To feel uncomfortable in gym changing rooms

[Uncomfortable82]

I attend a local gym. I've generally not had a major issue with the idea of mixed gender bathrooms provided they are fully enclosed with sink in with the toilet and our local pool has village changing which I'm fine with although I understand the reasons why other women may not be OK with this and prefer single sex. But, the gym changing is serviced by a male cleaner and it has communal changing ie no cubicles so it means I feel i can't change to go after/ before work and I definitely don't feel comfortable using the shower because I've no idea when the male cleaner will come in to clean them which he seems to do roughly hourly during the day. The door opens straight into the changing room and showers are separate so if you were in the shower you wouldn't know he'd come in until you were in the same room. The showers have curtains rather than cubicles.

I'm tempted to email my gym but tbh I feel really uncomfortable with the idea that I could effectively jeopardise this guys job.

It's not your responsibility to save the cleaners job. Your responsibility is to your own wants and needs for a gym. Email them, tell them you're thoughts and if they don't provide facilities you require (which they dont) then don't take their service and change gyms

The gym should have a system where a female member of staff checks the changing rooms are empty before a male member of staff goes in. I'm surprised they don't do this already - you should report your concerns in case this guy is actually breaking their rules and they're unaware of it.

No there's no female staff that I've ever seen - I know there are 2 female PTs but they've never been in when I've been in. He does knock before coming in to the main changing area but if you're getting changed it doesn't really give you much time to get changed and if you were in the shower you wouldn't hear the knocking. Plus there's been a few times I've been in using the toilet when he's come in and felt I had to leave as we were alone. He seems perfectly nice and has never, ever been inappropriate in any way but I also wonder how comfortable he must feel potentially ending up in a one on one situation with a woman he doesn't know in a state of undress. I also find it strange that the door to the women's changing is coded but during the day the code doesn't work and the door can be opened by anyone- it only seems to come into effect in the late evening when no staff are on site. My guess is this is so he can access easily to clean?

Hmm, I used to work in a spa in a 5* hotel (it also had a gym/pool for local members). All bathroom and changing areas were only attended to by members of that gender during the day. So if there was only a female attendant working that day, then the male personal trainers would whip round the men's areas throughout the day, keeping it tidy, cleaning the toilets etc. At the end of the day, the area was then properly cleaned and everything fully stocked up for the next day. There was an external room from which clean towels could be replaced into cubbies and used towels could be removed from hampers throughout the day. Perhaps suggest something like that?

I would email the gym, it sounds like a really small set up if there's not a female member of staff available at all to even pop their head around to check it's fine for him to go in. Also, do gym changing rooms really need cleaning that often, maybe I've only been to scuzzy places but surely morning, noon and evening is all that's needed? I guess toilets maybe more like every couple of hours but if he's in and out really regularly that's a bit frustrating. Maybe they could put up a rota with the specific times he'll be coming in, so you can plan around it? If you knew it was half past every hour then you could make sure you're done by then/start changing after then....
I wouldn't worry too much in the shower, if there's curtains, presumably he avoids showers that are running, but changing after a shower and presumably he might pop in anytime is a bit much. Toilets also wouldn't bother me as the doors shut presumably. It's more that bit where you could be naked or just in your pants and he's wandering around that'd put me off.

I would complain.

Sounds like Puregym. They're cheap and cheerful. I've never actually seen anyone cleaning the changing rooms there...

I also don't think the PIN system needs to be in place during the day.

Our gym tannoys if a male member of staff enters the females and vsv

Every gym I’ve ever been a member of has had a protocol that male staff announce that they’re there and can they come in / whether they need to wait. You’re not going to be getting anyone fired by emailing to request that this happens.

I think the lack of PIN during the daytime is common and fine. When the gym is quiet and unstaffed it’s needed for safety and security; in the day, it’s often just a hassle when people forget their PIN.

At my local leisure centre male members of staff ask loudly if anyone is in the female changing room before entering. It’s not a problem.