Bullying

[cabinboybabes]

Hi Fellow flyers , i am interested to hear your comments regarding bullying from staff or airline management wheter you have been on the recieving end or know of a person who has.

I think this is becoming more common and feel that crew are scared to pipe up.

its us that makes the airline work maintaining and building up rapports with passengers - we are the guys that ensure customers are retained, however, is this appreciated by our "managers"

Without us they would have no jobs either!!!

Airlines that use such tactics should be named and shamed.

Does that perm contract mean that much if you are to go through hell and back to get one!!

comments pls guys

[cabinboybabes]

no i am not a journalist, i am an experienced crew member with several years under my belt.

Its not to name and shame airlines but I was interested if others on here are witness this kind of behaviour.

Galley FM is common and all us old dogs know not to listen, however, i am proposing support to peeps who have suffered from this where we all can support and offer advice on how to deal with sucj issues.

.... the tabloids already know how airlines treat staff and dont need us eggin em on - this is merely a statement offing support to people who need it!!

[FLYING_HOSTIE]

BABE,

theres always going to be someone who thinks their better than you at the job and talk down to you etc.. and can border on bullying.. but we have to just get on with things, the majority of the time you wont see them again for a good year or so if you work for a larger airline..

In my experience If the Unions are shi* and cant support us then why would individuals like yourself be any better?

Nice idea though. x

[cabinboybabes]

thats my point - the unions are sh*t and i personally have not been involved with any incidents and you get to hear of the bad stories online - but all i can say is what would you do if it happened to you?

I would personally stand my ground, however, my job isnt the bees all and end all - but some people are asked to do so much as there may be a chance of being kept on.

I would not want to be coming into this industry as a newie as i feel that the industry has changed so much - I blame the commercial pressures that are put upon us by the like of easyjet and ryanair. The job is not what it used to be - bring back the glamour i am cabin crew not a bus conductor

It never used to be like this years ago

[OzzieO]

Why is it every time someone asks a question they get accused of being a undercover journalist!!!

Although I have my reservations about some of the tatics journalists use if they want to gain an insight into management/staff bullying good for them!

[ABird747]

Have a look at...

www.bulliedatbritishairways.com

To have a dedicated website must tell you something...

[cabinboybabes]

good for the person who set this up - :)

[GorgeousKiwiGal]

Alot of airlines have professional confidential outside support groups and people that you can talk to if you are being bullied or experiencing any problems at work. These are free of charge and completely confidential. I know crew that have used them for help when they have been going through divorces, custody battles, bullying, drug/alcohol problems, spousal abuse, Cancer etc etc.

At my previous airline I was bullied by a male senior staff member. It got to the point where I would pull a sickie every time we were rostered to work together. In the end I'd used up all my sick days and was forced to work with him. Unfortunately on that flight he all but assaulted me. He shoved me during minor turbulence as I was leaning over talking to a pax and he was walking down the isle. I of course lost my footing and ended up head first in to the window across the paxs laps and had a rather large bump on the forehead! Fortunately (or unfortunately for him), several pax saw what he did, kicked up Bobsy Di, an incident report was filed by pax, crew and flight crew and he was put straight on paid leave. Long story short, within a few weeks, and several meetings later he was asked to resign. He did so, and that's the last I heard from him.

The sad thing is when I first started, he and I got on like a house on fire. Then we had an overnight together, and myself, him and the entire crew went out for a drink. He had one too many, tried it on with me, I politely declined explaining that I had a partner, and from then on he had a personal vendetta against me. Scary stuff. But, fortunately justice was served.

If you are being bullied, speak up! Report the bullying through the appropriate channels and you will get results. Don't let these bullies get away with their immature, irresponsible actions!

[BYCREWBOY]

I was bullied on my first year as an initial by a NO1 "she was evil"!!! that same year i was layed off and was sure she had something to do with it.
I was asked to rejoin later on that year and the bullying started again everytime i flew with her. My actions resulted in mouthing off at her in the cabin which looking back was un proffesional, and threatening her that if she did it again i would have her. luckily it paid off and she left me alone!
Now for all who are bullied you have to be strong and do something about it, talk to your supervisors or friends gain advice. dont be on your own!!

And for those people who enjoy bullying fellow crew remember the saying
" what goes around comes around" and you will get whats coming to you!

[speedbird676]

Strange this thread should be here today, seeing as last night I was writing a letter to the BA News about my concerns about the behaviour of some senior crew.

I was dragged in the office last week after 2 complaints from pursers who accused me of disrespecting their authority. On both occasions they had done something which was in violation of Flying Crew Orders and which affected me directly and I felt it was my job to polietly bring it to their attention.

Basically they both took offence, wrote out pages of complaints bringing up a whole range of ridiculous issues (one one occasion my shirt had a crease, shock horror...) and my manager told me that it must have been something I'd said and put the blame clearly on me.

