Spitoon,
If you read my post correctly, you will see that I agree that NATS may be missing a trick... however I was replying in the main to Scooby Don't bemoaning the fact that NATS did not show him any loyalty... that's after NATS had paid for his training and given him a wage whilst doing so and paid him a decent wage until he decided he wanted to go elsewhere.
Calling NATS disloyal becasue they would not pander to his whims to let him leave the company, then
only possibly return is IMHO a touch ridiculous. It's not the same as letting someone take a sabbatical for a specific period of time,
knowing that they will come back when that time is up.
Many companies do
encourage some of their staff to get a wider view of the world and then come back to a more responsible job
and you are correct, many are in fact enlightened enough to
have formal exchange and secondment schemes.
However, that is not what was talked about...
I think you will find it difficult to find many (if any) companies that will pay out all of the things that I have outlined above, then let their employees take up employment elsewhere on a whim, with the guarantee that if they don't happen to like their new job, they can always come back to the one they wantesd to leave in the first place!!
Scooby Don't was the person who brought up loyalty, but loyalty is a two way street... and it certainly is not a God given right, like so many ATCOs like to think
I atually do believe that NATS often shoots itself in the foot, but there has to be some agreement on the part of the employee who wishes to bugger off for a few years, not just a throwaway "
If I don't like it, or
if it does not work out, and/or if I do not happen to find another job besides the one I am leaving for, I
may want to come back"!!
The sentence
when I wanted the option of returning
says it all to me with regards to where Scooby Don't felt he belonged in the scheme of things