www.provincialfitnessunit.ca LEARN MORE
In Dan Pink’s latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Pink concludes that extrinsic motivators (like monetary rewards) work only with routine physical production-line work and less so with the cognitive, creative and conceptu- al work that most people do today. The author concludes that the three elements of engagement at work are autonomy, mastery and purpose.
management style. Ask yourself these tough questions and be brutally honest with your answers:
1. Do I hire the wrong people? 2. Do I treat employees fairly and respectfully?
3. Do I pay competitively? 4. Do I value and recognize the work employees do?
5. Do I give employees responsibility and autonomy?
6. Do I communicate well with employees?
7. Do I give constructive feedback? 8. Do I create a fun workplace? 9. Do I challenge employees? 10. Do I provide development opportunities?
11. Do I hold employees accountable? 12. Do I provide clear workplace and job expectations and purpose?
13. Do I have a clear vision, mission and values that are consistent with man- agement practices and behaviour?
14. Do I provide the resources for employees to do their jobs well?
15. Do I terminate underperformers and toxic employees promptly?
16. Do I know what drives each employee, intrinsically or extrinsically?
17. Do I truly care about my employees? 18. Do I look for ways to innovate? 19. Am I comfortable with the status quo and stuck doing things the same way?
Aim for engagement In today’s fast changing society and
market, inertia can wreak havoc in a business that is slow to change with the times. Some argue that employees of to- day are tougher to manage than those of yesteryear. Regardless of your beliefs, one thing is for certain – engage employ- ees or become extinct! Next to hiring right, employee engage-
ment has proven to be the best response to the second half of the retention chal- lenge. Employee engagement is direct- ly attributable to management practices and behaviour. Start now to engage employees. Survey them and ask: What would make you
happy on the job? Why do you stay? Why would you leave? Do you under- stand the purpose of your job, team and company? How do you want to be treated? What do you need from your workplace? A word of caution – be prepared to act
on some of the suggestions or this ex- ercise will have negative ramifications. Throughout all of this keep in mind that, just like members, it is a much eas- ier and cost effective to retain people than to replace them.
Learn by example The Sept./Oct. 2010 issue of Fitness
Business Canada profiled Warren Watson a manager at two Markham, Ontario fitness facilities. His manage- ment practices, as described by his em- ployees, speak loud and clear about what it takes to retain staff. If you missed that issue, I encourage
you to read it to understand why this manager has no issues retaining satis- fied and engaged staff. Granted, it can be argued that many public facilities offer security and monetary benefits which can not be matched in the private sec- tor. However, if we are to believe the re- search, extrinsic rewards only go so far before they lose their effect.
Take stock Do you know what the turnover rate
is for your facility and industry? Take a gauge and work hard to ensure you are always below you industry’s standard rate. Think of your employees as a profit
centre not a cost centre. Take care of your customers and employees and they will take care of your bottom line. FBC
Fernie Black is a partner with HR-Fusion Inc., a full-service human resources firm with a focus on adding value to a client’s bottom line and mini- mizing employment practices risk. The firm offers HR advisory support with experience in employee relations, recruitment, retention, assessments, training and terminations/outplacement. Fernie’s passion is hiring for fit and retention and help- ing clients to minimize hiring risks. Contact her at
www.hr-fusion.ca.
Alberta Fitness Leadership
Certification Association The standard setter for s best fitness leaders for over 25 years
Alberta’
Certification available in: • Older Adult Fitness • Aquatic Exercise • Choreography • Step • Cycle
• Mind/body • Portable Equipment • Resistance Training
For more information about AFLCA’s nationally recognized
certification programs, go to
www.provincialfitnessunit.ca March/April 2011 Fitness Business Canada 41
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