Upside-Down Supervision
Two nights ago, a subject I’ve blogged about recently (here, here, here, here, and here) — supervisors — came readily to mind. Because of bad weather, I found myself with many others stuck in an airport. Most everyone had missed connecting flights. We were instructed to go to ticketing for a next-day ticket. We might as well have been ordered to embark on a death march. It was 1:15 a.m.
The line at the ticket counter would have rivaled any Harry Potter new book line. Although the ticket counter had spots for 20 agents, four tried to take care of the long line of weary travelers. Only three of them were there most of the time.
There were three supervisors there as well. They talked to each other while surveying the crowd. They walked behind the counter and looked over the shoulders of the beleaguered agents. They talked on cell phones. They came and went as they repeated their routine of supervising. It took me one hour and 30 minutes to make my way to the front of the line, and the line was still as long as ever.
The supervisors I saw pranced. They set themselves apart from the employee agents. Not once did they give their bleary-eyed agents a break by taking their place. Not once did they assume the role of agent, so there would be more airline representatives actually taking care of frustrated customers.
A supervisor does need to supervise. He can’t do too much of the work of his subordinates lest he be deemed a nonexempt employee. But when the dam breaks, supervisors worth their salt dive in and do whatever is necessary to actually get the job done. They leave the preening to peacocks. Everyone knew these airline supervisors ranked above the agents. We also knew they were clowns.
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About Chris Parker
Chris Parker's practice focuses on the representation and counseling of companies in matters pertaining to the workplace and the protection of their intellectual property and trade secrets. In addition to serving as an advocate for clients, Mr. Parker is also trained as a mediator and frequently serves as a third-party neutral.
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Jimmy Daniel provides counseling to businesses of all sizes related to the employment relationship. He assists in the drafting of employment agreements, policies, and handbooks, as well as provides guidance related to compliance with federal, state, and local legislation such as the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
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While serving in an Of Counsel relationship with the firm, Mr. Bridgesmith also serves as the Executive Director at the Institute for Conflict Resolution at Lipscomb University and as an officer and principal in Strategic Resolutions Group, LLC. In these roles, Mr. Bridgesmith brings over 30 years of legal experience in dispute resolution and innovative workplace strategies to clients, students and business entities alike.
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If the airline agents are operating under a CBA, then supervisors may be limited as to what they can do to assist them. It may appear they are “prancing” but in reality, they are probably doing exactly what the CBA allows them to do. Common sense dictates that they should be able to jump in help in time of crisis, but that would be too logical for any union. Unions were great in the time they were needed, but with global competition and technology as it is today, they are outdated, and in most cases, actually do more harm than good. This story just highlights that fact.
If the airline has a union contract, the supervisors would NOT be allowed to perform the functions of a desk agent, even if it was to assist a customer. In some collective bargaining agreements, if a an exempt non-union employee performs a task normally done by a bargaining unit employee, a greiveance will be filed for eight hours work for each infraction. We experience it everyday. No good deed goes unpunished.
Excellent John! I agree completely. Great post.
I have been in the same circumstance and feel your pain. However, before condemning the supervisors, did you consider that the agents may be part of a bargaining unit? It is likely that the union contract would prohibit the supervisors from performing bargaining unit work. Maybe the cell phone calls were attempts to get additional agents in to work.
John,
A key question is were they unionized agents? In my previous job, I once got a union complaint made against me for helping one of my associates stack product that had fallen. Their reason was, “I was taking work from a fellow union member”. There’s a chance they’ve been burned before and won’t risk it. Hurts the public and our perception of them, of course, but union complaints cost time and money to settle. One of the many reasons I don’t like unions.
HR Gen, Keith, Bob and Jim,
Thanks very much for making an excellent point that I should have made in the original post. While I don’t know for sure, a union contract was likely involved, and it could have led to the objectionable supervisor action I wrote about. I think unions can still serve a valuable purpose, but collective bargaining agreements do sometimes lead to maddening results. The auto industry learned that they can also play a part in the demise of once powerful companies. The airline industry is operating on thin ice. Flying has become a terrible experience for the most part. There are a lot of reasons for this, but union contracts like the ones you describe don’t help at all. It’s a classic case of the tail wagging the dog.
Shawna,
I also appreciate your comment. I think HR Gen, Keith, Bob and Jim would agree with my post if no union contract were involved. Anyone with common sense and a desire to help an employer stay in business, including unions, should agree.
Thanks again to all of you for your comments.
John