A friendly smile at the front desk, trainers who take their time, or a clean workout area - things that members notice in a gym. Good staff can make the difference between a prospective member deciding for or against a studio. Behind a successful studio are employees who can identify with the company, are motivated and have a high level of professional competence in their daily work. Unfortunately, there is a high turnover rate, especially in the fitness industry, which presents studio operators with challenges. How do I find and keep good employees and where should I deploy them?
Finding the right staff
There are several ways to find suitable staff for fitness studios. Before starting to post job ads, fitness facility operators should get an overview. What type of studio is it? Premium, discount or EMS studio? How many staff do I need? And what qualifications should applicants have? In the premium sector, for example, customer contact is enormously important; members expect special treatment here. Discount studios, on the other hand, take the minimalist route and tend to have fewer employees. Those who know exactly what they are looking for have fewer problems in the selection process. To ensure that there are no difficulties in the search, there are a number of providers on the Internet who can help. On different platforms job advertisements can be switched easily. The website fitnessjobs.de specializes in the job search in the fitness industry, here you can find job offers from the fitness world as well as tips for the application and for interviews.
Students
Every company wants young, motivated and committed employees. Fitness studios often rely on dual students. Various universities offer degree programs that are perfectly suited to the fitness, health and sports industry. One well-known university is the German University of Prevention and Health Management, or DHfPG for short. This is completely geared towards the industry and offers the perfect framework with degree programs such as fitness and sports economics or health management. Here, students learn theoretical knowledge on the one hand and gain practical experience in the company on the other. A complement from which both the students and the studios benefit. Many of these young people are themselves active in the gym and can turn their hobby into a profession. As a result, they bring passion to their working lives and can identify with the company.
How much staff do I need?
The amount of staff depends on the type of gym. As mentioned above, discount facilities often have fewer staff than premium sector studios. In discount facilities, employees have multiple areas of responsibility. It's not uncommon for the trainer to also be at the reception desk or handle sales-related things. In gyms from the premium sector, this is more rarely the case. Here, the work areas are precisely separated. The trainer is on the training floor, the salesperson in the office and the receptionist at the counter. But it is not only the number of work areas that determines the number of employees; the size of the facility is also crucial. Related to this, in the best case, is the number of members. If both are particularly high, I also need more staff to be able to guarantee good service. If the number of members is rather low, then fewer workers will suffice. Opening hours are just as important. Employees can't work 24 hours, so if I'm open longer, I need more staff.
The progress of digitalization and automation does not stop at the fitness industry. There are already many areas in a gym where staff are no longer needed. It starts when you go in: Where a person used to be responsible for check-in and check-out, turnstiles and chip cards now take care of that. It's a similar story with drinks and shakes. Using screens or taps, members can decide for themselves what they want. They no longer need a person to do it. It will be interesting to see where this development goes and how our training will change as a result.
Freelancers
It is no longer uncommon to find freelancers in a gym. Many personal trainers or course instructors are not permanent employees, but work independently. Course trainers usually have to adapt to the given course times of the respective studio, but they also work in other fitness studios. Personal trainers handle it similarly: Either they have a fixed studio where they take care of the members, or they are on the road in several. Both have advantages and disadvantages. With fixed gyms, the trainer doesn't have to worry about his client base and schedules. However, the disadvantage is that he is completely dependent on the studio. It is different when he operates in different studios. He has to take care of appointments himself and develop his own customer base. Disadvantage here is that he must cede duties to the studio. All in all, freelancers can positively strengthen a fitness facility.
Conclusion
Despite advancing digitalization, a good staff is indispensable. The fitness facility stands and falls with it. A mixture of students and experienced staff can be a good option. The employees should fit the respective studio, then nothing stands in the way of a successful operation.
Editorial fitnessmarkt.de (NJ)
Image source: #200323084 © GutesaMilos / Adobe Stock
Published on: 8 February 2019