United Airlines has gotten some bad press in the past 12 months. Between forcibly removing a passenger from a plane, changing their ticket structure, and part of a plane’s engine falling off, it’s been a rough go.
If bad things happen in threes, you would think they would be done, right?
Unfortunately for them, that doesn’t seem to be the case and I’m actually beginning to wonder if they’re masochistic. Why else would they eliminate their quarterly performance bonuses and replace them with a lottery?
Under the new lottery system, eligible employees might just be lucky enough to win cash prizes ranging $2,000 to $40,000, luxury cars, and vacation packages. One employee per quarter would even be awarded $100,000! Hot damn!
I’m trying to imagine the conversation the team of consultants had when deciding this was an appropriate way to reward employees while (most likely) cutting costs.
“But one person can win $100,000! I’d be excited if I won $100,000.”
“I would absolutely be happy if my company gave me a vacation.”
In both of those statements if is a pretty important and powerful word. Clearly, no one on the team was invested in taking the perspective of the employees and really thinking through their emotional response. If they were, they probably would have considered that immediate reactions would be more along the lines of:
- So, you want me to bring my A-game to work every day, but you only maybe want to reward me for it?
- There’s no way this isn’t fixed.
- Do I get to chose my prize because I don’t want (or need) a new car. I want the money so I can put it towards a new house/my kid’s education/paying off some debt.
- Stop messing with my quarterly performance bonus.
I’ve spent a day thinking about it, and I have not been able to come up with a scenario where an employee’s response to this new program would be, “Wow. This is a great opportunity. My company clearly recognizes and appreciates the role I play in its overall success so I want to do my best for myself, my team, and my company.”
Furthermore, with this new program in place, how can United Airlines tell both internal and external audiences that its shared purpose is “Connecting people. Uniting the world.”
This new program doesn’t connect or unite anyone. In fact, it feels divisive since everyone is expected to work as hard, but only a few lucky people are rewarded. At that point, it’s really every person for her/himself which is the antithesis of ideas like connect and unite.
Finally, I read that this news was delivered via a memo from the CEO.
WTF United? I’m pretty sure my middle school boyfriend was more thoughtful than that when communicating with me.
This is a big deal. Let’s pretend for a second that it’s not a shitty, luck-based rewards program. It’s still a massive change. You can’t deliver news of this magnitude via a memo. First off, it’s cowardly. Be a leader and face your employees when you’re overhauling a program that’s important to them and that they’ve probably come to rely on in some way (didn’t Christmas Vacation teach us anything?)
Second, a memo is a one-way communication. You’re talking at somebody, not with them. Don’t drop a memo-bomb and then walk away. This kind of change requires dialogue. It requires additional information and context. You need to treat your employees like people – like adults – and give them the space and support to be disappointed. Or frustrated. Or confused. You need to offer them the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. And yeah, it may result in some uncomfortable conversations, but all relationships require uncomfortable and difficult conversations at times. The best relationships learn from those challenging conversations and come out stronger.
So United Airlines, big mistake on so many levels. Quite honestly, you’re too big to make this kind of multi-faceted mistake and I’m embarrassed for you. Next time you find yourself in this situation remember to
- Think about your employees as human beings and explore the full range of potential responses to a change.
- Invest in the relationship with your employees. No memo-bombs. Be brave and have the difficult conversations.
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