Etihad Airways is a UAE-based airline that makes passenger and cargo flights to various destinations in the Gulf region, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Its main base is located in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, and its parent entity is the Etihad Aviation Group. Internal communication is essential for the airline company for engagement purposes. Employees can be informed of policy changes, engagement programs, leadership changes, and upcoming events. Internal communication strategies, including employee engagement practices, feedback loops, and the use of the latest technology, are beneficial to the entity since they promote the workers’ engagement, happiness, and loyalty.
Internal Communication Strategies and Tactics
Some of the airline's internal communication strategies include employee engagement practices, feedback loops, and new technology. Etihad utilizes its internal communication tools to keep its employees engaged through incentives and solution proposal opportunities. The iFikra platform launched in 2019 promotes employee engagement by allowing employees to propose innovative solutions that address the entity’s ongoing business challenges ("Etihad Airways Partners with Swae," 2019). The UAE-based entity uses internal communication channels with feedback loops that allow the management to receive feedback in the form of employees’ feelings, thoughts, and proposals. The iFikra platform’s use of artificial intelligence is evidence of the entity's use of the latest technology. Some of the firm's internal communication tactics include the use of employee engagement surveys and the establishment of cross-functional teams. Employee engagement surveys allow the entity to investigate whether its newly-adopted internal communication tools have the desired impact on employees. Etihad Airways takes a collaborative approach to internal communication through the creation of cross-functional teams. The creation of such teams allows the management to communicate with employees and obtain feedback from them easily.
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Pros and Cons of Communication Strategies
The employee engagement communication strategy is beneficial since it leads to greater employee satisfaction and lower absenteeism. However, it is disadvantageous to Etihad Airways since it is costly. The feedback loop strategy is beneficial to the airline since it allows the entity to improve the employee’s performance (Ruck, 2015). However, feedback loops may issue biased responses. The use of technology is beneficial to the entity since it increases efficiency. Regardless, obsolescence leads to increased replacement costs.
Internal Communication Tools and their Effectiveness
The internal communication tools used by Etihad Airways include internal memos, video conferencing tools, applications. The entity uses internal memos to communicate new policies and procedures to its employees. For instance, in 2021, the entity used an internal memo to communicate its new policy regarding vaccination and annual leave (Maszczynski, 2021). According to the memo, unvaccinated workers must utilize their yearly leave to cover time away from work due to the coronavirus. In addition, vaccinated workers who test positive for the coronavirus will be placed on coronavirus leave. The effectiveness of the memos lies in their ability to eliminate misunderstanding among the recipients, given that it provides them with similar information. The UAE-based organization has also used video conferencing software and applications, including Microsoft Teams, to communicate with cabin crew and operational command center employees from different locations. The video conferencing tool has been highly effective for Etihad Airways since it has managed to overcome geographical barriers faced by its diverse workforce, made up of employees from more than 150 nationalities. Another internal communication tool includes apps such as TAMM. The entity's employees, for instance, cabin crew workers, can use the application to report maintenance issues to maintenance employees ("Etihad Airways Strengthens Work Culture," 2020). The application is highly effective given that it has replaced both emails and phone calls made to maintenance offices.
Recommendations
Etihad Airways should adopt employee communication initiatives such as employee recognition programs and social employee advocacy initiatives. An employee recognition program is an essential element of the overall internal communications strategy. Etihad Airways managers should recognize employees by making them feel valued and appreciated. In this respect, they should issue praise to the employees regularly. They should use employee feedback forums to commend the employees who exceed expectations. The adoption of such a communication initiative will improve employee engagement and retention. An increase in employee retention would help Etihad Airways minimize costs associated with a high employee turnover (Saridakis & Cooper, 2016). The relationship between the entity and its employees is likely to improve considerably since the employees’ self-awareness needs are being met effectively.
The employee advocacy program is another employee communication initiative that Etihad Airways should adopt. The entity should transform its engaged workers into strong brand advocates. After identifying its highly engaged workers, it should communicate with them regarding maximizing social reach and expanding the airline’s brand image. Etihad Airways should use its internal newsletters to communicate the new initiative to the employees. The employee advocacy program would show the employee that the airline entity trusts them to convey corporate messages to the customer. The internal advocacy tool will allow the airline to direct and guide the engaged employees in posting proper content. The involvement of employees in such a program will allow the workers to become the entity's online ambassadors and brand advocates. Employees given such an opportunity are likely to remain loyal to the entity, allowing it to retain its top talent. In addition, Etihad Airways will enhance its relationship with such workers.
Overall, Etihad Airways’ internal communication strategies, including feedback loops, employee engagement practices, and use of the latest technology, have proven useful since they allow the entity to keep its employees engaged, satisfied, and loyal. However, Etihad Airways should adopt employee communication programs, including employee recognition and social employee advocacy initiatives, to improve its relationship with its employees.
References
Etihad Airways partners with Swae to launch artificial intelligence-powered crowd sourcing and engagement platform for employees . (2019). ETIHAD. https://www.etihad.com/en/news/etihad-airways-partners-with-swae-to-launch-artificial-intelligence-powered-crowd-sourcing-and-engagement-platform-for-employees .
Etihad Airways strengthens work culture with Microsoft Teams, Power Apps, and Power BI . (2020). MICROSOFT. https://customers.microsoft.com/en-us/story/821087-etihad-airways-travel-and-transportation-teams .
Maszczynski, M. (2021). Etihad Airways tells staff to get vaccine or go without pay if they contract COVID-19 . PADDLE YOUR OWN KANOO. https://www.paddleyourownkanoo.com/2021/02/02/etihad-airways-tells-staff-to-get-vaccine-or-go-without-pay-if-they-contract-covid-19/ .
Ruck, K. (2015). Exploring internal communication: Towards informed employee voice . London; New York: Routledge.
Saridakis, G., & Cooper, C. L. (2016). Research handbook on employee turnover . Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.
