MERGED: Alan Joyce and the room of mirrors

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

Seems like it's been going on a while...

Qantas management and staff threatened

Item by australianaviation.com.au at 6:38 pm, Wednesday October 5 2011
Qantas has revealed that CEO Alan Joyce and other airline management and staff have received threats and intimidating notes in recent months.

Speaking to media in Sydney on October 5, Joyce said the threats go back to May, and that the airline had gone public only after a media outlet broke the story and an email he wrote to staff about the matter on October 4 was leaked.

“We’ve had this for some time,” he said. “The reason why we went public on it is as a consequence of the dispute we had the week before last. We actually had some bullying and intimidation… We had some damage of staff property, we had notes that were left at managers’ houses – people with small kids, and these were very abusive notes that were very clearly aimed at people that were management contingency during the industrial action.”

Joyce added that the email to all 30,000 of Qantas’s employees was to not only tell them that bullying and intimidation was not acceptable, but to also provide support to potential victims who were yet to come forward. “We decided that the best way to approach this was to give people the help and assistance they need,” he said. “Because our worry was that some people are not communicating all of the issues to us, so we put a note out telling people about the security (phone) numbers and the whistle blower numbers, so we can address any issue that’s occurred.”

Some representatives of unions currently in dispute with the airline, including Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) Secretary Tony Sheldon and Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) Secretary Steve Purvinas have suggested the threats were a publicity stunt by the airline, with Sheldon suggesting police should check the computer hard drives of Qantas’s PR team.

“I don’t think it’s been helpful for some of the union leaders to claim this is all a PR stunt,” said Joyce, responding to the unions’ suggestions. “This is not a PR stunt. There are actually people who have been intimidated, there have been cases that have gone to the police, and the police are investigating it. And I have to say that I think these union leaders should be taking it seriously, and those union leaders that are trying to deflect it and nearly be apologetic for it is just appalling. It just emphasises why we need union leaders to be strong and to say this behaviour, no matter where it comes from, is unacceptable.”

Qantas Head of Corporate Communications Olivia Wirth added that the airline had raised the matter with the TWU during discussions last week, the ALAEA today, and the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), but the airline was yet to receive any assurances from the unions that their members were not involved.

Joyce wouldn’t elaborate on the specific nature of the threats, saying only that police were investigating.

(Emphasis mine)

[DutchRoll]

Wonder who leaked the email? There is no conceivable benefit, I don't think, for a Qantas employee to leak the email about intimidation.......unless they are someone who is seeking a sympathy vote for Management.

As has been said numerous times, and as supported by ample evidence and eyewitnesses, this "intimidation" is not entirely directed towards Management. An awful lot of it actually originates from Management and that has been the case since PIA was first mentioned, let alone voted on.

Yet strangely, Alan Joyce has chosen not to previously distribute any emails to Management warning them not to take matters into their own hands.

[ALAEA Fed Sec]

Boy have I seen some lies in the Murdoch press in the last few days. They had the letter that was written to Joyce all along and the person had put their name to the letter. There was no threat at all let alone a death threat and they knew it. So what is the front page headline - Qantas Boss Death Threat.

The airline did not speak to us today or yesterday at all about any of this. Stay focused good Qantas employees.

At this point in time the only union or company found guilty in a Federal Court of illegal coercion regarding a workplace dispute is? You guessed it - Qantas. All Managers involved in that finding earlier this year of course are still employed in their positions.

Don't get too angry about it. The truth will set you free.

[Fris B. Fairing]

An email to 30,000 people got leaked?

[adsyj]

Steve

You have got a tough gig, thats for sure.

I am not a lame but have a dog in this fight elsewhere. I have had a gutful and AJ and his mates have know knowingly besmerched everybodies reputation with his judicious and ultimately false leaks to the press.

I reckon it is time to ramp it up, lets get out there with a show of force, dare I use the S word but bugger them lets bring the whole thing to a head and prepare a statement outlining all of managements bull**** and make sure the public know. We must get the truth out there. It's going to be painful sure but enough is enough. We have still have 1000 staff who don't know where they stand with the company.

