THE HORNETS' NEST

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please don't leave. You have to consider the source. They are young inexperienced stylists and the receptionists...well you know they're receptionists. You are a valuable member of our team here at Just Primpin' Salon. Things won't be the same if you leave", Sarah, the owner, said she she chased Jean out the back door. Sarah followed her on her way to the parking structure. Jean dramatically turned to face Sarah, she said, "Your staff is vicious.I'm too old, to feel like I'm dealing with high school gossip. This was just the eye-opener I needed to realize my career had become stagnant and it was time for new opportunities. Thank you for my time here. Now I must go."

Salons are a buzzing hornets' nest of gossip, and Just Primpin' Salon was no different. Many clients fill the shop. They are there just to get beautiful or so they say. Some people just wanted to stir the pot.

A perfectly balanced day, and all it takes is one miserable person to destroy the hearts of many. The tongue is a double edged sword, even biblically noted. It is said, it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch. That cliche is no joke. It's absolutely true.

A well ran salon consists of many characters...oh yes, we call them stylists, receptionists and clients. To think, every moment in this situation is great, is absolutely asinine.

Our staff here at Just Primpin' Salon consists of seven people; five stylists and two receptionists. Joanie is our head receptionists. She is a very professional, serious woman, who works hard. She is our morning girl, very important. She starts the morning handing out schedules and peptalks. Chazz is our evening receptionist. He is a good worker. Although, being very young, he is uncertain of his career choices, college, work, well everything. Their jobs were to greet clients, answer phones and schedule appointments. Their level of professionalism is critical. They are our salon's first impression.

Our newest addition, is our intern, Justice. He is currently enrolled at the local Beauty College and has been our intern for two months. He is very ambitious and hungry to get into the profession. Two more months and he'll graduate, then take state board. Once he is licensed, he will be able to be promoted to apprentice.

Harley, our apprentice, graduated a year and a half ago. He feels like he's stuck being an apprentice and will not progress. What he doesn't realize, is it's his tardiness and attendance that are holding him back.

Kelly is a stylist with five years experience. She does great hair and has a friendly professional approach. She is a follower, not a leader. Kelly takes no initiative to move forward. She is comfortable.

James is our senior stylist. He is super ambitious, a natural born leader and a trouble maker. His behavior should've gotten him fired by now. James has ten years experience, not just at doing hair, but also at smooth talking. He always, somehow, finds his way out of every uncomfortable situation.

Jean, our master stylist, has over thirty years experience. She, currently, feels like she is seeing and training the next generation of hair stylists. She loves her profession and making people look and feel amazing. This meant everything to her.

Even on the best of days someone is going to get under someone else's skin. The goal is to start your day well, make people look and feel amazing and make money. Your day should bring a certain level of satisfaction in knowing you are making the world more beautiful, one head at a time.

At Just Primpin' Salon everyday is buzzing from the outside looking in, you would never know the mayhem that is behind closed doors...actually in the break room.

There are many people in the salon. Some people take other people's feelings into consideration. While others run rampant with the excitement of being the center of attention. No matter what your profession is, everyone has goods and bads.

As a stylist, there's no hiding behind a computer screen or in a back room, we are different. We are here to serve you. We touch the heads and hearts of many, listening and supporting clients in the timeframe of a haircut. Most stylist went to Beauty College with a desire to make people feel great about themselves.

Although in the melting pot of the salon, the competition is on for money and clout. No one wants to be on the bottom.

Stylists are clawing their way to the top in most salons. I thought we were like family. Well I guess there's one in every family...even if that it's your work family.

No one is perfect but there are rules. Venting and gossiping on the floor was prohibited. It was never recommended...period, but if unavoidable, it should be between the two people involved in the break room, outside smoking area or after hours.

Never! Never! Never should anyone "spill another's tea" when all eyes and ears are on them. When this rule is broken, many people get hurt. It's been known that both stylists and receptionists have been let go due to these inappropriate actions. All that being said, let's spill some tea.

Jean had grown above the everyday competition with other stylists. The receptionist staff respected her and scheduled her appropriately, mostly because she was established. With the workload of her own clientele, she wasn't to be bothered with walk-ins. This was great for Kelly and James. It gives them the opportunity to build their clientele.

Kelly and James were constantly battling for clients. They were ready to claw each other's eyes out, to be the most successful. They both knew what they wanted, success, more clients, referrals, as well as the district manager's attention. Kelly wants to progress to senior stylist and James is chomping at the bit to become a master stylist.

What they don't realize is, it is not just your ability to perform your skills, be able to talk to clients of all ages, genders and ethnicities, but also conduct yourself professionally with poise under any circumstance. Attitudes and negative behaviors are the weeds in the garden of the salon.

All that being said, it was an extremely busy Saturday in December. Things were moving along smoothly. It's going to be a great day. Putting all profits aside, it was the beginning of the shaking of the hornets' nest.

Justice, the intern, was trying to sell himself (blah, blah, blah). Chazz, the receptionist, tells Harley how good he is doing and that he should be moved up to stylist.

This creates a huge conflict. Kelly could not imagine Harley being on the same level as her. She had been doing hair so much longer than him.

Justice had no idea how much he was stirring the pot. He was creating waves where there had been none. Justice was a slithering snake hissing through the salon. He's sly and camouflaged as a stylist. He is treacherous.

