The airline industry is one of the largest globally, but that doesn’t mean the workforce is content. There’s a growing number of airline strikes in America, and Forbes suggests turnover rates sit at around 20%.
Given the clear unrest in the industry right now, let’s take a look at what airlines can do to boost employee retention.
Make work personal
Airlines employ thousands of people, and they all need to feel like a valued member of the team. However, when you bring together the fast-paced nature of the airline industry and such a large number of staff, it’s all too easy for managers to treat employees exactly the same.
To overcome turnover issues, airline bosses have to find ways to make sure every employee feels like an individual. To do this, managers can spend time getting to know their team and then assigning roles based on people’s strengths and weaknesses.
Build a sense of community
Employees won’t commit their time to a business if they don’t feel like they belong, so it’s essential for airlines to build a strong sense of community. There are a lot of actions that can help this including regular team-building exercises, nominating community managers, being transparent and genuine, and rallying around common causes.
Look beyond the salary
A decent salary isn’t the main reason people choose to work for a company anymore. Instead, they’re diving deep into the benefits offered by airlines, which means it’s essential to start looking beyond the salary. For example, you can offer an all-in-one employee rewards and incentives card, which can be used at over 1,000 establishments.
Help employees reach their potential
Most airline employees want to build their careers, which means they’ll likely leave employment if their needs aren’t being met. Therefore, airlines should implement strategies to help employees reach their true potential. This could be anything from offering additional training to giving out more responsibilities to demonstrate trust. When airline staff feel challenged and grow, they’ll be much more willing to stay in employment.
Communicate with transparency
In the past, the most effective leadership was thought to come from the top and trickle down the hierarchy. However, times have changed significantly, which means some of the best ideas may come from within the company. Therefore, airlines should provide a platform for employee voices to be heard, and then truly listen to any recommendation that comes along. To shape the future of the business, leaders should communicate transparently with the entire workforce, which ties in well with creating a sense of community.
Celebrate success
When employees put in hard work, they want to be celebrated and made to feel appreciated. Therefore, it’s essential to make a point to celebrate employees that stand out, but ensure there’s no evidence of favoritism along the way – even if that means creating reward opportunities to include everyone. If all members of your business feel valid, productivity levels will increase and turnover will reduce.
Airlines must start managing their employees with respect, and understand that there’s more to work than getting paid. Using the above strategies as a starting point, it’s time to make positive changes to boost retention.
