When you train in a hands-on specialty, touching a client is often necessary to correct their form or support them. When you have to be hands-on, it’s best to be vigilant and always check before you place a hand on a client’s body to ensure they understand the reason for the touch and consent to it.
However, sometimes a client can get the wrong idea. It’s not even just physical contact – it could be a compliment on their progress taken the wrong way, or a glance they decide has a hidden meaning.
How do you protect your reputation and your studio against sexual harassment claims? After being vigilant and transparent, the best protection is a personal liability policy drafted specifically for your line of work. CPH Insurance provides you with defense against claims of improper conduct, and can help you avoid having your livelihood threatened.
Sexual harassment claims can arise even from the most innocent of situations. Imagine:
- You are always careful when working with your clients, but one day your female client slips when doing a burpee and you catch them quickly without having time to warn them you will be grabbing them. They decide they have been touched inappropriately and tell you they are filing a claim. What do you do?
- Your male client is doing a series of chest presses during their weekly session, and you tell them that his pec muscles are starting to really stand out. They take this the wrong way and claim you made them feel uncomfortable when you made these comments, and you could be named in the suit they are filing due to the incident. Are you really at risk of being held responsible for their feelings?
- You built your business from the ground up, and now you have six employees doing group and one-on-one classes with clients. A client comes to you and says one of your trainers sexually harassed her. Can your studio be named in the lawsuit she is planning to bring?
These are just a couple of the kinds of things that can lead to a sexual harassment claim. Even if you do everything right, you can’t always control what people think up, so getting covered with a fitness trainer insurance policy from CPH Insurance can give you peace of mind no matter what might prompt someone to make an accusation.
