People are quitting at a record rate–across the service and hospitality industry–and it’s affecting fitness centers across the country. How do you find talent in your area and then hire the right people?
The recruiting process starts from the moment someone is trying to apply to your organization. What does your website, recruiting sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and social media all say about working at your health club or gym? Is the application process to apply easy to navigate? Do your job descriptions sell the position and benefits to working for you? These questions, along with the following considerations, are some things to keep in mind during your hiring process.
Here are 5 tips to recruiting talent in your area:
- Consider more part-time options. If you’re having trouble hiring full-time roles you may want to explore part-time options. Can you hire two part-time people instead of one full-time person?
- Fitness centers and gyms have the opportunity to provide complimentary gym memberships to employees. Not only is this an employee perk but it’s also a way to ensure your team lives an active lifestyle and experiences your programs, equipment and full member offerings. This helps from an operating perspective immensely. You may also want to consider opening up their complimentary fitness membership to an add-on or their entire family or household.
- Referral program. Your employees are your best recruiters. They have a network of friends and family members that could be great to hire! Consider providing a referral program for your employees where they get paid once they hire their referral.
- Explore different hiring venues. Reach out to local junior colleges or colleges in your area to see if they have a careers development center where you could post job openings.
- Consider a signing bonus and other perks to choosing your gym. With the competition to hire, organizations are providing a hiring bonus or more flexibility around a start date. Consider the things you are willing to do in order to hire top talent and make sure your job applications note these bonuses.
Tune in to our blog series this month focused on navigating during the hiring shortage. With decades of experience recruiting fitness employees, Team Active has an eagle eye for talent. We hire key positions - executive-level facility managers, personal trainers, and fitness staff - or an entire team depending on your facility’s needs.
Contact Active Wellness today for a staffing consultation.
You might also like:
https://www.activewellness.com/blog/the-employee-well-being-shift
https://www.ihrsa.org/publications/talent-acquisition-101-a-hiring-guide-for-health-clubs/
Elizabeth Studebaker is Active's Senior Marketing Manager. She focuses on employee engagement and advocacy for the Active Wellness organization as well as new business marketing. She has over 10 years of fitness marketing expertise and has been a speaker for IHRSA and served on the Medical Fitness Association Marketing Committee. She works out of her home office in the Bay Area and stays active by taking Active GO virtual classes or chasing around her 2-year-old son.
