United Airlines’ Glenn Tilton. He was the third-worst chief executive officer, according to a new employee poll by Glassdoor, a company that conducts online salary surveys.
Employees complained that United’s management treated them disrespectfully, were too bottom-line oriented and had run morale into the ground. Here’s a typical response:
United has the worst management of any airline. The treat their employees with disrespect and have little interest in changing their ways. Upper management have no idea how to manage employees, the airline’s assets or money.
You can read more employee comments here.
There’s something of a silver lining for Tilton. He came in second during the last survey at the end of last year. This time, two other CEOs out-underperformed him: Krishna Srinivasan of Frost & Sullivan and Steve Odland of Office Depot.
The top travel company on Glassdoor’s survey was also an airline: Continental Airlines and its chief executive, Larry Kellner.
He was #12 on the list, exceeded only by superstar CEOs for the likes of General Mills, Apple and Google.
The Continental comments were a little over-the-top. Here’s a typical rave from a happy employee:
Working in reservations was wonderful. Extremely flexible hours with the ability to pick up additional shifts or drop shifts as needed. The commission plan in reservations is one of the best in the industry. There are also many opportunities to take familiarization trips that are organized and leader by the company, giving the agents the ability to visit the location that they are actually selling to our customers. Continental is also very community involved, sponsoring golf tournaments, cook-offs, etc.
Come on. Is this an airline they’re writing about?
And speaking of non-airlines, the other major travel company in the top 50 list was a Marriott. Bill Marriott, Jr. took a respectable 16th place on the list.
I like the idea of employees rating their CEO. It’s usually done the other way around — a boss will review an employee. When the tables are turned, the results can be interesting, don’t you think?
How does this affect travel? Well, competent leadership can improve employee moral and lead to better customer service.
And incompetent leadership, obviously, has the opposite effect.
(Photo: Telstar Logistics/Flickr Creative Commons)
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Why doesn’t this surprise me … Tilton ran United into the ground – they used to be a great airline.
Interesting review.
Reading the employee comments were, to say the least,… thought provoking.
I like the idea of employees rating their CEO. It’s usually done the other way around — a boss will review an employee. When the tables are turned, the results can be interesting, don’t you think?
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The interesting thing about CEO’s is that the employees know that they wont be around as long as WE ARE or HAVE BEEN. I count some 11 airline CEO’s that I have worked under in my career. I even got to spend time with Frank Lorenzo. He likes Scotch. He’s a soft spoken man, but labor relations was always a battle with him. Met Stephen Wolf. Smart man. Tall man. Doesnt like to interact with F/A’s.
The first CEO I worked for, he died a few years ago. I mourned that man. I LOVED working for him. His airline went out of business in the early 80’s. I even got to carry his “carry-on” to the gate with him. What a proud moment that was. He joked, lose that bag and you’re fired. I laughed………………..I miss that man and his dream.
I can agree with the high ratings for Continental’s management. This is a group that has hosted “reach-out” events for customers to get to know the airline. I met Larry Kellner and was impressed with how he just stood there answering question after question for a solid two hours. He clearly knows his product and wants his airline to succeed. I for one will be sorry to see him leave CO and go back to private equity.
I never met Glenn Tilton (or Douglas Parker at US) but neither seem to care much for their customers.
Disclosure: I’m a CO “Gold Elite”, UA “Premier Executive” and former US “Gold” now “Zero”.
Unfortunately, for the majority of employees in most companies, they never meet or even interact with the CEO of the company they are working for. They’re too far down on the totem pole to even be aware what it is the CEO even does!
And then when the employees *DO* interact with the CEO, the CEO’s gift of pulling the wool over people’s eyes becomes evident…take for example, the CEOs Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers! For over a year, they managed to lull the employees into a false sense of security when in actuality, they were driving the company deeper and deeper into debt!
I know that I certainly would not be able to tell you anything about the CEO of the multi-national company I work for…He rarely makes it to the United States and I have yet to visit Japan!
Ed
HOW CAN UNITED JUSTIFY THIS LACK OF POSITIVE LEADERSHIP
AND EXPECT TO SURVIVE IN THIS WORLD,SEEMS AS IF THE RANK AND FILE OF THE STOCK HOLDERS DO NOT COUNT.ONLY THE LARGE HOLDERS,,,,, NOT ALL OF US SMALL INVESTERS ARE
STUPID AND/ORGOING TO SRAND BY AND SEE OUR MONEY GO AWAY. LET UNITED DIE,I GOT ME MONEY OUT!