AUDIO: Gym sales manager accused of staff abuse

An audio clip of a staff meeting on August 22 prompted the Planet Fitness head office in Johannesburg to announce yesterday that Leslie would be given the chance to respond to the accusations in a disciplinary hearing.

Leslie has also been accused of extorting a total of R12 000 from a former employee who, in desperate attempts to meet sales targets, had run afoul of internal sales policies.

In the audio clip, the authenticity of which was not disputed by either Leslie or the club’s national management, Leslie is heard swearing at men and women sales staff, at one point referring to an employee as a “motherf **** r”.

The staff claim the alleged abuse took place when performance targets were not met. The alleged abuse includes: ý Swearing at employees and demeaning them in front of colleagues; ý Threatening to assault employees; ý Head-butting an employee in the presence of co-workers;

• Cutting an employee’s eyebrow (just the one) in the presence of co-workers;
• Cutting an employee’s hair halfway (half the head) with a blunt razor in the presence of co-workers;
• Forcing employees to swallow products with “illegal and or forbidden substances (fat burner) against their will” in the presence of co-workers;
• Making staff go outside, pick leaves from trees and aloes and eat them; and
• Forcing employees to drink alcohol and other concoctions against their will in the presence of co-workers during working hours at the premises.

Planet Fitness’s public relations consultant, Shiri Reouveni, said: “Planet Fitness is most concerned about allegations which have surfaced concerning unacceptable conduct attributed to its Walmer sales manager.

“Mr Leslie will be afforded an opportunity to answer these serious accusations in a disciplinary inquiry that is being convened.”