The nagging pain of exclusion. NurPhoto / Getty Images
How do you keep employees happy?
more technically incorrect
Somehow, the pandemic has exposed the limited ability of many managers to do just that.
So much so that quite a few people have letting go recently, especially from tech companies.
However, how much is the fault of the managers?
How much, in fact, do they merely implement short-term, money-making policies overhead?
These thoughts, among others, may be running through the minds of some right now Delta Airlines workers.
National status can change
Delta has had a lot of fun partnering with American Express in recent times. One of the benefits, for Cardholder Amex Platinumis that they can walk into Delta’s lounge and feel even more important.
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Meanwhile, many others enjoy the same privileges. For example, people who have actually paid for Delta Sky Club privileges.
The result is what could be described as an eyesore. There are lines of desperate status seekers lining major airports. Some Delta lounge staff even appeared to give these status seekers some food for their troubles.
Delta then tried to alleviate the problem. It decides create a two-layer systemwhere only the noblest has immediate access.
Next, the airline removed lounge access for some of them lower the ladder of status to the sky.
Is this enough? Not so. After all, Delta doesn’t have a separate business-class lounge, so the airline concludes that more perks need to be screened out.
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This time, the airline targeted its employees. From this month onwards, Delta employees fly thanks to their employee perks of Airline private lounges are prohibited.
As if to poke them both in the eye, Delta told the staff that they also wouldn’t get a discount for being a Sky Club member. Mind you, why would they want to buy it when it’s still not enough to get them into the lounge?
Objection, Your Honor
It all became awkward. And painful. And, for some flight attendants, that’s completely unacceptable.
How do I know this? Well, Silviano Blan, a Delta flight attendant, made his debut suggestion to the airline “Restore access to lounges the employee paid for.”
Apparently, Delta is refunding employees pro-rata for what they paid to join Sky Club. But this isn’t just about money, is it? It’s about insults.
In his petition, Blan explained the problem: “Like thousands of other flight attendants and pilots, I don’t live in the city where I work. For me, getting into the Sky Club means having a a quiet place where I can relax as I commute between my home in Phoenix and my base in Salt Lake City I pay a $550 annual fee for my Sky Miles credit card for Sky Club made a huge difference in my life.”
Some might think that there really isn’t a quiet place in these Sky Clubs. When the lounge is near or at full capacity, it can be similar to the rest of the airport. Too many people, not much food and too much noise.
However, Blan explains it’s not just about quality of life.
He said: “Delta’s sudden decision not only affected my quality of life, but I also had to choose whether to cancel my credit card. I already paid the annual fee, so that’s the money. I can’t get it back. If I cancel my card, it affects my credit too. All because Delta has decided that employees won’t be allowed to use Sky Club even if we pay. for it.”
The anger of 7,000
I feel certain that some accountants have come to influence Delta’s decision. “Where will the airline lose the least money?” tends to be the most visited type of question.
The petition, which sought 8,000 signers, collected 7,300 in its first week. Some employees even made comments.
“Working for an airline that is slowly taking away the travel perks no longer makes the job worthwhile,” said one.
Another provided more detail: “It’s time for EMPLOYEES to merge! Poor planning on their part shouldn’t be remedied by banning employees. Spoke to someone very familiar with the situation. at the sky club and they say that the staff is not the problem because less than 5 % of people use the staff sky club.”
However, I suspect that some customers might look at all of this and whisper, “Now you know how we feel.”
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Delta flight attendants are not unionized. But, perhaps to make them feel better, the airline just announced they’re getting a 5% raise — the second raise last year.
Will that make any difference? Making your employees happy — especially when it’s your day-to-day job to make customers happy — is a tricky trick.
Just as tech companies are taking away employee perks, Delta seems to be following suit.
Perhaps the difference is that at least some Googlers can be replaced by ChatGPT. It’s not so easy with flight attendants.
However, I’m sure Delta is working on it.