Qantas management aren't going to negotiate in any meaningful way that has been proven over and over again. It is a stalemate and we need to break it.

We want answers and some form of finality whatever that may be.

EDIT: I am just grumpy this morning and the above was just a rant, I know nothing about Industrial Relations so don't rip me a new one, if I was a woman I would blame it on PMS but i can only blame a sore tooth.

[Ticking Timebomb]

re: - At this point in time the only union or company found guilty in a Federal Court of illegal coercion regarding a workplace dispute is? You guessed it - Qantas. All Managers involved in that finding earlier this year of course are still employed in their positions.

And let me guess Qantas International paid the legal bill.

[ohallen]

They had the letter that was written to Joyce all along and the person had put their name to the letter. There was no threat at all let alone a death threat and they knew it.

Assuming this is correct it is one of the most appalling things I have ever seen with this lot and shows the level of integrity.

Again these matters must be aired in the media ( A headline Are you Joking...with the letter underneath would seem appealing and appropriate for all to see).

I think this also should be referred to ASIC (and don't whinge about them being useless) because when their file gets big enough someone may act and it costs nothing.

Why not even refer it as a complaint against the media. Maybe Senator Xenophon can assist here??

Noticed this morning even Ch 7 are started to put some balance into commentary which shocked me given their history.

It is time to start playing tough as the game is still all one sided.

[ALAEA Fed Sec]

Hey all. I know the ALAEA won't be stepping up our action to bring it to a head because someone is telling lies in the papers. Our plans have been prepared for some time and we will remain focused.

Looking forward to Monday though.

[Disengagement]

Was Qantas Management found guilty of a campaign of Buggery a few years back "I will have your house and your Kids will be on the streets "
Too use a Qantas management phase " Get a can of Harden the F#@K Up"
I did not know the Qantas news was now published by the Murdoch press
Just sitting by the river waiting for what floats past

[hotnhigh]

Got to disagree with adsyj. I think that's what qantas is hoping for (ie a group trying to bring it to a rapid conclusion) That would take the heat lamp away from their backsides and we would miss the opportunity to see the blow torch applied at the agm.
Whilst AJ and LC shenanigans continue, they fail to deliver any benefits to Qantas and the more time should be spent asking about more of the absurd strategies.
eg:British Airways to offer new First Class on Sydney flights - Spice News: Special Events, Product Launches, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibition

So not only does Qantas lose out on the two routes that have been given to BA but the one that BA operates to Australia, has an increase in seats via BA744s. SO under their decision, we have an increase in seats operated by competitors into Australia, on certain routes, but a reduction of seats operated by Qantas outbound.
Bloody fantastic decision AJ.
Perhaps Leigh and Alan would like to write to cricket Australia with an equally ingenious plan to regain the ashes.
If we move the Sheffield shield comp to KL, Singapore or Ho Chi Min we might have a chance, according to these clowns.

[The masked goatrider]

To Steve P. This News Ltd mob clearly have no issue writing lies on behalf of Qantas. It must have something to do with the money they spend with them. I don't think they will be on any of our sides so why not try this for a form of pia.

Lames to have a 2 hour stoppage between 0700 and 0900 on any day that Qantas has advertising within a News Ltd paper in that State.

That being Tele, Cm, HS and fin rev.

[Captain Gidday]

Hey Goatrider, don't forget the influential Manly Daily, also a News Ltd publication. There are many others e.g. the North Shore Times [Inner Sydney north].

[qf 1]

read the telegraph front to back yesterday and couldn't find i one death threat in there,where was it or did i miss a few pages ????

[ALAEA Fed Sec]

Very thoughtful Goaty but I'm pretty sure we don't want the main newspapers going nuts at us. Our plans are ticking along nicely, don't fall for their traps.

