Snip 'n' smile

Hairdressers topped a job satisfaction survey conducted by City & Guilds Happiness Index this year - proving well-being is connected to the work we do. Carolina D'Souza asks three Dubai-based hairdressers what makes them happy about their job

Hairdressers are whistling a happier tune more than most working professionals.

A veritable reason too, it seems.

They have topped this year's annual survey conducted by a UK-based company, City & Guilds Happiness Index with nothing more than a sympathetic ear and a pair of scissors. (And just in case you wanted to know, the unhappiest workers, says the survey, are HR managers, secretaries, PAs and those working in administration.)

According to Richard Reeves, author of Happy Mondays and co-founder of the Intelligence Agency, long-term happiness and satisfaction with your life can be measured by economists and psychologists, and should no longer be considered an abstract concept.

If happiness isn't abstract, how do we define it?

The survey states happiness in a particular job depends on three Ss - social relationships, satisfaction and structure. It also depends on fulfilling your full potential and tapping into your creativity.

The key ingredients for happiness in the workplace include doing something worthwhile and being appreciated.

And hairdressers tick most boxes. They are a protean, happy lot. They play varied roles - image consultant, therapist, friend, confidant - in their job.

What may seem like a desultory conversation when ensconced in a salon chair achieves the ideal comfort level between client and hairdresser. It could be the exchange of trivial details or well-timed bons mots. Or it could be a voluble conversation indulging you with hoary jokes and good-natured raillery.

Truth is hairdressers work hard at establishing good relationships.

"It is motivating to know that I am making a change. Not only by giving a client a new look, but also on a personal level," says Susan Barnard, South African hairdresser, Roots Salon, Dubai.

In the hairdressing profession, it is the relationship with work, productivity and appreciation that defines happiness and job satisfaction.

What makes hairdressers happy?

Happiness is a sense of fulfilment associated with making a client happy.

Being happy at work is the most important aspect for Christopher John, a South African hairdresser and owner of Christopher John Hair Design, Dusit Dubai.

"If I am not (happy), I cannot ensure satisfied clients. An unhappy me is obvious; I cannot dissimulate my feelings. This affects productivity. If I feel good about myself, I can make those around me feel better," he says.

There is a correlation between happiness and productivity, which is also linked to fulfilling your potential.

Gill Sadler, style director at Cut and Shape Salon in Dubai, says, "I am more productive when I am feeling good. When I am happy, I have more energy. This positively affects my productivity. It also helps me deal better with a difficult client."

And a client can tell if you are feeling low. No amount of smarmy conversation can hide it, says Barnard. "Every attempt to evince fake positivism will be spotted. You work in front of a mirror! Clients know us better than we realise and can see if we are feeling good or bad."

The state of happiness affects John's performance levels and enthusiasm for his job. "That general sense of well-being keeps me motivated. It makes me want to work harder and perform better," he says.

Hairdressers are rarely bored at work because they are constantly utilising their skills or learning new ones. This learning helps fillip their enthusiasm for the job and results in higher productivity.

"The immediate satisfaction of the results from hard work is the use of skills. These give me so much fulfilment. I then tend to feed off that energy which gives me more ambition and inspires me," says Barnard.

A meaningful life can be achieved if you exercise your unique strengths and virtues to meet something greater than an immediate goal. This for hairdressers translates into making a client feel good.

"Giving a client the perfect look, hairstyle or colour makes my job worthwhile, especially when she appreciates my hard work. The real satisfaction is when a client experiences not just a hair appointment, but an unwinding session," says Barnard, who finds gratification in a client's approving and grateful nod.

Happiness has two distinct faces

Is happiness an emotion? Yes. Research studies state happiness has two distinct faces experienced in immediate situations and general well-being based on the recent past.

For Sadler, happiness has enduring and transient effects, especially when playing the role of a therapist.

"There are clients who are generally unhappy with life. They want to have a good moan about anything. If it is their hair - it's either too short, long, light, dark, etc. But they keep coming back because I make them feel better about themselves," she says.

However, when a client has wrecked or damaged her hair - at home or at an unprofessional salon - or when a fussy client walks in 30 minutes late for an appointment, Sadler is rankled. In such situations there are temporary dips in her happiness quotient.

"Then it is professionalism that mitigates the situation and comes to the rescue. We are only human."

John, who worked for free to learn the trade at a friend's salon when younger, isn't annoyed by fussy, surly clients. Rather they keep him on his toes, he says.

"My job has ups and downs, but mostly ups! Temporary unhappiness for me is being surrounded by less enthusiasm. I display so much brio, but when others don't, it affects me negatively."

For Barnard, happiness is heightened when a client tells her that a total stranger has complimented her.

"The enduring sense of happiness is when a client keeps coming back. I had a client who lost her hair after chemotherapy. She is in remission, and recently came to me after her hair grew back."

Experts say the hairdressing profession maximises positive psychology. And reinforces that well-being is connected to the work you do. Hairdressers feel appreciated and respected. They also enjoy a good social life at work. Together these influence happiness on the job.

Observably, they call camaraderie a happiness trigger.
"It sounds clichéd but I love meeting people and I love the buzz that clients bring into the salon.

"I also love the process of transformation in a few hours when we can make a client look and feel fantastic by changing her look. It feels even better when I get positive feedback," says Sadler, who fulfilled her goal of opening her salon 13 years ago.

She once mentioned to a friend that she would love to do more to help people. "My friend remarked by saying that we (hairdressers) do so much. When we make a woman look more beautiful, she feels great about herself, and in turn we experience the feel-good factor. And we are good listeners, almost as good as therapists."

Meeting interesting people is a plus for John too. "I meet all kinds from doctors to bankers to celebrities. Their experiences, anecdotal references, personal accounts of good and terrible days make for fascinating listening.

"And I get to swap stories from my life too. But the most edifying aspect is learning of a stranger complimenting my work. At the end, it is about being appreciated," he says.