I Was Fired from a Fitness Studio for Not Being Active Enough

[dawn16]

@randibb4 Oh I see. I'm not even sure if we have classes only gyms in my city. TIL!

 

[randibb4]

@dawn16 Lol yeah I actually just went to a yoga studio just this morning that was essentially an empty room with a wooden floor and desk. Expensive af too. So not a lot to offer people without an instructor handy!

 

[dbg24]

@randibb4 The point stands, though - if they want their employees to also participate in their classes/activities there should be a discount to encourage them to do so.

 

[randibb4]

@dbg24 We don't know that there isn't, OP says that she didn't take the classes because they "weren't free" for employees, which sounds to me like there is a discount in fact.

 

[dawn16]

@ctian25 That super sucks, and they're examples of everything wrong with the fitness industry. Fitness shouldn't be about gatekeeping. No one should be deciding whether you're active enough or fit a rigid stereotype of their idea of "fit."

I hope you'll remember that for the vast majority of people in fitness, it's about being welcoming and inclusive. Fitness is something we love and want other people to learn to love--not something we push people out of because they're not good enough. The people who fired you have a warped, messed up, unproductive idea of fitness, and that's their problem, not yours.

I'm so mad on your behalf! Screw them.

 

[steve_cog]

@ctian25 "I’d taken the classes a few times, but because they weren’t free to employees I couldn’t afford a package."

and

"Furthermore, I figured I was there to earn money, not buy the product."

Similar to how chain clothing stores want their employees to wear only that chain's clothing purchased with the emoloyees' wages, sounds like the owners want their employees to spend their own money at that gym. Makes sense from their perspective -- easier to sell the product if you have consumed it, and it's another source of revenue for the gym.

But, it has nothing to do with your own fitness background or activity level, and it's deceptive to position it as otherwise. Your situation sucks, but chalk it up to a key lesson in why your boss is not your friend and get back to the gym (or whatever other activity you enjoy)!

 

[dawn16]

@steve_cog Story here...my SIL had just graduated with a degree in retail management or something like that. 4 year degree from a reputable college. Anyway she got a management job with Abercrombie and Fitch. They of course had the you must wear our clothes policy...anyway my SIL could not afford to pay full retail as Abercrombie and Fitch is ridiculously priced and IMO only affordable to high middle class and rich people. Not a girl who grew up with a single Mom and put herself through school etc. So my SIL went to second hand high end boutiques and found a bunch of their clothing. Two weeks into her job she gets pulled into the office and was told her clothes were to old and she had to buy and wear the newest styles on their racks. She couldn’t believe it!

 

[henderco]

@steve_cog It's crummy that they did this, there should be an incentive for employees to attend classes and some lifestyle questions in the initial hiring process. But it is understandable that they want employees who are knowledgable about the product and sell it genuinely. By living a certain lifestyle, especially by working out at the specific gym they work at, they are better prepared to help customers - they can tell a customer first hand what certain classes and instructors are like, recommend what might be best suited for them, what classes/routines/packages fit the customer's own lifestyle and goals, and use their knowledge of fitness in general to recommend other services. It's pretty possible that a customer (or a few) had complained about OP's service - if they ask a question and you say "I don't know" or explain that you go to a different gym, it looks kinda bad.. Hiring someone who didn't fit the image was the company's fault, but you can't really blame them for the firing.

 

[tfal31]

@henderco Honestly if they want employees knowledgeable about everything their gym has to offer, they should either deeply discount the services or make them free. Otherwise it's like asking them to pay a fee just to have a job.

 

[randibb4]

@steve_cog

Similar to how chain clothing stores want their employees to wear only that chain's clothing purchased with the emoloyees' wages, sounds like the owners want their employees to spend their own money at that gym.

I don't think this is it tbh, because based on what was said it seems like they would've thought it was fine if she was doing regular activities at another gym since they were interested if she did yoga, barre, Crossfit, and other stuff elsewhere, and were obviously disappointed that she did not. They wouldn't have needed to chat with her if the problem was just whether she was spending money there, because they'd know that without asking her.

I think they just wanted somebody super active in fitness to represent the front desk. I think that's a fine reason to not hire somebody but it's shitty to hire somebody who doesn't fit the bill and then fire them for it later without making it clear that that is an expectation.

 

[dawn16]

@randibb4

I don't think this is it tbh, because based on what was said it seems like they would've thought it was fine if she was doing regular activities at another gym since they were interested if she did yoga, barre, Crossfit, and other stuff elsewhere, and were obviously disappointed that she did not.

I think if OP had been working out at those places, the management would pressure her to work out their gym instead. Either case , I just can not sere how it is lawful to fire somebody because she doesnt work out. Unless it was written in the initial contract, but then they would not have asked about it because it would have been come up earlier

 

[randibb4]

@dawn16 OP is almost certainly American, where in most places it's lawful to fire somebody for pretty much any reason as long as it's not discriminatory against a legally protected class (i.e. race, gender).

 

[steve_cog]

@randibb4 Yeah, totally possible. I guess I read those questions as the owners trying to assess whether she was purchasing other "boutique" fitness products elsewhere and could be convinced to use the classes at the gym instead.

Who knows at the end of the day. Either way, the decision doesn't seem linked to OP's personal fitness abilities and really should've been taken care of through the hiring process, as you note .

 

[randibb4]

@steve_cog

Either way, the decision doesn't seem linked to OP's personal fitness abilities and really should've been taken care of through the hiring process, as you note.

Yeah I agree, and if your standards have changed I think you owe it to your employees to at least explain to them what your problem is and give them some time to meet your new expectations. My sister was recently fired for a similar reason (she was front desk at a salon, fired with no warning for not looking "fashionable" enough).

 

[rizkallam]

@ctian25 I think you should take this over to r/legaladvice or r/askhr because this sucks. they cant fire you over culture fit.

 

[catycat]

@rizkallam They absolutely can

 

[kagenonikki]

@rizkallam If it’s an “at-will” state, they can fire you for any reason or no reason at all.