Maintaining professional boundaries
When a trainer and client have worked together for an extended period of time it’s natural that a close bond is formed. The barriers to exercise participation are not only physical, trainers need to get to know their clients in order to find out what’s important to them, and what’s driving or preventing them from achieving their fitness goals.
As a fitness business owner the quality of customer service at your facility is dependant on your trainers being able to form these bonds and in turn help their clients to succeed. However, it’s also important to remember that there is a line and boundaries that must be maintained between a trainer and client. As an employer, while you may not be privy to the intricacies of these relationships, you do have a responsibility for the safety of both your members and your employees.
The Fitness Australia Code of Ethics is intended to act as a clear guide to all exercise professionals in their professional practice. It is founded on honesty, veracity, confidentiality, justice, respect and autonomy. The code establishes expectations for exercise professionals around confidentiality, forming personal relationships, respecting client’s rights and protecting their dignity. While it is important that fitness business owners establish their own company standards, the industry’s code of ethics should be an important part of a new employee’s training and induction. In an industry that is highly competitive and reliant on word of mouth for advertising, business owners can’t afford to have a single client feeling uncomfortable or unsafe in their facility.
As trainers need to touch their clients in order to be able to do their job, they also need to set expectations around what constitutes appropriate behavior. To avoid a misunderstanding with a client, trainers should always explain why they need to touch the client and ask permission before doing so. This is not always common knowledge with trainers who are new to the industry, which is why the onus is on business owners to enforce this type of practice amongst their employees. Clients are not the only ones vulnerable to misconduct. Trainers should feel comfortable to present to their employer with any concerns about the appropriateness of client behavior. Any such discussions should be documented in the event a liability claim arises.
The Fitness Australia Code of Ethics can be found here.
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