Introduction
The airline industry ranks among the top tier in terms of worldwide economic significance. Southwest Airlines, based in the United States, is an airline that prioritizes its customers above all else. Southwest Airlines, a prominent participant in the business, must compete for and keep the best pilots by doing both (“Employee Development versus Compensation: Analysis of Employee Retention Strategies on Organizational Productivity,” 2019). To this aim, Southwest Airlines must devise a strategy for managing the human resources that will help it attract and retain the best possible employees while keeping attrition to a minimum through training and evaluation. This article aims to offer a talent management strategy for pilots at Southwest Airlines. This strategy will contain suggestions for improving the company’s approaches to hiring, screening, training, evaluating, and replacing its pilots.
Recommendation of Recruitment Sources for Pilots
Southwest Airlines should use various recruitment methods to discover the top pilots to join their team. Internal advertisements, external recruitment agencies, and internet job boards are all excellent options.
As well as promoting from within, internal recruitment uses the current staff to find and recommend suitable recruits. This is helpful because it improves the overall quality of the resumes generated and increases the likelihood that most of the resumes will come from applicants already familiar with the organization. Furthermore, the budget benefits from internal recruitment are substantial. The primary drawback is that there might need to be more qualified people to fill the available jobs quickly.
Companies offering professional recruiting services are outside organizations focusing on identifying qualified candidates for open positions. This method of hiring is helpful because of the high caliber of resumes it generates and its competence in locating top prospects. One potential drawback is the high cost. The time it takes to identify a qualified candidate also means that openings may go unfilled for longer than expected.
You can also post adverts for pilots on several job forums on the internet. The enormous number of applicants available through this kind of hiring means that openings can be filled more quickly than other methods. They are usually relatively cheap too. The problem is that there needs to be a way to ensure the caliber of the applicants. Therefore the quality of the resulting resumes can vary widely (“Employee Development versus Compensation: Analysis of Employee Retention Strategies on Organizational Productivity,” 2019). Southwest Airlines would be wise to employ all three of these methods to discover the most qualified pilot candidates. Thanks to this, they will be able to discover qualified people rapidly and affordably.
Evaluation of Common Methods Used to Select Candidates
Southwest Airlines can choose from several established practices that have been shown to yield accurate and reliable outcomes when hiring new pilots. Before settling on a specific strategy, weighing each option’s trustworthiness, legitimacy, usefulness, and legality are crucial. Interviews are a standard approach to vetting potential pilots. This approach is trustworthy, credible, and legally defensible because it helps the interviewer understand the candidate’s personality and abilities (Manuaba & Darma, 2021). Moreover, interviews are helpful because they give interviewers a chance to evaluate a candidate’s personality and social skills, which are crucial for a pilot’s job.
Aptitude examinations are another common means of choosing potential pilots. Using this strategy, the interviewer may evaluate the candidate’s talents more objectively, making the process more dependable, valid, and lawful. In addition, aptitude tests are helpful since they allow the interviewer to gauge the candidate’s expertise and critical thinking skills in the relevant areas.
Finally, references are often used when hiring pilots. This approach is trustworthy, valid, and legally defensible since it permits the interviewer to learn about the candidate’s past experiences and the opinions of others about them. It is helpful to have references on hand because they can shed light on the candidate’s performance in similar situations in the past. All three methods—interviews, aptitude tests, and references—are safe, effective, and legal for Southwest Airlines to use when hiring pilots. Evaluating both approaches is essential if one is on the market for new pilots.
Evaluation of Common Methods Used to Train and Developed Employees
Employees’ training and development are essential to any organization’s success. At Southwest Airlines, training and development is an integral part of the airline’s success (Yusuf, 2020). Several methods can be used to train and develop pilots at Southwest Airlines. The following are three recommended methods for training pilots:
- On-the-Job Training: On-the-job training is an effective way to train pilots at Southwest Airlines. This type of training involves observing the tasks that need to be done and then creating a plan to teach them. This method is effective because it allows pilots to gain hands-on experience in the cockpit and receive feedback from experienced pilots. The cost of this type of training is low, and the learning and development outcomes are immediate.
- Simulated Training: Simulated training is another effective way to train pilots at Southwest Airlines. This type of training involves creating a simulated environment that mimics the conditions of an actual flight. This method is effective because it allows pilots to gain experience in the cockpit without using an actual aircraft. The cost of this type of training is low, and the learning and development outcomes are immediate.
- Blended Learning: Blended learning is a method of training that combines both classroom and online instruction. This type of training is effective because it allows pilots to learn in the classroom and a virtual environment. This type of training costs more than other methods, but the learning and development outcomes are more effective.
