Feel-good workplace tops awards list

Picking up the supreme Westpac Business of the Year has been "just amazing" for Salon St Bruno owner Hilda Dufty.

All 14 members of the team were at the awards ceremony and were able to enjoy the celebration, probably even more than Dufty who had volunteered open up at 8am the next morning to give the rest of the team a late start.

"I arrived to a big thank you poster covered in heart-shaped messages from everyone - and they did that before we even knew we had won. This sort of thing might look a bit mad to other people, but it works for us."

Such "mad" behaviour includes having beach parties and discos before work to create a family feeling. Dufty said everybody enjoyed coming into work and the positive attitude flowed through into interactions with clients.

"That's what we are all about - living life and having fun, while still focusing on our work. It's a great balance."

But such a cohesive workplace is no coincidence. Dufty said everybody from the five apprentices to herself, had done a personality test to work out how they functioned. This is used to play to each person's strengths and help staff communicate more effectively.

Salon manager Marie Farquhar bought into the company several years ago and Dufty said the pair complemented each other perfectly.

"I can be quite blunt and to the point. Marie is all about the detail. So I get straight to what needs to be done and she breaks that down and communicates to each team member what they need to do.

"We all understand each other better and we have grown immensely from that."

This was the second year in a row Salon St Bruno won the Unison Service Provider category, with last year's win providing the extra confidence needed to take away the top award this year.

"We knew we had already been successful and I think we went into the awards showing that confidence."

Although she largely works on the business side of things these days, Dufty gets the chance to let her creative side out at the Rotorua Wearable Creations'n Colour Awards and Salon St Bruno has won a number of awards at the event.

She said clients were as much a part of the Salon St Bruno family as the staff and the stream of congratulatory phone calls and emails had not stopped.

"They are over the moon for us and the award is theirs as well. Without them, we wouldn't exist."

Everybody on the team has a strong customer service focus and staff often talk about experiences they have had elsewhere.

It is a very supportive workplace and each apprentice has a senior stylist "buddy" who helps with their training.

"Next year we want to focus our attention on the Apprentice of the Year category and raise the status of some of our young ones."

Dufty said winning the top business award would also help raise the profile of hair styling as a profession. "A lot of people think it's just a job, but this puts us on the map and shows hair dressers are qualified professionals and can be just as good as any other business."