At a panel discussion on the importance of staffing at the Hotelier Middle East Spa & Wellness Forum, industry experts discuss the lack of training centres in the Middle East and how this impacts on their responsibility to deliver training programmes.
Meara Dougherty, operations manager at The Product House said that a challenge for the company is that when recruiting staff a good balance needs to be found when implementing training. Dougherty commented: “When staff come into The Product House, our position is to train in specific treatments and products and the protocols of specific brands; it is not to train in basic skills sets. The expectations of spa directors can be quite high. We are there to provide training but to what extent are we there to provide training?”
However, with most spas recruiting from abroad, the panel complained that one challenge is hiring staff that have the necessary skillset to implement advanced treatments, meaning spas are faced with new employees lacking necessary experience. Sofitel the Palm director of spa & recreation, Michael T. Monsod commented: “We expect them to be able to perform things like facials, and that’s when the pressure goes to The Product House to be able to help us out. However, it’s our responsibility to ensure that our staff have the right basic skills to be able to perform advanced treatments so that we can fulfil the promise to our clients.”
Spa Cordon managing director, Lea Cordon Ruof agreed, adding that in the absence of training schools for therapists in the Middle East, the responsibility for training lies with the spa: “Once you have your staff here you have to reassess their skills and deliver a training programme. Training is an investment; your staff performance is a reflection of what you’re teaching, it’s a reflection of what your spa is about. You have to take ownership say ‘this team is mine and any of their actions I’m held accountable for them.”
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