Statement regarding claims about workplace culture

Airservices success is built on its people. Airservices is committed to providing a safe, respectful and inclusive work place that fosters diversity and values different genders, backgrounds, cultures and work and life experiences across all areas of our business.

Airservices has zero tolerance for all forms of workplace bullying and harassment. Staff are required to strictly comply with the organisation’s code of conduct, which explicitly prohibits all forms of bullying and harassment. Breaches of the code results in disciplinary action including dismissal.

All Airservices employees, including Air Traffic Controllers are required to complete yearly refresher training on the code of conduct to ensure they understand expected standards of behaviour.

Airservices unequivocally rejects the suggestion from Anthony North QC that its workplace culture is negatively affecting safety. Airservices’ safety performance is demonstrably among the best in the world and always improving. There is no factual basis for these false and alarmist claims. When our safety performance is compared against our peers, we compare exceptionally well. Please see safety data here.

Airservices has a strong reporting culture and systems in place to manage workplace bullying and harassment complaints when they do arise. Any allegation is treated seriously and investigated thoroughly. Firm action, up to and including termination, is taken for behaviour that breaches our strict code of conduct.

Airservices conducts annual employee engagement surveys which tell us that some areas of our workforce are concerned about workplace behaviours and how effectively they are managed when they arise. We have been working with our people to address this, and have initiated some key improvement actions; most importantly enhancing essential people leadership skills in our highly specialised operational workforce.

To drive further improvement, Airservices has engaged Elizabeth Broderick & Co to conduct a broad and independent review of Airservices’ workforce culture.

We will share the findings of this review and any recommendations will be adopted to ensure that Airservices offers a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace for all of our employees.

Posted on: August 5, 2019

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