I have worked for good and bad companies. The baddies all had a few things in common:
- Senior management who looked after their own interests at all costs.
- Marketing/Sales people held in very high esteem, regardless of productivity; big budget for advertising and marketing activities.
- Operations and maintenance people tolerated only (and barely) for their essential skills; minimal budget for training and maintenance
- Aircraft with repetitive defects.
- Always short of crew due to poor planning or inadequate budgeting; consequent pressures to bust duty limits and give up leave or days off.
- Every opportunity to erode pilot terms and conditions taken by Management on the basis that other pilots could come in and do the job for less (sadly dogs do eat dogs).
- Bills not paid on time, or at all.
- As the inevitable bankruptcy approached, dishonest dealings with staff entitlements, evasion of tax liabilities.
The good guys also had several things in common:
- Senior management took a genuine interest in ensuring that staff entitlements were met first, creditors next.
- Operations and maintenance budgets set and honoured.
- Defects cleared as soon as reasonably possible.
- Usually enough crew to do the job; when temporary shortages required extra input, a program to restore days off by adding to annual leave, or financial recompense.
- Firm but fair contract conditions - all parties expected to keep their side of the deal.
I am indeed fortunate to be dealing with such an organisation now.