New guide to help gyms and leisure centres tackle harassment

A new guide has been launched to help gyms, leisure centres and other physical activity facilities communicate their policies and procedures around sexual harassment and intimidation.

Published by ukactive and Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, the guide covers a range of practical examples and tips to improve communication with gym members and build trust. Titled From Policy to Practice: How to Share Your Stance Against Harassment in Your Facility, the guide will be downloadable from the Safer Spaces to Move resource hub and has been designed to inform facilities how they can ensure everyone feels informed, welcomed and respected.

Among other guidance, the new resource aims to inform facilities: ● How to communicate clearly to visitors and members that sexual harassment and intimidation are not tolerated in facilities. ● How operators can ensure that visitors and members know howto report any concerns, what will happen next if they do, and what support is available to them. ● How to build trust and confidence with their visitors and members in an operator’s policies and training so more members feel able to report issues should they arise.

The guide has been designed for operators across the physical activity sector and is set to be utilised at all levels within an organisation, from the operations teams to marketing and member communications. It has been informed by a series of focus groups with women and men to put members’ voices first, providing in-depth insight into what members expect and how messaging can best build trust, convey safety and strengthen confidence.

Hattie Jones, Head of Membership at ukactive, said: “This guide will help ensure that every woman and girl feels informed, confident and empowered to use the range of services within our nation’s gyms, pools and leisure centres.”