I JUST WANNA HUG
SOMEBODY (BUT I WON’T)
THE REALITIES OF CLUB REOPENING
Three months after reopening her clubs post-isolation shutdown, Group Exercise
Manager Leisl Klaebe looks at how the experience has been for both staff and members.
T hree months ago, we reopened our Virgin Active clubs
post-isolation. The return has been universally met with
joy by members and staff alike, and the hardest thing has
been not to hug everybody! When your club has a great
culture and your workmates feel like family, social distancing takes
some self-control.
The reopening checklist
Preparing to reopen was undeniably very hard work for everyone,
with a long list of health and safety protocols to put in place, and
numerous new procedures to both execute and train teams to
deliver. The list of tasks was long and time was short. We were also
faced with the challenge of galvanising ourselves and our staff to
work at pace after nearly three months of a quieter, slower routine
working remotely.
The reopening checklist included:
• Getting decals and signage designed and made for messaging in
the clubs
• Measuring and creating social-distancing compliant spaces
• Putting in place procedures for social distancing in each newly
created space within the clubs
• Relocating or putting into storage non-essential equipment
• Purchasing temperature checking equipment and creating
accompanying logs
• Facilitate training in all new procedures and protocols to staff staff
across all departments
• Recreating and reloading timetables and, for the first time,
implementing gym floor booking spaces.
And this was just the tip of the iceberg. The club reopening checklist
was substantial across all departments.
Staff responsibilities
Group exercise coaches were given
program-specific training on how to deliver
post-isolation classes without physical
contact, with social distancing and extra
health and safety protocols.
Customer service and sales staff had role
play training on how to answer challenging
member questions regarding coming back
into their clubs, as well as training on taking
member and staff temperatures on entry.
PT’s had to almost start from scratch to
re-establish their client base. The operations
team suddenly had cleaning duties after every
single class in addition to on the hour and 3-4
hourly. They were also tasked with installing
the new decals and signage, hand sanitiser
units, wipe dispensers and closed bins.
MORE
Click HERE to read Leisl’s companion
to this article, her Perspective feature
from the Winter 2020 issue of Network
magazine, ‘Don’t forget the people:
Returning to our clubs after the
shutdown’
58 | NETWORK SPRING 2020