ADDRESSING UNDERPERFORMANCE WITH DIGNITY & CLARITY

Written by Janine van Eck

A salon owner once described the moment she had to address a senior stylist's behaviour in front of the team as "the longest 30 seconds of my career." She had reacted on impulse, frustrated after weeks of watching the stylist dismiss junior colleagues' questions with visible impatience. The fallout took months to repair.

Correcting employee behaviour is one of the most challenging responsibilities of leading a team in the beauty industry. Get it wrong, and you risk damaging trust, morale, and your legal standing. Get it right, and you strengthen the team, uphold your standards, and demonstrate the kind of leadership that people actually want to follow.

This article explores how to address behavioural issues in your salon or beauty business with dignity for both the employee and yourself while remaining grounded in what South African labour law requires.

Dignity Is Not Optional — It Is the Law

In South Africa, the way you correct an employee's behaviour is not just a matter of management style. It is a legal obligation.

The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA) requires that all disciplinary processes be procedurally and substantively fair. This means the employee must:

• Be informed of the allegation or concern against them

• Have an opportunity to respond before any decision is made

• Not be subjected to humiliation, public embarrassment, or punitive treatment outside of a fair process

The Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (BCEA) further protects employees from arbitrary or unfair treatment in the workplace. These protections apply to all employees, whether full-time or part-time.

Beyond legislation, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, enshrines the right to dignity (Section 10) as a foundational value. This is not legal theory, it is the baseline expectation for every workplace interaction in this country.

Understanding the Difference: Performance vs Behaviour

Before addressing any issue with an employee, it helps to be clear about what you are dealing with. There is an important distinction between performance issues and behavioural issues, and they require different approaches.

Performance Issues

These relate to the quality or output of someone's work. Examples include:

• Consistently slow service times that affect booking capacity

• Poor retail conversion rates despite training

• Technical skills that fall below the required standard

Performance issues are typically addressed through coaching, training, and structured improvement plans.

Behavioural Issues

These relate to how an employee conducts themselves. Examples include:

• Rudeness or dismissiveness toward clients or colleagues

• Persistent lateness or absenteeism

• Failure to follow agreed-upon salon protocols

• Creating a toxic or disruptive atmosphere in the workplace

Behavioural issues may require both coaching and, where the behaviour is serious or repeated, a formal disciplinary process.

The distinction matters because addressing a behavioural issue as though it were simply a training gap misses the point and may give the employee the impression that there are no real consequences for their conduct.

A Step-by-Step Approach to Correcting Behaviour with Dignity

Step 1: Gather the Facts First

Before any conversation, make sure you have a clear and accurate account of what occurred. Rely on what you observed directly, documented records, or verified accounts, not assumptions or third-hand information. The more specific your information, the more grounded the conversation will be.

Step 2: Choose the Right Time and Place

Corrective conversations must happen in private. This is non-negotiable. A quiet, neutral space, your office, a private room, or even a calm moment before the salon opens, is far preferable to the floor or a back-of-house area where others can hear.

Timing matters too: avoid raising issues when either party is visibly stressed, rushed, or just coming off a difficult interaction.

Step 3: Open With Respect

How you open the conversation sets the entire tone. Begin by acknowledging the employee as a person, not as a problem to be solved.

"I value having you on the team, and because I do, I need to have an honest conversation with you about something I have been observing."

This framing signals that the conversation comes from a place of care, not attack.

Step 4: Be Specific and Factual

Describe the behaviour clearly, using specific examples. Avoid generalisations such as "you always" or "you never”, these trigger defensiveness and are rarely accurate. Focus on what you observed and the impact it had on the team, clients, or business.

"On Monday and again on Wednesday, I observed you responding sharply to the junior stylist when she asked for help with a client. On Monday, the exchange was in earshot of the client in the basin chair. That creates discomfort for clients and undermines the learning environment we are trying to build."

Step 5: Listen genuinely

Once you have shared what you observed, give the employee the floor. Ask an open question: "What was happening for you in those moments?" Then listen without interrupting. There may be a context you are not aware of, personal stress, a misunderstood instruction, or an interpersonal conflict that has not surfaced yet. This step is not about validating poor behaviour. It is about gathering full information before deciding on a way forward.

Step 6: Agree on a Clear Path Forward

Close the conversation with a shared understanding of what needs to change, how, and by when. Be explicit. Vague agreements lead to repeated problems.

"Going forward, I need you to respond to questions from junior staff with patience and respect, even when you are busy. If you are under pressure, it is acceptable to say, 'I cannot help right now, but check back with me in ten minutes.' What I cannot accept is a sharp or dismissive response. Does that make sense to you?"

Step 7: Document the Conversation

After the meeting, send a brief follow-up message or note summarising what was discussed and what was agreed. This does not need to be formal or threatening, a simple factual record is sufficient. It protects you, gives the employee a clear reference point, and demonstrates that the conversation was handled fairly. Keep a copy on file.

When the Informal Approach Is Not Enough

Not every behavioural issue can be resolved through a single respectful conversation. If the behaviour continues after a clear informal discussion, or if the initial incident is serious enough, a formal disciplinary process may be required.

The Code of Good Practice Dismissal expects of Employers to follow fair procedure before taking disciplinary action. This typically involves:

• A formal written notice to the employee of the charges against them

• A disciplinary hearing where the employee can present their case

• A fair and impartial decision by a person in authority

• An appropriate sanction (which may range from a written warning to dismissal, depending on the severity and history)

Salon owners should have a documented disciplinary code in place, even a simple one, that employees are aware of from the start of their employment. If you do not have one, consult with your EOHCB representative.

Leading Through the Discomfort

There is no version of leadership in the beauty industry that avoids hard conversations. The question is not whether you will need to correct behaviour, it is whether you will do so in a way that upholds your standards, your team's dignity, and your own integrity.

Dignity-led correction is not softness. It is the clearest expression of professional leadership available to you. It says: I expect excellence from this team, and I am willing to do the hard work of holding that standard with respect.

Teams that experience this kind of leadership do not just perform better. They trust their managers more. They stay longer. And they bring that same spirit of respect into every client interaction.

In an industry where reputation is everything, that is not a small thing. It is everything.

Key Principles at a Glance

• Correct in private, always

• Be specific — focus on behaviour, not character

• Listen before concluding

• Agree on a clear path forward

• Document what was discussed and agreed upon

• Escalate fairly and legally when required

• Lead with respect, it sets the standard for your entire team