Perfect Attendance 2005

[SKY HIGH]

QUESTION: TEMPE
In previous years, employees who didnt call in sick for the year, ie, perfect attendance record received FREE upgrades to first class. Why has the "program" been abandoned for the employees who PRIDE THEMSELVES with this achievement? Did West Coast employees receive anything for their efforts in 2005?
For the EAST, not even a letter of congratulations was sent out? WHY NOT? :down:
The company will reward (thank you very much) ON-TIME efforts...........WHY NOT employees who have PERFECT ATTENDANCE RECORDS?

 

[proudf/a]

QUESTION: TEMPE
In previous years, employees who didnt call in sick for the year, ie, perfect attendance record received FREE upgrades to first class. Why has the "program" been abandoned for the employees who PRIDE THEMSELVES with this achievement? Did West Coast employees receive anything for their efforts in 2005?
For the EAST, not even a letter of congratulations was sent out? WHY NOT? :down:
The company will reward (thank you very much) ON-TIME efforts...........WHY NOT employees who have PERFECT ATTENDANCE RECORDS?

Letters of congratulations on perfect attendance for 2005 were just sent out. However, there was no offer of free upgrades, luggage tags or any other token of appreciation for a year of perfect attendance. (East end)

 

[PQAKnow-It-All]

This is EXCATLY why I do not strive for perfect attendance. If you review your BENEFIT package with the company, it says 80hrs of paid sick time (yes, full timers). There is NO reward or rollover or payout for perfect attendance. 2yrs ago, one of my co-workers had perfect attendance, except for the 3 days of leave for a funeral...he was not allowed to participate in the ice cream social that res has for perfect attendance, because of the funeral leave...its beyond me!!


I say...use it up, it's your benefit that disappears every Dec 31st. I don't care what the company says...its MINE and I'll use it...


To those of you who did such a great job with perfect attendance, good for you!! BUT... if you are waiting with your hand out, you may as well use that hand to dial the sick line!

Too bad... :down:

 

[wings396]

It it sad to say, but many of the current sick policies encourage the abuse of the system. Since you only get paid for 1/2 day (Fleet Svc.) for the first four, you may as well burn a few extra to get your money's worth. Also you get hit with an occurence for a single day, and the same if you take multiple days together...You may as well take a few to make sure that you are well before coming back to work..

I have known many people that have retired with over a Hundred sick days in their bank, and gotten NOTHING for them.
One the other hand I know of several that made sure they burned every single day they had on the books before retirement..
What would you choose to do???
I have always said, that the Company should at least reward you with some type of payout for unused days.. :down:

 

[EricLv2Fish]

Sick days. Well this may not be popular, but most people get sick at least once a year where they SHOULD stay home and not spread their germs. Example: Employee hasn't been sick all year...is feeling ill Dec 10th...but hates to call in sick because he/she want's "the reward" they feel they should get. They go to work snifflin', sneezin', coughin' and share their illness with 5 co-workers. 3 of the 5 co-workers take the same approach and share their illness with 15 co-workers. It's now Christmas and 10 of the 15 call in sick. Get the picture. Perfect attendance is commendable WHEN you haven't shared you illness with others.

 

[UPNAWAY]

One of the earliest merger rumors I heard was they where thinking about going to "Personal days" a combo of sick and vacation for you to use as you will.
I like the incentive route, something the west never did (except for flexi passes). Unions are almost always against any incentive program though so that is an issue. But I always thought something like pay you .25 or .50 cents on the dollar for any left over sick days or have a company wide drawing for a car like CAL does. But it is a tricky balance you don't want really sick people going to work nor do you want to invite legal issues with "pressure" to make sick workers work.

 

[EricLv2Fish]

But it is a tricky balance you don't want really sick people going to work nor do you want to invite legal issues with "pressure" to make sick workers work.

It is a very tricky balance, it's not easy to come up with with a policy of rewarding people for not abusing the sick-time policy and rewarding people for coming to work sick. That's why I think at least at AWA the 10 passes for no sick days for a quarter, 6 passes for one sick day was a decent balance. If your really sick those 4 passes didn't mean a whole lot, but if you wanted to play "hookie" it made you think twice about those extra passes you could give to Grandma and Grandpa or other important people without flying priveleges.

 

[PITbull]

East F/as would receive 2 first class round trip up grades for perfect attendance.

Since Dougie is the new CEO, he doesn't believe in giving employees any space positive seats...except senior execs who receive space postive, first class travel for themselves and their familes anytime they fly.

He had written in an email to me that it is a "revenue issue"; potential lost revenue.

