Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines

The website for Southwest Airlines states “The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit” (Southwest Cares: Doing the Right Thing, para. 2). Southwest continues to excel in customer service, employee development, and profitability. Southwest has the fewest customer complaints of any major airline, an employee turnover ratio of less than 10 percent, and has shown a profit each year it has been in existence (D’Aurizio, 2008).

Southwest’s excellent customer service record relates directly to the warm, friendly assistance delivered by employees. Management at Southwest has built a culture of treating employees as family and expects them to treat customers like family as well. Before employment, the company showers new hires with parties and welcome celebrations. Training is available so that employees have the chance to advance within the company (D’Aurizio, 2008). All employees at every level, from the CEO to the janitors, receive stock options. This creates a culture of ownership mentality, which motivates employees to keep profits up by delivering exceptional customer service (Holstein, 2008).

According to Laurens and Budinich (2008), the culture built by co-founder and former CEO Herb Kelleher is the secret to the success of Southwest. This culture “develop(s) and integrate(s) a dedicated and motivated workforce” (p. 30) that succeeds together. Kelleher led by example, treating his employees like family, and open communication played a vital role in forming this unique culture. The company’s culture is embedded in employees from the first interview. Events in the lives of employees are acknowledged and celebrated by everyone. The company establishes special programs for families of employees. The company listens to comments and feedback, not only from employees, but also employees’ families, customers, and...