NEW YEAR- NEW YOU- NEW GROUP Exercise Class: Fit in and make the most of your Exercise Class

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From the Inside Out Project® is all about GROUPS- how we work together (or not) in professional and personal settings. We’re all part of many groups including: family, friends, co-workers AND Exercise Classes. Take a look at what I say about these groups.

 

It’s a NEW YEAR and you’ve decided it’s time to get in shape. You’ve joined a gym and plan to take classes: Pilates, body conditioning, zumba, step, kick boxing and more. GREAT. But before you jump in, familiarize yourself with exercise class etiquette. There are rules and norms! As a new group member, you need to learn and follow them. Here they are:

1- BE ON TIME– When you are late, the class is disrupted. You are finding and setting up equipment (noisy), setting down and unpacking your bag, even the door opening and closing is disruptive to those working out. Lateness in any group is inconsiderate.late

2– FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE GYM: If your gym has a sign up policy for classes or size/space limitations, learn and follow these rules. There is nothing worse than the member who comes in saying, ‘I didn’t know. Can’t I take the class anyway?’ You’ve put the instructor in a bind (needs to adhere to rules too!), inconvenienced others (we’ll probably start late now) and put yourself in the spotlight (not in a positive way-looking for special treatment- who do you think you are?)

3- NO CELLPHONES!– Put your phone away. This is not only disruptive and annoying (you’re not invisible!) but dangerous. Jumping, running, lifting- your phone may get damaged or broken. Certainly you can spare ONE HOUR (usual time of the class) away from contacts, texts and Facebook posts. Try it- you’ll be surprised how great it feels.

4- STAY IN THE CLASS– Most instructors have short breaks built into the class- chance to get water, towel off. This is the time to exit the class- Don’t saunter in and out of the class as if it’s your living room. It’s both inconsiderate and dangerous. Others are moving and will not stop or change direction so you can pass through. Watch out- you may get kicked.exercise-class-cartoon

5- LOOK TO THOSE IN THE KNOW– There is always a core group of regulars- people who attend the class regularly and can fill you in. These people are usually very helpful- they will review steps or exercises with you, explain what equipment is needed, give you the scoop on the instructor. But you need to ASK. Introduce yourself and get to know these people- they will be there every week and your relationship with them can make or break your class experience.

Exercise classes are a terrific way to get in shape- in a group. Treat it like a group- not just your personal workout- and you’ll benefit not only from the physical part- but also from the ‘people’ part. When you connect and respect others, you’ll feel welcomed and accepted. This positive attitude turns to motivation- you’ll need that to reach your fitness goals!

SMILING IS MANDATORY! Customer Training Pitfalls

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When I worked as a hotel server and bartender, my co-workers and I attended many guest service (hotel speak for ‘customer service’) trainings. We were told to smile, use the guest’s name and accommodate special requests. There was no discussion of these directives and workers were not encouraged to ask questions or provide feedback. The following issues cropped up:SMILE

1-SMILE- Must I smile all the time? Not sure this is physically possible and/or appropriate in all situations. Customers often share upsetting stories: luggage was lost, room isn’t ready, son missed his plane. If I listen and respond with a bright smile pasted on my face, clearly I’m not hearing and empathizing (maybe I’m crazy!). What about when I’m busy serving a full restaurant: taking orders, processing checks, delivering food and drinks? I’m focused on the task(s) at hand and probably stressed. My priority is to stay calm and manage the workload- smiling is the least of my concerns.      Yet it’s #1 in customer service training.

2- USE GUEST NAME- The goal is to make the guest/customer feel special and valued, but this may have the opposite affect. If I ask your name, that may be seen as intrusive (I don’t want to know you- you’re just supposed to wait on me!). If I find your name from the front desk or reservation list, this may feel like stalking (How do you know my name? I’ve never been here before) And finally, knowing and using the name may create a false sense of familiarity between customer and employee (We’re not friends).

3- ACCOMMODATE SPECIAL REQUESTS- This one is particularly tricky because there are no limits set. How far do I go? Guest requests a drink that is time consuming to prepare and requires ingredients from the kitchen (on another floor). I can’t leave my post, so I need to find someone to make the trip to the kitchen to pick up and deliver the ingredients. Then I’ll need to take more time to prepare the drink. One customer is happy (maybe- it was a long wait!) but what about all the others requesting a glass of wine, beer or martini? They have to wait too, while I accommodate the special request. Now I’m stressed, behind in my work and more guests are unhappy. Was this the right way to go?

Training needs to be much more specific and these real life scenarios need to be FAKING HAPPYaddressed if management hopes to truly ‘serve’ the customer. Employees need to work through difficult situations with supervisors, so they are clear on how to proceed.

Smiling should be encouraged, but not required throughout the shift. Teaching employees how to use their personality- sense of humor, empathy, interests and knowledge- to connect with guests is needed to develop a strong authentic relationship. A smile (especially if it’s pasted on) is not enough. Using the guest’s name- maybe, if a relationship has developed (regular customer) but workers need to know the boundaries and how to professionally set them. It’s not part of my job to make ‘friends’ and giving customers a false sense of familiarity can muddy the waters and prevent me from effectively doing my job. Accommodating special requests is fine, but again- specifics. What are the policies and protocols? Once workers know when to set limits, they need to be taught how to effectively and professionally tell the customer: I’m sorry, that’s not possible. And deal with the fallout.

Training that is specific and practical is time consuming and requires management to think through their policies and expectations. Take the time to do this- it is well worth the effort. Your employees will appreciate it and begin to develop an authentic relationship with customers. No need to demand the smile now- it will come naturally- for both worker and customer.

An edited version of this appears on Art Petty’s Management Excellence Blog. Lots of great articles
and Art is terrific. 

What’s the problem with Team Building?

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team building1

Employees are often called team members, so it would follow that strengthening or building the team would result in a unified group and more efficient work force. Employers often schedule team building activities, retreats and gatherings to encourage and foster a team spirit. So, what’s the problem? The problem is hourly employees aren’t interested in being on a team. They are hired to do a job and when the shift is over, they are out the door. That is the contract (whether verbal or formally written, as in a Union shop) they enter into when they accept the position. The expectation that hourly employees will welcome the chance to bond with team members (especially if there is no compensation to do so) is not realistic. When I was an hourly employee, I always wondered, What’s the point? And what’s in it for me? Management would do well to answer those questions before urging hourly employees to join the team.