Ethical business practices in a salon help to build trust with everyone around you, from employees to prospects to customers. Salons that have a code of ethics show the world they are professional, reliable and credible. Create a code of ethics for your salon and share it with your employees and customers.

Understand the Benefits of Salon Rules and Code of Conduct

Having a code of ethics ensures that your employees make the right decision when they are faced with an ethical dilemma. Sometimes in the workplace, right and wrong are not always clear. As a result, it can be confusing for employees to figure out how they should conduct business. A code of ethics provides guidelines that assist employees in making ethical choices.

Going beyond choosing right from wrong, a code of conduct can:

  • Reduce liability and risk: By lowering the occurrences of unethical behavior, a code of ethics can help your business avoid financial damage and damage to your reputation.

  • Build customer loyalty: Consumers value working with businesses they can trust, and a code of ethics shows them your salon is reputable.

  • Ensuring employee engagement: It’s important for employees to know they are being treated fairly, and a code of ethics shows them what they can expect.

Focus on Customer Confidentiality

One of the tenants of salon ethics is the importance of confidentially. Salons have access to customers’ names, phone numbers and other personal details. They also have records of any beauty procedures and treatments the customer has undergone. It’s important to assure your customers that you keep this information confidential and don’t share it with any external parties.

It’s common for customers and employees to chat while doing procedures. Employees should be aware that gossiping about other customers or prospects is unprofessional. It can cause potential customers to not want to visit your salon.

Be sure to set up guidelines with employees about how they can use customer information. For example, if one of your hairstylists also has a side business, is she allowed to call one of the salon’s customers to promote her business? Use the code of ethics to outline how customer information should be used and by whom.

Put Safety First

The salon rules and code of conduct should stress the importance of safety. There is a number of products, chemicals and specialized equipment that are used within a salon. It’s critical that the employees have the right training and knowledge on how to use each item. Be sure to communicate to customers through your salon ethics document that you will ensure only properly trained employees are working in your salon.

Hygiene is another element that both employees and customers care about in a salon setting. Be sure to have strict guidelines for employees outlining how to clean and sanitize furniture and equipment after use so that each customer can rest assured that the treatment will be hygienic.

Show Respect for the Profession

It’s important to use the code of ethics to show both employees and customers that you intend to act fairly in all situations. Outline how you will treat your staff in the code of ethics. In addition, build trust with customers by stating that you will only use licensed professionals to do jobs where specific credentials are required.

Inform Employees and Customers About Your Salon Ethics

Create a formal document of your professional code of conduct for beauty therapists and other salon staff. Include it in your new employee package so that all employees are aware of how they are expected to behave at work. Address the code of conduct whenever you notice that an employee has made an unethical decision. Make the consequences clear from the start for what happens when the code of ethics is not followed.

Post your salon ethics document in the salon so that it’s visible to customers. This helps to build credibility and professionalism and shows customers how dedicated you are to ensuring high standards of service.