The importance of motivating pilots and extending layover periods - Essay Example

The Importance of Motivating Pilots and Extending Layover Periods The years following the launching of the firstcommercial flights have witnessed many aircraft crashes. Some passengers have also complained of unfriendly and negative services among some crewmembers in the aviation industry the world over. Studies have revealed that a significant number of the accidents and poor services occur due to a lack of motivation and enough rest periods for crewmembers. The crewmembers end up feeling stressed with their work and feel fatigue, which add up to their ineffectiveness at work. Enough rest and proper motivation allows pilots and crewmembers to appreciate their works since they have a normal pattern of sleep, complete flight procedures, and thus, serve passengers well. Allowing flight crewmembers enough rest periods and the right motivational packages will significantly reduce the amount of flight accidents and boost the image of flight companies. Research works strongly suggest that it is important for pilots and other crewmembers to have better treatment and allowed enough rest periods to enable them enjoy their work and serve their passengers better. Notably, one of the effective ways of ensuring safety of aircrafts and passengers is a good treatment of employees since human factors are the leading causes of aviation accidents (Hobbs 335). There are several reasons why resting and motivation is important for the flight staff. First, resting enables flight members that operate long distance travels have a normal pattern of sleep and wake hours. They will thus be free from high levels of exhaustion. Secondly, motivational rewards enable crewmembers to appreciate their work and feel valued in the flight company. Thirdly, extended layover allows pilots and crewmembers enough time to complete flight procedures, pick luggage, commute to the hotel, prepare for the next trip, and return to the airport. Fourthly, crewmembers feel proud of their company and consider it as the best in the industry. Enough rest time also allows the staff to sleep according to their destination time as advised, and not according to their local time. Finally, resting and excellent treatment significantly reduces fatigue among crewmembers, and thus, reduction in flight accidents. The above benefits of enough sleepovers and motivation to flight crewmembers can be realized, assuming that wellness of crewmembers can significantly benefit the aviation company and the industry as a whole. This research work also assumes that the lack of enough rest and better welfare treatment is one of the leading causes of flight accidents. Thirdly, the intrinsic rewards significantly motivate pilots and other crewmembers. Fourthly, pilots and crewmembers strive for excellent wellness. Finally, the research work assumes that passengers that travel with unmotivated crew do not enjoy their trip. The unmotivated employees pass their frustrations over to the passengers as a way of relieving themselves of their burdens. The assumptions are viable since they are based on many works by relevant bodies and researchers. Several studies and bodies offer viable backings to the claim that pilots and crewmembers require enough sleepovers and intrinsic motivational packages. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declares that it is mandatory for flight crew to have enough rest periods. It requires airlines to offer their crew a 10-hour rest opportunity before commencing a duty period that includes flying. The ten-hour rest period may include the time a crew takes to commute to or from their houses or hotel rooms. However, the FAA states that the company should not slash down the actual time for sleeping opportunity to below 8 hours. Additionally, the agency has prolonged the length of continuous time off during a one-week period from 24 hours to 30 hours (Federal Aviation Administration 213). The flight crewmembers should use the rest period to sleep instead of doing other things. The Administration further stipulates that individuals whose internal clock may be off due to flipping back and forth between different zones require extra time off. A case study of Singapore Airline illustrates that motivating staff encourage healthy behavior among team members, and consequently the growth of a company. Jochen Wirtz and Loizos Heracleous say that rewards and recognition assisted Singapore Airlines build a desirable behavior among crewmembers. The airline offers interesting and varied job content, symbolic actions, performance-based share options, and a significant percentage of viable pay components related to a person’s contributions and the airline’s financial performance (Wirtz and Heracleous 8). The company also provides bonuses based on its profitability. Additionally, the company uses its numerous international accolades, companywide meetings, and open communication to make staff motivated. Motivation and communication have helped Singapore Airline recognize service excellence. The overall result is excellent results to customers and avoidance of unnecessary accidents thus resulting in aviation safety. Some research works have proved that fatigue is a probable cause of air crashes. A research by the National Transportation Safety (NSB) proved that a half of pilots and first officers for whom data were available had been awake for more than twelve hours before their accidents (Strauss 24). Flight crews with members whose time since awake was beyond the median made more mistakes than those who have enough sleep. On August 18, 1993, a US commercial aircraft accident occurred in Cuba due to fatigue of crewmembers. The crewmembers sustained serious injuries. It was later revealed that they had been working for about 18 hours and had been in the air for about 9 hours. As a result, they had