The Truth About Working In The Beauty Industry - Part II

Part II is a follow up from Part I (which was about the customers) and gives you an insight of what it’s like to work for a beauty company, the colleagues and head office politics. For people who work or have worked in the beauty industry, this will be extremely relatable.

Before I begin, I don’t want this blog to come across as a bitching platform as I have worked with many who are passionate and positive about their jobs, and damn right lovely people. On the other hand, I have also come across a wider spectrum of people who are incompetent, rude, fake and adopt a bullying mentality.

Upper Management

Statistics & Targets:

People who work in senior management teams always like to break your balls and ask their favourite question of all time ‘why haven’t you hit target’. Most of the time, they have no business sense whatsoever and will literally pluck figures and targets out of their arses. For example, your business could be likely to make £600k for the year, but instead they sit in their cushty offices and think “I’ll make the target £1m as that’s a nice round number!” They don’t do their research and therefore don’t realise that in your area, in your line of business and with the types of customers you have shopping there, you cannot make those figures unless you literally start pimping out your team to sell their bodies on the streets. To be honest, they would probably enjoy this as it would generate sales and show ‘initiative’.

You could hit target 11 out of the 12 months of the year, and even though they were MIA Maya for those 11 months, the second you don’t hit target, they appear out of nowhere like some Nazi wizard and start expressing concern. It doesn't matter that they don’t offer you any support, it doesn’t matter whether they know your name or not, it doesn’t matter that there’s been a global stock shortage for the last year, or that they keep opening rival counters in every direction you go… no, no, no, the problem is you my dear. They still expect you to hit target against all these odds.

There were so many times, we would come up with ideas to better the business, or bring external business in and were constantly met with a brick wall. We were hit with excuses such as “we don’t have the budget for this”, or “Arsehole Adam (senior manager) said no” (with no further explanation), or “it’s not in line with our brand” (bollocks). However if you didn’t hit target, they would ask “why don’t you come up with more ideas?”, “why don’t you think outside the box?”, why this and why bloody that. Or even worse, “I think you should…(whilst giving you a list of stupid ideas)” oh fuck off Sally, like you know what it’s like to work on the shop floor/ frontline as we call it. You just keep drinking your de-caff coffee from the comfort of your swivel chair in your well air-conditioned office.

Lack of acknowledgement:

Senior management would often wear you down over figures but fail to acknowledge hard work or immeasurable things such as excellent customer service with people, who eventually become loyal regulars due to this service. How hard is it to say two words “thank you” or “well done”. Instead of thanking you for your hard work, or your achievements for the business, they will then find another excuse to berate you. For example, “your team isn’t taking enough customers details, it’s needs to be at 80% or higher”. Translated for those who don’t work in makeup, “Why haven’t you been a constant pain in the arse for customers by asking for their personal information so that we can legally stalk them via email and telephone.”

The GM (General Manager):

Though there are variations of this job title, this person is essentially the head of the brand in your company. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve worked for some really good GM’s, but I’ve also known some dictators who shouldn’t work in the industry. One (in)famously admitted that she’s not a “people person”, before making her mark as a human bulldozer and destroying all previous hard work and morale built up with the previous GM.

Favouritism:

Rather than the quiet and hard working, it is often the loudest and biggest arse lickers that are favoured by the upper management. Instead of making an effort to find out who really adds value in the company, they find it easiest to favour loud and “look at me, look at me” people. These are the very same people who might have a ‘dazzling’ personality on the surface, appear like they do more than they actually do, steal their colleague’s ideas and do more sucking (up) than a toilet plunger. If you’re someone who works in senior management and can’t distinguish between hard workers, and the fakers, then your business will eventually fail. There is no amount of pretension and fakery that will last long enough before it all goes downhill. I’ve seen this happen time and time again.

VM (Visual Merchandising)

The really annoying VM or store design team member that does last minute impromptu visits on your store with the head of global VM/ SD. You’ve given them plenty of time to give you instructions and make sure everything is to ‘global standard’, but on the day or morning of the visit, they do a last minute panic check of the store and question you on things that have been there since day 1 and is now too late to change. Basically, they need a scapegoat. They will tell you about their visit first thing in the morning, but arrive mid-afternoon, leisurely breezing in with a vegan flat white whilst asking why there are smudges on the foundation bottles (when they can clearly see customers in store). You’re never sent enough testers even though you’ve asked for it a gerzillion times, therefore are forced to use what’s on the display stands. If VM had arrived on time, she would have seen products being thoroughly cleaned (as they are every day of the week), first thing in the morning and last thing at close.

They seem to have a mini heart attack about the smallest things but really, calm down Mildred, it’s a fucking place of business and not a showroom. The products will shock horror have to be used for their purposes on real customers. The worst example is when you have a business to run, a team to manage, customers to serve, emails to answer to and money to make, but Mildred over here, quietly berates you because the candles are in the wrong order on the shelf. Fuck off, and get a real job honey!

Colleagues

Staff:

I have experienced managing many different types of people; some are wonderful human beings who want to go far and work hard for it. Others are lazy, incompetent and the biggest whingers. As a manager, it is known that you will have many invisible titles; manager, mother, babysitter, cleaner, life coach, psychologist, amongst many… However many staff don’t necessarily realise what you’ve been through in your life and moan about the most trivial things. A solution for brats should be to send them to the army and live in Afghanistan for one month, after that, there will be no more whinging. “Oh you don’t like having to come in on time Sally? Okay, here’s a one way ticket to Iraq.”

