Would You Treat Your Child Like QF Treats Its Staff s Dedicated Staff
That post about management and bonuses didn't come from me, but it echoes my thoughts expressed elsewhere in Pprune.
The basic problem is that some businesses are prone to getting their priorities arse about for want of a better word. Airlines, since they attract narcissists into management because of the product they sell are some of the worst.
I am a believer in "the inverted pyramid" management structure, where the CEO is on the bottom point, not the top. Her job, as a former Westpac Director reminded me, is to make sure that every body below (above) can succeed at what they are tasked to do.
The rationale for that is the idea that unless the people at the coal face succeed in delivering a stellar product, then successive layers of management supporting that activity have failed - ultimately including the CEO.
The logic of this is simple when we talk about time horizons and impact.
- A single badly trained dysfunctional and perhaps stressed pilot can destroy the Qantas reputation for safety in no more than Three minutes. Three such pilot related incidents destroy the entire company in my opinion.
- a Single angry Cabin crew manager can produce an instant negative Qantas experience for Two hundred passengers. A single upset cabin crew member can piss off what? Fifty passengers?
- And Check in staff?
- And Engineers that maybe decide to do a little more than Boeing or Airbus require... or not?
These folk can produce an instant and permanent change to the business prospects of the airline that management is powerless to reverse, but what is important is that they can do it every single day they go to work, or not.
..Yet bad Management reacts as if the reverse is true - that they are masters of the universe. They do not understand that it matters not if the aircraft is state of the art in terms of luxury, the marketing campaign wins awards, the food is by Neil Perry and the price of the ticket is less than a Sydney CBD parking fine, if the aircraft is late, the staff surly, service non existent, and that the ride at the selected altitude is so bad that the dirty modern interior is covered with vomit - that of course is a minor matter for the operational staff isn't it?
So what do we do? We award management annual bonuses for reducing their time horizons to Twelve months when they should be thinking Five years out.
We threaten staff that they will have no career in Five years time, so that they are also thinking about their future instead of focusing on giving Qantas customers a stellar experience today.
Does anyone NOT see the problem here? Does anyone NOT understand how this impacts LONG TERM shareholder returns?
At least one theory of management states that its function is to isolate operational staff from risk so that they can concentrate on being productive. It is the function of management to manage risk.
Yet what do we see in Qantas? A deliberate management action of destabilising their staff and loading them with risks they should not have to even consider. That is the message of the Colgan crash transcript.
The only message I can leave for management is that this is not wise. Just ask Rupert Murdoch.
Anyway, I've decided I've said enough about QF. I wish the staff well. I need to get out more and go flying. Cheerio.
The basic problem is that some businesses are prone to getting their priorities arse about for want of a better word. Airlines, since they attract narcissists into management because of the product they sell are some of the worst.
I am a believer in "the inverted pyramid" management structure, where the CEO is on the bottom point, not the top. Her job, as a former Westpac Director reminded me, is to make sure that every body below (above) can succeed at what they are tasked to do.
The rationale for that is the idea that unless the people at the coal face succeed in delivering a stellar product, then successive layers of management supporting that activity have failed - ultimately including the CEO.
The logic of this is simple when we talk about time horizons and impact.
- A single badly trained dysfunctional and perhaps stressed pilot can destroy the Qantas reputation for safety in no more than Three minutes. Three such pilot related incidents destroy the entire company in my opinion.
- a Single angry Cabin crew manager can produce an instant negative Qantas experience for Two hundred passengers. A single upset cabin crew member can piss off what? Fifty passengers?
- And Check in staff?
- And Engineers that maybe decide to do a little more than Boeing or Airbus require... or not?
These folk can produce an instant and permanent change to the business prospects of the airline that management is powerless to reverse, but what is important is that they can do it every single day they go to work, or not.