Now that's a joke. If he was sincere, this concept would apply across the board including senior execs...don't ya think?

 

[UWCactus]

I have perfect attendance for 2005 and have been invited to "chairmans luncheon". This is long been the norm for the west side. Give them some time to come up with an incentive for the combined company. Incidentally my attendance has been almost perfect for over 20 years, and all I ask is recognition..no handout needed.

 

[rjh]

Sick days. Well this may not be popular, but most people get sick at least once a year where they SHOULD stay home and not spread their germs. Example: Employee hasn't been sick all year...is feeling ill Dec 10th...but hates to call in sick because he/she want's "the reward" they feel they should get. They go to work snifflin', sneezin', coughin' and share their illness with 5 co-workers. 3 of the 5 co-workers take the same approach and share their illness with 15 co-workers. It's now Christmas and 10 of the 15 call in sick. Get the picture. Perfect attendance is commendable WHEN you haven't shared you illness with others.

I agree 100% Eric. Unfortunlatey, the American "work ethic" says you have to work even when sick--it shows you're a true "team player". Bulls***!

Of course, there are people out there that take advantage of sick time--that's what makes managers question legitimate uses of sick time. But I learned a long time ago that I will never feel guilty about calling in sick when I really am.

I also read an article about a year ago, that some companies are finally realizing that employees working when they are sick is worse for the company (lower productivity, "infecting" others, etc). These companies make sure employees know it's all right to call in sick.

 

[PhxMama]

As a part time employee there is no sick pay. Due to my shortened hours and healthy family, I had perfect attendance.(For the first time.) I received an invite to an ice cream social and went(did not have any ice cream due to working out-it aint easy) but to my surprise did receive a certificate, a pin AND a US Airways watch from the company store. I was shocked but there were not many of us in attendance. Still, it was nice.

 

[hp_fa]

This is something I have always had a problem with. Call it arrogance, call it a perk, but I do not think you can build a true team if you have several different sets of rules.

Doug Parker, Scott Kirby, Al Crellin need to fly the way the customer flys. Get the full coach experience, sit and talk with the everyday folks who fill the planes. First hand knowledge like that you can't buy from 10 Market Research firms.

To do the above requires humility and as all of us know that character trait is in short supply in airline management. Shocking as it seems DP is one of the more humble.

I just firmly believe you lead by example. Imagine the power this would have on employee morale. DP walks down on the ramp in PHL and grabs a guy who clearly has worked there a long time and asks, "Do you own a suit" he gets a YES the replies, "Good put it on and be here tomorrow at 5AM you're going to spend the day with the Boss so you can see what it is we do all damn day" Imagine the impact that would have on the worker AND his co-workers. Talk about building a bridge between Labor and Management. Next step would be to get the unions to agree and have EVERYONE From Managing Director and up spends a day doing an hourly workers job.

Parker has often sat in the back. It wasn't that uncommon. I'm not sure of his seating arrangements recently, but he could be found in the back previously.

Oh, and suits aren't worn that often at HQ. Business casual will do just fine.

 

[AIRWOMAN]

Parker has often sat in the back. It wasn't that uncommon. I'm not sure of his seating arrangements recently, but he could be found in the back previously.

Oh, and suits aren't worn that often at HQ. Business casual will do just fine.

I've heard that he's flown coach also. And he's also stated that he had worked on the ramp with the employees before. He appreciated what they did but he was better "suited" to do what he does.

Back to the perfect attendance........there was an employee who had not called in sick for something like 15 years (I think it was 15 but I do know that it was many years). Now this was under the Franke regime.......he was given a certificate and a gift certificate to the company store. Again, this was under the Franke regime. I haven't heard of anything else over the years. Not that it doesn't happen within work groups.

Kudos to those that don't end of sick or don't have sick children or family members.

 

[Old PSA]

Sick time can be very useful. I had a co-worker who was injuried in boating accident and spent 3 months off work. Since he had accrued more than enough sick time, he got paid all the time he was out. When STD started, the sick time made up the difference. When I was force to retire (move to PHL or leave), I had 250 sick days on the books, not sure how smart that was.

At the old PSA, we had an interesting incentive for sick time. You could convert 5 sick days to vacation days for the next year if they were unused.

 

[soc-hpjester]

I have perfect attendance for 2005 and have been invited to "chairmans luncheon". This is long been the norm for the west side. Give them some time to come up with an incentive for the combined company. Incidentally my attendance has been almost perfect for over 20 years, and all I ask is recognition..no handout needed.
UW CACTUS, I have had perfect attendence for 7 years and have never heard of this chairmans lunch. When is it ?