The First Thing I Did As a New Manager
by Shelley Winters
General Manager
Riverdale Fitness
Toronto, ON
One of my first experiences in the Fitness Industry was that of receptionist at the Martial Arts school that I attended. I had all of the same duties as those that our front counter staff have now – answering the phone, doing tours of the facility, assisting current members, etc. It wasn’t until I moved, and most un-happily had to resign, that I realized just how lucky I was to have had the ‘Boss’ that I did.
Today, in my roll as Manager at Riverdale Fitness I do my best to copy the management style that I so appreciated back then. It is my belief that you need to realize a few things when it comes to your staff:
1) That they have a life outside of their duties at the gym;
2) Some people work more efficiently during the day, then at night, and vice-versa;
3) There are occasions when a day off is needed - and not just due to illness.
The first thing I did upon becoming Manager was to sit down with each of the staff members – there were five at the time - to find out if they had a preference as to work hours, and why. With this information at hand I wrote out a permanent schedule – in the past their scheduled hours changed weekly. I then told them that if they needed to change this schedule for any reason, be it that they had to go to a doctor’s appointment, wanted an extra day off or a long weekend, etc., I didn’t want to hear about it until they had their shift covered by one of the other staff. That was 18 months ago, and there has been no ‘main staff’ turnover.
Not only will this approach ensure that your staff is happy, more productive, and secure in the knowledge that their job will still be there if they take a day off to pursue a personal interest, but it makes the members of your gym more secure knowing that those happy smiling faces that they’ve come to know, and may even consider to be a friend, will be there to greet them when they come in next.
Popularity: 5% [?]
