How to Fix the Staffing Chaos: Insights from Danny Orlik, CEO of NetGym
If you’ve ever scrambled to find a sub, sent 10+ messages for a single shift, or showed up to a class only to realize no one told you it was covered—this one’s for you.
In this session of our Staffing Series, we sat down with Danny Orlik, the CEO and founder of NetGym, to talk about one of the most overlooked (but biggest) operational headaches in boutique fitness: sub scheduling and internal team communication.
Danny has lived this pain firsthand—as both an instructor and a manager—and built NetGym to solve it. His platform helps studios automate subbing, streamline staff communication, and eliminate the constant back-and-forth that eats up hours every week.
And let’s be real—this isn’t just about saving time. When sub processes are a mess:
- Instructors get burned out and leave.
- Members have bad experiences and cancel.
- Studio owners spend more time putting out fires than focusing on growth.
So, what’s the fix? Danny shared six actionable steps that studios can implement right now to get their staff operations under control.
The Six Steps to Smarter Staffing
1. Define and digitize your subbing policies.
No more PDF handbooks or scattered email chains. Your sub policy needs to be easily accessible, clear, and automatically enforced through your scheduling software.
2. Send sub requests to the right people—automatically.
If you’re still mass-emailing every instructor in your system, you’re doing it wrong. Studios need to automate sub requests based on availability, location, and qualifications, so only the right people get notified.
3. Get visibility into sub statuses (without chasing people).
How many texts have you sent just to confirm a shift was covered? Instead of relying on Slack, WhatsApp, or email threads, you need a centralized system that shows all sub activity in one place.
4. Automate approvals & schedule updates.
No more last-minute surprises. Once a sub is approved, your system should immediately update the schedule and notify the right people—including members. (Because no one likes walking into class and realizing their favorite instructor isn’t there.)
5. Use automated reminders to prevent no-shows.
Danny shared a wild stat—just one no-show at a 40-person class can mean $1,600 in lost revenue (factoring in refunds, cancellations, and negative reviews). A simple automated reminder system can save you thousands.
6. Track sub data to reward (or replace) instructors.
Who’s covering the most? Who never steps up? If you’re not tracking sub data, you’re flying blind. Studios that use subbing insights in performance reviews retain top talent and avoid hiring the wrong people in the first place.
Studios That Are Already Winning with This
Danny isn’t just talking theory—NetGym is already saving studios up to 12 hours a week on staff operations.
- A 50-location studio cut manager subbing time from 10+ hours a week to just 1-2 hours.
- A small boutique studio eliminated a full-time role dedicated to sub scheduling—saving $50K a year.
- A franchise studio group automated reminders and now avoids costly no-shows altogether.
Bottom line? If your studio is still drowning in emails, group texts, or manual schedule updates, it’s time for an upgrade.
Watch the full webinar replay here and see how you can fix your staffing chaos before it costs you more time and money.
