Been working in a gym (Gym Instructor) for the last few weeks. Everything has been going great so far. Really enjoying interacting with the customers, giving them solid advice and ultimately feeling rewarded by the whole process.
A lot of folk have usually complained of lower back issues during our interactions. I have written them down a youtube link to some mobility drills to hopefully alleviate their issues. I have also put them in the direction of my facebook page which contains training info.
However.
One of the other PTs/Gym Instructors has obviously took the hump over this and has went to management and told them I am handing out business cards and touting my business (which doesn’t exist BTW)
So basically someone has potentially threatened my livelihood, all because I am trying to help a few folk and put them in the right direction with regards to training.
I feel I have done nothing wrong however you never know how others interpret these matters.
How would you deal with this situation?
I’d go to management and explain that you’re in no way affiliated with the sources and trainers that you’re recommending to other clients as an information resource. Then give management a list of the articles/videos etc. that you tend to recommend (I’d err on the side of the ones their philosophy tends to most agree with), ask them to review it and come back to you as to whether it’s fine for you to recommend them to clients.
This might be risky if the management is a little self-righteous, but in assuming most sources are America-based, I expect any normal rational thinking person to not see it as much of a drain on their supervision of clients. Assuming you can successfully show them that they are simply outside sources you trust for reference, do not have a financial stake in, and are beneficial to the client, you shouldn’t have to really worry about it being an issue from there on in.
If you can explain to management exactly what it is you are doing, and denounce the accusations and false information of the other PT, then they should just let you go about your business once they’re certain you’re not “selling” the clients on something.
[quote]csulli wrote:
Get Samuel L. Jackson.[/quote]
Really?
I was thinking more along the lines of growing a goatee, shaving my head, buying a bowler hat and going all out fucking Heisneberg on the staff.
[quote]Big Kahuna wrote:
I’d go to management and explain that you’re in no way affiliated with the sources and trainers that you’re recommending to other clients as an information resource. Then give management a list of the articles/videos etc. that you tend to recommend (I’d err on the side of the ones their philosophy tends to most agree with), ask them to review it and come back to you as to whether it’s fine for you to recommend them to clients. This might be risky if the management is a little self-righteous, but in assuming most sources are America-based, I expect any normal rational thinking person to not see it as much of a drain on their supervision of clients. Assuming you can successfully show them that they are simply outside sources you trust for reference, do not have a financial stake in, and are beneficial to the client, you shouldn’t have to really worry about it being an issue from there on in.
If you can explain to management exactly what it is you are doing, and denounce the accusations and false information of the other PT, then they should just let you go about your business once they’re certain you’re not “selling” the clients on something.[/quote]
Cheers buddy!
I’ve actually made the videos myself. It’s just to give them a reference point and enable them to remember the information when they get home. All this fitness stuff can be terribly confusing to your average commercial gym customer.
I’m actually seething that my proactive stance is being scrutinised to this degree, at work.
Is it just one other PT that’s got your back up? Has the manager said anything yet? If not, how do you know they haven’t just nodded and smiled at the other PT, wishing he’d fuck off and leave them in peace?
If they haven’t said anything yet, I’d chill out and try not to get worked up about the one little bollock juggler PT. You let yourself get riled up over this and it could escalate more that it normally would have.
How to deal with snakes in the workplace? Rise above them and strive to be the best in your workplace. Or take their heads off with a spade.
[quote]ChongLordUno wrote:
[quote]Big Kahuna wrote:
I’d go to management and explain that you’re in no way affiliated with the sources and trainers that you’re recommending to other clients as an information resource. Then give management a list of the articles/videos etc. that you tend to recommend (I’d err on the side of the ones their philosophy tends to most agree with), ask them to review it and come back to you as to whether it’s fine for you to recommend them to clients. This might be risky if the management is a little self-righteous, but in assuming most sources are America-based, I expect any normal rational thinking person to not see it as much of a drain on their supervision of clients. Assuming you can successfully show them that they are simply outside sources you trust for reference, do not have a financial stake in, and are beneficial to the client, you shouldn’t have to really worry about it being an issue from there on in.
