Marooned
10th Mar 2007, 13:42
‘Misery Loves Company’ Fleet ‘Facts’..
In recent article in the company newsletter we read an attempt by Dr H of the human factors department to explain away the growing discontent within the company. It refers to this ‘negativity’ as a ‘virulent flu bug mutating as it spreads to take on a new, and more vicious life form’. Continuing the analogy then perhaps we should consider the cause rather than the symptom.
The article itself is an acknowledgment that there is growing discontent within the company. However the intent of the article is to infer the discontent, the virus, is essentially imagined and not real. The fact that we have the ideal climate within the company for such a virus to spread so rapidly and effectively should be the real cause for concern. That he draws the conclusion that it is a few who are to blame, the cup half full malcontents with nothing else to do but moan, is to ignore the more fundamental & complex situation… but then perhaps he is paid to do so. That he should also lecture us on understanding the limitations either political or financial of our senior managers to address the issues he relinquishes them of any responsibility of doing anything about it.
The article also says that ‘the plight of the disgruntled worker is as old as work itself’… well so is the tendency of employers to exploit its employees. Dr H displays his ignorance of fundamental changes in lifestyle, working practices and erosion of terms and conditions that may have led to the disgruntled workers he mentions.
Whilst he does acknowledge that there are two sides to every story he fails again to acknowledge the lack of interaction and information given by the company on ‘their side’ to ‘our side’. The imposition of DECs and the restrictions placed on fleet transfers were two examples of issues handled particularly badly with no consultation by the ‘other side of the story’ with those who would be directly and adversely affected by the policies imposed except for the official yellow letter to say it will happen regardless of what we think anyway.
So what is Dr Hs advice to us all in the front line from the comfort of his desk? Ignore the problems as they don’t really exist and if someone says something different, someone who may have been here longer with more experience of ‘the Emirates way’ or someone who has been directly affected by increased fatigue, policy changes… simply go and have some controlled rest and the unhappiness bug won’t contaminate you.
The real human factors issue is the way EK as a company has handled the expansion and the crass and insensitive man-management they use either by ignorance or design. It is this mismanagement that has created an environment for the ‘virus’ of negativity to flourish. This is a real problem, not an imagined one, and one that does not simply go away with some ‘controlled rest’.
Here is another quote to be pompously submitted for consideration: ‘I too am determined to be cheerful and happy, despite the situation I find myself in, for I have learned from experience that Emirates will not do anything to improve my happiness but continues to create misery because it is they who directly affect my circumstances’.
If misery does love company it will never be lonely in EK.
In recent article in the company newsletter we read an attempt by Dr H of the human factors department to explain away the growing discontent within the company. It refers to this ‘negativity’ as a ‘virulent flu bug mutating as it spreads to take on a new, and more vicious life form’. Continuing the analogy then perhaps we should consider the cause rather than the symptom.
The article itself is an acknowledgment that there is growing discontent within the company. However the intent of the article is to infer the discontent, the virus, is essentially imagined and not real. The fact that we have the ideal climate within the company for such a virus to spread so rapidly and effectively should be the real cause for concern. That he draws the conclusion that it is a few who are to blame, the cup half full malcontents with nothing else to do but moan, is to ignore the more fundamental & complex situation… but then perhaps he is paid to do so. That he should also lecture us on understanding the limitations either political or financial of our senior managers to address the issues he relinquishes them of any responsibility of doing anything about it.
The article also says that ‘the plight of the disgruntled worker is as old as work itself’… well so is the tendency of employers to exploit its employees. Dr H displays his ignorance of fundamental changes in lifestyle, working practices and erosion of terms and conditions that may have led to the disgruntled workers he mentions.
Whilst he does acknowledge that there are two sides to every story he fails again to acknowledge the lack of interaction and information given by the company on ‘their side’ to ‘our side’. The imposition of DECs and the restrictions placed on fleet transfers were two examples of issues handled particularly badly with no consultation by the ‘other side of the story’ with those who would be directly and adversely affected by the policies imposed except for the official yellow letter to say it will happen regardless of what we think anyway.
So what is Dr Hs advice to us all in the front line from the comfort of his desk? Ignore the problems as they don’t really exist and if someone says something different, someone who may have been here longer with more experience of ‘the Emirates way’ or someone who has been directly affected by increased fatigue, policy changes… simply go and have some controlled rest and the unhappiness bug won’t contaminate you.
The real human factors issue is the way EK as a company has handled the expansion and the crass and insensitive man-management they use either by ignorance or design. It is this mismanagement that has created an environment for the ‘virus’ of negativity to flourish. This is a real problem, not an imagined one, and one that does not simply go away with some ‘controlled rest’.
Here is another quote to be pompously submitted for consideration: ‘I too am determined to be cheerful and happy, despite the situation I find myself in, for I have learned from experience that Emirates will not do anything to improve my happiness but continues to create misery because it is they who directly affect my circumstances’.
If misery does love company it will never be lonely in EK.