United to close HNL & DTW reservations office & DTW GS office {work from home option}
Sep 2, 2015, 10:09 pm
#31
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Newport Coast, CA
Posts: 498
You can certainly remove "Rumor" from the title and add HNL GS to it.
Just spoke with a GS agent in DTW. It's all true. They have the option to move or work from home. And United, in their generosity, will not provide them with computers. They will provide them a loan to purchase them. And their hourly rate will go down considerably if they chose that option. How cheap can you get, United?
Huge bummer. Bad move, United. How else can you tick off your elites?
Just spoke with a GS agent in DTW. It's all true. They have the option to move or work from home. And United, in their generosity, will not provide them with computers. They will provide them a loan to purchase them. And their hourly rate will go down considerably if they chose that option. How cheap can you get, United?
Huge bummer. Bad move, United. How else can you tick off your elites?
Sep 2, 2015, 10:15 pm
#32
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA MP
Posts: 1,659
I'm not sure I agree with a paycut ( depends on what 'considerably' is), but the rest seems totally reasonable.
Working from home provides tremendous flexibility; and I don't know of any company that buys employees computers for their homes. Unless the paycut is large, most employees are going to come out ahead financially ( no commuting cost) and will definitely get a lot of lifestyle benefits.
In years past, the option would be 'move or quit', so 'move or WFH' doesn't seem that bad.
Working from home provides tremendous flexibility; and I don't know of any company that buys employees computers for their homes. Unless the paycut is large, most employees are going to come out ahead financially ( no commuting cost) and will definitely get a lot of lifestyle benefits.
In years past, the option would be 'move or quit', so 'move or WFH' doesn't seem that bad.
I am a bit surprised at the paycut for working at home.
Sep 2, 2015, 10:15 pm
#33
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NYC: UA 1K, DL Platinum, AAirpass, Avis PC
Posts: 4,599
My company has a large call center business. The cost savings is real estate and all the associated costs with maintaining it. And all those pesky facility management people are no longer necessary.
A good company would not reduce supervisors, and some would actually increase the number if they move some of the agents to their homes. In that industry, it's usually necessary to supervise more closely so CS agents are actually working when they should be.
A good company would not reduce supervisors, and some would actually increase the number if they move some of the agents to their homes. In that industry, it's usually necessary to supervise more closely so CS agents are actually working when they should be.
Thought it was a nap.
Sep 2, 2015, 10:21 pm
#34
Moderator: Midwest, Las Vegas & Dining Buzz
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Posts: 17,976
Iluv, just to be clear, ALL home people will get a pay cut? It sort of sounded in your post that if they took a loan for a computer, their pay would be cut through deductions to pay off the loan. Could the person you talked to have meant that? Because a small pay cut might be reasonable, as there is great savings in commuting costs (though why that would matter to United is a mystery), but a "significant" pay cut suggests they are going for something else, like making people quit so they can go to a program of hiring handicapped people to do the work from home and get a subsidy from states?
Several here say that the cost of the computer is not that great, so it shouldn't be a big deal to the agents. I say that if it is not that great of a cost, why can't United provide them?
And Houston will be the winner here, opening a GS call center.
The TPA agents - a total of two who work from home already - will remain.
Sep 2, 2015, 10:53 pm
#35
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Somewhere I've Driven To
Programs: HiltonHonors, IHG Hotels, DL Skymiles
Posts: 2,070
Home based agents do make a lower hourly wage (dollars of difference). I shudder at what United will (or won't) be five years from now. This comes as a shock; I feel sorry for people who simply can't move or don't want to move and question whether United is going to offer ALL of these displaced agents the ability to work from home or will the offer be made only to a certain amount of people?
Sep 2, 2015, 11:21 pm
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,029
Sep 3, 2015, 12:06 am
#37
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Newport Coast, CA
Posts: 498
I don't want to disclose the hourly amount quoted (to protect all parties), but to me (and the agent), it seemed significant. That cut takes place whether they get a loan or not.
Several here say that the cost of the computer is not that great, so it shouldn't be a big deal to the agents. I say that if it is not that great of a cost, why can't United provide them?
And Houston will be the winner here, opening a GS call center.
The TPA agents - a total of two who work from home already - will remain.
Several here say that the cost of the computer is not that great, so it shouldn't be a big deal to the agents. I say that if it is not that great of a cost, why can't United provide them?
And Houston will be the winner here, opening a GS call center.
The TPA agents - a total of two who work from home already - will remain.
Sep 3, 2015, 12:16 am
#38
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: UA, Starwood, Priority Club, Hertz, Starbucks Gold Card
Posts: 3,953
I don't want to hijack this thread by introducing this, but airline employees paying out of their own pocket for equipment required for their jobs is nothing new.
