2020 Issue 3 | GearedUp
Reopening Playbook Continued from page 33
Green meant ready to go , yellow signified anxious and red meant they were fearful and felt it was too soon to reopen . “ We did this at the very beginning of the meeting and again at the end after we had explained all the new safety and cleaning protocols ,” Gregory said . “ It was very cool to see how many people moved from red or yellow to green .”
Even with the playbook and well-conceived individual plans based on its guidance , shifting rules on mask-wearing and varying regulations on club capacity and social-distancing at each location added some difficulties to reopening preparations .
“ The PFU courses and webinars were very effective in creating consistency and accountability ,” said ECP-PF Holdings Chief Operating Officer Joseph Pepe Jr . “ The biggest challenges were around the state and county-specific guidelines , which needed to be layered in and worked into our training . Some counties have changed their guidelines over time , so being able to pivot quickly was critical .”
Like many others , Pepe ’ s organization , which owns 106 clubs , absorbed the reopening playbook from the top down , with managers reading it first and the information flowing down to the club level , where team members went through the necessary PFU courses and training webinars . Everyone was trained within two weeks . “ Getting our teams back and trained quickly was imperative ,” he said . “ It was also critical that we worked with lobbyists and those close to the governor ’ s office so we could have a sense of when we would get the OK to open .”
Other groups needed practice to set the new habits required by the guidelines . “ The biggest challenge we had in the beginning
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ecoreathletic . com was following protocol for when a team member started a shift ,” Marathon Fitness Management Group ’ s Wentzel said . “ Doing temperature checks and health screenings was not something our managers were used to doing , and it was difficult for them to remember to stop and check in with the team member starting their shift .”
At United PF Partners , McCreery said one of the hurdles involved personal habits . “ The club managers and teammates were very receptive to the information ,” he said . “ However , in the beginning , they had to get used to changing habits like maintaining six feet of social distance , no shaking hands , etc .”
Still , said P-Fit Development ’ s Gregory , “ the changes are not that far of a stretch from before . We have always had the cleanest clubs , so enhanced cleaning / sanitizing is not that big of a deal . Getting used to slight changes like wearing a mask , completing wellness checks prior to every shift , keeping accurate door counts every half hour , etc ., is just about getting used to it .”
Getting teams trained on the new cleaning and distancing protocols is half the battle . The other half is making sure the procedures continue to be executed over time and that changes are implemented promptly and properly . Franchisee groups keep the momentum rolling through continuous engagement with employees .
“ We have daily meetings with team members and management follow-up with field visitation on off hours ,” PF Michigan Group ’ s Hockin said . “ We also use positive reinforcement and continuous communication in the ever-changing landscape .”
“ We have weekly operation calls with all regionals , and regionals have weekly calls with all their club managers as well . During this time , it ’ s been very important to have a presence in the club from the Director level down ,” PFGP ’ s Ratliff said . “ This helps build morale across the franchise . We have also made improvements on communication by utilizing the Teams function in Office 365 to ensure that all information is dispersed in a timely manner and is easy to refer to .”
Employee incentive programs at PFGP that were suspended when clubs closed were reinstated to help with the process . Hourly staff members delivering service above and beyond the call of duty can win an MVP award for their club , which comes with a gift card , and managers are once again receiving bonuses based on key performance indicators . At P-Fit Development , contests , rewards and recognition are also used to keep team members motivated and excited .
Likewise , PLNTF Holdings regularly communicates with team members . “ Our team member engagement is rooted in our ability to show compassion and to remain flexible during these unique and difficult times ,” Holt said . “ We show empathy and kindness at all levels because we know that these are stressful times for everyone . HQ consistently talks about the ‘ member-centered approach ,’ and we feel the same about our team members .”
The company ’ s incentive program has not changed much , though it is offering more flexible shift times and schedules when needed and providing far beyond the minimum necessary PPE and safety equipment for daily operations . It is also offering employees more breaks since they are required to wear masks all day long . “ General feedback from staff has been largely positive on the reopening guidelines . Also , the staff safety sentiment is much more optimistic and confident today than it was shortly after opening ,” Holt said . “ We believe this is due to the well-thought-out safety measures and guidelines that have become a part of everyday
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