[qf 1]

Work slump? It's not you, it's your boss, Society for Knowledge Economics study finds

Save this story to read later

• AAP
• October 06, 2011 4:42PM

• Good bosses create better workplaces, study found
• "Investing in people" the key to productivity
• Work slump? Take our New Work Project survey

ALSO

• New Work Project: Invent your perfect job

The report found the quality of an organisation's leaders and their ability to innovate and create positive employee experiences directly related to financial performance and productivity. Picture: ThinkStock



COMPANIES with strong leadership and a positive workplace culture are significantly more productive and profitable than their less progressive peers, new research presented at the federal government's jobs forum shows.

An 18-month study by the Society for Knowledge Economics found that High Performing Workplaces have 12 per cent higher productivity than Low Performing Workplaces when ranked in terms of their innovation, employee engagement, fairness, leadership and customer satisfaction.
How would you change your workplace to help everyone work better? Scroll down the page to take our New Work Project survey.
"It is clear from this research the key to increasing productivity at the workplace level comes from investing in people rather than changing the industrial relations system," Jobs Minister Chris Evans said.
The report found that the quality of an organisation's leaders and their ability to innovate and create positive employee experiences was directly related to the organisation's financial performance and productivity.

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It also found that the average profit margin of High Performing Workplaces was three times higher than those of Low Performing Workplaces.
"The Gillard government's investment in workplace research shows we are committed to exploring every possible avenue to create better jobs, smarter workplaces and a more productive economy," Senator Evans said.
"This report provides clear evidence that improving Australia's productivity can be achieved by developing leadership and management capabilities in Australian workplaces."
The report involved 78 companies and more than 5000 employees.

Read more: Work slump? It's not you, it's your boss, Society for Knowledge Economics study finds | News.com.au

[Nassensteins Monster]

Qantas' HR policy crashes to earth

Christopher J Tipler
Published 6:24 AM, 6 Oct 2011

inShare

It is painful to watch the very public disputes between Qantas and many of its staff. The company says it is committed to "engaging and developing our people", and the chairman states that "Qantas employees represent the Australian spirit at its finest". Yet the company does not seem to know how to forge a constructive relationship with its people.

So we are treated to an ugly and somewhat predictable set piece battle in which highly-paid executives seek to reduce labour costs, pilots abuse their position by soliciting public support from the cockpit and baggage handlers strike when the market is most sensitive. Same old, same old. It is unedifying, it is destroying shareholder value in the short term and there is no evidence that the conflict will lead to value creation in the long term.

For some years now, the global airline industry has been a crucible for human resources experiments as airlines tried different strategies to reduce costs in ferociously competitive markets. Lots of things have been tried: confrontation and pitched battles with unions, conflict resolution, outsourcing, flexible work rules, different staff selection methods, training for teamwork, supervisory coaching, partnering with unions, captains as leaders of the flight departure process, cross-functional accountabilities and so on.

These strategies have typically been combined to achieve both absolute cost reduction and productivity enhancement, with the former being commonly referred to as ‘low road’ and the latter as ‘high road’. With the lower cost structure of its Jetstar business in mind, Qantas seems to be focused mainly on low-road strategies to reduce pay rates and benefits.

Across the industry, there is little evidence to suggest that any of these strategies will produce durable outcomes unless they are part of a wide-reaching, enlightened plan to link the personal motivation of employees to desired commercial outcomes. Helping the company achieve this objective should be the mission statement of the Qantas human resources director and a central objective of the Qantas management team and board.

How can Qantas create a new relationship with its 31,000 staff, one that reflects engagement in common cause rather than traditional, adversarial, win-lose positions? This is a very big subject, but some of the required elements of a new, twenty-first century, model are outlined below.

Transparency of strategy

By its very nature, common cause requires the mission to be a shared one. This means that Qantas’ strategic and operational agenda must not only be clearly communicated to employees, it must be accepted by them as feasible and likely to result in their reasonable needs being met.

Sense of higher purpose

Twenty-first century HR models start with the premise that work should be a ‘pilgrimage of identity’ (to use a lovely expression coined by author David Whyte) rather than a necessary evil. If we want our people to express a firm persuasion in their work we must start with this idea and create a perennial conversation about how the workplace can enrich and enliven rather than enervate. The ideas that flow from this conversation then become core elements of the business model.

