Last week we discussed the importance of planning ahead when it comes to time off for your personal trainers. Here at Northwest Personal Training we offer paid time off. That is a major perk that not all personal trainers have. There is a reason for that. Paying a personal trainer when he/she isn’t bringing in money for your business can be tough on your bottom line. So how do we do it?
Our Paid Time Off Benefit:
Northwest Personal Training supports a balance between an employee’s personal and work life. Therefore, we believe that employees should enjoy time away from work for relaxation and enjoyment, in addition to time off for illness, appointments, emergencies or other needs without loss of pay.
Read more on Paid Time Off For Personal Trainers…
We recently reminded our trainers to send in their vacation requests. We typically ask for this information at the beginning of the year, but we understand that things come up. As we approach summer….we are starting to get more requests for time off. We would like to have all vacation requests well in advance. This is to ensure that we don’t have too many trainers gone at the same time and so that we can prepare for the absence of trainers. Our general rule is to not allow more than 2 trainers to be absent at the same time. This will differ depending on how many clients you have and how many trainers you have.
Read more on Trainers On Vacation? Keep Clients Happy…
Do you classify your staff as employees or independent contractors? Either way, you should know the law!
I just returned from IHRSA where I attended a session by an attorney who talked about the IRS crackdown on Fitness Clubs and Studios categorizing Trainers as Independent Contractors when they should be classified as Employees. All it takes is one disgruntled trainer or competitor to file a claim or report and the financial consequences, penalties and fees can be HUGE and into the 7-figures causing most businesses to file bankruptcy. Do it right from the beginning or it could spell trouble at your next audit. Here’s a couple slides from the presentation. California has created an A/B/C test and most clubs and studios would fail the test if they are trying to classify trainers as independent contractors.
A worker is an employee under the Wage Orders unless the hiring entity establishes that the worker:
A) Is free from control and direction
B) Performs work outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business AND
c) Is customarily engaged in independently established trade, occupation or business
So…should you have Independent Contractors or Employees?
Here is my answer….
Reviewing the history of the personal training industry, pretty much all of us started as independent contractors operating our personal training businesses within existing health and fitness clubs. Slowly over the years, many of these facilities decided to bring the training department in-house and make all their trainers employees. Why would they do this?
Read more on Employee or Independent Contractor? You NEED to Get This Right!…
It is the unfortunate truth that many small businesses fail and so many times before they have even had a chance to start!
Our industry is no exception. Throughout my years of consulting….I have found that a lack of leadership can be one of the main reasons that fitness businesses struggle.
Whether or not you take the time to be a strong, organized and encouraging leader can really make or break your business. Many fitness business owners tell me “but I can’t find the time to lead. There is so much to do!” This is where great systems come into play. If you have great systems in place then you will have more time to lead! So get your systems in order and then start leading your team and start taking your business to the next level (check out the side bar on my blog or click HERE to learn how you can make our systems your systems!)
Read more on Sherri’s Tips For Leadership Success…
Here at Northwest Personal Training & Fitness Education we have quite a lengthy apprenticeship program that helps us decide if a potential new hire will be an asset to our team and a good match for our team. Once that process is complete and the new personal trainer has accepted the offer, and employee agreement has been completed and wages have been established….our operations manager or personal training manager runs through this check list to ensure all necessary details have been taken care of.
Read more on Last Steps Before Hiring a New Personal Trainer…
It is that time of year when many personal trainers and group exercise instructors start taking their clients outside for workouts. Clients love getting the fresh air and trainers can keep things interesting with TONS of new exercises and adventures in the great outdoors. We have a couple protocols when it comes to bringing clients away from the studio for workouts and I recent sent them this email as a reminder:
“Great weather has arrived in the Pacific Northwest and many of you want to take your clients outside for workouts. I love that! Read more on Going Outside With Clients? Play It Safe….
One of the MOST common questions we get from fitness business owners/managers and from those who have purchased our Business of Personal Training System is “Should I have Independent Contractors or Employees?”
Here is my answer….
Reviewing the history of the personal training industry, pretty much all of us started as independent contractors operating our personal training businesses within existing health and fitness clubs. Slowly over the years, many of these facilities decided to bring the training department in-house and make all their trainers employees. Why would they do this?
Read more on Personal Trainers: Employees vs. Independent Contractors?…
I have blogged about how we use productivity reports to gauge how full our personal trainers’ schedules are, as a way to reward personal trainers when they hit specific productivity goals and as a way to measure how our personal training business is doing overall.
Read more on Personal Trainer Productivity Means Everything!…
Last week we reviewed some of the ways to promote teamwork within your Personal Training team. Many times personal trainers LOVE their jobs, but don’t LOVE their co workers quite as much. There can be a sense of competition between personal trainers because they are trying to “win” the most clients.
We include deliberate activities and processes to ensure that our Personal Training team works together rather than fighting against each other: Read more on Does Your Team Have The Love?…
Most people dread meetings because they perceive them to be a waste of time and extremely boring. However, a carefully planned and orchestrated meeting can be one that staff look forward to, that creates a culture for success, that offers some excellent team building opportunities and is productive at teaching your team the skills they need to excel in their position.
