One of my first jobs was working as a personal trainer at a YMCA in a pretty small Midwestern, right wing town. I was on my feet for an average of 4-5 hours a day, except for a 30 minute lunch break. I was hoping that if I busted my ass and got as many clients and contacts as possible, and went around and cleaned the floor and machines (which was part of my job) I would be seen by management and given more hours, eventually leading to being able to get on insurance, since I really needed it. I was part time, but if I just got a few more hours, I could have been eligible (what they called “part time plus”). I have some potentially life threatening health issues and major problems with my hips. My doctors for years have been advising me not to stand or walk much, but I like being as active as I am able, so long as I can rest when I over do it. I worked an average of 6-7 days per week at one point, even having one 7 hour day all on my feet, which really hurt my hips.
I worked hard and I guess I was noticed by the manager of the guest check in and member services, because I was recruited by him to also work in that area part time, in addition to my usual personal trainer duties. I was very happy about this, because it seemed like my plan was working. I was getting more hours, a little more money, and I was closer to getting enough hours to qualify for insurance.
Eventually, all of the standing and walking day in and day out caught up with me and I was constantly working in a lot of pain and even sleep was hard to come by because my hips would throb and I had a very difficult time getting to sleep or staying asleep.
This greatly effected my work performance, but when I would ask for a chair to sit at during work, they would refuse to allow me. For a time I just said screw it and I just took a chair from the tables for guests and used it, but was reprimanded and told to put it back. Even my own coworkers would bring over chairs for me to sit in to help me out.
Eventually, the member services manager just slowly cut my hours until he stopped putting me on the schedule entirely.
I considered taking them to court to demand accommodations for my disability, but as I was having trouble finding another job in this small town, I didn't want to risk getting fired or else I could have lost the place I was staying at.
During my time there, most of the managers were verbally abusive and disrespectful. The fitness manager who hired me was awesome and he really liked and respected me. The guy who replaced him when he left for a different job, not so much. He told me I was a bad trainer to my face, even though I'd been training clients for nearly 7 years at that point and had clients stay for as long as 5 years with me, always improving. But that didn't matter to him. He was just a bully. During one of the times he was berating me he asks me, “Are you pissed off?” I didn't understand why he would ask that… I didn't want to admit it, so I just said, “No.” I was worried if I showed any kind of aggression towards him he would just fire me.
Another occasion happened when I got an angry text from the fitness manager about how I incorrectly charged a new client of mine. He scolded me in the text message and told me he'd talk to me once I got into work. Once I got into work I checked the charges and they were all correct. I was bewildered. What in the hell was this guy's problem, I thought to myself? So I was prepared to stand up for myself and tell him straight out that he was the one who made the mistake, not me. But when I did see him he was arranging some chairs for a work meeting and refused to look me in the eye and he sheepishly admits that he made a mistake but didn't even apologize to me. What a coward.
This is also the guy who let another Y staff member, who also in worked in fitness, whom a female Y member told me he was sexually harassing her and other friends of hers. Her friends, she told me, were why they no longer came to that Y location. I asked the Y member's permission to tell my boss about the inappropriate comments and I thought for sure he'd do something about it. It's the law! Damn was I naive. I wrote up a written statement of what the Y member told me happened to her and her friends, comments that were made to them by the staff member. I gave it to my boss and he said he'd look into this and thanked me for reporting it. A few days go by and I get called into my boss's office he tells me he talked to the accused employee and got “his side” of the story and told me that it was all just a big misunderstanding. What horse crap. I'd watched my coworker leer at women and make a few inappropriate comments myself, but nothing was ever done.
After three and a half years I quit.
Luckily I was able to move out of that town and I found a much better job with managers who actually try to help you out. And I'm able to sit as much as I want at this job.
These are just a few of the experiences I had while working there. Other mangers were just as bad and would talk down to you and accuse you of things you didn't do. But what else should I expect? Most of these “managers” were in their 20's. They were still children and acted like it.
I just wanted to write about a few horrible experiences I had working at a YMCA. It was without a doubt the worse job experience I've ever had. And my first job was working at a Taco Bell! Has anyone else experienced similar horrible working conditions at YMCAs anywhere else?