When Is It Considered Inappropriate?

Hey,

First and foremost, happy Women's Day! Here in South Africa, we are celebrating the incredible women in our lives, and I want to start by sharing a few cool facts about women and wishing all you amazing women an awesome day!

Here are three fun facts:

1. Women have a stronger sense of smell due to a more developed olfactory system, making them better at detecting subtle scents.
2. Women are more likely to survive natural disasters, famines, and diseases thanks to their stronger immune systems.
3. Women's brains have more neural activity and connectivity, making them more adept at multitasking.

So cheers to us, ladies!

Now, I want to share an interesting story from this past week and how I dealt with a situation that had the potential to turn out really badly. I was in a staff meeting with a group of therapists when one of them asked for help because she was worried about a client who was scheduled to come in over the weekend. She didn't want to do his treatments. When I asked why, she said he tries to touch her and hold her hand, which made her uncomfortable. Instantly, I felt there was more to this story, so I started to investigate and ask questions. I want to share my findings because this might have happened to you with your team, or it might happen in the future, and it's better to be prepared.

Here’s the full story:

The guest is a regular client who comes in with his wife for massages together. The husband tries to hold the therapist's hand and place it on his upper thigh (uncomfortably close to his crotch). The therapist pulls her hand away and, on one occasion, left the room to inform the manager. The manager told her to speak to the guest and let him know she was not comfortable with his behavior. If he repeated it, she was to say the treatment was over and leave the room. This has happened to three different therapists, all of whom felt uncomfortable and embarrassed to address this in front of his wife.

We have an SOP called “Sexual Harassment” which outlines the steps to take and even what words to use. The issue with this specific incident is that the manager did not consider it to be sexual harassment, and the SOP was not clear about what to do if the therapist felt embarrassed to speak to the guest.

A little more complicated than normal, right? Here’s what we did:

1. If a therapist feels uncomfortable, she is to react by pulling her hand away or moving to a different body part.
2. If the behavior persists and the therapist feels uncomfortable, she is to leave the room and go straight to the manager.
3. The manager can choose to send another therapist back into the room who might be more confident and able to deal more assertively with the guest, or end the treatment for the guest.
4. The manager, not the therapist, will speak to the client.

There is a fine line between sexual harassment and someone just feeling uncomfortable, but we must protect our staff. We are in an industry where touch is the most important part of the experience, but if our therapists feel uncomfortable, we need to protect them.

Our SOP is now called “Inappropriate Behavior” and covers all aspects step by step, including scenarios of different instances and how the therapist may react.

I hope this story helps you in handling similar situations in your spa or salon. It’s vital to create an environment where your staff feels safe, supported, and confident in their roles. Clear communication and strong policies are key to addressing and preventing uncomfortable situations.

Please share any experiences or insights you have on handling such issues in your own business. Let’s continue to support each other and ensure our industry is a safe and respectful space for everyone.

Wishing you a fantastic weekend,

Marisa