HARASSMENT AND INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR POLICY

KEEPING OUR GYM SAFE FOR EVERYONE

At Hove Fitness Club, everyone is welcome. We are committed to creating a safe, respectful and positive environment where all members, staff, Personal Trainers (PTs) and visitors can enjoy the benefits of fitness and wellbeing, regardless of who they are.

Safety and respect are at the heart of a positive gym experience. Everyone has the right to feel safe, comfortable and respected while using our facilities.

Harassment, intimidation, threatening behaviour, abuse and inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated at Hove Fitness Club. This applies to all members, staff, PTs, contractors and visitors, and applies at all times while on our premises or engaging with other members of our gym community.

There is never an acceptable reason to intimidate, threaten, harass, bully or deliberately make another person feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

REPORTING A CONCERN

If you or someone else experiences or witnesses’ harassment, inappropriate behaviour or any conduct that makes you feel unsafe, please speak to a member of the Hove Fitness Club management team or contact us at:

membership@hovefitnessclub.co.uk

All concerns will be taken seriously and reviewed appropriately. We will handle reports sensitively and, wherever possible, maintain confidentiality while ensuring that appropriate action can be taken.

Depending on the circumstances and seriousness of the behaviour, action may include a verbal or written warning, restrictions on gym use, suspension or termination of membership. Serious incidents may also be reported to the appropriate authorities where necessary.

WHAT IS HARASSMENT?

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Aggressive, intimidating or threatening behaviour.
• Unwelcome attention or behaviour directed at someone because of a personal characteristic.
• Unwanted comments or remarks about a person’s appearance, clothing, sexuality, age, gender or other personal characteristics.
• Behaviour that threatens, intimidates, alarms or causes someone to reasonably fear for their safety.
• Physical violence, unwanted physical contact or behaviour that creates a threat of violence.
• Sexual harassment, sexual comments, unwanted advances or behaviour of a sexual nature.
• Threatening, offensive, abusive or deliberately unwelcome language or behaviour.
• Bullying, humiliation or deliberately targeting another person.
• Repeated unwanted contact, comments or behaviour after someone has made it clear that the behaviour is unwelcome.

This list is not exhaustive. Any behaviour that is considered inappropriate, threatening, abusive or likely to make another person feel unsafe may be addressed under this policy.

HARASSMENT CAN BE DIRECT OR INDIRECT

Direct harassment is behaviour directed towards you personally, whether by an individual or a group.

Indirect harassment may involve witnessing inappropriate or harmful behaviour towards another person or group, even when you are not personally involved.

Harassment does not have to be directed at you to affect your experience or sense of safety within the gym. If you witness behaviour that concerns you, we encourage you to report it to a member of the management team.

OUR COMMITMENT

Hove Fitness Club is committed to maintaining a gym environment where everyone can train, work and enjoy the facilities without fear of harassment, intimidation or inappropriate behaviour.

We ask everyone who uses our gym to treat others with respect, courtesy and consideration.

By working together, we can ensure Hove Fitness Club remains a safe, welcoming and positive environment for everyone.