Fellow Managers:

I’ve again worked with amazing fellow managers when it’s really about team work and what’s best for the business. On the other hand, there are two other types: The Lazies - They’re normally the ones who are favourites of the senior management team because they lots of talking, but not a lot of walking. Identifiable as loud, chatty, (sometimes) charismatic, confident and very good at taking credit for work they did not do. It’s often a headache to work with people like this, as you’ll be indirectly expected to cover for them when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to be doing, or not be where they’re supposed to be.

Alternatively, you have the managers who are gunning for your job. The kind where you have to keep looking over your shoulder and one eye open whilst sleeping. These are the do-gooders, and the supposedly butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth types but behind their angelic smiles, they’re holding a 6-inch blade behind them, ready to backstab you at any moment. These people are the type waiting for you to slip up and if you don’t, will create situations to make you look bad. Ultimately, they get far to a certain extent but in the end, will trip up over their own tail of lies and greed.

Stock

I have never understood stock issues. I understand if you are a small brand starting out, and are initially going through teething problems over new processes. However, when you are a multi-million corporation, there is no reason whatsoever for there to be any stock issues; maybe once in a blue moon yes, but not every single damn month, of the last few years.

Senior management will conveniently forget the fact that you can’t make any money without stock like “oh you actually need stock to hit target!?”. Not only is this demotivating for the staff, but also infuriating for customers. It is highly unprofessional and ridiculous to constantly have to tell regular customers “I apologise this product isn’t in stock and we don’t know when it will be because our company couldn’t get their shit together and now I’m having to be the scapegoat and apologise to you directly when really this is not my fault and I have no power whatsoever. Have a lovely day'“.

Head Office Teams In General

I really dislike people who work at head office who haven’t worked a day on the shop floor, not understanding the difficulties of balancing reporting, boosting the morale of the team and directly dealing with arsehole customers. As part of the induction process, they should make every new head office employee work for a month on the shop floor; this experience will no doubt be extremely invaluable for them. I’m not talking about pretending to ‘contribute’ by visiting the store on a quiet afternoon and serving one customer, I mean working as a real team member for a whole month. After this, you will gain the right to contribute your opinions about my business, otherwise, keep your g.o.b shut.

On the subject of shitty customers, making the day even shittier, we have set lunch times and cannot leave when we want. People at head office can pop out for a vegan, gluten free, flavour free lunch anytime it pleases them. They have one difficult conversation with their boss or client, and it’s instantly “Joan, I’m popping out for a cigarette” or it’s 4.30pm and though they’re leaving in 30 minutes, they’re feeling a bit peckish “Mary, I’m just popping into Pret, want anything?” Whilst they’re at it, expensing it on the company card and calling it a “working lunch”.

PR

Where do I start with PR? The department where I’ve seen the most incompetent people of all! They often hire young, ditzy 20 year olds, who have hardly any life experience and basically pay them to socialise and party; all at the expense of the company. What a dream job!

Influencers:

Every time there is a new launch, they often pay for “famous” influencers to holiday at the expense of the company. The influencers are basically taken on holiday, with their flights and hotels paid for, just so that they will post one Insta selfie with said product of interest. Fair enough if the influencer is in line with the brand’s image and philosophy but you can’t get a trashy influencer to promote a brand that prides itself on elegance and luxury. The PR teams often become whores to influencers just because they have a certain number of followers. So don’t tell me my idea isn’t “in line with the brand” when I’m sure as hell, the influencer with fake spidery lashes and zebra crossing contour isn’t in line with the brand either!

The biggest insult is when certain staff are chosen to go on these luxury holidays with influencers and get paid for it! Other than a select few who probably deserve to go, others are chosen because again they’re the loudest and biggest arse lickers. It’s due to expensive holidays like this, that the brand clearly has “no budget” for business ideas that really matter and need backing. “Oh I’m sorry we can’t support your brilliant business idea, as the budget is going to the head of PR who needs to top up her tan at a luxury resort in Mexico…”

PR events:

It is us that do the hard work but the PR team often gets the credit. The makeup artists are expected to run around like headless chickens, catering to the whim of every “VIP” (Very Irritating Person), as well as demanding PR team members and then have to stand there smiling whilst someone else is congratulated for a successful event. It’s also interesting when VIP guests like to add their own spice to boring PR events with their own packet of white substances which they shoot up their nostrils in the staff toilets.

Marketing/ Advertisement

Companies often advertise bullshit marketing slogans, preaching about being true to yourself whilst they hire (in Mean Girls style) the nastiest skank bitch, fugly sluts to work in the industry. The brand likes to tell people to be as free and expressive with makeup as you want but then often impose strict rules on the makeup artist, on what products they can or cannot wear which is highly contradictory. They will say “this type of smokey eye isn’t in line with the brand”, “this heavy contouring is not what we are about as a brand”, or “the look should still be elegant”, but then PR choose an influencer that looks like roadkill to market their new product launch. Hypocritical much…?

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Final Thoughts

They say people leave managers, not companies which can be true but if your boss has no power because the company doesn’t listen to them either, you’re fucked. If a company’s turnover rate is high, it is their job not only to find out why, but to really listen to the RIGHT people and make an effort to turn this around. A focus group based on the very same people who lick arse and bully new staff members is going to do nothing to improve your company or business - It’s not rocket science! If your turnover rate is high, you are doing something wrong at senior management level which then trickles down. It’s not just about acknowledging problems, it's about doing something proactive to change that.

As much as I have highlighted the fucktards that can work in beauty, on the other hand, I have come across hard workers and people who have not only become some of my lifelong friends, but are now family. It’s true you will find bullshit, bullying and company politics wherever you go but something about the makeup industry’s superficial environment, makes it more so. If you want to work for the beauty industry, don’t be put off by this blog but just do your research about which companies to work for, because some certainly care more than others.

Until next time Xo