Finding the right people to work in your gym can be described as jumping on a treadmill that’s cranked up to the highest level. It can be really hard work and i know that firsthand. While mastering the skill of staffing can take time, IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS BIGGER. Lets face it..until you get it right, you will forever be frustrated with staff, working big hours yourself, struggling to take holidays, and ultimately unable to confidently delegate important roles.
1.What not to do – THE UBER LESSON
Uber is a ride-sharing company that’s recently had employee problems. Many say that Uber allowed employee discrimination resulting in female employees feeling undervalued and blocked, which is why they didn’t stick around, resulting in a reduction in drivers and in UBER’s overall talent pool.
In the fitness business, not only do we have diverse clients, diversity also exists in our employees.
We need to create an environment that will attract and retain, not only our clients, but also our staff. Aim to create a working environment where employees get regular opportunity to provide open and honest feedback and where staff feel like management care enough to genuinely listen. UBER lost a large chunk of market share to companies like LYFT as they learnt this lesson the hard way.
2.Non negotiable and setting standards
When setting up your gym, one of the first things we often do is write up a list of member policies. However, it’s also important that you set up rules for your staff and enforce them vigilantly. In my gym, we attract staff who share in our ‘6 core values’ and we revisit our list of ‘staff non-negotiables’ every single week to ensure high standards. As the gym owner, it’s also our role to deal with issues that arise quickly, to prevent the development of a negative staff member or toxic atmosphere.
3.Staff Retention = Member Retention
When you keep your staff happy, growing and challenged guess what?….. ‘drum roll……’ they stay longer! And when staff are happy and stay longer this has a direct correlation with increased member retention. So map out your calendar for the year and think about ways to develop you staff, book in opportunities for social get togethers, and create a career path for your best staff to take on new roles and responsibilities as they grow.
4.Have a Strong Onboarding Process
Having an orientation process and framework to welcome new people is vital to their success and long term happiness. This goes beyond accomplishing paperwork and signing the usual HR forms, and should instead also indoctrinate new people into your unique selling points, your core values and give them training around key areas of the business they need to know. Use this chance to teach the CRM, the sales process, reporting, and explain your expectations for the role.
5.Build Morale and Connection
Share with your staff your bigger vision for the business and make them feel that they are part of something great and that their contributions matter. Employees like to feel that they count and that the growth of the business will also translate into success for them. Money is rarely the no. 1 factor determining staff satisfaction.
6.Be Proactive with Resignations
If an employee expresses their desire to leave the company, then make sure you find out why. The goal should be to keep them if possible. Move quick – set up a coffee or informal chat off site and be open to feedback. I USE QUESTIONS LIKE – What are you unhappy about? What can i do to help? What could you do to help? We would love to keep you involved with the team – would you consider working with me to improve the situation and see if we can’t make it work?
In conclusion, as a studio owner mastering STAFF RETENTION will save you not only time, but also money. When good staff stick around longer, you will have more time to grow your business and sanity in the workplace 🙂
