Page 10 - AAA MAY - JUNE 2015 Online Magazine

FEATURE SAFETY

gratification which is the direct result Australians owing $130 for every $100 And long commutes are also key
of task performance. On aircraft with they earn. stressors with pilots with many having to
all the increased levels of automation And the money factor resonates with fly to work from other cities so they can
and routineness, the gratification and its pilots. Captain James notes that since live with their families. Whereas once a
consequential satisfaction is harder to 1999 his salary has not only declined in pilot’s job was one for life, the seemingly
achieve and reduced.” real terms but related to average weekly endless airline bankruptcies have turned
Meshkati, cited his late former earnings it has halved. In the US airline that notion into a tailspin says Captain
professor, Michael J. Driver, who was a pilots have suffered a 40 per cent pay cut Don Lindsay a former 747 captain now
renowned expert in human information since 9/11 with every major legacy carrier flying short haul A320s for an LCC. “Our
processing research and who referenced entering Chapter 11 and renegotiating family life has been devastated with far
the Environmental Load (pressure) on salaries. “Money is one of the leading more time away from home. Many pilots
pilots. According to Driver’s seminal causes of stress,” McCormack said. have been forced to go overseas to get
work, Environmental Load is defined “Working to fuel materialistic lifestyles is work or are on short term contracts.
as the sum of the effects of four basic extremely pressurised.” Others have long commutes to keep
factors: information complexity (e.g., In its third annual survey, the Australian the family structure in place but harsh
information load, time pressure); Noxity Psychological Society representing more rosters, particularly with LCCs, making
or negative input (e.g., threat); Eucity of than 21,000 members around Australia the commute very difficult and adding
positive input (e.g., support from others); found that in 2013, Australians reported more stress.”
and, uncertainty. significantly lower levels of wellbeing A survey by the Airline Pilots
In the LCC space Meshkati suggests compared with findings in 2012 and 2011. Association (BALPA) found that 93 per
that Environmental Load would be high on The survey found that almost one in cent of respondents indicated that they
pilots, which of course is moderated by the seven Australians reported depressive thought negative life events could affect
individual differences factors and persons’ symptoms in the severe to extremely pilot performance.
coping abilities. So while the industry severe range and more than one in ten
in general and airline management reported anxiety symptoms in the severe Reporting Stress
in particular is touting automation as to extremely severe range. The study found The reality is nothing stresses a pilot
making pilots’ lives easier, in fact it may that financial issues remain the leading more than reporting they are stressed!
be contributing to a significant increase in cause of stress amongst Australians with According to Young (2008), “for the
stress because it is taking away the very more than half of Australians identifying typical pilot there is no greater fear than
positive influence of being relevant. finances as a cause of stress and almost losing flying status. Aviators understand
one in four Australians reporting mental that even when medical issues are not
Life Is harder! health issues as a source of stress, up likely to be exacerbated by flight, medical
According to Melbourne, Australia based slightly from last year. personnel are required to consider the
psychologist Sally-Anne McCormack It is the same story in the US with degree to which the pilot‘s performance
“generally we have more everyday small pay cheques and long commutes may be compromised by the symptoms
stressors now than in the 60s. Yes, we delivering a one-two punch to American of the particular ailment.” Compounding
have appliances to do jobs for us, but the workers, as eight in 10 employed adults the problem Young found that the fact
presence of email and mobile phones in say they are stressed out on the job, that pilots are unlikely to report stress
our lives means boundaries between work according to data from the 2014 Work symptoms makes the life stress–
and home are blurred [so] it’s difficult to Stress Survey conducted by Nielsen on performance relationship even more
truly relax.” Speaking with website Body behalf of Everest College. The survey of difficult to investigate.
& Soul, McCormack said “today’s stress employed adults found that 80 percent are Young’s report found that this
problem is definitely a big issue.” stressed by at least one thing at work. underreporting occurs for at least two
Body & Soul also reported that For the fourth consecutive year, paltry reasons: it is possible that pilots are not fully
according to The Prospective Population pay cheques” were a top stressor, with 13 aware of the effect that stress has on them;
Study of Women in 1969, 36 per cent of percent of adults ranking low wages as and even when they are aware of these
women reported being stressed, but 40 the most stressful aspect of work. effects, a variety of internal and external
years later that figure has more than “When it comes to stress at the pressures make it less likely that a pilot will
doubled to 75 per cent. workplace, low pay and a long commute is report or seek help for symptoms (e.g., due
And debt has become a major stressor. a double whammy for American workers, to fear of losing face in the eyes of other
In 1969 household debt in Australia for especially for those who are experiencing pilots, of being perceived as less reliable or
instance was just five per cent but in 2009 both at the same time,” said Wendy Cullen, of being removed from flight status). They
it had risen to one of the highest rates of vice president of employer development are often counselled by colleagues to avoid
debt in the world claims Body & Soul with for Everest College. mental health care at all costs.
10 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS MAY / JUNE 2015 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM