CUSTOMER DISSERVICE

A CHRONICALLY LATE EMPLOYEE CAUSES CASCADING PROBLEMS

Ted Rogers Leadership Centre

You are an Air Canada customer service manager at Pearson Airport in Toronto, helping to support and manage the many customer service agents who assist passengers checking into flights. You are very pleased when Air Canada hires Laila Chung as a customer service agent. The daughter of a Tunisian mother and a Chinese father, Laila speaks not only English and French, but is also fluent in Mandarin and Arabic. After she satisfactorily completes the compulsory two weeks of training, you assign Laila to work at gates for flights departing to China and the Middle East. These flights are among the most demanding: planes are large and customer demands are plentiful. Staff must also double check all passports and visas. Laila is one of the few agents who can manage announcements in multiple languages and address issues for non$-$English$-$speaking customers. After one month on the job, you receive a complaint from two of the lead customer service agents. They report that Laila has been frequently arriving late at the gate, which seriously compromises service, and frustrates her co$-$workers. Lateness is also a very serious breach of performance protocols: agents are repeatedly reminded that there is zero tolerance for lateness given that departure schedules are non$-$negotiable. As Laila is approaching the end of her probationary period of three months, you decide you must act. If you wait any longer, Laila$$s performance issues can become a matter for the union.

Questions

$1.$ What leadership style will you follow to address this issue?

$2.$ Give a detailed picture of how you will solve this issue.