Inclusivity in your clinic

Reporter Becki Murray looks at what clinic owners can do to make everyone feel considered

Important conversations around inclusivity in society are creating change, and there are lots of opportunities for your salon to make simple yet effective changes too. From getting to know your clients on a deeper level to making small accessibility adjustments, here are five ways to ensure your clinic is more inclusive going forward.

1. ADDRESS ACCESS REQUIREMENTS

When considering the layout of your clinic, especially when looking for a new space, don’t forget to think about whether it will be easy for people with disabilities to navigate. That might include an effective, reliable lift if you aren’t on the ground floor, ramps and dropped kerbs outside, and nearby parking or flexible transport links. If your current location makes this more difficult, focus on advising stress-free routes to your clinic. Alternatively, make smaller changes, such as changing your waiting room layout, so it is easier to pass through with a cane and crutches, or having a water bowl on hand for service animals.

2. GET TO KNOW YOUR CLIENTS

Finding out as much about your clients before their treatment not only helps individualise their treatment; you can also ensure that they are as comfortable as possible in their interactions with your clinic team. This could be as simple as including a box that asks for preferred pronouns within your consultation form and having the option for your staff to include pronouns on their name badges. Additionally, you can use the form to ask, pre-appointment, if a prospective client has any special considerations that might make their visit more relaxed. For example, they might prefer no music in the waiting room, more social distancing, mask-wearing or headphones to be at ease.

3. HAVE AN INCLUSIVE HIRING AND RETENTION POLICY

Having a diverse team allows you to benefit from much more than just the perception of inclusivity. By building a team from a range of backgrounds, you are likely to hire individuals who are experts in a wider array of skills. Plus, you provide an opportunity to expand your business’ reach beyond your own background. At the same time, go beyond equal opportunity employment (it’s the law after all), by promoting your commitment to upskilling and educational opportunities for all staff. That’s especially important to ensure that staff who have important, relevant expertise in one area – for example peels for Black skin – do not feel pigeonholed at work if they wish to deliver a broader portfolio.

4. DIVERSIFY YOUR MARKETING

Clients tend to navigate towards spaces where they feel they can recognise themselves within the marketing or perceived clientele. Therefore, ensure your marketing is as diverse as your clinic has the potential to be. That includes before-and-after photos for appropriate treatments that are across the Fitzpatrick Scale for skin tone and documenting the full spectrum of age groups that a treatment is suitable for too. Even the stock imagery or shoots you have for your website, and within the clinic itself, will suggest to potential clients whether your clinic is a good fit for them. Therefore, be mindful about including the full spectrum of your target market in all marketing.

5. CONSIDER YOUR TREATMENT MENU

Arbitrary distinctions such as ‘his’ and ‘her’ treatments might seem like an easy way to advertise your aesthetic offering, but reorganising your approach can boost both inclusivity and results for your patients. Try focusing instead on specific skin goals – which stretch across skin type, tone and gender – with bespoke treatments offered according to what each client individually wants and needs. That way your clients have more understanding and therefore confidence in the treatments that are best for them. Finally, ensure you standardise your clinic’s pricing too, so that traditionally feminine treatments aren’t penalised unless they actually cost more to administer.