It's all up to HR, regrettably
G'day
At one interview I was asked how I would function with a person who was not of my race/gender/ethnicity/religion/preference in pets etc. etc... and I replied that, fortunately, I was blind. This led to the immediate questioning of my riposte, because obviously I had an ATPL. (The question had been put to me by the HR (Human Reject) representative.
My answer was, and still is, that what you do on a flight deck, your knowledge,your manipulative skills, your ability to function as a member of ALL the crew is exclusive of your melatonin or what you have between your legs, nor which book of lies you read.
Once while I was in-between jobs I was interviewed by Brisbane Transport for an "RPT" position, successfully. A few days into the training we had the seemingly compulsory HR lecture, which every airline person has endured. Questions such as; "What is wrong with having a poster that gives 10 reasons why beer is better than a woman?". Well it's discriminating against us wine drinkers for starters.
I was pleasantly surprised when she didn't ask such rubbish, instead she started quoting stats like:
Males and females are roughly 50-50 in the population. Indigenous Australians are 5%, yet in our organisation the ratios are 82% male, 18% female, and 2% of them are indigenous. So how do we fix that?"
Coming from many airlines I instantly suggested that we drop the standard, and she was horrified. "NO! We advertise in different avenues, we make the jobs attractive to the non-usual applicants, yet we still maintain our standards. We get more applicants without discrimination due to higher exposure." I muttered something about Sunstate and the 1990s, but zipped my lips.
The job was driving buses, and Bob Hawke called us all "glorified bus drivers" at one stage. Oh he was so wrong! Every Brisbane bus depot has a hot kitchen that is subsidized, and open from the first sign-on. They also have a fully equipped gym, with a personal trainer who comes in once a week, and when you make an appointment they will evaluate you, and give you a regimen. There are also "quiet rooms" where you can sleep if you are on a split shift, and entertainment rooms where you can just catch a movie. Showers and ablutions are there: it goes without saying.
Unlimited sick leave, yes, unlimited. However if your sick leave falls into a pattern such as every Friday and Saturday night, you will be counselled twice, before being fired. Sure the money is crap, but for a short time it was nice to see how a management ethic that valued staff with actions and not words could be implemented.
Cut to the chase, that HR lady in BT knows more than any KPI driven exec in any Australian aviation company, and bus drivers won't put up with the crap airline pilots get. In your nose Bob Hawke!
Have a good one & all
Ned