'It's all fun and good to give people a beautiful set of clubs, but if they don't have the time to get out and spend time on the course, it doesn't matter'
Sporting Life Group has crafted a unique approach to employee retention, with a focus on promoting wellness through sports as well as fostering career development.
Mitch Harris, Director of Learning & Talent at the Sporting Life Group, points to physical activity as a cornerstone of their strategy to support mental health and prevent burnout among employees.
“Our strategy is all about encouraging active participation in the sports that we carry and represent,” Harris explained, underscoring the Group's belief in the adage that “a healthy body is a healthy mind.”
By endorsing an active lifestyle through sports like golf, tennis, and hiking, they aim to help employees find mental calm and physical well-being in the same passions they promote in stores.
Harris shared that golf alone—a leading sport in Canada, with more than 74 million rounds played in 2023, according to the Golf in Canada: Economic Impact Study —offers clear mental health benefits to many participants.
The same study showed that 95% of surveyed golfers said the sport improves their mental health, Harris notes – and he includes himself in those statistics.
“I've had some rounds of golf where I left in a much worse head space than when I started,” he recounted, “but overall, the sport does have a lot of positive mental health benefits.”
Cycling gets a similar endorsement from Harris, who finds it can have a calming and energizing effect. Promoting these benefits to employees is just one way the company builds its wellness culture.
One standout initiative in their wellness and engagement program is the “Get Out and Play” program, which began in 2022 and provides employees access to a range of sport-related activities.
“That has given 2,360 employees and guests free access to sport experiences,” Harris said, explaining that with activities spanning skiing, and tennis, this incentive program covers entry, meals, and transportation.
The program – valued at about $250 per participant – offers recognition to employees who have made significant contributions to the company. But it’s not one-sided – Harris emphasized that providing a range of activities adds a self-directed element, allowing employees to pursue existing interests or explore new ones.
Beyond encouraging physical activity, Sporting Life Group’s retention strategy includes clear career development paths. Harris acknowledged that attracting and keeping retail staff who are genuinely passionate about the sports they represent is challenging, especially given the high costs associated with activities like skiing and golf.
“It’s always a challenge to find people who actively participate in the sports that we sell and want to work in a retail environment,” he said, adding that socio-economic barriers are a reality in many areas. Once they identify such talent, Sporting Life makes a dedicated effort to retain them by providing a “realistic career path” within the organization.
According to Harris, their approach enables employees to transition from “sales associate to a department supervisor to a store manager to an SSC role’ -- a common career trajectory within the company, he notes.
The group further supports career growth through its Leadership Academy, launched in 2022. This offers leadership training that is consistent across all levels of the organization, from senior vice presidents to high-potential store leaders. The intent behind the Academy is to cultivate a “shared language of leadership” that aligns management practices across all locations, Harris explained.
While it’s difficult to quantify the impact, he notes that creating such structured programs has allowed senior leaders to contribute directly to company culture and employee development.
“A significant percentage of them remain with us today, and a number of them have been promoted from within,” Harris said.
In terms of attracting talent, the Sporting Life Group leverages its brand identity and community engagement as differentiators – Sporting Life is more than a place to buy gear, Harris explained; it has established its role within communities through events like the Sporting Life 10K, which has raised over $20 million for charitable causes.
Harris sees initiatives like this as an important part of attracting individuals who share the company’s passion. He also pointed to smaller programs, like girls' golf camps, which aim to reduce barriers for young female athletes.
“We’ve hosted five golf camps over the last two years just to give a free set of golf clubs and free instruction,” Harris said, reinforcing the company’s commitment to making sports more accessible for underrepresented groups.
The Group also extends tangible perks to employees that go beyond wellness. Full-time employees across their stores receive up to $4,000 in discounts, while seasonal staff get $1,000 – benefits that also extend to employees’ families.
Leadership training, discounts, and initiatives like “Get Out and Play” are only part of the puzzle; for Sporting Life Group, effective management is also key to preventing burnout. Harris emphasized the value of good leadership, saying, “70% of the variance in employee engagement is determined solely by the manager.”
For Harris, these discounts aren’t just about financial savings, they align with the Group’s mission to encourage employees to engage in the sports they promote.
“It’s all fun and good to give people a beautiful set of golf clubs…but if they don’t have the time to actually get out and spend time on the course, it doesn’t matter.”
