Your gym is only as good as your staff, and experienced personal trainers are hard to find.
If you already have great personal trainers on staff, you need gym retention strategies to help keep them. There’s a labor shortage all around, and it extends to gyms. People are leaving their jobs in record numbers. If you’re running a fitness center, you need to attract and retain top talent–motivated, outgoing, hard-working individuals who will keep your clientele engaged. Here’s how to keep your gym staff happy and your bottom line healthy.
What is a Staff Retention Strategy?
That sweet spot where you have a talented, engaged staff taking care of a steady stream of happy customers is even harder to maintain than it is to achieve. It’s a delicate balance. You need enough customers to keep your staff busy, yet not so many they are overworked and overwhelmed.
Personal fitness is, well, personal. Trainers need the time to be friendly and encouraging, but they also need plenty of business. Your staff retention strategy should address your fitness trainers’ needs and make them feel like part of the team.
Staff turnover is costly and inconvenient. The interviewing, hiring, and training process is a time-consuming hassle. And well, time is money, especially when you’re paying your staff overtime for working extra shifts while you’re trying to find a new trainer. Hiring is quite an expensive venture once you figure out end-to-end costs. The cost of a new hire varies depending on the person’s skill level, and the position you’re hiring for and can be up to 200% of the position’s salary.
What’s more, when a trainer leaves, their loyal customers often follow them to their new job. So, you can see why improving staff retention is a big deal.
With 3 million Americans handing in their notice every month, many within six months of being hired, you could potentially be looking at having to hire new employees several times a year. Finding ways to hold on to your employees drastically reduces staffing costs and the headaches that come with hiring.
14 Ways to Improve Gym Staff Retention
The goal of an employee retention strategy is to be a good employer at a good workplace, and that involves more than pay rate. Of course, money is important, but job satisfaction and work/life balance are essential. Here are some solid gym retention strategies you can use to keep your gym staff happy for the long term.
1. Job satisfaction and healthy social culture begin with the right hire.
When interviewing a new candidate, dig deeper than skills and experience. You want people whose values align with your company values and who have the kind of personality that fits your gym’s environment and clientele. For example, an aggressive drill sergeant style might work well in a weight-lifting or CrossFit gym, while a gym catering to older people struggling to get in shape needs trainers with low-key, gently encouraging styles. A bad hire could quickly drive away clients, even if they aren’t directly involved with the trainer.
2. Set clear expectations.
Express precisely what is expected of an employee in terms of dress codes/uniforms, duties, hours expected, and be clear about what you offer as an employer, such as staff discounts and benefits, flexible hours, holidays, and illness/injury coverage.
3. Give trainers a good start.
Training should cover company etiquette and the use of machines, software, and operations. Even experienced trainers need to learn the protocols specific to your gym.
4. Creating an environment filled with camaraderie makes coming to work fun.
Encourage teams to get to know one another in a social environment. Do whatever works for you and your staff, whether that’s a regular get-together, a company-sponsored sports team, or participation in local events. Coming to work with friends makes everyone happier.
5. Incentives come in many forms, including commission bonuses for personal trainers.
Some companies incorporate performance recognition bonuses using target-based or class attendance-based bonuses. When your top performers attract more business, they deserve a little extra.
6. Give recognition of good work, both informally and formally.
Employees like to know their hard work is appreciated. If it isn’t, they’ll find somewhere else, where it will be. So reward excellent work in various ways to keep your team motivated.
You could try:
- Team Challenges
- Client nominations for trainer of the month
- Staff nominations for trainer of the month
- Dinner for the winner!
- A monthly contest for class attendance
- Staff only hours at the gym
- Non-work-related prizes like movie tickets
7. Offer the proper industry standard (or better) job benefits.
A personal trainer job usually comes with a range of benefits such as flexible working hours, health care insurance, staff discounts, occasional freebies, and a trainer will expect a high level of job satisfaction. Offer your staff competitive benefits and they’ll stay with you much longer.
8. Be approachable.
As an employer, it’s important to show your staff you care about them. Truly caring employers show compassion, discretion, and, where necessary and able, take action to help.
9. Generate leads for your trainers.
You’ve invested in them by hiring them, so you want them to succeed. Taking on the marketing side and generating leads ensures success for you and your trainer.
10. Give feedback regularly.
Let them know how they’re doing, what they’re doing well, and what could be adjusted or improved. Keep it constructive and positive, so your staff knows you care about their success.
11. Mediate when necessary.
Even the best trainers occasionally need help with clients or other trainers. Know when to step in and offer solutions. Let your trainers know they can rely on you for support.
12. Encourage ongoing training for all trainers.
Increasing the skills and certifications of your professional trainers and gym staff benefits you and your trainers. Subsidizing the costs of further training and certifications is worth the investment. In addition to helping your trainers build their careers, it gives your gym additional selling points to generate more business and helps foster staff loyalty.
13. Involve existing employees in the hiring decision.
After all, your employees are the ones who will be working directly alongside new hires. They can help you identify the best fit among qualified candidates.
14. Prioritize a clean, safe, presentable environment for customers and employees alike.
Finally, everyone wants to work in a clean, modern facility. Your gym staff retention efforts will fall flat if your facility is a health hazard. Gym staff should feel as welcome as customers in your facility, especially if they’re spending their off-time working out at your gym.
If you want to build a great fitness center, you’ll need a nice facility where customers feel comfortable, happy, long-term staffers who are proud of their jobs, and an upbeat, positive environment.
When a personal trainer quits, it can be upsetting to their clients. Constant turnover means a steady loss of paying customers, and there’s no guarantee that new trainers you hire will bring their own customer base. Focus on creating a welcoming, nourishing environment for your staff as if they were your ideal customers. When you prioritize staff wellness, that effort will be reflected in your staff’s performance, loyalty to the job, and ultimately satisfied customers.