In my opinion, the management at BA always go with whatever the senior crew member says and therefore it means that some of them can do exactly what they like on board because they know that nothing will happen.

I have not been the subject of serious bullying thankfully, but my experiences certainly show how the system simply stands back and allows a minority of senior staff to treat junior crew like dirt and get away with it.

[BlackbusheFlyer]

Maybe it is just me, but I grew up with my fathers words in my ear telling me to stand up for myself. In my lifetime things appear to have changed, we now live in a world that increasingly absolves everyone of personal responsibility for anything, therefore if you get 'bullied' you ask others higher up the food chain to solve the problem for you.

People are nearly always bullied because they allow themselves to be.

Sorry if I sound mean, but I am increasingly annoyed by the way our society in the West is becoming a 'victim' culture. In another ten years from now at the rate we are going, bosses, sargeant majors, flying instrutors will not be able to raise their voices without fear of being labelled bullies.

[speedbird676]

I agree with a lot of what you say Blackbusheflyer.

However, I am increasingly finding that people allow themselves to be bullied as the consequences of standing up for themselves are worse.

[ABird747]

In my opinion, the management at BA always go with whatever the senior crew member says and therefore it means that some of them can do exactly what they like on board because they know that nothing will happen.

Unfortunately they're not even that discriminating... They seem to take the word of whoever gets into the office first which can be even more damaging

[cabinboybabes]

Thanks for all your posts - make interesting reading!!! I am from a charter background and I am not sure of the hierarchy of BA etc but i know for a fact that crew members are scared to view their concerns to management because of the fear of not being kept on perm.

There are some evil people out there who enjoy this kind of harassment.

What goes around certainly comes around

Keep posting guys!!!!

[apaddyinuk]

I have never let myself be bullied in work nor ever will. I simply do not leave myself open to it. I understand how some people do wind up in situations where they are being bullied and I totally sympathise. People have tried bullying me in the past and I have even witnessed it and correctly or incorrectly I have defended the person.
I feel it is all in how you present yourself, I am probably totally wrong in assuming this but when I meet a new crew for the first time I assume that their first impression of me is that I am totally proffessional and easy to work with therefore leaving no room to bully me because they know I know my stuff and they wont get away with it!!!

[thrustucantrust]

The word bullying is being used alot here. Can someone give me an example or two of what they define as bullying. The post about anykind of authority being compared to bullying is worrying. Pulling up a consistently underperforming subordinate isnt bullying for example.It is very easy to make an immature unsuitable person cry with even a simple a thing as expecting them to repeat a task done incorrectly. Is this bullying? or is this an unsuitable person in the role.EG if i request a certain task from a cabin member say , acup of coffee and a sandwich and recieve a cup of tea and a biscuit and they burst into tears when I ask them to take it away and bring what I asked for is that bullying? I have no doubt tha the term bully will be included in all the other names I would be called.Three attempts to get the right meal distracts from my primary duties which isnt menu supervision.

[ABird747]

There have been incidents that I have been a witness to where the number one has chosen one of the junior girls out of 15 on the crew to consistently pick-on. Everything from how her wedding ring was better than the junior's to dragging her up and down the aircraft grilling her on SEP equipment and locations. There was no need for her to do it as she demonstrated good knowledge in the briefing. If she had then gone on to grill the other 13 of us then fair enough, she was just doing it to get a kick out of the power trip. The episode came to an end after if found the number one had backed the junior into a corner in the galley and was making her cry... I had the number one go and sit in her seat at D1L until I had calmed the junior down then I gave the number 1 a talking to... Ridiculous if you think that she was 45ish and I was only 23 and she sat there like a scolded schoolgirl with a monkey on her lip as someone had stood up to her.

[cabinboybabes]

I am a number one and I the galley fm on what this and that person did to another.

I find the majority of time it (in personal expereince) its junior crew who bully each other.

It doesnt happen on my flights as I make a point in my briefings all bullying and gossip (bitchy gossip) doesnt enter my cabin.

I know the people in my airline who are like this and I keep a watchful eye on them! and if they do it - god help em.

We are here to function as a team and if this goes on then it doesnt work.

And for those bullies out there, just remember, in an emergency situation, the crew you pick on could save you life (or choose not) - what goes around certainly does come around!!!!!!!!

[BYCREWBOY]

Well said cabinboy there should be more of you around!

[OzzieO]

The word bullying is being used alot here. Can someone give me an example or two of what they define as bullying.

The collins dictionary definition of the word "bully" is "Person who hurts, persecutes or intimidates a weaker person".

I have personally seen both senior and junior crew that would fall into the catergory of being a bully with their words and actions.

No problem in "pulling up" a crewmember about not meeting the required standards but have to becareful when talking about standards. Have flown with a lot of people who seem to think their own standards are the norm forgetting we should all be singing of the same hymn sheet and work to the companys standard.

Also important to take into account that old saying "Its not what you say its how you say it"!