Hello friends! I’m back after a much-needed break. Over the last few years, I’ve obtained a copyediting certificate, ran a literary magazine, and moved out of Florida to Connecticut. (Don’t worry—I haven’t had any new babies since the last one, lol.)
Now that my kids are all in school, things in the industry and the employment law realm are getting super interesting, so I’m back to writing and consulting. I’ve even spun up the old Facebook group again. If you’d like to join, you can find it here. My booking system is also back up, so if you’d like to, you can schedule an appointment here.
New Article
Uncover how targeted certifications can break barriers for aspiring salon professionals, streamlining their path to entrepreneurship without the need for extensive, irrelevant training. This article sheds light on the impact of these licenses on the beauty sector, offering key insights for those aspiring to join the professional beauty industry.
A New Piece of Legislation Proposes a 32-hour Workweek for Non-exempt Employees
Most sources I consider credible agree that this is unlikely to progress into law, but Senator Bernie Sanders’s Senate Bill 3947 is likely to start a long-overdue national discussion about work-life balance. The bill proposes gradually changing the FLSA definition of the standard workweek to 32 hours, instead of the current 40 hours, over the course of three years. This means overtime compensation for non-exempt employees would kick in earlier, and they wouldn’t have to fear a reduction in their full-time benefit plans. It’s a hard bill to argue against, as automation and advancements in machine learning lead to massive productivity boosts (and, of course, mass layoffs).
Back in November, Governor Hochul signed a new law requiring all cosmetology schools to make natural hair education a part of their curriculum. Schools have until May of this year to ensure their curriculum is updated and that current students receive the training, or they’ll face disciplinary action and fines.
Next door in Connecticut, we’re trying to adopt the same law Hochul signed. Our schools need to do better, and since they wouldn’t do it on their own, we’d like to see some requirements to ensure cosmetology students—who are paying tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and over a year of their time studying and training—receive the education they need to serve all clients.
A woman is suing a Portland-area nail salon after she claims that they infected her with herpes. The woman says the nail tech didn’t wear gloves and kept their tools in an Altoids tin. (Are you screaming? Because I am.)
Following the procedure, two of the woman’s fingers became inflamed and infected, and she started feeling ill. After going to her doctor she was diagnosed with herpetic whitlow, an HSV2 infection of the nail bed. (You know—the one all of us nail techs have nightmares about?)
This pack includes a 55-page PDF with everything you need to understand why certain policies may be required, who should and shouldn’t implement them, and when and how to introduce them in your salon. The kit includes:
