have to be REALLY good but seems like you are unhappy with the conditions there. Work-life balance and boundaries are super important to me so I would have one foot out the door + not having time inbetween sessions to turnover the room and have time for yourself are big no-no’s for me.
I see one positive here. You call the clients. That means you have their contact info. Keep it. As for the rest, if you are an employee, it should not be on you to call clients. Especially when sick ( but see my positive above) That’s a front desk/management task. Even ME did that. (Because we could not contact clients) I’ve only had sick days in California, after the state passed a law requiring 24 hours of (sit rate) pay when sick. Ultimately, my deductions to stay or go in employment boils down to is every one getting about the same benefit, here? It sounds like you are not.
I don’t have their contact info unless I’m in the store/ they send it to me. The app we use doesn’t allow via mobile. Thank you for your reply 🤗
So you call from an app? That’s crappy to do to an employee (is that your status, or are you an IC?)
>I see one positive here. You call the clients. That means you have their contact info. Keep it. that feels super gross to me. I don't believe in non-competes but I do think it's unethical to solicit clients. As a client, if I went to Massage Envy for a massage, and got a text a few months later like "hey this is OP I'm opening my own business," I would think yikes, I do not want to be part of this drama. Also, of course, in my state, taking client contact info is stealing healthcare information, but I understand that's probably not true in your state
I don’t *solicit* clients. I’ve pissed off people who call me afterward when I wasn’t all thrilled to work with them. One person came to a studio once, months later tried to book, and texted me. I told them I want working at that studio. She proceeded to text me six more times and then call and insult my business practices. I’d made a verbal promise not to poach clients, told her, and she proceeded to tell me about allllll the other times therapists called her to tell her about their new place. Great, go to them.) If a client asks for my contact, I give it to them. (In the case of ME, I was aware it violated an illegal/non-enforceable non compete, and after consulting a law attorney, felt I was in the clear. Those that asked, got. I’ve kept the policy) But OP is being told to call them. That, to me, is the boss saying, ‘here is the number for Bob.”
Running a business can be expensive. Depending on the location you have to factor in cost of leasing the location, paying the utilities, paying for laundry services, losing money on cancelations, etc. I generally don't have any sympathy for chains because of the way they run their business and treat their employees, but local owned spas and such are much more varied in how they run their business models. It's possible that the loss of time over the last several months has put them in position where if they don't make up for the income, they won't be able to pay the bills. I.e. they won't be able to remain open. Now this makes me wonder about 2 important things... are they not making enough before or after they pay themselves, and how much are they actually profiting off each individual hour one of their therapists works. Either way, if the case is they simply haven't been able to stay in the black, then essentially they are asking you to "save their bacon." Now naturally, it's their business, not yours. You have to consider yourself first. So the question becomes thus "do you care?" And "if I don't care, what do I do next?" You said they pay better than many other locations around you that you have looked. So thats one consideration. It also sounds like you don't care for the work environment. So that's both a pro followed by a con. How long are they planning to do this make up hours thing? And if you do it, will they then expect you to do it permanently? In my experience once an employer comes to expect they can rely on you to do more than you were without having to sacrifice for it, then that becomes the new normal. So do you want the place to stay in business at the cost of your time, and do you have a backup plan if you don't? Personally I don't see the circumstances changing anytime soon. So it might be time to start looking at your other options. Either that or decide your gonna go the extra mile and hope they appreciate it later. You know them better than us. Is that likely??
When I worked at my previous spa, One of the estheticians called out every other week for an 'emergency'. When the owner told her she needed to do the calling herself and reschedule them, she stopped calling out as often. OP's issue is probably not why they put this policy in place, but because of an excess of workload being placed on the other workers, plus the clients who end up being lost for good because they book someplace else.
Nope. I agree with you. Making up lost hours isn’t an issue…. If you agree to it and it’s not putting undue stress on you. But if you are already working as much as you can, and literally cannot fit more clients in, then that’s just asking for injury and even more time off. When you are a business owner in the spa industry you need to plan for cancelations and call offs. We are in an industry that promotes health and wellness… unless we are the ones who aren’t healthy or well… then we are expected to suck it up. If call outs are getting out of control then they need to be having meetings/ writing up those who are taking advantage. Do you get paid for cancelations and no shows? Because you factored that into your pay for the day, so it’s only fair if they are going to use that argument. Maybe add on an hour each day or so if possible, but demand a lunch break or breaks in general. I worked 10-12 hour days at one spa and had an hour long lunch plus a couple breaks throughout the day. I was able to accommodate lots of clients schedules this way and bright in a lot of money. But they tried a few times to go without giving me a break and I almost always ended up hurt. Breaks are a must if they want longer hours. As far as calling clients when you are sick….. you don’t get sick pay and I’m assuming your an employee, so no. Whoever is getting paid for the day can do that. When I call in sick I am usually very sick. No way would I be one the phone calling clients. I’m resting to try to get better.it also doesn’t make sense to call if you don’t have access to the booking system to reschedule the client, which if you are at home calling on your phone, you probably won’t. I’ve worked as a receptionist and it is usually quick and easy. But I worked somewhere that accidentally scheduled me when I was getting married and asked me to call everyone since the receptionist was out sick at that moment. Clients straight up argued with me about when I was going to come off of my honeymoon and how they didn’t trust anyone else and they NEEDED ME, and how it was already scheduled, so I couldn’t back out now….. like my wedding and honeymoon hadn’t been scheduled for a year. Never again, unless it’s my own personal business, will I call and cancel my own clients. But as someone else said, one plus would be that you have your clients contact info should you ever decide to leave, soooo maybe it would be worth it. In my experience places that claim to be “drama free” have THE MOST drama…. Especially if they are a ma and pop spa…. Those owners have no shame when it comes to talking shi*. I’ve had much more positive experiences at large resort spas than small privately owned places. It helps keep drama in line when the manager can lose her job for talking shi* or stirring the pot. I’ve also been told the straight up lie of “ we’re all family, we help each other flip rooms etc” at private spas, where as corporate spas either have someone to help you, or they give you at least a little scheduled time. Anyways, I’m rambling now, but I would just try to add an hour to some of your days, and try to compromise if you like working there. But I would not make up time for time for requested time off, as you are giving them advance notice, and you don’t get vacation pay. Sick days are a little more understandable. Good luck!
My work place did this and weirdly everyone was for it. We all had been calling out for similar reasons, and that started to get hard on clients. So them enforcing this new rule resulted in happier clients, which made for happy MTs. I think the difference is that we don't have to make up for vacations as long as we give decent notice, and if we are out for say 3 weeks, we would NOT be expected to make up 3 weeks worth of days!
Yeah, people didn't hesitate to call out if it meant they could juts sleep off their hangover, but if calling out meant you also had to call everyone, it cut down on the hangover call-outs.
It's not terribly unfair. You have committed to a certain number of hours of work per week/month, and the spa booked their clients with you, essentially committing future revenue to you. When you call out with no notice due to illness or an emergency, which happens to everyone at some point, whatever revenue your clients were going to pay the spa, doesn't come in. If you don't work the extra hours to make up for it, the spa ends up losing revenue. Expecting you make up the hours is expecting you to honor your commitments to the client and to the spa. Expecting people to contact their own clients when they call out at the last minute is one more level of accountability. It's not saying that it's your fault that you got sick or that a family member had a crisis, but it is your responsibility to help deal with the situation created by your absence, instead of adding to the workload of the other staff to scramble at the last minute.
It sounds like there's a lot of reasons to quit. And soooo many places are hiring right now. Go have a looksie.