Management must share the pain: Comment by Jeremy Skidmore
After the disgraceful behaviour of American Airlines’ senior executives, it can only be hoped that no other travel companies will try to force their staff to take cuts while rewarding themselves.
It may sound like a cheesy cliché, but a company is only as good as its staff and if you start alienating them during the bad times, you can’t expect them to dig you out of a hole.
Credit where it’s due, then, to Dorking-based Bales Tours, which has been hit by a drop in business from SARS, the war and the general decline in travel since September 11.
In an attempt to save all the firm’s 50 jobs, Bales is cutting costs by putting everyone on a four-day week for May. The move includes senior management and will be reviewed after a month.
In reality, managing director Mandy Bales and her senior colleagues will be taking the appropriate pay cut along with everyone else, but will probably be working harder than ever to try to make sure the company has a prosperous future.
No one likes to be put on a four-day week and effectively lose a fifth of their pay, even it turns out to be for only a month. But at least if the rank and file see that everyone is taking a cut, they will feel more like they are part of a team than the poor relations of the operator.
It’s an example that many companies should look to before swinging the axe and putting staff out of work.
Read previous comments by Jeremy:
25-April-2003 Home workers no longer the poor relations
25-April-2003 Appointment of Tobias is welcome
17-April-2003 Domestic operators must help the trade
11-April-2003 Timeshare offers retailers a crumb of comfort
28-March-2003 A ‘good deal’ overcomes the fear of flying
14-Mar-2003 Late booking adding to the woes of operators
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