If you’re familiar with Planet Fitness, you may know the gym is popular for its affordable pricing and judgment-free workout environment. In fact, the gym’s ‘Judgement-free zone’ slogan is something that Planet Fitness prides itself on, according to CEO Chris Rondeau. The slogan is also one of the reasons why the brand is growing so fast and why it has been “adding 200 new clubs a year,” according to Rondeau.
If you’re familiar with Planet Fitness, you may know the gym is popular for its affordable pricing and judgment-free workout environment. In fact, the gym’s ‘Judgement-free zone’ slogan is something that Planet Fitness prides itself on, according to CEO Chris Rondeau. The slogan is also one of the reasons why the brand is growing so fast and why it has been “adding 200 new clubs a year,” according to Rondeau.
However, not everyone feels comfortable with the climate at Planet Fitness. For example, a former manager recently filed a lawsuit against the company that claims the work climate in the corporate office is “debaucherous.” The suit itself was filed in Rockingham County Superior Court by Casey Willard, a former manager who worked at the corporate headquarters in Hampton.
During her time at Planet Fitness, Willard worked as a “manager of franchise development and construction.” According to her complaint, she claims she was “subjected to sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, discrimination, and retaliation before she quit earlier this year.” Additionally, Willard alleges that “drinking games like ‘Fireball Friday’ were commonplace in the office…with senior management directing subordinate employees to consume alcohol during the day.”
As if those allegations aren’t bad enough, Willard also alleges she was “drugged and raped by another employee and his friends while on a business trip in California in 2017 and that a supervisor allegedly took advantage of her, plied her with alcohol in a hotel room while on business, and engaged in a sexual relationship that violated the company’s anti-fraternization policy.”
Willard also argues that “others in senior management also had sexually intimate relationships with subordinate employees.”
So far, Planet Fitness has denied Willard’s allegations and called some of them ‘baseless.” Nonetheless, the company did investigate some of her concerns and took appropriate action to remedy those complaints. For example, the company did fire “two employees for violating company policies.” In a statement, Planet Fitness said, “At Planet Fitness we have a zero tolerance policy related to harassment of any kind and are committed to providing a safe environment for all employees.”
The New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence spoke up about how it’s important for companies like Planet Fitness to take allegations of harassment seriously and how companies should take serious looks at their working environments on a regular basis. Amanda Grady Sexton, the director of public affairs for the organization, said:
“It is critical that organizations and institutions take allegations of harassment and assault with the utmost seriousness, and swiftly take action to ensure their work environment is safe and healthy for all employees. Many victims of workplace harassment do not come forward out of fear of retaliation or losing their job. In order to encourage reporting and truly create a positive and professional culture, leaders must confront problematic behavior when it’s brought to their attention, and workplaces must prioritize the prevention of, and response to, harassment.”
Sources:
Lawsuit paints different picture of ‘judgement-free’ Planet Fitness
Ex-Planet Fitness manager alleges rape, ‘debaucherous’ corporate office environment
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