When I worked reservations at DL, we had to pay for our headphones (with a special jack incompatible with street models), which cost ~$250 each (in mid-1990s US$). The price was deducted automatically from our paychecks in 6 monthly installments.
IIRC, FAs and pilots at most airlines must also pay (fully or partially) for their uniforms (at least 2 sets), as well as be responsible for their cleaning.
When I worked reservations at DL, we had to pay for our headphones (with a special jack incompatible with street models), which cost ~$250 each (in mid-1990s US$). The price was deducted automatically from our paychecks in 6 monthly installments.
IIRC, FAs and pilots at most airlines must also pay (fully or partially) for their uniforms (at least 2 sets), as well as be responsible for their cleaning.
Sep 3, 2015, 12:56 am
#39
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Slightly to the left of center
Posts: 3,475
The pay cut is just United reminding the staff they are nothing but an employee number and not particularly valued. The computer garbage for agents who want to work from home seems like a terrible business decision. Wouldn't you want some majority of your agents to utilize the same computer/OS, have sufficient operating power, security protections, software, and a remote I.T team that has some control of these "workstations?"
Or move from the islands to Chicago.
Man, anyone who has any connections to Hawai'i or has experienced these agents will realize what a loss this is.
Or move from the islands to Chicago.
Man, anyone who has any connections to Hawai'i or has experienced these agents will realize what a loss this is.
Sep 3, 2015, 1:22 am
#40
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: WN, AA, UA, DL
Posts: 1,313
A sign of the times. The days of needing to call someone for reservations is becoming less and less. If costs can be trimmed by eliminating necessary expenses, then the company should be doing it. Good thing that the employee affected have an option to continue working for UA. It's an option that some might actually prefer.
Sep 3, 2015, 2:18 am
#41
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,618
A sign of the times. The days of needing to call someone for reservations is becoming less and less. If costs can be trimmed by eliminating necessary expenses, then the company should be doing it. Good thing that the employee affected have an option to continue working for UA. It's an option that some might actually prefer.
Is it a good thing for customers who still need assistance from time to time but won't have access to experienced agents who tell Smisek no thanks to his cheap offer?
Sep 3, 2015, 3:24 am
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DAY
Programs: UA 1K 1MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Amex MR; Chase UR; Hertz PC; Global Entry
Posts: 10,160
+1
This one is particularly disheartening because it shows so clearly the degree to which current management will sacrifice customer service and satisfaction to save a few bucks.
Not to mention the willingness to callously jettison some its best, most customer-service oriented employees.
This one is particularly disheartening because it shows so clearly the degree to which current management will sacrifice customer service and satisfaction to save a few bucks.
Not to mention the willingness to callously jettison some its best, most customer-service oriented employees.
And another nail in the coffin that is labor relations.
The pay cut is just United reminding the staff they are nothing but an employee number and not particularly valued. The computer garbage for agents who want to work from home seems like a terrible business decision. Wouldn't you want some majority of your agents to utilize the same computer/OS, have sufficient operating power, security protections, software, and a remote I.T team that has some control of these "workstations?"
Or move from the islands to Chicago.
Man, anyone who has any connections to Hawai'i or has experienced these agents will realize what a loss this is.
Or move from the islands to Chicago.
Man, anyone who has any connections to Hawai'i or has experienced these agents will realize what a loss this is.
A sign of the times. The days of needing to call someone for reservations is becoming less and less. If costs can be trimmed by eliminating necessary expenses, then the company should be doing it. Good thing that the employee affected have an option to continue working for UA. It's an option that some might actually prefer.
This is crappy anyway you look at it.
Sep 3, 2015, 3:31 am
#43
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,618
Ebenezer indeed.
Sep 3, 2015, 3:42 am
#44
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: SEA, WAS, PEK
Programs: UA 3K UGS 3MM
Posts: 2,176
However, the "big bad greedy management vs. poor employees" is really not the right spin here. I see this as yet another move by an ineffective management team to reduce services highly valued by HVFs in an effort to save a dime. In doing so, they will further alienate their best customers, and be left with less revenue. The net-net will be a dime saved, and a dollar lost. Same for removing GF in favor 50+ seat assembly line J cabins. As with all of this stuff, over the long term...it won't pay off.
Sep 3, 2015, 5:40 am
#45
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Morris County, NJ
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Avis Pres, Marriott Plat
Posts: 2,305
The pay cut is just United reminding the staff they are nothing but an employee number and not particularly valued. The computer garbage for agents who want to work from home seems like a terrible business decision. Wouldn't you want some majority of your agents to utilize the same computer/OS, have sufficient operating power, security protections, software, and a remote I.T team that has some control of these "workstations?"