Morale Booster for NATS
Join Date: Nov 1999
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No prank gents unfortunately. I received my "boarding card" on Friday for a three year flight to an undisclosed but "exciting" destination. Ye gods! Three years on a plane. What about DVT?
Rumour also has it that the paper aeroplanes were not distributed at one unit. They were destroyed 'cos local management thought it was an ATCO wind-up! For once local management exercised considerable common-sense then.
The overall impression is of a bunch of "leaders" who know two-thirds of the square root of diddly about ATC or indeed aviation. To cover this obvious inadequacy they regularly spout the usual (yawn) business buzz words that mean bvgger al, and come up with kindergarten schemes that they think will "motivate and inspire" the troops. How little they know ATCOs and ATSAs.
2 sheds Be very afraid when you get to your desk on Monday. See you then.l
Rumour also has it that the paper aeroplanes were not distributed at one unit. They were destroyed 'cos local management thought it was an ATCO wind-up! For once local management exercised considerable common-sense then.
The overall impression is of a bunch of "leaders" who know two-thirds of the square root of diddly about ATC or indeed aviation. To cover this obvious inadequacy they regularly spout the usual (yawn) business buzz words that mean bvgger al, and come up with kindergarten schemes that they think will "motivate and inspire" the troops. How little they know ATCOs and ATSAs.
2 sheds Be very afraid when you get to your desk on Monday. See you then.l
Join Date: Sep 2002
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How to motivate an ATCO;
Give us the equipment we need to do the job.
Ensure that you have enough staff in position
Gimmicks and mission statements to the average cynical ATCO are treated with contempt.
Leave us to do our job, we do a damned good one already thanks you wont improve us with mission statements and silly projects.
Give us the equipment we need to do the job.
Ensure that you have enough staff in position
Gimmicks and mission statements to the average cynical ATCO are treated with contempt.
Leave us to do our job, we do a damned good one already thanks you wont improve us with mission statements and silly projects.
niknak
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Well said Flower, whoever we work for, I think that statement applies to 99% of us, all we want is to come to work and be able to do our job to the best of our ability without interference.
If only the employer would take note.
If only the employer would take note.
however I have a boarding card... woo hoo
Time merchant
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We get very motivating pieces of paper here every month. They're called PAY SLIPS.
Why not use your boarding cards and go and work somewhere else? Then we won't have to read another NATS whingeing thread.
Just a thought...
Why not use your boarding cards and go and work somewhere else? Then we won't have to read another NATS whingeing thread.
Just a thought...
Last edited by flowman; 27th Oct 2004 at 09:20.
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Flowman
Nobody is making you read this thread. It even has NATS in the title.
As to paper aeroplanes, when I first saw one, I thought that someone had taken a leaflet and lovingly crafted it into an aeroplane. When I found out that they are delivered like that
How much did all this cost????
I assume that somebody somewhere thought "we do ATC, so lets go for travel links". How crass will it get?
Did anybody go to one of the exciting briefings? Do we know what was contained in the "lively Q&A session" that GM LTCC mentioned in an email?
Then we won't have to read another NATS whinging thread.
As to paper aeroplanes, when I first saw one, I thought that someone had taken a leaflet and lovingly crafted it into an aeroplane. When I found out that they are delivered like that
How much did all this cost????I assume that somebody somewhere thought "we do ATC, so lets go for travel links". How crass will it get?
Did anybody go to one of the exciting briefings? Do we know what was contained in the "lively Q&A session" that GM LTCC mentioned in an email?
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Exciting New Destination Report
I received my boarding card to an exciting new destination, which turned out to be leaving right on lunch hour - how convenient. Tripping over myself with excitement I joined the rest of the freight in the conference room to be entertained and delighted by the Alstrom Buddy and the erm other guy. Off we went to some funky music and a video. Then we learned how ecstatic everyone on the board was with the new ideas. Apparently all the board went to a different building to learn about the new destinations beacuse that shows how different the new ideas were??? - brilliant wheeze the art of kidology is not dead.
Basically I think the executive have presented there resignations three years from now.
They have promised 21 things of which out of the 21 things they might be able to deliver 4 or 5 by April 2007. Why April 2007 anyway, oh yes because thats when they are closing West Drayton (although Terminal Control might still be stuck there).