Going beyond ‘work-life balance’

The new HR models recognise that people cannot, and do not, park their needs at the door when they come to work and that the idea of work-life balance (where most needs are met outside the workplace) is primitive and outdated. For work to be a triumph of existence the workplace must provide the opportunity for individuals to satisfy many, if not most, of their deficit motivation and self-actualising needs.

This may sound esoteric but it is, in fact, intensely practical. If we want to release and utilise the energy of our people we must tap it at the wellspring of needs. When we do this, a new type of HR contract emerges where accountability for results is a natural outcome of the way the organisation works rather than a forced outcome.

Satisfying deficit motivation needs is about meeting, in many different ways, the need for safety and security, belonging and esteem. Meeting higher needs such as the need for truth, beauty, aliveness, wholeness, and meaning has not been a traditional focus for most businesses but is becoming a source of real advantage for leading companies.

Choosing attitudes

The new HR models understand how important attitude is. Attitude creates disposition; disposition creates behaviour and behaviour drives outcomes. Attitude is a choice and good choices can be taught, cultivated and re-enforced. This starts at the top and it is very infectious. When we choose our attitude (as opposed to simply falling into an attitude based on habit), the common result is productivity, playfulness, service and care.

Having honest conversations

When we are transparent, reasonable, and honest the organisation can develop relationships based on trust. When trust is established, it is possible to have the courageous conversations that are so necessary to a vibrant, successful community.

Creating a high quality workplace

The workplace has both classical and romantic dimensions. The former is critically important to order, control and efficiency. The latter shapes creativity. A workplace that is rich in classic quality is a best-practice one that makes good use of information and has a sound strategy, is rigorous in the way that it makes decisions, respects the good traditions of the business, has good quality assets, and is technically proficient.

A workplace that is rich in romantic quality seeks to have a dialogue with its unknown future, is willing to experiment, welcomes behaviour that moves it closer to its ‘cutting edge’, and demonstrates a love of design and beauty in the physical working environment.

If it is to be successful, Qantas needs a renaissance in its understanding of, and approach to, its workforce of 31,000 souls; a renaissance that breaks from the old twentieth century mindset that is characterising current behaviour. That renaissance needs to start now and be driven from the top. It must start with a clear and comprehensive picture of the nature of the new relationship Qantas will have with its staff and of the barriers to achieving it.

Christopher Tipler is a Melbourne-based management advisor and author of Corpus RIOS – The how and what of business strategy. His web site corpusrios.com contains more material on this and related topics.

[TIMA9X]

The story rolls on

Police squad keeps tabs on Qantas after alleged deah threats against executives typo "death" but it is only The Telegraph

Police squad keeps tabs on Qantas after alleged deah threats against executives | thetelegraph.com.au Daily Telegraph 7.10.11.





A POLICE strike force will investigate death threats and property damage to Qantas executives after a new threat was levelled against the airline's boss Alan Joyce. Police will provide mobile patrols of the homes of senior management who had been threatened or were deemed a high risk of being targeted.

and the SMH version 6.10.11 same day/time

Qantas boss target of more death threats

THE decision by Qantas boss Alan Joyce to go public about death threats this week seems to have left at least one of the perpetrators undeterred.
Just hours after the first media coverage, at around 5pm on Wednesday, another threatening email landed in Mr Joyce's inbox.
The Herald understands the tag read ''death threats'' and the brief but unambiguous text was along the lines of: ''I'm going to get you.'' my bold

Read more: Qantas boss target of more death threats

Two versions of the same story which in my view was generated by a press release from Qantas. Interesting to see the Australian did not run with it as a main headline, only this regarding the called off TWU action set for Friday.

