CONFERENCE Future of Travel Selling: T ravel Weekly hosted its first full-day retail conference
‘Allow good staff to go and sell travel industry benefits’
T
ravel companies should not be afraid to let good staff leave – as they can go on to work with firms in
other parts of the industry or come back to businesses stronger. A panel of experts discussing
building teams accepted that employees may want to move on to further their careers and said new talent can be atracted by the perks of working in the industry. Lee Haslet, Virgin Atlantic’s vice-
president of sales for the UK and Europe, said: “Don’t be afraid to lose people. I had someone who leſt and I didn’t want to speak to them. But if they leave to beter their career, you can bring them back.” He cited one example where “we didn’t plan it but made sure he was a
There used to be
a culture of ‘why train people if they’ll just move on?’ but [that’s changed]
good leaver”, meaning the employee leſt on good terms. ‘Lateral moves’ were the new norm,
he said, noting that secondments between Virgin Atlantic and partner airline Delta were common. “Te world of geting promoted
from one role to the next has changed,” said Haslet, who recently moved from operator Virgin Holidays. “It’s not a ladder anymore.” Abta education manager Vicki Wolf said ex-staff had gone on to
work for Abta partners and members, which “helps with relationships, so is fantastic”. “We invest in training people,” she said. “Tere used to be a culture of ‘why train people if they’ll just move on?’ but [that’s changed].” Travel can atract new talent
by selling the industry’s benefits, said Holly Addison, principal at recruitment specialist Odgers Berndtson. She said: “When someone comes to interview, they’re assessing you as well. Give them an opportunity to look in the shop window. You can really steal a march because travel is a really fun, exciting industry.” Google’s Stephanie Kovach said it
was important for businesses to create a culture when recruiting and to look for soſt skills such as ‘emotional’ and ‘adaptive’ intelligence.
Flexible working can help generate ‘phenomenal’ results
Offering flexible working and allowing staff to make mistakes can produce “phenomenal” results for businesses, a panel on team building concluded. Lee Haslet, Virgin Atlantic’s
vice-president of sales for the UK and Europe, said: “If you don’t embrace flexible working, you are missing out on some very talented people. “I’ve had many people who
have moved, or their circumstances have changed – when you provide flexible working, what you get in return is phenomenal.” But he added: “You have to manage them like one big office.” Holly Addison, of recruitment firm Odgers Berndtson, agreed,
12 31 OCTOBER 2019
but said it was important to avoid encouraging an “always on” mantra among remote staff to avoid burnout. Google’s Stephanie Kovach
said creating a positive working environment was crucial to nurturing creativity and said “to be able to come to work and bring your full self” encourages “creativity and imagination”. Abta’s Vicki Wolf said flexible
working practices helped reduce the onset of mental health issues. “Te main thing is communication and open conversations with managers,” she said. “It helps managers understand pressures, especially with younger people.”
Stephanie Kovach, Google
Firms have ‘long way to
A recruitment specialist says there is a long way to go for many firms when recruiting females for senior leadership roles. Holly Addison of
recruitment specialist Odgers Berndtson pointed to a recent news story that showed there were more chief executives called Steve than there were female CEOs in the FTSE 100. She said she had seen a company hiring for a
Lee
Haslett, Virgin Atlantic
Holly
Addison, Odgers Berndtson
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURES: Phil Gammon
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