The Director of making things very very very safe at huge expense made an enormous gaff. He has promised that there would be no Airprox 1 or 2 by 2007 and that there would be no lighting strikes over the UK or queues on the M25 or outbreaks of food poisoning in staff canteens. (I made the last 3 up).
Someone pointed out that pilots file airproxes as well so NATS can't keep the first promise they made to the board. (Bit embarrasing that one). The other problem is by the senior men's own admission they don't know how o get to these new destinations but they'll set off anyway and hope that somone in NATS i.e. the staff have some ideas. p The problem is that some of the people with the ideas won't get an invite to the trip and hence they might not cooperate.
To be positive the Red Baron is a shrewd cookie and he might just change the NATS sponge effect culture with the able assistance of his Alstrom buddies. However I think there is a bigger game in town than just new destinations. Effectively the Red Baron is making the exec commit to change which can be measured and if they fail well they will definately be going to new destinations.
Basically I think the executive have presented there resignations three years from now.
They have promised 21 things of which out of the 21 things they might be able to deliver 4 or 5 by April 2007. Why April 2007 anyway, oh yes because thats when they are closing West Drayton (although Terminal Control might still be stuck there).
The Director of making things very very very safe at huge expense made an enormous gaff. He has promised that there would be no Airprox 1 or 2 by 2007 and that there would be no lighting strikes over the UK or queues on the M25 or outbreaks of food poisoning in staff canteens. (I made the last 3 up).
Someone pointed out that pilots file airproxes as well so NATS can't keep the first promise they made to the board. (Bit embarrasing that one). The other problem is by the senior men's own admission they don't know how o get to these new destinations but they'll set off anyway and hope that somone in NATS i.e. the staff have some ideas. p The problem is that some of the people with the ideas won't get an invite to the trip and hence they might not cooperate.
To be positive the Red Baron is a shrewd cookie and he might just change the NATS sponge effect culture with the able assistance of his Alstrom buddies. However I think there is a bigger game in town than just new destinations. Effectively the Red Baron is making the exec commit to change which can be measured and if they fail well they will definately be going to new destinations.
Last edited by looneykeycode; 26th Oct 2004 at 06:17.
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ASDA - Airways, Scottish, Domestic, Atlantic
The only exciting new destination I've seen so far ... is the ASDA building reaching skywards from the same Ayrshire soil that was tilled by Rabbie Burns .....<lyrical wax off>
No boarding card though
Is that cos' I don't wear a tie and drink in the right golf club ?
What is all this pish anyway ? We got a cheap wobbly NATS board with lots of paper planes all pointing in to the middle. You could see everyone enter the canteen and make brave attempts to separate them ........ or should we be using them to replace paper strips, making the whole task so much more realistic ?
I give up.
No boarding card though
Is that cos' I don't wear a tie and drink in the right golf club ?
What is all this pish anyway ? We got a cheap wobbly NATS board with lots of paper planes all pointing in to the middle. You could see everyone enter the canteen and make brave attempts to separate them ........ or should we be using them to replace paper strips, making the whole task so much more realistic ?
I give up.
Hay MSL, New Horizons ( with free mug), KPIs, Mission statements.......and now exciting new destinations with paper planes & boarding cards.
It's all been done before, over and over and over again. Only this time a flashy PR firm has been employed to do funky videos with music.
21 exciting destinations led my a team clueless on how to get there ( by their own admission), or even where to start.
The briefing was embarrassing to say the least, everyone struggling to keep a straight face.
"DC10real man" is right, bring back paid for liason visits, fam flights & enough staff to man sectors-these small things will do far more to raise staff morale than any fancy PR promo.
Fine to have a vision for 2007 but NATS is stumbling along on a day to day basis in 2004, from what I've seen so far, the transition level is getting further & further away.
It's all been done before, over and over and over again. Only this time a flashy PR firm has been employed to do funky videos with music.
21 exciting destinations led my a team clueless on how to get there ( by their own admission), or even where to start.
The briefing was embarrassing to say the least, everyone struggling to keep a straight face.
"DC10real man" is right, bring back paid for liason visits, fam flights & enough staff to man sectors-these small things will do far more to raise staff morale than any fancy PR promo.
Fine to have a vision for 2007 but NATS is stumbling along on a day to day basis in 2004, from what I've seen so far, the transition level is getting further & further away.
More than just an ATCO
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With Flowman on this.
OK so NATS is in the title, we don't have to read it, but if you don't want us to jump in why not post it in the NATS forum.
