Tiger Airways employees get sufficient sleep

WORK-LIFE BALANCE     WORK PRODUCTIVITY     EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Singapore - Tiger Airways' policy of "no overnight stays" gives employees the opportunity to fly home after a day's work, which helps improve employee productivity.

"Working in an airline, particularly as crew, can be quite demanding on your family life," Tony Davis, president and group chief executive of Tiger Aviation, the parent company of Tiger Airways Singapore and Australia. "So we offer that [policy] as a lifestyle of choice." They can now spend their free time at home or with families, as opposed to staying in hotel rooms somewhere else in the world. It's a "win-win" for the airline cost-wise, adds Davis. "It also saves us money because we are not paying for people to stay in hotels every night."

But it starts with recruiting the right people who fits the budget airline's low cost business model, says Davis. "The key is to make sure you get people who are excited about the opportunity and want to be part of something that's innovative, new and going to grow to be very successful."

Employees have to "want to be on that journey with you", he adds. "You've got to buy into the fact that we are in a particular market segment." Otherwise, says Davis, there is no point joining a local airline like Tiger and wishing it was a "full-service" airline. But he believes his company is more than capable of differentiating itself from other budget and commercial airlines as an employer of choice. "In terms of being against other airlines, the thing for us is the fact we are growing and we create opportunities. People can get promoted quicker than if they join a big company."

Besides offering the current staff strength, which numbers over 500, competitive compensation packages and free flights, there are reward schemes linked to the airline's success. Davis says, "We offer profit share scheme for pilots and cabin crew here and we've offered equity to people, in terms of options."

It also helps that Tiger Airways has a "very flat" organisational structure, says Davis, so employees are "more hands-on" and involved in making decisions. "We don't have lots and lots of layers. That means people working for Tiger do feel they have ownership over issues and they can contribute to solutions."

While the budget airline's attrition rate is lower than others, Davis is not resting on his laurels at the moment. With the challenges for the aviation industry going in "boom-and-bust cycles", Davis is making sure his company plans well ahead for its future growth with the economic boom in mind. "The trick is to make sure you always have a pool of people coming down the stream, especially for roles like pilots and engineers."

That means Tiger Airways is still hiring, says Davis, although there is no exact figure yet. "To be honest, I haven't got exact numbers but we are growing our fleet and flying more routes so all of that will add to more employment opportunities, probably around 5%."

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