Hiring and retaining top notch staff is a constant challenge, specifically in the health and fitness club industry. Many employees work part-time and across multiple locations, so while it’s hard to bring on the right people, it can be even harder to get them to stick around.

Club leaders have to be proactive about staff management and development.

If your dream for your club is to have approachable, committed staff with that create a sense of consistency and deeper engagement for members of your club, read on.

Recruiting Health Club Staff

For any given position at your health club, you have a list of prerequisites and qualifications. As you set out on the search for a candidate who meets those qualifications, you want to attract people who share your club’s values, encourage staff referrals, and prioritize diversity.

How do you accomplish all of that? Here are three tactics to have in your arsenal.

ABR (Always Be Recruiting)

One common mistake is only recruiting when you have an opening or a need for a new staff member. It may seem counterintuitive to be looking for new people when you’re fully staffed, but you never know when a staff person, even a manager or director, is going to decide to grow their career outside your walls. When that happens, it is better to have a list of great candidates already established instead of scrambling to find a someone qualified.

Be Where Your People Are

If you want to secure the best people, you have to find out where they are. This goes for digital and physical spaces. Join social media groups, conferences, workshops, and meetups. Simply by being present in these spaces you should find a few ideal candidates for your club.

Look to Current Members

Your club likely has troves of committed members who are already passionate about your health and fitness mission and your facility’s offerings. Find out who these people are, connect with them, and make sure you have ways to get in touch with them in case you ever have an opening they would be perfect for.

We’ve talked about how staff referrals already have a lot of the characteristics, skills, and proficiencies you want in your team, but don’t overlook your members with the same potential.

Retaining Health Club Staff

Scoring a solid team is a challenge, but once you’ve achieved that, the work is not done! You need to keep them on the team for the long-haul. Here are 3 powerful retention tactics.

Build Community

Your club is a community consisting of members and employees. One of the special realities of the fitness industry is that it’s personal – club staff people are a huge part of their members’ lives. A community with strong member-staff relationships has the power to improve both your member retention and your employee retention. The closer your community is, the harder it is to leave.

Foster a Strong Culture

Culture boils down to creating a positive work environment, treating your employees with respect, and building a space where employees wake up excited to go into work every day. Start by crafting a set of guiding values that embodies what you want your club to represent. These values should include things like how you want your staff to interact with members, a broader mission for your club and your vision for what you want your club to become.

Make Efficiency a Priority

Efficient operations undoubtedly improve staff experience. From simplified scheduling to modern payroll operations, health club management software can play a key role in making your team’s job easier.

To learn more, schedule a demo to talk with our team.

‍