experienced a disruption of circadian rhythms. The pilot did not notice deteriorating path and airspeed conditions because of being preoccupied with locating strobe light on the ground. Some people claim that motivating flight crew and giving them extended layover periods may cause the flight company to incur more costs on the motivational packages while revenue reduces due to prolonged flights (Strauss 25). However, they fail to realize that motivated and well-rested crewmembers serve customers well. Flight airline will eventually attract many customers to itself if it motivates its crew. The excellent services will make the customers remain loyal despite the long distances. The airline will eventually realize high amount of revenue, which will significantly cover the expenses and leave the company with high amount of profits. When a company denies pilots the right motivation and enough sleepover periods in order to save money, it eventually loses the money it is trying to save, and even incur extra losses. A friend used to work for an airline that did not pay well and promoted people based on a personal relationship with the managing director. The company never appeared in the list of the best fifty or even hundred airline companies that offer exemplary customer satisfaction due to their bad motivational policies. He decided to quit the company and join one of the award-winning airline companies. He now receives significant allowances, benefits, pay-rises, promotions, and enough sleepover periods. The company attracts many passengers and thus high revenues due to its great services that saw it emerge one of the best. Another objection to the idea of motivating pilots is that they may misuse the extended rest periods and extra monetary bonuses to engage in other things instead of resting (Wirtz and Heracleous 26). Some people also say that some pilots and crewmembers may remain unmotivated at the end of the day. The claims are not true since right motivation and training encourage pilots and other crewmembers to appreciate layover time and use it appropriately. It may also encourage the crew to behave well for a positive appraisal. Every crewmember will eventually get motivated when the company uses various motivational packages. Additionally, proper training makes the pilots appreciate their value in the industry and know that their position is a crucial one. Thus, they will not engage in destructive activities such as excessive drinking. They will value the importance of resting in catering for their biological and psychological needs. As the trainings are coupled with the right motivations, the pilots, and other staff members will work hard and maintain discipline when on duty to increase their rewards. FAA is the body responsible for regulating aviation activities including human factors. As such, one of the solutions to reducing aviation problems resulting from human factors is to ensure stringent policies that govern the welfare of airline crewmembers. For instance, FAA can give guidelines on training and minimum pay for aviation crew in order to ensure that they are not exploited and receive the required skills. Moreover, the aviation body should put in place measures to ascertain that the airlines adhere to the policies. In most cases, the guidelines released by the FAA tend to favor airlines rather than employees. As a result, there is a need for a change in how the aviation body does things. The FAA needs to put the interest of passengers and aviation crew first before that of the airline companies. Strict FAA guidelines and policies coupled with companies adopting the culture of motivating and training aviation crew will no doubt bear fruitful results. The companies will earn more revenues, and at the same time, have a motivated and alert workforce thus ensuring safety of passengers. Accidents and poor services in the flight industry will continue to be a menace if pilots and other staff members do not receive the right motivation and enough rest periods. Pilots and crewmembers who have little rest periods tend to experience high fatigues, which lead to misjudgments and stress at work. Lack of motivation makes pilots fail to appreciate their work and their crucial position in the industry. Eventually, they do not give more attention to their duties and need for improvements in their services. Improving the flight services requires intrinsic and extrinsic motivation such as pay rise, benefits, allowances, promotions, recognitions, accolades, and training. Pilots and other crewmembers should also have enough rest periods between trips to enable their bodies take the necessary rest and avoid fatigue. Enough sleepovers eliminate exhaustion among flight crews since they get normal sleep and wake patterns, enough time to prepare for the next trip, and positive mental wellbeing. Enough rest and the right motivational packages are thus important for companies to reduce accidents and improve customer experience. Works Cited Federal Aviation Administration. "rest." Flightcrew Member Duty and Rest Requirements. Newcastle: Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc, 2012. 12. Print. Federal Aviation Administration. “Medical Facts for Pilots." Federal Aviation Administration, 8 Jan. 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. . Hobbs, Alan. "Human Factors: The Last Frontier of Aviation Safety?" The International Journal of Aviation Psychology (2004): 331-345. Print. Strauss, S. "Pilot Fatigue." Home - European Pilot Academy. Aerospace Medical Association, 2 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. . Wirtz, J., and L. Heracleous. "Singapore Airlines: Managing Human Resources for Cost-effective Service Excellence." National University of Singapore- NUS Business School. National University of Singapore- NUS Business School, 2 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. . Read More