Southwest Airlines can find success with these three training and development strategies for their pilot training program. Each approach has benefits and drawbacks, but all three can be employed to help pilots learn and grow. When deciding on a strategy, it is essential to include it in the cost of training and development. When deciding on a training and development strategy, there should be a balance between efficiency, affordability, and the pilots’ actual demands.
Evaluation of Common Performance Management Systems
A company’s talent management strategy is only complete with a performance management system. The performance management system of Southwest Airlines needs to be tailored to the business, its employees, and its pilots. If Southwest Airlines wants to succeed, it needs to evaluate its performance management systems with care, taking into account strategic congruence, validity, dependability, acceptance, and specificity into account. The term “strategic congruence” describes when an organization’s performance management framework is in harmony with its overarching mission, values, and strategies (Yusuf, 2020). Ensuring the system is flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances, simple enough for everyone to use, and comprehensive enough to address all facets of performance is all essential.
The reliability of the system depends on its validity. The system’s output must be reliable and reflect the pilots’ abilities. Additionally, the system should be able to compare results to benchmarks derived from the company’s stated aims. The reliability of a system is measured by how reliably it produces the expected outputs. So that all pilots are held to the same performance criteria, the system must produce consistent results reliably.
The performance management system’s capacity to gain widespread acceptance is crucial to its ultimate success. Pilots may push back if they believe the system must treat them fairly. This means that Southwest Airlines needs to make sure its system is perceived as impartial. Lastly, specificity is the system’s capacity to measure targeted aspects of pilot efficiency. Effectiveness, efficiency, and customer satisfaction are the system’s only metrics to measure and monitor. Pilots’ accountability in these regards can be ensured in this way.
With these factors in mind, Southwest Airlines would choose a performance management system that ticks all the boxes. Southwest Airlines can choose a performance management system that works for them and their pilots by gauging it on several criteria, including strategic congruence, validity, dependability, acceptance, and specificity.
Evaluation of Common Methods to Minimize Voluntary Turnover
At Southwest Airlines, maintaining staff, catering to pilots’ wants and needs, and keeping down turnover costs are all factors that need to be considered. It is recommended that Southwest Airlines create a comprehensive retention program to encourage pilots to remain loyal and dedicated to the company. Incentive bonuses, flexible working hours, opportunities for professional growth, and promotions should all be part of this comprehensive program.
Pilots who go above and beyond the call of duty should be rewarded with incentive bonuses to keep them in their positions. Financial bonuses, extra vacation days, and perks like free flights are all examples of what employers may offer as incentives. This is a great way to show Southwest Airlines’ pilots how much they appreciate their hard work and boost morale in the workplace. A flexible work schedule that allows pilots to work when they want and take time off when needed is another way to keep them around. Pilots will experience less stress and be better able to balance their professional and personal life.
Pilots should have access to training and development opportunities that will help them keep up with the newest safety regulations and industry trends. This will put them in a better position to succeed and keep them ahead of the curve.
Last but not least, Southwest Airlines can keep its pilots and demonstrate its appreciation for their work by providing them with possibilities to progress in their careers. Some examples of such incentives are increased income or bonus payments, increased responsibility within the current position, and promotions (Manuaba & Darma, 2021). These measures will make Southwest Airlines a more attractive workplace by fostering an environment where pilots want to stay and where the airline has their total loyalty and dedication.
Conclusion
Southwest Airlines is a company that places a premium on the happiness of its employees and the delight of its customers. As such, Southwest Airlines needs a personnel management plan that allows it to find and keep the most qualified pilots. For this purpose, Southwest Airlines should build a performance management system unique to the company’s needs and use a combination of on-the-job training, simulated training, and blended learning to train and develop their pilots. Additionally, Southwest Airlines needs to establish a program to keep good employees, such as pay increases, time off, training, and advancement chances. Southwest Airlines can recruit, train, and keep pilots of the highest quality and safety standards if they adopt these practices.
References
Manuaba, I. A. P. U., & Darma, G. S. (2021). Examining recruitment strategies and millennial employee selection. International Research Journal of Management, IT and Social Sciences, 8(1), 110–122. https://doi.org/10.21744/irjmis.v8n1.1140
Thompson, J. (2019). Employee Development versus Compensation: Analysis of Employee Retention Strategies on Organizational Productivity. IJARKE Business & Management Journal, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.32898/ibmj.01/1.3article03
Yusuf, M. Y. (2020). Influence Of Recruitment System And Job Design On Competence And Employee Performance. Asia Pacific Management and Business Application, 009(02), 167–178. https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.apmba.2020.009.02.7
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