50 Best Employers in Canada 2009

[Carrier]

50 best employers in Canada - The Globe and Mail (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/50-best-employers-in-canada/article1415568/#table)

Aviation and everything connected with it is noticeable for its minute representation. WestJet was the sole air operator to make the list. Federal Express Canada (air freight) and Flight Centre Canada (travel) were the only others with an aviation connection. It's not surprising that there were no 703/704 companies included. Their medieval human resources policies and incompetent/uncaring management exclude them from such lists!

While WestJet might be a good company to work for it is certainly not a good company to be a customer of with its ever changing restrictions, predatory pricing and bullying attitude towards the travelling public. This also applies to other airlines. It is no excuse for airline management to say that they have been told to do it by the government(s) or that it is the law. That was the excuse given at the Nuremberg Trials. It was not accepted as a valid excuse then (numerous culprits were hanged or imprisoned) and it is not acceptable now. Companies and their managers are supposed to have consciences and conduct themselves accordingly.

[ws737]

Westjet used to be a good place to work , it lost it's soul quite a few years ago..I've been there along time and it's time to pull the pin.

[737 Combi]

Was that before or after they settled their lawsuit with Air Canada?

[apodz]

Hey WS737, could you expand on that? I would greatly appreciate some information on the working culture, and work conditions, as well as company-employee relations. I am trying to get a first officer position, presently flying for another Canadian 705 airline.

[b737NGyyc]

Westjet used to be a good place to work , it lost it's soul quite a few years ago..I've been there along time and it's time to pull the pin.

I think that is a little harsh. I too am a long time WestJetter and will certainly agree that the company has changed over the past 10+ years but to say it has lost it's soul is a little over the top.

Has the company changed over the last number of years? You bet it has. Some change has been good some not so good but in this business those who don't change and adapt soon die. To expect the company to be the same now with 7500 employees as it was with 500 isn't realistic. Our culture has changed with our growth for sure but our core values remain firmly intact and as corny as it sounds the "we succeed because I care" tagline describes how it works very succinctly.

There are few GOOD flying jobs in this country but I firmly believe that even with the warts (there are a few) a line pilot position as WestJet is well ranked among the best.

Some examples:
Max 16 days worked per month
No seniority for schedule or vacation bidding
Paid training that is included in your block
PORT initiative ongoing
All extra company assigned flying paid at O/T rates regardless of block hours
Good variety of destinations (64 destinations in 15 countries)
New folks have as good a chance of getting good overnights as a day 1 pilot
Excellent training and ongoing operational support from Flight Ops management

Apodz, good luck with your application I am sure you will not regret coming to WestJet.

[ws737]

As a sraight flying job it's ok here..I guess I was referring to the management that doesn't care about the employees anymore. I could state case after case but it would be long and boring, I will stick to the pilot group and point at the way a couple of the day one guys were treated when they left. No thanks for coming out, nothing...they were denied passes that were promised etc...get it in writing, we never had to do that..no integrity here anymore. It's just another big airline flying job...:ugh:

[b737NGyyc]

You say as a flying job it is OK "here" as if you are still at WestJet. However in your other posts in different threads you talk about your company possibly doing some flying in Dubai. WestJet has never entertained flying in the ME however Enerjet has.

Are you sure you haven't followed Tim already and just still have an axe to grind?

[ws737]

No axe to grind, still plugging away at WS. I posted a few things about Enerjet as I know the guys there well and there was some erroneous info on here about them. I've been known to tip a few before posting...:bored:...so maybe I was having a premonition/wishfull thinking kind of thing...I'm going to stay till I get my passes, seeing as WS didn't honour their agreement with the guys that left a little too young...sorry a** bas***** in the headshed...
Noone from WS on here seems to understand or care about the importance of keeping your word..It means everything to me and from now on I'm going to get everything in writing, it really is a sorry state of affairs

[North of Somewhere]

Apodz

Don’t worry about what some of the grumpy of farts here are saying about the place. They reminisce about the good old days when they had 100 pilots and this place used to be a flying club where the door to Clive’s office was always open. It’s a classic case of “back when I was young kid”. We had one of “these” guys during one of our pilot meetings and he was going on about how he has no faith in our management and how he can barely live on what he is earning (captain) and was very animated about it. I can tell you that every single other guy at our table was looking at each other and muttering “WTF?”

As for not getting lifelong passes when you quit and go to the competition, well….sucks to be you! I wish I had your problems. They (you) quit! I would like to see what would have happened if they had a retired, I wonder if they would have gotten those passes.

Any way. I am a bit older and have been around a bit more than some of the other posters on this threat and can tell you that this is hands down the best place I have ever worked. Period! No cool aid required, just an observation.

[J.O.]

NoS:

Like you I've spent enough time in the business to know that there's no such thing as greener grass on the other side of most fences. But I've also learned that a person's perception is their reality. Whether that perception is different than yours or mine is irrelevant. And I've heard a few WS pilots express similarly negative sentiments recently. The challenge is in changing that perception, and you can't do that by telling them they're wrong.