James has tried to get to the top for years, but Jean had been doing hair ten years longer than him. She prided herself in continued education. Her favorites were any Sasson classes. She felt strong, confident and secure.

Jean tried to remind James,he was on his way to greatness. He just needed to put in the time to build a clientele and stay connected through continued education.

To her face, James was respectful. While smoking a cigarette, he had no problem running her into the ground. In the salon he maintained his professionalism. No one would've guessed he was the snake in the grass, pitting Justice and Harley against each other. Saying anything to make himself look better than Jean.

It was holiday season, everyone was working twelve hour days and no one had seen a break since mid October. Things looked good from the outside looking in, that's because we are trained to behave that way, anything else is unacceptable.

It's 9pm, this day has been way too long. Holiday time is hard, but it is also a blessing to be busy and making people feel confident for all their upcoming events.

Jean sweeps up, she did it...she completed her 30th Christmas behind the chair. She lets out a sigh of relief. She's feeling tired but she felt very good about herself and where her career had taken her.

Leaving on that thought, she says her goodbyes. The rest of the staff were cleaning and hoping to get out of there soon.

Jean walks out the back door into the parking structure, when she realizes she forgot her phone. It was in the top drawer of her station. Quickly, she turned around to retrieve it.

As she opened the backdoor and came into the break room, she couldn't believe her ears. Why?! Why do people have to be so mean? All she ever did was be nice and helpful

Jean thought all of this gossip and back stabbing was a thing of the past. When she reflected on it, these stylists were all about the same age she was the first time she had experienced anything like this, stopped by the conversation, Jean stood quietly in the break room, over hearing the most hurtful things.

James said, "It's so annoying that Jean is always so busy. I think Joanie and Chazz are showing her favoritism, since she has been here forever."

Meanwhile, Harley and Justice were bickering amongst themselves, until they hear Kelly speak up. Kelly replied to James, "The only reason she is so busy is because of the way she dresses, that's why the men book appointments with her and are willing to wait so long. "

James says in return, "Yeah, I can't believe that she blatantly flirts with her clients, on the floor, in front of all of us."

Hearing this was breaking Jean's heart. First off, she never wore anything revealing, plus she wore an apron everyday. Oh, she wanted so badly to go out there and defend herself, but not knowing how far things would escalate considering how hurt she was, she decided against it. Quietly she stood fuming and crying, even though she wished she could go beat up those evil trolls.

Harley and Justice, almost simultaneously, chirped up and said, "Yeah! I knew she couldn't really be that friendly...she's been flirting with everyone; the clients, the receptionist and us."

It took all Jean's self control to go out there and put this gossip to an end. With it being the holiday season, she decided, she needed to let it go and consider the source. That was easier said than done.

Chazz, the evening receptionist said, "Yeah, right?! I try to never book her, Jean didn't think she could take much more. She decided to leave without retrieving her phone.

As she drove home, she was haunted by the comments made. She just couldn't believe that this was the way her coworkers viewed her. Having the next three days off, due to the holidays, was exactly what Jean needed...some family time without drama.

She knew she'd be back in the ring with those monsters on Wednesday. She couldn't stop thinking about the hurtful things they had said about her.

Jean was overwhelmed with the desire to tell the receptionists to do their job, as they were educated to do. Remembering personal life and opinions are not for the work place. Be professional!

As for Justice, she would've loved to put a little fear into him. She wanted to tell him the gossip he was choosing to participate in could result in him getting fired. No one would want someone who behaves that poorly to be part of their team.

Harley, what a disappointment. She had taught him so much and couldn't understand where this hatred was coming from. Jean understood wanting to move up, but at what expense...your dignity?!

Kelly and James were firing back and forth. James said, " I wonder if we could find any dirt on her, so we could get her fired." Kelly happily replied, "Oh yeah, that would be great! Then we would both move up. You'd become a master stylist and I'd become a senior stylist!" James exclaimed, "Yes! More money for us and the demise of Jean. Actually, if we could get her fired, we won't have to deal with her at all." "Right?!," Chazz, the evening receptionist, added.

The intern, Justice, and the apprentice, Harley, caught wind of the conversation. Harley asked, "So if you guys move up to senior and master stylists, does that mean I get to move up from apprentice to stylist?"

Before anyone could respond, Justice interjected, "Yeah! What about me? Would I move up as well? I don't want to be an intern forever. I know, I'm ready for the apprentice opportunity."

Everyone was talking. She couldn't believe this was how her coworkers felt. All she had ever done was try to help guide and teach the stylists of the future.

She was so depressed. Their comments were devouring her mind. She wished she had never heard any of that conversation. It changed everything.

Jean was supposed to be enjoying her family and celebrating the holiday. She couldn't. She was not doing well Her husband, Jose, kept saying, "You seem so disconnected. Are you ok? Is something wrong?" Jean didn't want to ruin their holiday with the painful gossip from the salon.

On day three of her days off, she had decided, she no longer wanted to work at Just Primpin' Salon. Why should she give so much of herself to people that don't support her or lift her up? Their only desire was to break her down.

Jean had been a licensed cosmetologist for over thirty years. She had loved working at Just Primpin' Salon, but it felt like her time there had came to an end. Everything happens for a reason, Jean told herself.

Maybe she had became complacent. The pain that came from over hearing her coworkers was exactly what she needed to close this chapter of her life and open another. Goodbye Just Primpin' Salon. Hello future.