More than 550 Department of Aviation employees attended one of a dozen roadshow meetings at either International Plaza, Philadelphia Interational Airport (PHL) or Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE) at the end of April and early May. The roadshows kicked off with a departmental update from CEO Atif Saeed who emphasized his commitment to hearing from employees on an ongoing basis as an important ingredient toward fulfilling the organization’s continuing success.
Top Action Item Progress Tracker
The sessions also included updates on how the Department has progressed on top action items identified by the last employee survey conducted in mid-2023. In most sessions, employees had the opportunity to “vote” for their top choices by dropping a ball in the category in the Progress Tracker. Depending on the location and group of employees present, the sessions produced different results. The majority of sessions selected "Staffing & Coworkers" as the top area achieving success, due to the ramped up hiring initiatives that have taken place. "Communications & Teamwork" was the next most selected area in several sessions, while "Recognition & Feedback" and "Training & Development" each won out in one of the sessions. It will be interesting to compare these results with the feedback that comes out of the next employee survey that is slated to kick off July 23 and will measure the same areas.
Employee Engagement Committee
Members of the newly formed Employee Engagement Committee (EEC) were also on hand helping staff many of the meetings. The EEC has 35 members representing units and job roles across the Department. The committee will be supporting the upcoming PHL-PNE Airport Community Pep Rally and helping to plan the Department of Aviation’s Food Truck Day coming mid-July and the Happiness Happens events in August.
All About ME (“Morale and Engagement”) Campaign
To get employees excited about participating in the next employee survey, the All About “ME” campaign was announced. The ME stands for “morale” and “engagement” and employees are encouraged to get engaged in the many programs that are offered and some exciting new events that are planned.
For example, here are a few: join an Airport Empowerment Group (AEG) or attend a ThursYAY Live! event, like the upcoming Board Games Edition and the Grow Yourself—Summer Micro-Book Club with guest speakers.
Staff is also invited to attend events like the upcoming PHL-PNE Airport Community Pep Rally at PHL on June 10 that will celebrate all airport employees and get everyone excited for the major events that are coming to Philly in 2025 and 2026. A much anticipated (and requested) Food Truck Fun Day is also in the works!
New Employee Suggestion Boxes
Employees should check their inboxes for an email announcing the new Employee Digital Suggestion Box! There will also be physical boxes coming to workplaces soon. The suggestion boxes not only provide a way for employees to offer feedback or suggestions but can be used to acknowledge peers and co-workers with kudos! A Kudos Challenge is also coming as part of the All About ME campaign.
The 2025 Employee Survey launches on July 23
The Department has a goal to increase employee participation in the survey by 10 percent. The survey will include the same questions as previous survey so we can see where we have achieved progress and where we can continue to improve!
