NEWS
Agencies overwhelmed by staff sickness and excessive workloads
Juliet Dennis
Travel agents say excessive workloads and increasing numbers of staff off sick are making it hard to maintain service levels. Flight cancellations, calls from
anxious clients and problems contacting suppliers amid a surge in bookings and enquiries have led to agents working long hours seven days a week over the past two months. “It was easier during
shops were still “really busy”, while staff sickness levels had gone up in the past month as a result of a rise in Covid infections. “Seven staff have been off in
the past four weeks, which is again stretching resources and increasing stress levels in shops,” he said. Hardwick admitted stress was an
“overriding concern”. “While we cannot magically
STORY TOP
Covid,” said Britaly Travel and Typically Italian Holidays director Daniele Broccoli, who added that he checks flight schedules at midnight and is often woken by texts in the early hours warning of airline cancellations. “It’s non-stop, seven days a week,”
he said. “I’m exhausted. My wife is worried about me – but everyone in the office is under pressure.” Fred Olsen Travel head of
commercial Paul Hardwick said
travelweekly.co.uk
resolve the workload and call wait time situations, we are looking at what we can do to relieve stress and improve morale,” he said.
The firm has introduced a
monthly wellness event, held an Independence Day party and sent shops £50 vouchers for meals out. The Travel Network Group’s
director of membership services Stephanie Slark said staffing issues and Covid-related absence “could still cause disruption” this summer, even if the situation at airports stabilises. “Stress levels are high,” she added.
Sutton Travel managing director
Andy Tomlinson said it was “as stressful this summer as it’s been the past two summers”. “Two years ago, it was sleepless
nights about how long Covid would last and if the business would survive,” he said. “Last summer it was: ‘Will things go back to normal?’. This summer, we have more people away than ever – but flights are being cancelled.” Agents face situations daily that
pre-Covid happened only “once in a blue moon”. “It’s impacting turnaround times for new business,” added Tomlinson. Spear Travels chairman Peter
Cookson said staff were fed up with “mountains of time-consuming administration with cancellations, flight-time changes and umpteen questions from customers seeking reassurance”. He added: “Morale is pretty low. Staff cannot get on with their proper jobs.” Oasis Travel managing director
Sandra Corkin said: “We’re getting so many extra calls and we’re still having staff shortages due to Covid.” Travel Weekly columnist David
Walker, of The Travel Snob, had his busiest-ever June but said last- minute changes to bookings by clients were adding to time pressures. “It’s frustrating and impossible to maintain service levels,” he said. Homeworker Jenny Jackson,
of Luxury Travel Gurus, said: “Consumers do not understand the pressures we are under.” Arron Mitchell, director of agency
Resfeber Travel and operator Syte Travel, said: “Customers don’t blame the operator – they blame the agent.” Hardwick said he was worried
staff would quit the sector, particularly in shops, “as we cannot offer working from home as an option”. Holidaysplease director Charles
Duncombe said: “People leaving the industry could be a challenge for companies that made people redundant during Covid.”
21 JULY 2022 5
PICTURE: Shutterstock/Novikov Aleksey
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