Go flies into action to inform staff of buy-out

Go’s director of people development personally phoned the airline’s staff to
inform them of the company’s recent sale to ensure they did not hear the news
first through the media.

Dominic Paul was one of Go’s 19 directors and senior managers who informed
the airline’s entire 750 staff of the part management buy-out by venture
capital company 3i, which bought the low-cost airline from British Airways in a
£110m deal.

Paul said, "I was phoning employees’ homes until 8.30pm giving them
details of the deal, and if I could not get through then I left a message. The
idea behind the ring-round was to ensure most staff were informed by the
company and not the media."

Within 20 minutes of the deal being completed in London, 300 staff were
informed of the news in the company’s Stansted office and letters were also
sent out that evening to all employees informing them of the development.

Paul believes fast communication to employees concerning key business issues
is a vital HR function that can boost morale.

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Employee research conducted during the buy-out process shows an employee
satisfaction rating of 88 per cent. Eighty-one per cent of staff believe Go is
a fun place to work and 83 per cent believe they contribute to the company’s
development.

Communication initiatives which informed staff of the latest buy-out
developments included TV monitors, a recorded phone message from the company’s
chief executive, regular seminars, management briefings and a
"gossip" board which answered employee’s questions promptly.