Staffing Issues Articles

Group exercise directors face a variety of challenges and are often forced to make tough decisions. Case in point: choosing which instructor gets to teach a particular class. Many instructors do not have a clear understanding of the director’s decision-making process, and their confusion may lead to hurt feelings, animosity and tension among the team. This article will look at both ...

In today’s health club environment, most organizations recognize their best personal trainers and group instructors by promoting them to be managers of their departments. However, in many instances, this move sets up these outstanding employees for failure. That’s because no matter how good these rising stars are at training or instructing clients, they are usually not a...

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....

As the fitness industry grows and ages, many people have noticed a gap between “veteran” instructors, who have been teaching for 10 years and longer, and “newbies,” group fitness professionals who are just getting started. This has led many to voice concerns over the future of group exercise. To address this issue, IDEA Fitness Journal is running a new column that will highlight un...

Group fitness instructors are key players in building a successful fitness center. They touch more members in 60 minutes or less than any of your other staff. This quality time can set a strong foundation for program growth, increased revenue, new-member attraction and, most important, member retention. When you consider an instructor’s impact on member experience, the need for a comprehensive ...

Beverly and Barb are best friends in their 40s who’ve hired 22-year-old Trainer Tom for partner personal training. Dur­ing their first session, Tom demonstrates how to do a squat, offering cues to help the women understand proper technique. “You want to be feeling this in your butt muscles,” he says, in a matter-of-fact manner. “I want to be feeling your butt muscles,” blurts Beverly, gently pa...

If you are like a lot of program directors, you manage people you rarely see—or who rarely see you. This makes you a “ghost manager.” The biggest challenge in being a ghost manager lies in connecting with and motivating your staff. Ghost managers can be responsible for 30 or more instructors who work about 1–3 hours per week, and for 50-plus time slots on the schedule. Most instructors teach pa...

Both the IDEA Personal Trainer Code of Ethics and the IDEA Group Fitness Instructor Code of Ethics urge fitness professionals to “uphold a professional image through conduct and appearance.” However, what type of clothing helps fitness professionals project the right image? Some owners and managers believe that providing uniforms is key...

Regardless of their locale, schedule or member profile, group exercise programs share one thing in common: the diva factor. The "diva" instructor is one of the most difficult to manage. She presents herself as "untouchable" and doesn't see the big picture. She refuses to uphold the mission of the program or club and is far from being a supportive team player. She sees just one pi...

The workplace is often where we end up meeting our greatest friends. In fact, some people spend more hours per day interacting with co-worker friends than with their own families. Tight bonds can form between peers, but what happens when the fitness friend you have been working with for years gets a promotion and is now, gulp, your supervisor! What if you also interviewed for tha...