Compensation Articles

One of the biggest challenges in any business, and in particular the health club industry, is building a great team. The easiest way to build a great team is to hire great employees, a practice that requires a systematic approach to recruiting and selecting the best available employees to serve on the team. This article examines this process and breaks it down into several logical steps....

The concept of “pay for performance” has been a favorite in human resources for some years. Within pay for performance, staff members receive financial bonuses or incentives based on the results they produce. Pay for performance, while it is not called that, is often used with personal trainers. The “split” of a client’s fee is an example of paying the trainer for...

careers BY CINDY SCIBETTA How to Ask for --and Get-- a Raise or Promotion Because asking for a raise or promotion can be daunting, many people spend hours worrying about it. They plan-- even role-play--how they will approach their supervisor. Maybe they start to ask their manager many times, only to make up excuses on why now is not the right time. Then they go home to stew over the issue, tell...

C O M P E N S AT I O N F O R J O B T I T L E S PA I D B Y H O U R O R B Y C L A S S Northeast Northcentral South West Group Exercise Coordinator n = 10 hours worked 14 $ 20 n = 11 14 $ 16 n = 14 17 $ 15 n = 11 19 $14 Benchmarks hourly rate Personal Trainer Compensation by Region n = 19 hours worked hourly rate 10 $ 25 n = 23 10 $ 23 n = 24 12 $ 19 n = 25 17 $ 21 Fitness Floor Staff n = 1...

At our studio we do not have a set bonus structure. I don’t believe in one because I want my employees to work hard to be proud of themselves and feel fulfilled, not simply to earn additional money. We sometimes provide bonuses, but they are not solely based on gross receipts. They are also based on trainers taking initiative, being innovative and going beyond the job description.

As fitness businesses hire qualified staff to handle current customers and new exercisers, the good news is that 81% of fitness staff stay with the same business for 1 yea...

Fee-for-service models are preferred by 57% of IDEA members who responded to the 2003 IDEA Fitness Programs & Equipment Survey. Even those who use a membership dues model are charging for some programs. These were the options offered on the questionnaire: annual membership dues access all programs offered annual membership dues plus separate fee for some classes or programs pay for individual session/class or “package” of sessions or classes

This second in a series of articles covering various challenges facing personal training directors examines trainers’ wages. Determining a fair, easily administered wage scale can be tricky. Many elements must be factored in, including trainers’ skills and backgrounds, motivation styles and your facility’s budget limitations.

DDoes your age or gender determine the kinds of clients you attract? Is the way you dress working against you? Could your personal shape, weight or style be a professional liability?

As you read earlier this year in IDEA Health & Fitness Source, wages/ salaries for most fitness staff increased over the past 2 years. A similar comparison for revenues and expenses indicates that for the fitness business as a whole, and group fitness in particular, revenues have gone down since the year 2000—but so have expenses. On the other hand, both revenues and expenses have increased for the personal training side of the business.