Lack of efficient manpower and poor customer services_ a grave threat to future of Biman

_By Raquib Siddiqi Dhaka : In service industries like airline, people are the greatest asset. Behind every great vision, great brand and great service are the numerous individuals who deliver on the promise. Manpower is dedicated to providing the human resources support that helps businesses achieve their vision. Biman Bangladesh Airlines is suffering from shortage of properly skilled efficient manpower and heading towards serious management crisis if immediate step to infuse new blood is not taken. According to a senior executive of the airline, the management level manpower situation is really bad. In the absence of direct recruitment for management cadre, the middle management positions_ Assistant Manager, Manager and Deputy General Manager_ are presently manned mostly by "unionised promotees". As a result quality of supervision has nose dived. Close connection of these promotes with the unions is also hampering proper functioning of the organisation. Apart from being highly unionised, most of the employees of Biman are "suffering from serious lack of service oriented attitude". This improper attitude has made customer services of the airline-the number one casualty. Far away While airlines all over the world are trying to get ready to face the reality, Biman, unfortunately, is still wedded to moribund systems, in almost all aspects of operations. The manpower productivity is one of the lowest because of low efficiency level. But development of human resources is yet to receive the kind of attention it deserves. Since its birth in January 1972, barring insignificant exceptions, Biman has failed to recruit proper manpower mainly because of opposition from unions. About three decades ago, the management and unions concluded an agreement on the question of fresh recruitment. The two sides agreed that 35 per cent of the vacancies would be filled by direct recruitment and the rest by promotion from lower level. Unfortunately, the management of Biman has not been able to make the recruitment as agreed-again because of opposition from unions. This failure has created a serious drop in quality of manpower in management level. For long, mainstay of Biman's management was the qualified group of officers that it inherited from PIA. With all of these people gone on retirement and no backup executive cadre followed, the situation in Biman does not look bright. The lack of quality and drive in all aspects of Biman's operation is already evident. New breed of managers There is absolutely no doubt that a different set of managerial skills and qualities are needed if airlines are to survive in the new environment. Now airline managers are required to have new skills and qualities to face different types of priorities. The profile of the airline manager of the current 21st century is much different from that of the I980s and 1990s. For the new generation of airline managers are being forced to deal with under capacity, declining number of high yield passengers, low cost competition, strategic alliances, advances in technology, and a continuing wave of deregulation and liberalisation. Airlines all over the world have already become busy adopting a more long-term outlook in their attempts to manage the future efficiently and successfully. The objective is not just to equal their competition in every aspect of the service offering, but to exceed the service quality of their competitors. Customer services Customer service comes from the inside of an individual. It comes from the desire to provide good service to everyone_ whether they are a customer, co-worker, friend or relation. But, the "three Cs" of good customer service_ Concern, Communication, and Competence are almost totally absent in Biman. To survive in the competitive market place now, the airlines must treat customers like they are members of the family as a positive customer relationship is the key to success at any level of any organisation. Apart from no manpower planning, Biman has failed to take effective measure to develop service oriented altitude. Manpower planning, it may be noted, provides tools to plan optimal and cost effective manpower levels for projected growth of operations. Such plan also allow planners to evaluate different options, scenarios, and short- or long-term manpower requirement and provides sufficient staffing levels for achieving projected growth with quality level of customer services. In any organisation it is critical that all individuals work towards the same objectives and goals. They must know what they are expected to do; why they are to do it; and when it must be done. All the efficient organisation-airlines and others-follow this system which, serve as the foundation and driving force behind all organisational decisions, work efforts and resource allocations. No power Empowering employees has become one of the elements in becoming efficient airline. Empowerment is the ability to let other assume the responsibilities, risks and rewards associated with making their own decisions. Are the employees of Biman empowered? Can they make decisions without having to ask their superviser? Do they feel comfortable representing the company? The answer is no and no. To help company grow and thrive in today's competitive marketplace employees need to play a major role in its success. They must make decisions that will enhance the productivity of organisation, and they must take ownership of both successes and problems. In Biman credit for success is never given to right person, but on the other hand it has a history of making scapegoat for any trouble. As a result, there is tendency to enjoy all the facilities and benefits of a position, minus the responsibility. Hiring the efficient Good people are the lifeblood of any organisation. That's common knowledge. But knowing how to find and identify them is not. So far, the management of Biman has not been able to make smart hiring decisions and follow the proven systematic hiring process. The airline has never been able to find and hire management staff it can depend on. Moreover, due to lack of training and proper grooming, positive attitude is generally missing from the work force of Biman. In addition to build self image, there is urgent need to take steps to develop a positive attitude in the workplace, and beyond. Present day airlines need a variety of creative service delivery options. In developing manpower, primary focus must be on staffing quality as intently as one focus on core business. Whether one needs one administrative assistant or 1,000 IT consultants, the process of recruitment must be the same. Most of the successful airlines engage in some form of manpower planning. Doing this well is essential. Modern day airlines require large numbers of skilled people who are able to continuously match changing demands. This is an especially serious challenge for both large and small airlines that invest in the development of their own people to meet growing needs. Human resources development by infusing quality young manpower into national institutions like Biman and improving and updating their development infrastructure to take them further on the road to technological excellence. If we want to achieve a reasonable level of efficiency in Biman and make it recognised internationally, then it is imperative to have a high level of excellence of technological skills of human resources. Biman has made huge investment in new aircraft. With these modern equipment joining the fleet, hoping to start a new era_ an era of quality services, efficiency and profitability. But situation is alarming. The need is immediate corrective action to halt the downslide and save the national flag carrier from fatal damage. There is no alternative but to immediately start infusion of new blood and intensive training programme to elevate level of efficiency and improve standard of services.