DURING
THE PAST year Alaska Airlines moved a little closer to its goal of becoming
one of the best places in America to work, according to an employee survey
conducted between May 12 and June 1 by the worldwide human resource
consulting firm Watson Wyatt.
This was the second year Alaska has conducted a
company-wide survey to gauge employee attitudes and opinions on a variety of
workplace satisfaction topics.
This year’s survey consisted of 36 multiple choice
questions grouped into eight categories. Participants also had an
opportunity to provide written answers to four questions.
Overall, employees reported modest improvement in
nearly every area, with the biggest gains coming in the areas of
"attracting and retaining qualified employees" (up 8 points) and
"seeking the opinions and suggestions of employees" (up 7 points).
Employees said the airline is also doing a better job of involving them in
decision making (up 5 points).
Leadership — identified as an area of concern last
year — showed improvement in written comments this year, due largely to a
decision by the senior leadership team to avoid furloughs and grow the
airline during the current industry downturn.
Employees
also reported that the airline is providing them with enough information
about business goals and the company’s overall financial performance. In
fact, formal communications channels, such as Alaska’s World,
alaskasworld.com and letters from senior leaders, received a 75 percent
approval rating this year. "Watson Wyatt told us this number is off the
charts compared to other companies they have surveyed," says Christine
Douglas, director/employee relations.
"Most encouraging, though, is we found that 83
percent of our people say they’re proud to work for Alaska Airlines,"
says Bill Ayer, CEO. "In fact, 79 percent said they would stay
with Alaska, even if offered a comparable job at another company. That
really speaks to the values and culture we have here."
At the same time, employees from every work group said
the airline needs to do a better job of holding people accountable for poor
performance and recognizing those who deliver outstanding performance. Lack
of teamwork between departments is another area of concern, as are perceived
limited opportunities for advancement. And only 29 percent of employees
reported that their supervisor gives them adequate feedback on their work
performance.
Representatives from Watson Wyatt and Alaska’s
employee services department have reviewed the survey findings with the
airline’s upper and senior leadership groups.
"Leaders at every level have been charged with
developing measurable strategies and objectives to address concerns
expressed by employees in the survey," says Ayer. "But change
doesn’t happen overnight. Overall, we’re moving in the right direction.
In some areas we are already doing very well. In others we have a long way
to go. What’s important is that we are absolutely committed to making
Alaska Airlines a great place to work."
A similar employee survey will be conducted next year
to determine the pace of progress toward addressing issues raised in this
year’s poll.
