It’s a few weeks into 2019… how’s that new year’s resolution going? Getting to the gym is a common goal for most and finding the right one is important. Planet Fitness makes inclusion their top priority and wants everyone to feel welcome, except for the lunks. Lunks are the gym goers that excessively grunt and throw weights around to show off their strength while judging the gym amateurs. It can be quite an intimidating experience for the average joe that’s looking to get in shape.
Planet Fitness has positioned itself as the gym for the everyday person. It’s the “No Judgment Zone” and each gym has a Lunk Alarm just in case one gets by the front door. To emphasize their inclusive philosophy, Planet Fitness offers affordable membership rates that can be as low as ten dollars a month. Memberships for other gyms and fitness studio can be anywhere from $50 a month to upwards of $100 a month. Membership rates that high make fitness a luxury that most cannot afford, but Planet Fitness changes that.
Creating an inclusive environment must be intentional and clearly supported throughout all levels within the organization. The best way to achieve this is to make inclusive practices apart of the culture and publicize those values. Planet Fitness lives and breathes their “No Judgment Zone” tagline. Signs are posted throughout the gym in support of it and is the theme of every commercial. It is so ingrained within the organization’s brand that you get a feeling of inclusion just by seeing the logo.
Inclusion is the battery that fuels the power of diversity. Diversity can not benefit your organization if your talent does not feel comfortable enough to speak their minds. Inclusive cultures with intentional practices give your diverse talent the supportive environment needed to be comfortable. Additionally, it will be almost impossible to retain a diverse workforce without inclusion. Today’s market benefits the job seeker and high performing talent is not afraid to job hop until they find the right organization.
You may not want to go as far as installing lunk alarms around your office to create that inclusive culture, but it is still achievable. As with any initiative, the buy-in of leadership is key. Leaders are responsible for putting action into the organization’s values and should be an example for their teams. As the HR business partner, you can help your leaders by providing training and creating clear practices that emphasize the importance of inclusion. You can also create an awareness campaign that will help to publicize the inclusive values and make them apart of the culture.
Diversity is nothing without inclusion and reviewing your organization’s people metrics can assist you in determining if your efforts are working. It’s easy to know if you have a diverse workforce (even easier if you have an HR dashboard). For the inclusion part, look at your retention rates and find out if your talent is staying with the organization. If you have low retention rates within certain groups of people, you may have a problem with inclusion. Planet Fitness has shown us how inclusive practices can be a real benefit and shouldn’t be forgotten.
We’ve talked a lot about diversity and inclusion in the past.. check out our podcasts if you’re looking for more help
- “What is Diversity versus Inclusion” with Jameel Rush, Philly SHRM President
- “Creating a Fair and Transparent Recruiting Process that Drives Diversity” with Sam from Stitch
- “Creating a Sense of Belonging in the Workplace” with Saudia Ganie, Senior Tech Recruiter at Digital Ocean
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