Workplace culture is mentioned often, and what it means in coach and bus can vary a great deal. The days of such a thing being set by the loudest voices and the strongest opinions are gone, but there is always more to do.
That was underlined by outgoing Blackpool Transport Managing Director Jane Cole in what may have been her final industry address before retirement at the ALBUM conference on 13 May.
Culture is a big thing and a small thing. In the former case, it can be how a business treats the needs of particular groups among its workforce, and whether those parties see it as a long-term employer or one to dump as soon as something better comes along.
In the latter, it may relate to what (if anything) a first-line supervisor says to a driver starting work, or – in the case of Blackpool Transport – whether such communication is via a plexiglass screen (long since removed by the operator, it must be noted).
While smaller items are not likely on their own to dictate whether a staff member sticks or twists, such easily-amendable points can set the tone for how they approach and deal with customers. And as with anything where the passenger experience is involved, that is ultimately reflected in pounds, shillings and pence on the bottom line.
Honesty with workplace culture is also a key to making it better, the municipal operator chief acknowledges. In Blackpool, culture was in need of attention when she arrived over a decade ago.
Such overhaul can take time and significant effort from all involved. Old habits die hard. A further important consideration is generational difference within a business. There can be four generations within all but the smallest organisations, from baby boomer to Gen Z.
Considering each is given as necessary by Ms Cole. Something that she says runs across all those generations is recognition that some things which may have been accepted 20 years ago are not now, and a willingness to call them out.
Where culture is in need of change, she adds that trying to overpower what is there already is not the right way. Shaping an environment is better, fostering what is termed a brand of camaraderie that is inclusive rather than exclusive.
Few people will never have encountered workplace culture needing attention. Whether at the toxic, yelling-based end of the scale or a more passive indifference, it undoubtedly defines how an employee views their job and their employer and its customers.
A further tricky aspect will certainly be that while some staff members adapt to culture adjustments wholeheartedly, others – while buying in – will take a reserved approach.
Developing understanding with the latter party is potentially the most difficult bit. Coach and bus is a people industry, but many within it are more solitary by nature. As Jane Cole notes, the culture piece will never be finished.
