I have access to the company gym and pool and, as someone who works long hours, I plan to use them. But there’s something about donning sportswear and getting sweaty alongside colleagues that makes me feel uncomfortable. So what is the etiquette when it comes to the office gym? MM, Abu Dhabi
Gym etiquette can be very important, and is not immediately obvious. There has been a gym at my last three places of work, and I often found myself working out alongside colleagues from all parts of the organisation. Some people like to get into their zone and entirely ignore anyone else in the place. Others rather absently acknowledge the presence of colleagues, while others still want to have a conversation.
But this is pretty much what I have found in any gym where I have been a member, public or private. We each have different reasons for being there and different ways of using the time there. So let people behave the way they want to behave, and expect that they will allow you to behave the way you want to behave. If that colleague from marketing is entirely happy to chat to you in the canteen or at the water fountain but chooses not to do so in the gym, that is probably about how he approaches gym time, not because his relationship with you has suddenly and fundamentally shifted. So treat gym time as private time and behave there exactly as you want to behave. In my case that means not being my usual chatty self, and not trying to catch the eyes of friends or colleagues. I’ll respond to a nod or a smile with something similar, but I won’t invite interaction unless I am dressed for work, either before or after my session, and in the reception area.
I found that over time this approach, while it seemed a little artificial at first, became entirely natural, and in my workplace gym people do seem to respect the fact that this is private time.
There is then how others like to be treated. In any gym, but particularly in a gym at work, staring is rude, whether you are staring in stunned awe or in appalled dismay. Not everyone who goes to the office gym is a physical god or goddess, honing their perfect bodies to even greater perfection. Many of us don’t actually look our best when we sweat in gym kit on a treadmill … and many of us are not that fit, so we struggle to look anything other than what we are – ordinary people trying to get a little bit fitter. We don’t want to be stared at or commented upon, before, during or after our exertions. So please do nothing to embarrass fellow attendees.
There are some other points of gym etiquette that are worth remembering. I personally find it very irritating if someone takes an extended lunch break then offers as an excuse: “I was in the gym”. I know that a healthy mind sits best in a healthy body, and I know that personal fitness is important. A good lunchtime gym session can reinvigorate you and lead to a very productive afternoon of work. However, that does not automatically give you permission to overrun your allocated lunch break, a practice which seems to me to be disrespectful of others in your group or team or organisation. Equally, morning gym sessions should end before the start of the working day.
Part of this is about timing. Make sure you know how long your session takes, from the time you leave your desk to the time you return to it, showered, dry, fragrant and ready to get to work. Do build in time for that shower. Don’t turn up at the last moment, still hot and bothered after showering.
Another personal gripe of mine is the number of offices and workspaces that are festooned with drying swim gear, damp towels, pungent footwear and other hallmarks of the dedicated gym attendee. Again, for me this is about respecting others. If our workspaces smell like a sweaty locker room all day then we are imposing something of a burden on office colleagues or on people who attend our space for a meeting. So use lockers provided at the gym if there are any (and ask for some if there are not) or take your kit bag back to your car. Or zip everything into a waterproof kit bag and keep it under your desk. It’s only polite.
Doctor's prescription: Don't worry what others are doing. Your only concern is to decide whether to go with the lime green Lycra or the turquoise body suit.
Roger Delves is the director of the Ashridge Executive Masters in Management and an adjunct professor at the Hult International Business School. He is the co-author of the book The Top 50 Management Dilemmas: Fast Solutions to Everyday Challenges. Email him at business@thenational.ae for advice on any work issues
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