Qantas strikes called off 'too late' for passengers | The Australian

QANTAS'S battles with the unions will temporarily simmer, with the Transport Workers Union calling off today's strikes and flight attendants reaching an agreement over pay and conditions. But the airline said the union's decision has come to late and 5700 passengers would be affected by cancellations and delayed flights.
The TWU yesterday called off the two-hour strike action planned for this afternoon, as a "gesture of good faith" to bring Qantas to the negotiating table.

As I said before, it appears the management want to keep this sort of stuff running right up until the AGM as they see some kind of value in it. As SP says

don't fall for their traps

and

remain focused

[stubby jumbo]

STAND BY

The SMH is plugging its "feature" in the News Review section tomorrow:

ALAN JOYCE ON BATTLING CANCER,DEALING WITH THREATS AND BEING A MATHEMATICS PRODIGY

More contrived pap , scripted by the Qantas Spin team who are stage managing this fiasco like a 6 year old's birthday party at Macca's.

Can't wait for tomorrow.

NB: the language has now move on from DEATH THREATS to just plain old everyday THREATS. (nice one Livvie......that deserve's a Latte- brilliant !!)

[teresa green]

This whole thing is becoming unbelievable. Here we have Virgin in their white hangar, heading towards a aircraft with someone dressing you on the way, all happy little vegemites, and then switch to CX where we can watch a nice young chap taking his flying lessons and finishes up a nice older chap on the deck of heavy metal. All happy feel good stuff that works with the general public. Then we have QF, there we have the management and staff basically beating the crap out of each other on the tarmac. Charming. Yes, the national carrier, the same one that served with distinction in WW2 and Vietnam, that flew 700 traumatised Dawinians out of danger after Cyclone Tracy, that went straight to Bali to get burnt and badly hurt young Australians to Australian hospitals for urgent care, and then did it all again the second terrorist attack. What happened to that Qantas? In all my years in aviation I never thought I would see QF in such a bloody mess. We mourned the loss of so many good airlines in my time TAA, Ansett, East West, Kendall, and the list goes on, and thru it all QF stood solid and indestructable until..... Dixon. And the rest as they say is history. Well its in your hands now, those who have worked and gave their all for such a great company, can only stand by and watch and hope that QF survives, for Australia and QF are joined at the hip, one without the other is unthinkable.

[Worrals in the wilds]

Well its in your hands now, those who have worked and gave their all for such a great company, can only stand by and watch and hope that QF survives, for Australia and QF are joined at the hip, one without the other is unthinkable.

I believe the Board are counting on that.

Like Bonds (offshored production, 'cause Aussie process workers are entitled to all that annoying costly stuff like OH&S and superannuation), like Golden Circle (owned by Heinz and not even Australian Grown anymore, just ask the beetroot guys) like Vegemite (owned by Kraft, even though the product's a banned import in the US), like Arnott's (owned by Campbell Soup, which is why the Ginger Nuts are a shadow of their former selves), like Holden (owned by General Motors, who at least had the decency to change the name to GMH), like Bundaberg Rum (owned by the UK's Diageo, which specialises in obtaining nationalistic brands like Cuevo, Irish Cream and Bundy and flag waving the crap out of them ).

All Orstrayan companies, just ask the average dude on the street. In truth they're about as Australian as Bill Gates, but that doesn't stop them waving the frigging flag when it comes to advertising. These Great Australian Names are now nothing more than shells kept for marketing purposes, because no-one's going to buy Heinz pineapple or Jak Li How singlets. Funnily enough, the true Aussie companies like WesFarmers, Coles Myer and Westfield are the ones we love to hate. Maybe because they tell the truth and act like the hardarses they are, rather than pretending to be Aussies for advertising purporses while being bankrolled by multinationals.

IMHO, that's what the Qantas Board want. We're Australian, really. Didn't you see the 'WTF are they advertising' ads? Believe us, you fools. That's right, you, Customer. Fool! Now where's my fat pay cheque? Qantas; the Australian Airline. Just don't expect to see too many Australians working there, or actually working for Qantas (as opposed to the Q Slaves GHS subcontractor). That would be far too expensive and might cut into our $500m profit.