The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the way in which businesses operate, leading to changes in how employees view their workplace. Club management within the UK fitness industry seems to be an exception. . As restrictions eased and gyms reopened, we started to find that we had a bit of a people problem. People had left to pursue careers in other industries that could offer more stability with the world reopening and this took us into a very candidate driven market – more jobs and less candidates in simpler terms. Something that often crops up when we speak to candidates is the ability to work remotely and flexibly (feel free to change this if I haven’t described the concern correctly).  In most other industries hybrid working is commonplace, however, in club management it is virtually non-existent; this doesn’t mean that it isn’t considered by employees.

On the face of it, there are some real drawbacks to management in the fitness industry. Often, pay isn’t the best and the working hours aren't the most sociable (working 7 days a week, between 6am-10pm for 30k can be quite testing) but we are an industry where people work for more than just money. 

In our 2023 Pulse Survey, we found that some of the top reasons for working in the fitness industry were company culture, cpd, and a real genuine passion for the industry. There is a real opportunity to develop on this and create an industry where we can make small changes to develop a stronger and more attractive place of work for management in the fitness industry.

As a hybrid worker 3 years myself, I can speak for to the benefits of working remotely and in the office. An office setting is irreplicable. You can be creative, bounce ideas off colleagues and have the social interaction that is so imperative to maintaining a great work culture. Despite these clear benefits working from the office, from an admin point of view remote working trumps the office by quite a stretch. Numerous meetings, consistent distractions and water cooler chats are not conducive to a strong admin day, and these are significantly more frequent in clubland. Member queries, alarms and staff issues are commonplace but removing a manager for one day a week has shown (in the very small % of clubs that do it) how much quicker the back-office work can get done. This in turn frees up time for the manager to be on the gym floor, interacting with members and setting the a high standard to for the gym. 

Another thing to consider is the work life balance that comes with hybrid working. Hybrid working empowers managers to create a work environment that supports a healthy balance between work and personal life for their teams. This flexibility can lead to increased motivation, productivity, and overall well-being among employees. Perhaps they can take their kids to school once a week, walk the dog in the morning or even just have that extra 10 minutes in bed. These things may sound small but in a world where mental wellbeing is rightly being considered and spoken about a lot more,  these small changes could make a big difference to the happiness of employees. 

Numerous industries have changed their offerings to better fit employee preferences. Embracing hybrid working can be advantageous for businesses looking to reduce risks of employees leaving their current role to pursue opportunities which better fit their lifestyle. We will never be an industry where you can have the 3:2 approach but perhaps introducing work from home once a week in a well staffed gym may lead to better results more efficiency with back office tasks leading to more interaction on gym floors for management, a happier membership base and longer careers with happier staff.