..Yet bad Management reacts as if the reverse is true - that they are masters of the universe. They do not understand that it matters not if the aircraft is state of the art in terms of luxury, the marketing campaign wins awards, the food is by Neil Perry and the price of the ticket is less than a Sydney CBD parking fine, if the aircraft is late, the staff surly, service non existent, and that the ride at the selected altitude is so bad that the dirty modern interior is covered with vomit - that of course is a minor matter for the operational staff isn't it?
So what do we do? We award management annual bonuses for reducing their time horizons to Twelve months when they should be thinking Five years out.
We threaten staff that they will have no career in Five years time, so that they are also thinking about their future instead of focusing on giving Qantas customers a stellar experience today.
Does anyone NOT see the problem here? Does anyone NOT understand how this impacts LONG TERM shareholder returns?
At least one theory of management states that its function is to isolate operational staff from risk so that they can concentrate on being productive. It is the function of management to manage risk.
Yet what do we see in Qantas? A deliberate management action of destabilising their staff and loading them with risks they should not have to even consider. That is the message of the Colgan crash transcript.
The only message I can leave for management is that this is not wise. Just ask Rupert Murdoch.
Anyway, I've decided I've said enough about QF. I wish the staff well. I need to get out more and go flying. Cheerio.
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A excellent post from someone who, like me, enjoyed the good times in the airlines, airlines run with pride and respect. Sadly you are preaching to the converted, we KNOW how a good airline is run, which only makes it worse. We can look around and see how TE is run, with a good CEO at the helm, we can see the massive improvement in Virgin under Borgetti, and then we look back at a grand ol airline like QF and weep. Until Joyce and Clifford go, it can only struggle on, its only advantage is a staff through treated like s%it, are determined to keep it going. What can the rest of us do, the retirees, the QF loyalists, the people who just love it for its history, well for a start email your MP, point out the problems, point out the history and the fear for the airline, point out the safety issues if they start employing foreign pilots, encourage it to be brought up in parliament, get it out there. Yes it is a private company, but it is also QF, joined at the hip with this country, one without the other is unthinkable, and most MP's will be sympathetic. Start writing people, to the papers, the govt. and most of all bombard Nick Xenophon, we know he does care, and he could well be the catalyst around which we could campaign. For those who rubbish this, then please come up with your suggestion to keep this airline from failing, doing nothing is out of the question.
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Its interesting that you mention Airservices. I often think the the Qantas guys are in a similar situation to us Airservies guys. Both are working essentially in a kind of monosopy. They arguably enjoy the best T&Cs in there field so there is no where for them to go except overseas. A big call for most people. QF managment treat them like sh!t because they know most of them will take it because they don't have any other options. They are left begging for morsels every 3 years at CA time because QF management don't want them anymore and couldn't care less if they resigned because there are plenty more where they came from.
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An important matter that the Government should keep in mind is that Qantas is the fourth arm of the military. When a great number of people/troops need moving in a hurry, Qantas is the only organisation that can do it.
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My Point Re CPLs
If there arent many CPLs issued in Australia the chances are that there arent many issued worldwide.
If this is a trend then there must come come a time when there is a shortage.Supply and demand would determine the price the market will bear.
My son is interested in becoming a pilot.We have talked about the cost and the dedication required.It definitely can be off putting particulalry when viewed in the current circumstances
I certainly would not want him to work for Qantas with the way in which
management treats its employees.I f you wanted a job in aviation Qantas was always the company of choice...not any more
If this is a trend then there must come come a time when there is a shortage.Supply and demand would determine the price the market will bear.
My son is interested in becoming a pilot.We have talked about the cost and the dedication required.It definitely can be off putting particulalry when viewed in the current circumstances
I certainly would not want him to work for Qantas with the way in which
management treats its employees.I f you wanted a job in aviation Qantas was always the company of choice...not any more
Last edited by Ka.Boom; 22nd Jul 2011 at 03:38.
An even more important matter the Government should keep in mind is all the tax revenue they will lose [income tax, GST on purchases etc.] each time a pilot is offshored.