If you can explain to management exactly what it is you are doing, and denounce the accusations and false information of the other PT, then they should just let you go about your business once they’re certain you’re not “selling” the clients on something.[/quote]
Cheers buddy!
I’ve actually made the videos myself. It’s just to give them a reference point and enable them to remember the information when they get home. All this fitness stuff can be terribly confusing to your average commercial gym customer.
I’m actually seething that my proactive stance is being scrutinised to this degree, at work.
[/quote]
No problemo amigo 
In that case just show management the videos are free to use and there are no marketing tags, business links blah blah blah. Basically all you’re doing is giving more advice to the people you’re already paid to give advice to, the videos are voluntary and out of the kindness of your heart, and it’s as a reminder of the things you’ve already spent your workday teaching them.
As long as you can explain all this to management, show them your youtube channel/vimeo/whatever, and they say it’s all hunky-dory like a David Bowie album, then other PT’s shouldn’t be able to nudge into your limelight, because management will then just be able to run their complaints by your videos and see that nothing has changed and everything is fine.
It could be worse, you could have to hold a degree in stability ball training and earthquake squat prep.
[quote]Grumpig Hunt wrote:
Is it just one other PT that’s got your back up? Has the manager said anything yet? If not, how do you know they haven’t just nodded and smiled at the other PT, wishing he’d fuck off and leave them in peace?
[/quote]
The other PT claimed I was handing out business cards promoting my ‘company’
It’s straight up professional jealousy IMO. I’ve went in and shaken things up a tad. Most of the other trainers are BOSU Ball Brigadiers whereas I am a nuts and bolts training kind of guy. Our views obviously conflict in some way and has manifested itself in skullduggery.
[quote]Big Kahuna wrote:
No problemo amigo
In that case just show management the videos are free to use and there are no marketing tags, business links blah blah blah. Basically all you’re doing is giving more advice to the people you’re already paid to give advice to, the videos are voluntary and out of the kindness of your heart, and it’s as a reminder of the things you’ve already spent your workday teaching them.
[/quote]
This is pretty much the jist of it, mate. Such a shame it’s been misinterpreted.
[quote]csulli wrote:
Get Samuel L. Jackson.[/quote]
LOL
“I have had it with all these mutha eff’n snakes in this mutha eff’n workplace!”
[quote]super saiyan wrote:
[quote]csulli wrote:
Get Samuel L. Jackson.[/quote]
LOL
“I have had it with all these mutha eff’n snakes in this mutha eff’n workplace!”[/quote]
I giggle like a small girl whenever somebody gets this reference.
[quote]Grumpig Hunt wrote:
Is it just one other PT that’s got your back up? Has the manager said anything yet? If not, how do you know they haven’t just nodded and smiled at the other PT, wishing he’d fuck off and leave them in peace?
If they haven’t said anything yet, I’d chill out and try not to get worked up about the one little bollock juggler PT. You let yourself get riled up over this and it could escalate more that it normally would have.
How to deal with snakes in the workplace? Rise above them and strive to be the best in your workplace. Or take their heads off with a spade.[/quote]
Bollock juggler… lol. I’ll have to use that today.
Character assassins, every workplace has them. The biggest thing I recommend is not letting anyone into your personal business. What they don’t know can’t be held against you. I agree to rise above them and wait for your chance to put them in their place, you are a threat to them but you seem to have the upper hand.
Rob
[quote]beachguy498 wrote:
Bollock juggler… lol. I’ll have to use that today.
Character assassins, every workplace has them. The biggest thing I recommend is not letting anyone into your personal business. What they don’t know can’t be held against you. I agree to rise above them and wait for your chance to put them in their place, you are a threat to them but you seem to have the upper hand.
Rob[/quote]
Thanks for the kind words Rob
Just had a chat with said manager. A few interesting titbits have emerged.
