By CEDR HR Solutions

If you've just spent months hiring for a critical role—maybe a licensed injector or a trusted aesthetician—only to find yourself facing an immediate leave of absence, the frustration is real, but so is the fact that your spa has already been operating without this position filled. For now, you’ll likely have to return to the same strategies you used during the hiring process. It may not be ideal, but it’s familiar.

What does that mean in practice?

You’ve already been covering the gap—and you’ll have to keep doing it a little longer. Whether that means adjusting the treatment schedule, shifting responsibilities among the team or even temporarily pausing certain services, you’ve already found ways to make it work. This just extends that period.

Temporary help isn’t always an option for licensed aesthetic roles. In a small med spa, finding last-minute professionals who are licensed, are experienced and can align with your standards for client care isn’t easy. If a temporary replacement isn’t feasible, you’ll need to lean on the team you trust to help manage the workload and client expectations.

Cross-training sounds good in theory, but it has limits. While it might work for reception or coordination roles, your injector can’t hand off Botox appointments to someone who is unlicensed, and your laser tech can’t just train someone in a week. You must respect scope-of-practice and licensure requirements, even if the team is willing to pitch in.

There’s no quick fix, but adjusting workflows might help. Whether it’s spacing out appointments, consolidating similar treatments into certain days, or dialing back on marketing promotions for now, small shifts can relieve some pressure while you wait for your team member to return.

Your team has already proven it can handle a vacancy. You’ve weathered this before—cutting back hours, consolidating services or pushing through busy days with limited staff. This time, it’s temporary and you know what to expect.

This time, you know you have the right person. Last time, you were juggling resumes, interviews and trial periods. Now, you’ve already hired the right person—they just need time to recover and return. That clarity makes all the difference.

Your employee handbook can help set expectations. This is also a good time to review your policies around medical or maternity leave. Clear communication, defined timelines, and a strong reintegration plan set the tone for a smooth return and reassure your team that you’ve got a plan in place.

Still feeling like your spa is too small to absorb the hit?

If you’re an AmSpa member, give CEDR HR Solutions a call. It will help you find a strategy that keeps things running until your team is whole again.

CEDR HR Solutions believes that better workplaces make better lives. They provide custom, legally compliant employee handbooks, expert human resources support, and powerful team management software to the owners and managers of more than 2,500 wellness, medical and dental businesses in all 50 states. CEDR's “HR for Life” approach to serving its members empowers medical spa professionals to build better businesses and lead more fulfilling lives by connecting them to expert HR advisors who work with them to find practical, compliant solutions to their day-to-day HR and team management problems.