WestJet Reviews in Calgary, AB Area

Pros

Amazing corporate culture with easy access to senior leaders. A fantastic work environment, beautiful new office building and fun people to work with. Because it's a young company, there are lots of ways to contribute to growth and change, which in turn provides lots of opportunities for employees. Upward mobility is a huge plus at WestJet.

Cons

It's the airline business.....low margin and lots of work. While the airline industry is fun and free travel is a wonderful perk, it seems you're always living on the edge with so many variables out of your control. The price of crude oil and the economic uncertainty make it a very difficult industry!

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work. I am proud to say I work at WestJet! Leaders are open, accessible and highly visible. This is the best place I've ever worked.

Pros

WestJet is always asking westJetters for advice on how to improve the business. they care to know what employees are thinking. For example they run cultural events throughout the year like culture connections to hear from employees.

Cons

Business is growing rapidly so the company and leadership need to work harder at face to face communication with westJetters.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep doing what you are doing, increase your visibility and stay the course , true to your values and the original business case. One fleet, safe, low cost and a great gust experience. Take care of your people , they will take care of the guests!

Pros

Fanatastic work enviroment, not a day goes by where I don't laugh several times. Casual dress enviroment, get to wear jeans in winter and shorts in summer. Cheap flight benefits are great as well, save thousands a year in travel expenses.

Cons

Hours can be long, airline operates 24/7 so I can be called anytime. Profit share is not guarateed, can be a very nice cheque or nothing at all.

Advice to Senior Management

Having a CEO with actual airline experience would probably make WJ a more successful airline. Be careful about expanding too much into non-airline ventures.

Pros

The flight benefits and the profit share plan when things were great. SOME of the people were great to work with and the culture is amazing (when it works).

Cons

If you didnt fit in with the clique in your own department - it didnt matter how good your work was or how well you were respected in other departments. Several of the VPs acted like children and get promoted even when they dont have appropriate experience.

Advice to Senior Management

Seriously consider looking at people's strengths and abilities - not how popular or pretty they are - when it comes to promotions, etc.

Pros

exciting, fast paced,profitable, tremendous growth potential for all levels of staff

Cons

systems dont keep up with the growth, some depts operate too lean

Advice to Senior Management

culture will always be what makes this airline different and critical to nurture and protect it. The new management team is changing the culture and becoming more and more corporate. Big mistake

Pros

the flight benefits are good, my fellow co workers are goodand they have a nice new campus to visit

Cons

no communication, call centre management awful and they are bullies, poor communication skills and people hide behind "our culture" ALL THE TIME!!

Advice to Senior Management

I've worked here for a year and if it wasn't for the flight benefits I would have been long gone. They have said in the past that they have never done layoffs. No they don't, they build files on you and for any reason ( and I mean MINOR) they will terminate your employment. They do this so they don't look bad, and there is really no where an employee can go. There PACT (non unionized organization) is NOT biased. As kind as they are they still need there jobs too so no one will really go to bat for you. There are no second chances at Westjet. If you make mistakes your gone. They are business and they want to make money, they need to cut cost so they need to cut employees. Your co worker is there one minute on the phones with you and the next they are being escorted out the doors. This is the Westjet no one sees. Don't be fooled by "our culture". It's call centre management bullies and intimidates. They are really just another big organization.

Pros

Great culture (generally), and great co-workers.

Cons

The politics and school-yard behavior are unbelievable. Don't think that your experience here will be unlike any other job. It is full of all the politics you find at any other business - and can be much worse because people shield it behind the culture. Also, you will run into lots of people who like to throw up roadblocks for their own political purposes. Similarly, they will throw you to the lions if it helps their own cause.

Advice to Senior Management

Look carefully at your Senior Management Peers, and your VP team and really look at who is and who isn't pulling their weight. Also, look at who is genuinely doing a good job, and who is simply a good politician. Performers ... Watch out for the politicians.

Pros

It is a growing and vibrant company that is doing very well in a difficult time. Management has shown that it is smart in the business decisions that it makes, which means that WJ will be around for the long-haul, which cannot be said of all airlines

Cons

If someone wanted to be flightcrew on a widebody, obviously this is not possible if working for Westjet (at least right now)

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work, and work hard to keep the positive culture alive. This great place is ours (employees and management) to screw up, and I don't want that happening. I think we're heading in the right direction

Pros

Flight Benefits, glamorous industry, strong brand image in the media

Cons

Low pay, disrespectful, incompetent management, career development is a low priority. Management is allowed to bully lower employees with impunity. Those who complain about such treatment are terminated.

Advice to Senior Management

Hire managers that have better interpersonal skills. Several VPs lack industry experience and simply micro manage their team because they are so insecure. Some VPs have been promoted beyond their level of competence and so they have a policy of zero tolerance toward direct reports that show any dissent. At the first sign of not being 100% happy with the situation direct reports are asked to resign or else be terminated without cause. This makes for an intolerable work environment in which top performers will quickly leave for mature employers. With 18 Directors and VPs pushed out in the space of a couple years, this is a clear indication that WestJet management is systematically flawed.