Ill Will Tarnishes Qantas Recovery

[Nassensteins Monster]

Ill will tarnishes Qantas recovery

LISA ALLEN

RESULTS

Lower costs, higher revenues and increased productivity helped turn around the fortunes of Qantas International, but fixing the culture of the organisation has not yet been fully achieved, according to the head of the airline’s international business.
Qantas International reported a $270 million profit in the first half of the 2015 financial year, up from the almost $500m loss the airline reported during the 2014 financial year.
Addressing the Helloworld business conference in Singapore recently, Qantas international and freight chief executive Gareth Evans said there were still pockets of disengagement among staff, although a record number of employees supported the airline’s strategy.
“(But) as with all big companies, there will always be a small number of staff who are not fully engaged,” Mr Evans said.
“As a business, we continue to really focus hard on building a culture of collaboration. Diverse views lead to better decisions and greater innovation. We have put 18,000 staff through leadership training — every single one of our staff are leaders.”
Mr Evans said financial improvements had been made by working the fleet 20 per cent harder than in 2012.
“In the past, we had too much fat in the system. We have added new routes and new frequencies without adding to our fleet. (But) Qantas will never have a network the same as hub carriers like Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines because of our geography.”
However, 43 per cent of the Qantas Group, including Jetstar, fly to Asia with 30 services a day into Singapore, Mr Evans said. He said the Asia-Pacific was a key growth area: Qantas expected 2.9 billion passengers by 2034 compared with 1.1 billion passengers today.
The airline is increasing capacity in the short term to Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
“But we are also taking a longterm view. Our new partnership with China Eastern can become our biggest alliance over time,” Mr Evans said. “We are going to focus on where the demand is.’’
Qantas has struck partnerships with American Airlines and China Eastern to give it access to the world’s two largest economies as Emirates gives it the best network into Europe.

I hear in Qantas Engineering, respondents to the latest engagement survey were well below 50% of total staff. Anyone got actual figures?

[mrdeux]

The ones who are counted are fully engaged. It's really like the new uniform. If you don't like it, you don't count.

[maggot]

"Still pockets of disengaged staff..."

Yeah, that their actions created

[caneworm]

Engagement surveys are like data entry. Garbage in = garbage out.
If a survey returns a score of say, 79% it most likely means that 79% of all staff bothered to respond and regardless of what they said, (good or bad), they are considered to be positively engaged by virtue of participation. Conversely, if only 21% of all staff responded, the survey is still considered to be a success in that the 79% who didn't participate are deemed to be once again positively engaged because they didn't apparently feel the need to say anything. Therefore, the published score is 79%
Spitting venom or group hugs in the street? Who cares? But one thing for sure, is that the corks are popping tonight in the execo & hr, because of the 79%

[Prolapsed Annulus]

Caneworm, I don't think it works that way. If you respond, regardless of how negative your response, you're considered "engaged," because you bothered to respond. You're "disengaged" if you dont respond.
I understand that the engagement survey response rate is a management KPI, hence being bombarded by emails to respond.
I heard response rates were an all-time low in Engineering, something like 25%? Not sure if it's true, but if it is, that's a big pocket and a small management bonus.

[Stagger Lee]

So for those of us who replied more than once in an effort to make complaints heard have in fact just helped management claim that we are engaged.

Lesson learnt for next year

[maggot]

Anything you say can and will be used however the hell they like
Uniform survey? lel
Engagement survey? No on your nellie
Filter that inbox!

[600ft-lb]

I can tell you why engineering is so low, they still have the axe suspended over our heads. At least the pilots are recruiting again, we only have a stay of execution for another year or 2.

[Going Boeing]

It's amazing that this management think that we should forget that they shut the airline down and start to feel engaged. Engagement cannot start until Joyce and Clifford are gone.

[Blitzkrieger]

Suggesting that "Ill will" is coming from staff only makes matters worse. Anyone with half a clue about managing a group of people, large or small, knows that they are a reflection of you and your management style. These guys are kidding themselves if they think their current tactics are going to heal wounds caused by the Ill will initiated, and continued by them.

Joyce and Clifford gone? Sooner the better.

[Ngineer]

hear in Qantas Engineering, respondents to the latest engagement survey were well below 50% of total staff. Anyone got actual figures?

I heard around 20% in some engineering depts. However engineers no longer seem a valued part of the business, so who cares?

[Ngineer]