February 2024:  At Fireblade we like to keep things perfectly tuned, from the mechanics of our aircraft to the health of our team. This goes hand in hand with delivering exceptional service and is part of our #FlyFurther campaign where we push ourselves to go the extra mile.

“The health and wellbeing of our employees is particularly important; long hours, irregular schedules, and high-pressure situations are a demanding aspect of working in the private charter industry,” says Beverley Chengiah, Fireblade’s HR Manager. “Because our team gives up a lot of time for work, we plan different initiatives throughout the year to make them feel appreciated and special. Not surprisingly it’s the little thank you’s that really count. One of the overwhelming outcomes of a recent annual employee ‘Health Check’ survey on what we were doing right, was that everybody loves our spontaneous cupcake desk drops.” Don’t make the cupcakes stop, is the trending quip at the office!

Random acts of thanks

In fact, our employee surveys rate desk drops, and ‘little somethings’ very highly:

• During a recent international conference, Fireblade experienced an exceptionally busy period where staff worked long hours. A gift selection of biscuits was sent home to thank families for sharing their loved ones with us.
• In another instance, we packaged chocolate, marshmallows, biscuits, and a recipe on how to make s’mores. The aim was to create a family moment as a thank you to staff for giving up family time at home.
• Calendar days such as Worker’s Day provide great themes for showing our appreciation. Women’s Day 2023 focused on the concept of self-love.
• We also have Carnival Day, a day of spoils to connect family-to-family with food, fun, gifts for the kids, and special touches. It gives us the opportunity to make everyone feel appreciated while showing them our workplace.

Healthy company 

On a corporate wellness level, the need to support the team through their work life journey became more evident post Covid.

• Fireblade signed up a top employee assistance programmes where staff can call professionally equipped coaches and counsellors for physical, emotional, financial and legal support any time of day.
• An app enables staff to track moods, diet, nutrition, and stress on their mobile phones – with real-time assistance.
• At wellness days, we’ve added smoothies and massages to the day’s professional screenings and assessments.

With life’s twists and turns, this type of support is important for staff. Knowing our employees have valuable cost-saving benefits and emotional support gives us a great sense of ease about managing their wellbeing.

Getting the balance right

• In an unpredictable industry, time taken away from staff can’t always be replaced. We encourage our team to be open about how we can improve their experience in the workplace, while focusing on strategies to maintain a healthy lifestyle:
  • Rosters are planned 6-months ahead for people to plan around upcoming events.
  • We encourage staff to take leave, and to go home to spend time with their families.
  • Our apron space has been redesigned for staff working late to sleep over in a private pod, rather than risk a late drive home. Everything is ready, from embroidered towels to overnight items with their names on.
  • Pilots enjoy sleep areas, showers, a gym, and workspaces in our luxurious layover lounge facility.
  • Staff get a nutritious meal daily. We go to the extent of not only feeding our own staff, but all contractors working on site. It’s a Fireblade thing, there’s a nurturing energy to it and one less thing for people to have to plan in the morning.
  • Every quarter we hold staff socials – no speeches, just fun, food, games, and socialising.
  • And we like to bring in random exercise, from Zumba, to yoga, to promote wellness. In 2024, we might try something more daring like a fit box class!

  At Fireblade, we don’t just provide aviation services, we strive to do things in extraordinary ways and our team is the heartbeat of our business. We want them to #FlyFurther, not only as staff but as well-balanced members of society.

Nurturing healthy lifestyles matters not only in February, but every month of the year.