BTW, from what I hear, many other organisations are having similar problems, however people there are excercising what used to be the English prerogative of a stiff upper lip and are dealing with it in private instead of whinging about how badly they have been treated.
Lon More
Here before Pontius was a Pilot or Mortus a Rigger
OK so NATS is in the title, we don't have to read it, but if you don't want us to jump in why not post it in the NATS forum.
BTW, from what I hear, many other organisations are having similar problems, however people there are excercising what used to be the English prerogative of a stiff upper lip and are dealing with it in private instead of whinging about how badly they have been treated.
Lon More
Here before Pontius was a Pilot or Mortus a Rigger
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Lon More we are discussing it here because we can and because we want to (usual thanks to danny for the forum)
As I said before... it says NATS at the top. If you don't want to read it, don't. Its really that simple.
As I said before... it says NATS at the top. If you don't want to read it, don't. Its really that simple.
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Did anybody go to one of the exciting briefings? Do we know what was contained in the "lively Q&A session"
What a disgraceful way to treat us. "You're all welcome to participate in moving NATS forward but don't bother because we're going to treat you like children though."
Still what can you expect from an Executive who says upon starting that he doesn't believe in "mass emails...or management speak" only to bombard us every few weeks with management horse crap filled emails!
BTW, from what I hear, many other organisations are having similar problems, however people there are excercising what used to be the English prerogative of a stiff upper lip and are dealing with it in private instead of whinging about how badly they have been treated.
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Lon More - this has been posted in this forum to allow the other organisations to join in and give their own experiences on similar subjects, or learn from reading ours. Neither yours nor flowman's response have been informative or productive so I suggest you either a) never enter a thread with NATS in the title again, or b) put up and shut up unless you have something useful and non-derrogatory to say.
Take some English advice. Having spent many years with "a stiff upper lip" nothing has changed, in fact it just keeps getting worse. Start following the "new" English perogative - based on a French theory - open your mouth loudly and gradually with the more of you that do, someone starts to listen, or more so, someone has to listen. We keep getting told money is in dire straits, so where has the cash come from to produce this trash? Laminated cards? I dread to think of the cost.
My views are that this just tops off the year for NATS. With the introduction of the new TRUCE course we have to attend, that takes place over two days off, and goes on into the evening after dinner, management have finally lost the plot as to who we are and what we do and most importantly how to keep us happy. I used to love going to work, now I just find myself thinking, "what crap is going to be delivered today?"
How can this be resolved? How many times have people said talk to the staff but still they will not listen. Yet another doomed plot so we will still keep whinging......
BTW, from what I hear, many other organisations are having similar problems, however people there are excercising what used to be the English prerogative of a stiff upper lip and are dealing with it in private instead of whinging about how badly they have been treated.
My views are that this just tops off the year for NATS. With the introduction of the new TRUCE course we have to attend, that takes place over two days off, and goes on into the evening after dinner, management have finally lost the plot as to who we are and what we do and most importantly how to keep us happy. I used to love going to work, now I just find myself thinking, "what crap is going to be delivered today?"
How can this be resolved? How many times have people said talk to the staff but still they will not listen. Yet another doomed plot so we will still keep whinging......
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Lon and Flowman,
I appreciate your comments, but don't you find all these NATS whinging threads even remotely humourous, from your positions on the outside? I'd be creased up laughing at the current pantomime if I wasn't working for the mob involved.
For your added entertainment we're bound to start bitching and sniping at each other before too long!
Now I hear that LACC & LTCC got club class boarding cards - mines only a standby, God forbid I get bumped off the exciting journey!
I appreciate your comments, but don't you find all these NATS whinging threads even remotely humourous, from your positions on the outside? I'd be creased up laughing at the current pantomime if I wasn't working for the mob involved.
For your added entertainment we're bound to start bitching and sniping at each other before too long!
Now I hear that LACC & LTCC got club class boarding cards - mines only a standby, God forbid I get bumped off the exciting journey!
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Maastricht controllers should pay heed ... privatisation and NATS bidding to do it are the things going on behind closed doors ... in by 2007 is the where the clever money is.
PS, don't worry, NATS Management don't read PPRuNe so your individual jobs are safe
You didn't see me here .. OK
PS, don't worry, NATS Management don't read PPRuNe so your individual jobs are safe
You didn't see me here .. OK