The Paradigm Shift of HR

How to make human resources (HR) more attractive at your facility.

Think of your employee who hustles the most. The one who is constantly on the move, collaborating with other team members and lending a helping hand when possible. What department came to mind? 

Was it human resources (HR)? 

“HR is fast; it’s just like the general managers out on the floor,” said Robyn Klawitter, the senior vice president of HR for Mountainside Fitness. “We can be working on payroll one minute and an employee injury the next. We can be dealing with a brand-new employee and onboarding them, and then you have someone calling for a verification of employment. It’s a lot of moving parts. HR really reflects the way the gym moves, and it’s fast and furious at times.”

HR is a crucial part of your business, and it’s time to view it in a more positive light. The HR team is responsible for recruiting and staffing, compensation and labor, and employee relations, but they are also responsible for carrying out your mission and helping the team achieve goals. 

When thinking about the role your HR team plays, Klawitter — who has been in the industry for 22 years — said it’s crucial to have someone who knows and understands the business. 

“I think it’s really important when you’re in HR for fitness to understand the business,” explained Klawitter. “What I mean by that is to understand the day-to-day pull on your management team — how members, the facility and the employees need their attention. Being able to offer them a way to help manage their employees that’s simple — on their phone or their tablet — and quick is so important. Sometimes they only have one or two minutes before they’re pulled in another direction. The biggest thing we’ve been able to give our managers is a seamless product that has everything they could possibly need to manage their employees in one place.”

This product — Paylocity, an HR and payroll tech company — has not only helped their operations improve but has also helped staff view HR through a different lens. 

“The tool in Paylocity called Community is what really pulls managers in once they can see how quickly they can communicate with our team as a whole or even individually through a system that has a Facebook/Instagram feel to it,” explained Klawitter. “They’ll really see first-hand HR can be cool and fun. It’s not compliance and getting written up and things like that. I think when people start to see HR as a tool that can help them succeed and get to their goals is when it all really starts to come together.”

Also, view your HR team as an advocate and partner, not as the deadline pushers. Getting them involved with the team’s culture is a great starting point.

“What we try to do is spend time with our managers,” said Klawitter. “Make sure they feel like we are all part of the same team and we’re all moving in the same direction. We have an annual general managers retreat and a representative from HR is always welcomed on that retreat. I think it’s really big to be able to spend two to three days with a management team in a more relaxed environment and show them we’re human and we’re all on the same team.”

Overall, viewing HR through the lens of punishment and paperwork is no longer acceptable in today’s world. In a time when hiring and retaining members is a top priority, investing in an HR team and technology to help achieve this can take you far.