| Table of Contents Being Cabin Crew | The Ugly Truth Part 1 Page 1 – 2018 – My Return to Work Page 1 – Monitoring Performance Page 2 – My Performance Record Page 2 – Performance Feedback Page 3 – The Early Days… Page 4 – More from the Good Old Days Page 4 – Cabin Crew Life Downroute Page 4 – Pre-Flight Safety Briefings Being Cabin Crew | The Ugly Truth Part 3 |
2018 – My Return to Work
One thing that puzzled me during the investigation into Bart’s grievance was that the two Cabin Crew Managers handling the case didn’t appear to show any interest in whether he was telling the truth. Their primary concern was disproving my version of events.
The documentation from Crew Manager Lana’s initial investigation included minutes from her one-and-only meeting with Bart. At no point was he advised verbally that making false or baseless claims could lead to disciplinary action, including dismissal. This surprised me, especially because the Employee Relations Consultant who took the minutes was a solicitor specialising in employment law.
The only question Bart was asked was whether he was familiar with the company’s policy regarding grievance procedures.
This next screenshot comes from the minutes taken during that meeting. I sent Bart’s manager a copy of the ‘performance management’ (performance feedback) that I wrote on him following our flight to/from Atlanta. I also sent a copy to my own manager. This has always been standard procedure for as long as I have been in the company. Bart, however, didn’t like that.
L = Laurence | B = Bart
All Cabin Crew training manuals state that an employee’s manager must be copied in on any ‘performance management’ that’s written. Bear in mind that Bart was still in probation, having only been flying for eleven months.
Before attending my ‘return to work’ course after being on long-term sick leave for almost two years in 2016, I had to be cleared by Occupational Health. As well as discussing my mental health, I also needed a hearing test because I had developed tinnitus.
Despite having worked for the airline for twenty-eight years, I was terrified when I arrived at the training base for the first day of my course. It had been a long time since I had socialised with anyone, and I was no longer the bubbly, confident, and outgoing person I once was. Dressed in a dark business suit, I sat in the corner, watching apprehensively at everything going on around me. I didn’t feel comfortable being there and wasn’t convinced I would get through the training.
Driving out of the car park three weeks later felt incredible. I couldn’t wait to get back on an aircraft. However, just nine months later, my life was turned upside down when two ignorant misfits and three of their friends accused me of bullying, harassment, overbearing supervision, and inappropriate touching. Their poisonous lies changed my life in a way that can never be undone.
Throughout the investigation, it was clear the company was determined to uphold this grievance. Proving that Bart, his fiancée Anna, Mia, Peter, and Ven were lying took over my life. However, once I put on my uniform, no matter how I felt, I was a Flight Manager representing the company, so always tried to carry out my duties to the highest standard and to the best of my ability.
As a Flight Manager, my responsibilities included ensuring safety procedures were followed and leading, motivating, and developing a team of up to sixteen cabin crew. Judging by performance feedback written on me by my colleagues, I was doing a pretty good job.
This photo was taken in 2019 as I was leaving my hotel in Los Angeles for a long night-flight home. It was my first flight back after my dad passed away.
Monitoring Performance
The company’s system for monitoring the performance of Cabin Crew and Onboard Managers changed many times over the years. However, every performance monitoring system they implemented was open to manipulation. The working environment on the aircraft was very friendly, and it was common for friends, relatives, and spouses to fly together.
In the most recent version of the system, which had been in place for several years, the Flight Manager was required to complete performance feedback on the two Pursers, who in turn completed feedback on the Flight Manager, and each crew member in their team. The feedback was completed with a tick-box system with some space for additional free-text comments.
When it was updated in 2018, the cabin crew began doing upward performance feedback on the Purser working in their cabin. One crew member working in First Class was also required to write feedback on the Flight Manager.
Many years ago, an optional form was introduced that enabled any crew member on the flight to write feedback on another. Its purpose was to recognise outstanding performance. It was only to be used if someone observed a level of performance that they felt deserved recognition. The only one I have can be seen below. The reason I only have one is not because only one was ever written on me, but I’ll talk more about that later.
On this full flight to Orlando on Boxing Day, on a Boeing 747 with more than 400 passengers, we were four cabin crew down.
In his grievance, Bart not only attacked the way I carried out my duties but also made it extremely personal. The same applies to the witness statements from Anna, his now ex-fiancée, and the crew members with whom they colluded.
In witness statements written by Katrina, Claire, and Lottie, who worked alongside Bart and me in First Class, they spoke well of me and had no complaints about the way I carried out my duties or how I engaged with colleagues or customers. However, very little notice was taken of anything they said.
After my initial meeting with Cabin Crew Manager Lana, I wanted to share with her the feedback that cabin crew had written to me over many years. Although the company had access to our mandatory performance feedback, the optional form mentioned above was initially sent to an employee’s manager and was then returned to the crew member. A copy was not held on file.
I received many over the years they were in use, so felt they would give Lana a good idea of what I was like as a Flight Manager to fly with. Because of their sentimental value, I sent them using a “Tracked and Signed’ postal service.
The following emails are self-explanatory. Having received the forms, instead of returning them by post, Crew Manager Lana sent them to the Cabin Crew Check-In area at Heathrow for me to collect when I checked in for my next flight.
Due to the stress of the first grievance meeting that took place a couple of months after my dad passed away, I was off work for several weeks. When I returned, I asked at Cabin Crew Check-In for the envelope but it couldn’t be found.
Upon speaking with my manager, he managed to trace it and asked if he’d like me to “see if he could post the envelope out to me.” With so many forms in the package, it was quite heavy. Being concerned that it may end up becoming lost because I knew it wouldn’t be sent ‘tracked’, I told him to keep it at Check-In, and I would collect it the next time I was there.
Being part-time, I only flew a few times a month and forgot to ask for the envelope the next time I checked in. The following extract comes from evidence I submitted as part of my grievance against the company.
When I was told the reviews had been shredded, I thought this manager was having a joke with me. However, I soon realised he was being serious. Each review had my full name, my manager’s name, and my employee number. Despite having been in the safe for “some time,” it was there for a reason. Did he not think of getting in touch with me before shredding a large stack of performance-related reviews dating back almost twenty years?
Being Cabin Crew | The Ugly Truth 