Turns out the other instructors have been complaining to the managers because I am telling the customers to eat lean ground beef.
Words fail me.
[quote]ChongLordUno wrote:
[quote]beachguy498 wrote:
Bollock juggler… lol. I’ll have to use that today.
Character assassins, every workplace has them. The biggest thing I recommend is not letting anyone into your personal business. What they don’t know can’t be held against you. I agree to rise above them and wait for your chance to put them in their place, you are a threat to them but you seem to have the upper hand.
Rob[/quote]
Thanks for the kind words Rob
Just had a chat with said manager. A few interesting titbits have emerged.
Turns out the other instructors have been complaining to the managers because I am telling the customers to eat lean ground beef.
Words fail me.
[/quote]
Hahahaha, I swear! I feel as if all trainers at commercial gyms are idiots. Obvisouly not you though…
[quote]stefan128 wrote:
Hahahaha, I swear! I feel as if all trainers at commercial gyms are idiots. Obvisouly not you though…[/quote]
The worst thing about it, is that she is a size 10.
Obviously her nutritional advice is really working well for her.
[quote]ChongLordUno wrote:
[quote]beachguy498 wrote:
Bollock juggler… lol. I’ll have to use that today.
Character assassins, every workplace has them. The biggest thing I recommend is not letting anyone into your personal business. What they don’t know can’t be held against you. I agree to rise above them and wait for your chance to put them in their place, you are a threat to them but you seem to have the upper hand.
Rob[/quote]
Thanks for the kind words Rob
Just had a chat with said manager. A few interesting titbits have emerged.
Turns out the other instructors have been complaining to the managers because I am telling the customers to eat lean ground beef.
Words fail me.
[/quote]
I hear ya. I tend to like fatty meats myself (more flavor) but ground beef is good for you. Can’t please everyone…
Rob
If they have a problem with the videos, just tell them you’ll brand the videos with their name, thereby giving them more exposure.
Just keep a tagline in there somewhere about how all the rights are yours so you can rebrand them should you ever change jobs.
[quote]ChongLordUno wrote:
Just had a chat with said manager. A few interesting titbits have emerged.
Turns out the other instructors have been complaining to the managers because I am telling the customers to eat lean ground beef.
Words fail me.
[/quote]
Disregard all my previous advice, just pull up studies and sources and straight out call them on their bullshit. There is no chance in any universe I know that you could possibly lose out on this one. If you do we’re all doomed and should cherish our final moments as best we can. Stability ball should have given it away, I did not realise they were gasp low fat and functional! gasp again.
But seriously it should be mind-numbingly simple to find studies showing that lean beef is not a bad food choice, and also relatively easy to debunk any kind of wild mouth-breathing claim they come up with. How do these people get jobs training people pray tell? Is it just like the fat ladies that teach zumba classes?
I really thought this thread was about snakes slithering in the lockers…
Dang it.
[quote]csulli wrote:
Get Samuel L. Jackson.[/quote]
Well done. hat tip
[quote]Big Kahuna wrote:
[quote]ChongLordUno wrote:
Just had a chat with said manager. A few interesting titbits have emerged.
Turns out the other instructors have been complaining to the managers because I am telling the customers to eat lean ground beef.
Words fail me.
[/quote]
Disregard all my previous advice, just pull up studies and sources and straight out call them on their bullshit. There is no chance in any universe I know that you could possibly lose out on this one. If you do we’re all doomed and should cherish our final moments as best we can. Stability ball should have given it away, I did not realise they were gasp low fat and functional! gasp again.
But seriously it should be mind-numbingly simple to find studies showing that lean beef is not a bad food choice, and also relatively easy to debunk any kind of wild mouth-breathing claim they come up with. How do these people get jobs training people pray tell? Is it just like the fat ladies that teach zumba classes?[/quote]
Cognitive dissonance, once people get some dumbass idea they tend to disregard everything that contradicts it.
