FlightSafety International reviews

As the title suggests, nepotism is alive and well across the enterprise at FlightSafety. If you haven't been out drinking (or sleeping) with the right people, you will get passed over for promotions despite having arguably better credentials and work history than the competition. This is not specific to just one center or location as I had the opportunity to speak with and meet with people across the company with similar thoughts. It's a detriment to morale and the company as a whole. Competitors are seizing on this and poaching the best and brightest of the current employee lot.

-Berkshire Hathaway owns FlightSafety. Obviously, Berkshire is successful, but that doesn't mean their companies are great places to work. That's the case here. Profits and revenue are top priority. We're told that employee motivation and happiness is also important, but management actions say otherwise. This treatment has resulted, in part, to the company's inability to keep and hire instructors. As a result, revenues and profits will eventually suffer. -Center Management: I don't know if its incompetence or cruelty, but they just aren't effective when it comes to managing staff (all about the benjamin's/clients). I think they think they are, but they're not. One member of the Center Management team seems to be seriously vindictive, and is being blamed for the serious lack in motivation. Things have gotten worse ever since the new center management team has taken over. For example, instructor staffing is at critical levels. Part-timer use is discouraged. The Program Manager's have to justify their instructor usage at every turn which has resulted in many more days and many more hours worked for instructors. Scheduling to maximize overtime has been halted. Also, what does it take to get overtime? Nobody knows because apparently instructors aren't allowed to know. What?! Why!!?? Worse, discipline is up even though instructor staffing levels are at critical levels. Center management staff doesn't understand that when an employee starts working extra hours that should be worked by additional staff - while getting paid the same amount - that people are going to start losing any enthusiasm for their job. People are continuing to retire, switch to part-time, quit, or look for employment elsewhere. A single new hire wouldn't make a dent in the "staffing levels" since people are leaving quicker than they can hire. Of course, the situation is worse because they can't even get people to apply!! Center Management needs to work overtime - as long as it takes - so they can figure out a way to staff their center and motivate their current employees. Simply saying, "Thanks for doing a great job" and other wasteless flattery's that are currently being distributed are not going to make up for the lack in pay and days off. The overwhelming majority of instructors are dissatisfied with the leadership at FSI St. Louis and it begins with Center Management. They also need to stop being vindictive and mean (really just one manager), and start understanding how to lead people in a corporate environment. -Executive/Corporate Management: Poor. Its their job to plan for our company's future, yet they couldn't see the "pilot shortage effect" coming? What have you been doing? Having unnecessary meeting after unnecessary meeting? Probably, that's what happens at our center all the time. I guess as long as large profits keep rolling in off the backs of your dissatisfied (not just 1 or 2 disgruntled instructors by the way. Many!) employees then everything is "A-OK." -Program Mangers: They should go back to instructing. They don't have what it takes to manage people nor do they have the guts to stand up to the center management team to push for what's right. They sit back and watch their instructor staff get abused. In the meantime they enjoy the holidays, weekends, and nights off. They are very poor leadership role models, and they are not very good at their jobs! They need to start working overtime - more than their staff - to start figuring out ways to make a positive difference for their employees. -Moral is at an all-time low. Instructors are working longer days (over 8) and many more days. Days off can be scattered - you get a tuesday off here and a thursday off there. Worse, nobody is applying for the open positions. When someone finally does apply and gets hired, it will take 4-6 months for them to help with the load. In the meantime, the 500/550 program instructors are going to work 6 on 1 off for the unforeseeable future (so forever, because no one is applying), the CRJ instructors are working 25 days a month, the 145 instructors are working constant 10 hour days while getting minimal time off, the 170 instructors are working their butts off (nothing new there). Oh yeah, management is fully staffed, and they work far less than the instructors do. They also enjoy every benefit like vacations, weekends off, and holidays. So basically, the instructors make all the sacrifices, and get looked at like they're crazy when they start complaining. Additionally, instructors are leaving or looking to leave. When someone finally does get hired, it won't make difference in overall staffing levels. In a sense, they are trying to add water to a bucket that has a leak. They need to fix the leak first - if you know what I mean. Raise overall pay so people will apply and then our quality of life can improve. Also, drop the two and three year contracts that instructors must sign. Nothing says "avoid this place like the plague" like a three year, non-prorated employment contract. You wouldn't need a contract if you gave them reasons to stay. -As expected when moral and motivation goes down......sick calls go up, discipline actions increase, and people start looking for other opportunities. All this is happening now. Disciplinary action is being taken against some instructors that mgmt feels are weaker and disliked - needless bullying is what it is. Management should blame themselves for creating the current environment. However, they don't believe the "environment" exists. They are wrong though. I haven't talked to one instructor that is content. Watching their peers get in trouble is making things even worse. -Its hard to enjoy the work we do when its forced upon us at excessive rates in an extremely disorganized environment. This is probably not a good sign for a business that serves high valued clientele. The reality is that FSI is paying instructors a single low wage to work the same amount that two instructors would normally work. What a deal. Can't say no to the client, so guess what? Be a team player and help FSI out because they expect you to. -When is instructor appreciation week? We have tech appreciation week and other staffing appreciation weeks, but of course nothing for the instructors. Best of the Best I guess. That award will go to whoever works the most without complaining. "Best of the subdued and quieted." The reality is Monday thru Friday people think that the instructors live a glorious life filled with heavenly advantages. Not true. However, if any M-F person would like to give it a try then go ahead. That requires going to school, getting in debt, getting years of experience while being mistreated by various employers, just so you can finally be qualified enough to work for FSI STL which promises a better QOL with competitive pay - yet they break the promises whenever they its convenient and necessary to get the work done. Which is often.