Richard Branson's surprise to an employee
A good story comes from Virgin Atlantic. The long career of an employee of the British carrier was celebrated in the [...]
Virgin Atlantic
A good story comes from the Virgin Atlantic. The long career of an employee of the British carrier was celebrated in the best way, in the air. Her name is Caron Streeter, content specialist ready to leave this professional adventure behind. On her last trip on a Virgin plane as an employee of the group, she was "promoted" from economy to Upper Class. Waiting for her was the boss himself, Richard Branson.
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After nearly 20 years serving the carrier, a surprise to Caron Streeter who certainly would not have expected a nine-hour Upper Class trip in the company of Branson, who came there to thank and celebrate her.
The story of Caron Streeter
But how did things turn out? The woman explained how she was preparing to board the last flight covered by employee benefits. The plan was to travel in economy, but at the gate they promoted her to seat 1G in upper class, which is Virgin Atlantic's business class. Richard Branson was her neighbor.
Treating his employees as part of his family, is that Richard Branson's secret? Caron Streeter, whose story is probably the best possible advertisement for Virgin for a long time now. All this brings to mind an old interview by the Atlantic boss: "It should be a given. If a person works in your company and is proud of the brand at 100%, is given the tools to work at their best and is treated as they should, then they will be happy."
An important message of closeness to its employees, coming at a decidedly sensitive time for the travel industry. The 2020 industry was overwhelmed by the pandemic, which effectively halted travel for a long time. Aviation restarted, but very slowly and still has not fully recovered. Virgin Atlantic had to lay off 10 thousand employees in the first phase of 2020. In contrast, there were 5 thousand forced goodbyes in early 2021. As mentioned, the situation is improving and the carrier has initiated some rehiring. Under no circumstances, however, will there be room on board for pilots and flight attendants not vaccinated against Covid-19.
The future of Caron Streeter
Her name has appeared on numerous news sites, and it is only fair to try to figure out what will happen in Caron Streeter's life. Simple Flying interviewed her and here's what she will do after she says goodbye to Virgin Atlantic. The carrier supported her in her new career as HR, paying for her course of study, enabling her to obtain a qualification. This was all before Covid, which prevented her from holding this very position in Virgin. She therefore decided to take a step back, after almost 20 years, opting for another HR job in a different company. She therefore made sure to "save" another employee's job. A story that, whichever way one decides to look at it, can only bring smiles.
