Dealing with Bad Behavior

Grunting, groaning, dropping weights, not wiping off equipment, not racking weights, swearing, talking or texting on cell phones while on cardio and other rude and obnoxious behavior are not tolerated under the Fit Happens program. There is no excuse for that type of behavior in a public setting. Our good members appreciate it when the staff maintains an atmosphere where they can be assured they won’t have to deal with people exhibiting that behavior.

Our Cement Head Alarm allows us to use social awkwardness to encourage people to follow our rules. The alarm will be used as a first warning. Anytime the alarm is activated it will run for 5 seconds. Five seconds can be calculated by saying, “One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi, five Mississippi.” Record of warnings will be made in the notes section of a member’s file on the club computer system. Think of this as the Fit Happens version of the “permanent record” that we were warned about when we were younger.

If the offending person makes any sarcastic remark, swears at the staff or makes nasty remarks about the club, the person’s membership will be canceled immediately. If they do something that causes us to set off the Cement Head Alarm two additional times and they are a member their membership will be canceled on the spot. If anyone refuses to leave the premises after they have been informed that their membership has been canceled, they will be reminded that if they do not leave we will call the police and have them escorted out.

The Cement Head Alarm will not be under-utilized and it will not be used indiscriminately. Finding the proper balance will enable us to create the comfortable environment that we want our members to enjoy. Whenever the Cement Head Alarm is activated the club’s Team Leader and the CEO will be notified. This is done so the employee who activated the alarm can convey why they thought it appropriate to sound the alarm and so that they can get feedback as to the appropriateness of their decision to use the alarm.

Does sounding an alarm sound like an extreme measure to take to get people to follow simple gym rules of etiquette? Our years of experience have taught us that the alarm is both necessary and effective. Often times the staff member working is much weaker physically than the offending member. Unfortunately some people will agree to abide by our rules when they enroll, not really expecting us to enforce them. Some think that how our club is run is up for debate and some wait for a staff member they consider to be weak to be working before they violate the rules.

The Cement Head Alarm allows us to empower a 90-pound teenage girl to enforce our rules with everyone from the most timid of offenders to the biggest and most obnoxious offender. The Cement Head Alarm is intended to attract the attention of everyone in the club so that the entire club is watching to see if the offending person cooperates with the staff member who is asking them to adhere to our rules. Just as the siren and flashing lights of a police car will get our attention and cause most people to do whatever is necessary to avoid the scrutiny of all those who drive past us while we sit on the side of the road, the Cement Head Alarm will motivate most people to be very cooperative with our staff.

While we prefer not to need a Cement Head Alarm we prefer having and using the Cement Head Alarm to not providing the atmosphere for our members that we have assured them they would find at Blue Moon Fitness. At the end of the day, we know that is what we would want someone to do for our own mother if she was in a gym 500 miles away dealing with strangers.