It’s Pride Month and that means it’s a great time to look at what salon owners can do to be as inclusive as possible.
A gender-neutral price list is a positive step in the right direction towards a more progressive, open-minded industry – but how inclusive is your business as a whole? Here are five simple steps from Keri Blue, founder of Human First, that you as a salon owner can incorporate to ensure all clients feel welcome:
- Does your salon have gender neutral toilets? If you want to keep gendered toilets are there sanitary bins in the men’s? This is a small and inclusive step you can implement instantly.
- Representation. Is there varied representation on your social channels? Do you show all different types of human beings, races, colours, identities, cultures etc. and obviously gender.
- Pronouns. Are your staff trained and aware of pronouns? Do they know how to use them? If so, are they being used?
- Have you put LGBTQIA+ and Trans friendly safe space in your social bios, your google listing and website. This is the simplest way to let people know they are welcome whoever they are and however they identify.
- Check your booking system. Is that also a gay and/or trans friendly safe booking system? Does it understand use of pronouns and include them? Having a booking system that prompts pronoun checking is a great way to regularly remind your team about how important they are.
Even the smallest steps can play a big part in reassuring and supporting others who may not identify with traditional gender labels, and your influence - on both your team and the industry at large – is very powerful. Some changes may take longer than others to implement, but every alteration you make towards a more inclusive business is confirmation that your salon will not tolerate bias or judgement - and a positive step towards the eradication of gender stereotypes.
Follow @humanfirstuk to learn more ways you can be an ally.