Good - But good enough?

In Sweden back in March, the managers of SAS airline asked themselves what would happen if they put 90% of their workforce on reduced working hours. With the help of experts, they decided to put cabin crew on a three-and-a-half-day crash training course to become auxiliary nurses: after all, the flight attendants already had the basic knowledge to deal with in-flight emergencies. Hundreds of SAS employees were eager to sign up; in a pilot test, 30 were able to benefit from the training just two weeks after the introduction of reduced working hours. Within two months, another 300 SAS employees were ready for action. Shortly after that, additional employees from the hotel and restaurant sector were invited to join the scheme. In the meantime, a similar programme has been introduced for teaching assistants. This was made possible by the existence of a close-knit network of contacts within the Swedish economy and society at large.

Leadership: awaken the strengths in your team

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