People development
We continue to deliver world-class training to our people. From COVID-19 and technical trainings for our crew to leadership trainings for our office employees, we are focusing on giving the right tools to our employees so they can own their development and progress in their career. In July 2021, Wizz Air introduced its internal training programme called WIZZ Academy, which aims to give employees the unique opportunity to gain knowledge about WIZZ strategic approaches and aspirations on a top executive level. The company has also partnered with LinkedIn to implement a new online educational platform, LinkedIn Learning, that will help employees to grow both professionally and personally, with unlimited access to interactive, engaging courses.
Wizz Air Pilot Academy
We run our own Pilot Academy which provides financial support, including partial sponsorship, to motivated cadets during their initial training. Pilot Academy cadets who successfully graduate from the programme can begin their employment at Wizz Air as Pilot Trainees.
Diversity and equal opportunities
Celebrating perspectives from every corner of the world is at the heart of our business at WIZZ, and with 109 nationalities across 33 base countries, we’re proud of our truly global footprint. We’re also committed to ensuring gender diversity in the workplace, with 48% female and 52% male employees and Women of WIZZ, which has been introduced to achieve significantly higher women representation in pilot positions within the next decade. In support of this aspiration, the She Can Fly Programme was launched on 8 March 2023 on International Women’s Day with a firm commitment to provide a unique, simple, and financially accessible path to becoming a commercial pilot at Wizz Air. The programme has envisioned to support female candidates as a requirement to increase women’s flight deck crew diversity well above the current average 5 per cent in the industry. Wizz Air is committed to bringing down gender stereotypes and supporting gender equality within this profession too.
Employee satisfaction
All engagement survey results are annually reviewed by the Board of Directors, which enables the Company’s highest decision-making body to also assess and monitor progress towards cultural objectives, identify priorities and set measurable goals for achieving the vision. Wizz Air also has a dedicated Board member who is responsible for overseeing engagement with employees. The three focus areas to improve crew engagement and the work environment at the Company level are: crew roster planning, quality and consistency; Operations Control Centre availability, resource and support; and operational logistics availability, resource and support. Engagement actions for office employees are also regularly reviewed. The main focus areas for the office workforce are: recognition, culture, career progression, reward, employee experience and leadership development.
Fatigue management
We continuously monitor and assess the risk of fatigue to guarantee safe flight operations. Our Crew Management system incorporates fatigue-related information into its decision-making to improve the identification of fatigue risk.
Cabin Crew to Captain Program
We introduced the industry’s first ever Cabin Crew to Captain Program to help aspiring WIZZ Cabin Crew turn their dreams into reality through extensive financial, travel and accommodation support, as well as a tailored work and study schedule. By breaking down a number of key barriers, we strive to support ambitious crew members on their journey to the flight deck.
WIZZ People Council
Established in 2018, our People Council regularly brings together employees representing all areas of the business to facilitate an effective two-way communication between the management and employees and to support the decision-making process on matters that affected all employees within the Company. The People Council is more than just another department within the Company, it is a place where the people of WIZZ feel safe to share their concerns, ideas, or suggestions. The Council continues to improve us both as an airline and as an employer.
Mental and physical wellbeing
We want our employees to feel valued and supported, which is why 24/7 professional counselling service (Employee Assistance Program) is available for all of our employees and their immediate family members. We also offer a pilot peer to peer support as well as online mental health and fitness training for all of our crew. In 2019, we introduced WIZZ Aid, an employee Emergency Fund, which is designed to provide financial support to colleagues who need urgent medical treatment or suffer from natural or man-made disasters. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have established a number of new processes to safeguard the wellbeing of our employees, loved ones and passengers. To ensure the highest level of protection for our crews and passengers during the peak of the pandemic, Wizz Air launched various key protocols, including enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures and mandatory face covering policies, and established a vaccination policy for its employees in 2021. Due to the growing number of countries relaxing their travel and safety regulations, we have also made the decision to ease the mandatory mask-wearing requirement on our aircraft. However, we remain vigilant and proactive in our approach to health and safety and will reassess the related policies and processes as needed.
After three challenging years marked by the pandemic, a war broke out in Ukraine, causing significant impacts on our customers, colleagues and operations in Ukraine, Moldova and Russia. Despite the difficulties, our employees have risen to the occasion, showing remarkable proficiency in supporting our affected employees and trainees, and their family members. Altogether, the support provided to our employees included the funds collected and distributed by the People Council, psychological support and employee relocation support to new bases, as well as new employment contracts in the new bases. Wizz Air also committed to continue paying the average salary for employees on Ukrainian employment contracts to provide financial security to our employees in this difficult situation. After a total of three months of emergency support, the absolute majority of our Ukraine-based employees have been evacuated and transferred to other bases within the WIZZ network.