Rainbow Room International: Staying In Contact During Lockdown
As Glasgow salons have been in lockdown for the past few weeks, we talk to Co-Owner of Rainbow Room International Alan Stewart, Linda Stewart, and David Nicolson, Director of the Rainbow Room International Royal Exchange Square salon, on their plans during the lockdown period and how they have stayed in contact with their team and client’s and prepared for re-opening…
Constant Contact
‘We are keeping in constant daily contact with the directors through WhatsApp, as well as a weekly Zoom meetings. We have also been keeping in regular contact with our clients via email and social media, updating them with any progress. It’s been difficult but we’ve tried to keep everyone motivated and upbeat. Watching the British Hairdressing Awards was great, where all the team could log in and watch and the Director’s all had a virtual party where we all got dressed up to the nines and had an exciting night. Dylan Brittain, Owner of our George Square Salon and one of our Artistic Director’s was awarded the title of Scottish Hairdresser of the Year on the night and we couldn’t be any more delighted. It was a great way to end a tough year!’ – Linda Stewart.
Others First
‘It’s really important for us to keep in touch with our team during this time and to check in and make sure they are feeling OK and we are doing this with regular communication via WhatsApp. Over the last lockdown we did a lot of Zoom calls and the biggest change when we opened back up was that our assistants learned that teamwork and respect are critical for the business and the relationships with each other are critical for success. They have learned to put aside personal opinions and to value the skillsets each of them has. The virus had forced youngsters to think of others first.
British Hairdressing Awards
We had as many people as possible tuning in for the British Hairdressing Awards that took place last Monday evening and that was something for us all to look forward to. This time around it feels more of a break, as we know how long the lockdown is lasting. The centre of Glasgow is incredibly quiet with few people around, which has allowed the team to feel at ease that it will be busier on reopening, which is a big difference from how we felt last time around.
Preparation Is Key
One thing we are trying to do this time around and that we think is incredibly important is to prepare should there be another lockdown after Christmas. We are planning training for the assistants and also looking at things we can do in regards to general mental welfare. It has been a very draining time on reflection, with difficult conversations with clients who have lost people, not just through covid but other illnesses and the strain of funerals etc. and clients can get upset in the salon. This is tough for younger people as stylists and assistants too. Through talking to each other it helps but there’s no question it allows you to force those issues to the back of your mind ready to be positive and happy for the next client and through this lockdown it also gives you time to process those difficult experiences. Humour and knowing it’s happening to each other helps and I’ve had a couple of my guys in the salon get in touch with Mind, the mental health support company we are members of, and they seem to feel that helps, which is a plus moving forward.
Procedures
We will be also be changing some of the procedures with the experience for clients when we are back but they will be subtle and still adhering to all the guidelines’- David Nicolson.
For more info on the brans, visit RainbowRoom International here.