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NATS culture

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Old 21st Oct 2004, 21:27
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Question NATS culture

Could anyone please advise what the current culture at NATS is like? I do not refer just to ATC issues, but a much broader spectrum of the mood within the company since it moved from the public sector to part privatised.

Mant thanks,

AB
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 01:20
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Of course we could

Before we do though, can we ask politely why you'd like to know please?
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 07:08
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Should I assume that the culture is a little on the paranoid side then.
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 07:11
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It's exactly the same as any other company or organisation. There are those who happily get on with their jobs, satisfied with their working conditions, salary, leave, etc.. And there are those who moan and whinge and are never satisfied.

From the operational point of view, I don't tknow how things may have changed since I retired 2 years ago, but I enjoyed every moment of my work and my colleagues.
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 08:09
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average bloke

Hi! Are you just off a management course or something, or perhaps another ALSTOM buddy?
We are all well thank you, however "culture" is one of those non-words which may be more applicable to non-people.
Basically we do our job in spite of the organisation, every few years a few new faces appear and in turn are replaced by more new faces. Whenever outside industry conditions get a little hot we seem to inherit the "where-can-I-hide-for-a-cooloff" gang.
This outfit cannot afford top-whack salaries, and no NATS staff are ever head-hunted.......put those factors together.......we the workers just get on with our work.
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 10:00
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havent noticed much difference
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 10:10
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We have 'destinations' now, though.
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 10:14
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I am very much looking forward to "the journey ahead".
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 10:16
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On my last night shift I had a great time laughing my way through the NATS' Mission Values and Guiding Principles. Hilarious!
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 12:15
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We have some nice culture stuff in Swanwick .... that's if you mean paintings and murals
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 12:57
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NATS obviously has Americans on the management team now, because all the buzzwords sound like they come from 'The Bachelor' and other TV programmes of its ilk.
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 13:23
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All we need is our managers to manage.

We don't need mission statements, we were given our task on the first day of training and we don't need any other buzzwords.

The statement was ;

Control Traffic in a safe, orderly and expeditious manner

I don't think we need anything else
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 14:04
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So,

cost doesn't matter?
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 16:50
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flower, well said. I couldn't agree more. Less management bull please........
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 18:23
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Soft top:

Yes, of course cost matters, but not to the sort of person you would find posting hereabouts....all I and my colleagues care about is preventing aircraft hitting each other and moving the traffic in a safe, orderly and expeditious manner (very much in that order). We leave considerations of cost to the bean counters, that`s their job.....they would probably run screaming from ours.
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Old 22nd Oct 2004, 19:52
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I wondered which NATS are we talking about?. Are we talking about the NATS where real people with shirts and ties beaver away enthusiastically for the good of the company, where everyone is "On board to exciting new destinations" and have careers and all that stuff, or are we talking about the "other NATS" of the operational resources who walk around in jeans and teeshirts, inhabit the operational areas at all times of the day and night when real people are in bed, who have to rely on vending machines for food when the real people are not there, who are obstructive, dogmatic, argumentative, and probably pick their noses in public as well!.
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Old 23rd Oct 2004, 22:59
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and most importantly, the "other NATS" is the one which produces much more than 75% of the income that keeps "both" NATS's in business and also keeps all those tie wearing, gobbledeygook speaking, muppets in a job

"The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth"
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Old 24th Oct 2004, 10:01
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I'm one of those T-shirt and jeans wearing oiks that inhabit NATS properties at all times of the day and nights.



If I even knew where the ticket office was i wouldn't be bothered to buy one for the "exciting new journey", but I'm more than willing to pop down to departures and wave the suit wearing muppets off on theirs.

Mind you they'd probably find something to moan about if they were delayed en route and it would all be our fault. can i tell them not too rush back?

Bizzare if you ask me all this new management rubbish ....
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Old 26th Oct 2004, 05:36
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Not all tie werarers are muppets

heh I wear a tie

NATS is multicultural.

But as in any big tribe there is infighting.
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Old 26th Oct 2004, 09:01
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I wear a tie also. I also speak in tounges but not management autobabble. There are many people in NATS without which the systems that the gods use would be back in the dark ages. Little respect please.
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