So it’s been another busy month in leisure recruitment. Who said that September was a bit of a wind-down period? You were lying! It’s been a busy old month in the leisure industry in general, and we’ve been keeping our eyes and ears open for news items. Here are some we’ve spotted in the last couple of weeks…..
Twitter is now more popular than Facebook!
Well in recruiting anyway. According to a recent study, 28% of recruiters are now active on Twitter compared to 15% on Facebook, with Twitter job postings getting 2.5 times as many views as Facebook. While LinkedIn is popular for many job-seeking professionals, Twitter is doing well. Recruiters are recommended to spread their sociability wide to get the attention of as many candidates as possible. We agree! You can follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/4leisure
Sports Direct being sued by zero-hours contractors
Sports retail giant Sports Direct is finding itself the subject of legal action by workers who were excluded from an employee bonus scheme due to being on zero-hours contracts. While the ethics of zero-hour contracts and their suitability is still being debated at length, it is clear that employers need to be aware of the discrimination that zero-hour contracts can create, even if just to prevent themselves from being sued. The cost of this court action is yet to be announced but with 250 employees as the plaintiff, it could run into £millions.
Fitness First hire David Anderson as Chief Marketing Officer
Fitness First have hired ex-IHG manager David Anderson to lead them through the latest phase of the brand’s transformation. Fitness First have embarked on an ambitious journey which will roll out their new brand to 155 of their clubs globally, and will see a major expansion into Asia. We wish David all the best in his new role.
From LeisureOpportunities.co.uk
Fitness First use technology and boost membership
Another Fitness First story – this time the gym brand explain how they’ve used innovative technology to redefine the gym experience. I don’t know exactly what they’ve done but it seems to be working – lots of ex-members have come running back, and membership loss rates are down. Good news!
PayAsUGym launch UK fitness marketplace service
Entrepreneurs Jamie Ward and Neil Harmsworth have launched an online marketplace service for gym memberships – kind of like a ComparetheMarket for the fitness industry. It’s a fairly obvious concept, and one that’s already got more than a third of the UK gym market on board. Not one to be ignored maybe?
Lawyers rule on paying commission during a holiday
Another legal case that employers need to heed is this one which ruled that employees who earn a basic wage plus commission should be paid a commission equivalent during their paid holiday to compensate for reduced earnings. Worrying also for many employers is that this ruling allows for back-payments, maybe as far back as 1998, and could prove to be expensive for some. Not all bad news however, as some employees may find themselves in line for a bit of a windfall. We’ll be watching this one with interest.
Have any news items caught your eye this month?