Working as a fitness club staff member is a rewarding job supporting people’s health, yet it is one of the professions with a high turnover rate. The main factors are the irregular life rhythm caused by working early mornings, evenings, and weekends to match customer availability, the low wage level early in the career, and the mental pressure from sales quotas for membership acquisition and personal training sales. Despite requiring specialization in exercise instruction, the combination of harsh working conditions results in many people leaving the industry.
This article provides a detailed explanation of the factors leading to the high turnover rate in this profession, examining them from four perspectives: working conditions, compensation/benefits, workload, and career development.
Turnover Rates in the Living-related Service and Entertainment Industries (Reference Data)
| Category | Living-related Service and Entertainment Turnover Rate | Average Turnover Rate Across All Industries |
| Annual Turnover Rate | 20.1% (2022) | 15.0% (2022) |
| Turnover Rate within 3 Years (New University Graduates) | 46.5% (March 2022 Graduates) | 33.8% (March 2022 Graduates) |
| Turnover Rate within 3 Years (New High School Graduates) | 52.2% (March 2022 Graduates) | 37.9% (March 2022 Graduates) |
1. The Issue of Working Hours (Irregular Early Morning and Evening Shifts)
Clubs operate during hours convenient for members, meaning working hours are irregular and concentrated in the early morning and evening, often leading to long periods of commitment.
Irregular Working Hours:
- Early Morning/Evening Shifts: Peak times are before members go to work (early morning) or after work (evening). This focus on early and late shifts disrupts life rhythms.
- Weekend and Holiday Work: Weekend work is essential because members often use the club on their days off, making it difficult to take consecutive days off.
Normalization of Long Working Hours:
- Facility Management/Cleaning: Maintenance of equipment, cleaning of pools and changing rooms, and opening/closing procedures outside of operating hours take time, lengthening the actual time commitment.
- Events and Training: Learning new programs or participating in promotional events is often mandated outside of business hours, frequently resulting in unpaid overtime.
2. The Issue of Compensation and Benefits (Wages Not Commensurate with Skill and Instability)
Despite requiring specialization in exercise instruction, the low wage level and income instability are significant issues.
Relatively Low Wage Levels:
- Mismatch Between Expertise and Pay: Staff often require specialized knowledge in exercise physiology and nutrition, along with high communication skills, yet many feel the wage level is low compared to other industries.
- Low Pay in Early Career: Fixed salaries may be set low, especially during the apprenticeship period or for newly hired full-time staff.
Unstable Commission System:
- Personal Training: Income can heavily depend on the number of personal training sessions conducted or product sales commission (incentives), making it difficult to secure stable income.
Self-Payment of Expenses:
- Cases exist where staff must cover the costs of necessary qualification renewals, external training fees, or uniforms, which pressures the actual take-home pay.
3. Workload and Mental Stress (Sales Quotas and Emotional Labor)
The responsibility of instructing health, combined with quotas for member acquisition and retention, creates significant mental strain.
Mental Stress (Sales Quotas and Complaints):
- Membership Acquisition Quotas: In addition to their instructional and service roles, staff often face quotas for acquiring new members, selling high-value personal training contracts, or selling products like protein, leading to significant mental pressure.
- Complaint Handling: Stress is high from handling customer complaints regarding machine usage, facility issues, mediating member disputes, and dissatisfaction with instruction.
- Burden of Emotional Labor: The constant need to motivate members and maintain a positive instructional attitude constitutes a heavy burden of emotional labor.
Physical Strain:
- Instructor Duties: Tasks like leading group exercise classes, long periods of standing while serving members, and adjusting training equipment involve heavy physical activity.
4. Issues with Career Development and Training Systems
Acquiring instructional skills often relies on individual effort, and career growth can easily stagnate.
Insufficient Education and Training Systems:
- OJT-Centered Instruction: Opportunities to systematically learn specialized knowledge and instructional techniques are often limited, with high reliance on On-the-Job Training (OJT) and self-study.
- Personalization of Instruction: Instructional methods and service techniques often depend on the personal experience and skill of individual senior staff, leading to variability in quality.
Feeling of Limited Career Progression:
- If the path from a front-line instructor to program development or management is unclear, staff can feel a sense of career stagnation.
- Many staff members acquire skills and then aim to become independent freelance trainers, hindering organizational retention.
The Structure of the Vicious Cycle
The fitness club industry experiences a vicious cycle: “Long hours due to early morning/evening shifts and unpaid overtime → Low fixed salary and pressure from sales quotas → Mental and physical exhaustion and dissatisfaction with specialization → Experienced staff quit → The burden of instruction and management duties concentrates on the remaining staff.” In particular, the gap between the ideal of “providing health” and the reality of “selling products” is a major factor accelerating turnover.
