Healthworks: Simplifying Subbing and Communication with NetGym

Meet Healthworks

Since 1977, Healthworks has been a leader in fitness and inclusivity in the Boston area. Founded by Patty and Mark Harrington, Healthworks has evolved from a single figure salon into a multi-location health club dedicated to empowering women and non-binary individuals through fitness. When the Harringtons first began in the industry, they sold franchises called “Light ‘n Lovely” which were figure salons focused on how women’s bodies looked. When that came to an end, the Harrington’s realized there was a need for change. 

“We believed there was a connection between women who felt empowered and women who felt in control of their body. It was time to get out of the passive mode encouraged by the figure salons; it was time to break a sweat.” 

Patty Harrington, Co-founder of Healthworks

This vision led to the growth of Healthworks, with the first club opening in Salem, Massachusetts in 1984. Over the years, they expanded to multiple locations, including Coolidge Corner, Cambridge, and Back Bay, with Republic Fitness in Downtown Boston opening in 2015 as their first co-ed premier brand. Today, Healthworks operates three clubs offering a range of classes such as Strength, Zumba, Les Mills, Cycle, Pilates, Yoga, and Barre.

Overcoming Operational Challenges 🏋️‍♀️

Despite their success, Healthworks faced operational challenges in managing their extensive group fitness schedules. Coordinating sub requests for 100+ instructors and nearly 200 classes weekly became a time-consuming task, filled with manual schedule updates, massive email chains, and human errors.

Given their large roster of instructors, sub requests came in at all hours of the day. Jalynn Brown, their Director of Group Fitness, recalls times where she would personally wake up to emails regarding emergencies for 6AM classes, have to back track and make schedule updates to ensure the correct instructor is paid for class. Healthworks was looking for something that could clean up the sub-finding process for instructors, eliminate work (and last minute scrambles) for the management team and help everyone stay on top of communication.  

Choosing NetGym: A Strategic Decision 🎯

In 2022, as Healthworks rebuilt its group fitness schedule post COVID-19, the need for an efficient and user-friendly sub-management platform became evident. Enter NetGym. Healthworks turned to NetGym for its integration capabilities with their existing scheduling software, ABC and several key factors influenced their decision:

• Ease of Use: NetGym’s interface promised to streamline the sub-request process, reducing manual updates and errors
• Integration with ABC: Seamless integration allowed for automatic updates, saving time
• Enhanced Communication: NetGym’s platform provided visibility of sub requests and statuses, improving communication and reducing the risk of missed or incorrect updates

Most importantly, we loved the simplicity of Netgym as well as it’s integration to ABC which we use for scheduling. Giving our instructors an easy way to post and pick up sub requests and eliminating the need for manual schedule updating in ABC gave us hours back in our week.

Jalynn Brown, Director of Group Fitness at Healthworks

Being able to see a calendar of all sub requests and their respective status made it easy for the management team to navigate and took away the need to dig up old email chains. This integration eliminated the natural human error that came with digging up emails, triple confirming with each instructor and manually updating the website.

Game-Changing Features and Results 🚀

Switching to NetGym brought immediate improvements to Healthworks’ operations. The impact was profound:

• Automated Sub Management: Instructors could easily post and pick up sub requests, eliminating manual updates and reducing the burden on management
• Efficient Communication: A centralized calendar for sub requests improved transparency and ensured timely updates, preventing last-minute class cancellations
• Enhanced Attendance Reporting: NetGym’s attendance reporting with ABC features provided critical data, helping to optimize class schedules and instructor allocation
• Resource Hub and Messaging: These features improved team communication and provided a centralized location for important resources and updates

Looking Forward 🔮

Healthworks’ experience with NetGym has been overwhelmingly positive. As they continue to grow, they look forward to expanding their partnership with NetGym. Healthworks’ partnership with NetGym highlights the importance of choosing the right tools to streamline fitness operations, enhance communication, and ultimately empower both staff and members to thrive.

“For those considering NetGym, our advice is simple: GO FOR IT! The team is supportive and responsive, the interface is user-friendly and efficient, and it integrates seamlessly with our scheduling system, ABC. It’s worth it 100%,”  

Jalynn Brown, Director of Group Fitness at Healthworks

If your club, gym or studio faces similar challenges with subbing and communication, NetGym might be the solution you’ve been searching for. Request your demo today to start your own success story!