Air Methods Reviews

Pros

high level of responsibility, close team atmosphere, ability to be autonomous on the job, good benefit package, good company training and safety program

Cons

Like anywhere, would like to get paid more and have newer equipment to work with...excessive middle management level. Cop orate driven.

Pros

Noble job with the opportunity help the team save lives. The local crews seem to appreciate having a skilled mechanic available to discuss their needs. Pay is slightly above average for compared to other small aviation jobs I've had. Benefits are good.

Cons

Must be available 24/7. No thanks or appreciation from middle management. Even though the company continues to grow in the current economy, raises are minimal. Mechanics are treated like the bottom of the food chain but continue to hold the majority of the responsabilities. AMC is always looking for "someone" to place the blame when things go wrong. Rarely do they look into the causes and corrections of the problems. Very little communication at the field level. Middle management rarely keeps in touch or communicates with the mechanics. Watch out for the "ready, fire, aim" approach to handling problems.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay attention to what the results of the previous employee survey revealed. Realize that those out in direct contact with the customer have a good understanding of the customers needs. Please take into consideration the needs of those who work for you.

Pros

2,2,3,3 Schedule, Three day weekend every other weekend

Cons

High Stress, management spread to thin

Advice to Senior Management

Need to build better employee loyalty and commaraderie

Pros

Decent benefits, large company that is constantly expanding, close to industry standard pay.

Cons

Corporate is in Denver so most promotions would need to relocate. Management is a good ole boy bunch. CEO states an average 3% pay raise for all employees, then management gives 2%, no reason to shine since the poor employee will get the same raise. For CBS base’s you may get 4 days off a month and it will be last minute so you can’t plan. Hand book states certain benefits but management finds ways of not giving them out. The company is run differently in each region. Same CEO greed as every other major company, CEO makes $600,000 in stock options and we can’t even get a cost of living raise.

Advice to Senior Management

Fight for your employees and get them decent raises and time off from being on call.

Pros

Generally stable employment with a reasonable schedule.

Cons

Senior management is always looking for ways to line their own pockets through the efforts of the employees. They will give themselves perks and bonuses while telling employees there are no funds for a cola increase.

The union is inept at both negotiation and policing itself. Reading the union forum posts a pathetic example of infighting at best.

Advice to Senior Management

Provide your employees with the same benefits you enjoy and you will raise your own credibility. If you get a raise, we get a raise. This should apply to all forms of remuneration including stock options and bonuses.

Pros

Good environment. Very flexible about working from home. IT management very approachable. Interesting business. Organized - got a laptop with all passwords and access on the first day! Employees can ride in a helicopter on a flight for life.

Cons

More consultants than staff. Some critical people were not included in the project planning and should have been; as a consultant I could not recognize the omission even though I asked several times.

Advice to Senior Management

I keep reading in the paper that another helicopter crashed and that everyone on the flight was killed. Is there anything that can be done to avoid this? Should the rules for permitting flights be more stringent?

Pros

Comitted, dedicated employees who truly love what they do and are always doing the best for the company. Great people who are managed so rediculously poorly that the union was brought in out of sheer desperation

Cons

Terrible leadership from the top down. Absolute ineptness in every sense of the word. People promoted with no formal education other than being a pilot into key senior "leadership" positions within organization have absolutely no knowledge, experience or education on how to lead. Nurses and paramedics put in field management positions who have never learned a thing beyond their technical trade and then told to motivate, manage, lead and ensure productivity out of a workforce and they have absolutely no capability or competencies to do such a task

Advice to Senior Management

Clean house from the top down. Stop employing retreads in the industry. This would never happen at any legitimate company in any other industry If the person failed you two or three times in a row and failed two or three other companies it amazes us how they can be hired again by the CEO. Poor leaders making poor decisions and poor leaders leading poor managers and poor managers leading a great group of people in the field