Last night I found myself trawling through the many television channels that I have at my disposal. I was eventually seduced, if that is the right word, by ‘Inside Gatwick’ on Sky 1. What I saw was very thought-provoking. I used to work for a company that had a presence at Gatwick and I saw and heard many things there that suggested to me that the airport didn’t really have customer service as one of its main priorities.
This was when Gatwick was owned by BAA. It is now owned by a different company. Last night’s television programme was recorded last winter, when the airport was being refurbished, and was also closed for at least two days during the snow chaos that we experienced in the U.K. in 2010 and early 2011.
My first impressions: Staff have to wear uniforms that include a tie, yet it seems to have become the norm for male managers (including the senior ones) to walk about with open neck shirts. I suggest that it would be better for staff morale and standards to have some kind of consistency here. It’s the little things that make a difference.
The Passenger Information Staff were unsure of their roles, and of whether they would even have a role going forward. This was because 300 jobs had been lost at the airport since the new owners had taken over and no-one had taken the time to tell them about the future. Eventually, after a number of requests, the senior manager (a very arrogant man with a dreadful communication style, in my opinion) did sit down with a number of the front line staff and assure them that there were no plans to reduce staff numbers on the front line. He appeared uncomfortable in their company and soon excused himself as he was needed somewhere else. I’m sure that somewhere in Gatwick’s company values, there will be something that says words to the effect that ‘our people our our greatest asset’. Well, it always helps if senior management at least act as if they believe that. There were people in that team who had been in the airport customer service business for thirty years, yet it appeared that they were never consulted about anything and spent most of their time being talked down to.
You would think that in 2011 businesses would have learned their lesson, would communicate with their staff regularly and would have feedback processes in place so that staff felt involved and appreciated. As one of the staff who had been there for many years commented at one point ‘All you really want is to feel a little bit valued now and then and to be thanked for doing your job’. I couldn’t put it better myself!
Graham, although I’ve only been once to Gatwick, and that many years ago, I agree with your observations. However, I suspect, unfortunately, that they apply to many other airports world-around.