A “reverse mentoring” scheme has been credited with helping Virgin Atlantic emerge from the Covid crisis a more inclusive, socially responsible, happier and successful company.
Patrice Gordon, the carrier’s director of commercial strategy, told the ITT conference in Istanbul that Virgin is putting its people at the forefront of its strategy.
This is reflected in the airline’s latest television advert as it strives to recruit back to pre-Covid levels. Virgin is currently back to 70% of pre-pandemic capacity with just 40% of staff.
Gordon pioneered reverse mentoring at Virgin, matching junior employees with senior management under former chief executive Craig Kreeger, and has written a book about it.
She said: “Purpose is at the heart of everything we do at Virgin Atlantic.
“When you connect with your people, when you listen to them, make changes in response to their suggestions, you are going to have a more engaged workforce.
“A happier employee equals higher engagement, that leads to happier customers and ultimately a higher performance for your company.”
Measures Virgin Atlantic has taken in response to employee feedback include ditching the requirement for tattoos to be covered up and some staff to wear make up.
Gordon described the Virgin workforce as its “secret sauce” and said the firm has created a number of internal networks to support racial and gender diversity and inclusion in the business.
She said the sustainability of any business will be determined by its ability to integrate a diverse set of views and opinions.
“I think about sustainability of people. Making sure we embrace diversity is ultimately very important.
“In order for us to have a business that survives we are going to have to really think about how we integrate different views, different people, for the future.”
Gordon added: “We can only rebuild this industry as a community and there are networks out there that can support and educate.”
Having been introduced as a pilot scheme five years ago, Virgin’s reverse mentoring has now been taken up by founder Richard Branson and his daughter Holly.
The airline has also identified what makes a successful reverse mentoring scheme to engage with employees in all of the five generations represented on its payroll.
“It’s an important tool for all of us to use to break down some of those barriers and build a really inclusive workplace,” said Gordon.
The concept of reverse mentoring is credited to former General Electric chief executive Jack Welch and dates back to the turn of the last century.
“It’s a tool for innovation, a tool for increasing diversity and also removing barriers because you are going to have up to five generations in your workforce by 2025,” Gordon said.
“You are always going to have difference in your organisation and you can use it to break down barriers and make sure that you understand people in your workforce.”