3 Proven Strategies for Fitness Employee Retention

The Growing Challenge of Fitness Employee Retention

In today’s modern business world, it’s important to understand how to obtain and retain employees. This is especially true for fitness clubs, where an advanced level of commitment from employers and workers is needed for success.

In the Club Industry December 2022 Issue(1), Bryan K. O’Rourke, Founder and CEO, of Vedere Ventures wrote, “In January 2022 alone, 4.3 million people quit their jobs. According to the Pew Research Center, workers offered a long list of reasons why they quit, including low pay, a lack of opportunity for advancement, feeling disrespected at work, scheduling inflexibility, and insufficient benefits”. A positive and strong company culture can enhance employee morale, productivity, and job satisfaction, while a negative or toxic culture can lead to disengagement, turnover, and other negative outcomes.

To help you hire and retain the best fitness talent, here are some strategies that we believe can provide you with some useful guidance for hiring and retaining qualified candidates.

1. Comprehensive Compensation Package

Seventy-nine percent of US job seekers said they would be more likely to apply for a position with a clearly stated salary range(2), but increasing employees’ base salaries to retain talent is only part of the picture and it may not always be a viable option for some organizations. It’s important to recognize that offering a total compensation package is essential. Incentives like bonuses, stock options, and performance-based pay can help retain and motivate employees. Also, offering upside potential based on performance, which is both realistic and attainable, and offering to assist in their continuing education is valuable to both the employer and employee. The compensation must be competitive, and the job must provide real growth opportunities to attract and retain qualified candidates.

2. Create Work-life Balance for Fitness Professionals

Achieving a successful balance between one’s professional and personal life is often referred to as “work-life balance.” In recent years, it has become increasingly important to manage the two to maintain a healthy and productive work culture. Fitness organizations are starting to recognize the importance of work-life balance for their employees and are taking steps to create a more sustainable culture that fosters work-life balance. It’s no secret that working long hours in the fitness industry can quickly lead to burnout. One way to show appreciation for your employee’s well-being is to try to introduce flexible working arrangements, such as flexible hours, or job sharing. Including flexible working arrangements can not only increase job satisfaction and lead to higher levels of productivity, but employees will have more energy and motivation to perform their tasks and help reduce stress in the workplace.

Employers can also take steps to ensure that employees have the tools and resources they need to maximize productivity. This can help employees become better organized and prioritize their work, leading to increased efficiency.

3. Build a Strong Fitness Team Culture

For an organization to have a good culture, it starts with having a strong team in place. As companies grow and evolve, resilience within your team is essential for adapting to fluctuating business requirements. Having the right balance of skills, capabilities, and knowledge on your team is the foundation for success.

It is essential in today’s competitive market to make necessary organizational changes to ensure the proper implementation of best practices for employee retention. Making these changes requires an active effort on the part of everyone; without real change, organizations will struggle to keep employees satisfied and engaged.

Cultivating Executive Talent in Fitness

JLR Associates specializes in connecting organizations with qualified executive candidates in the fitness industry. Our extensive network includes professionals who trust us to present opportunities aligned with their expertise, whether they are actively seeking new positions or not. We thoroughly review position requirements and consult with clients to identify the attributes that predict success in each role. Our process includes analyzing compensation structures based on competitive market research, position responsibilities, and regional factors.

With 26 years of specialized experience in fitness and wellness executive recruitment, our approach fosters enduring professional relationships with both hiring organizations and candidates.

For more information about fitness employee retention strategies, please reach out to Dennie Noecker | JLR Associates | Phone: 609-430-8455 | Email: dennie@jlrassoc.com.

(1) Club Industry, December 2022, “2023: Trends Moving the Health and Wellness Industry Into a Brighter Future”

(2) “Compensation Trends in 2022: Pay Scales and Transparency” https://www.beqom.com/blog/compensation-trends-in-2022-pay-scales-and-transparency