Westjet 2001 Annual Report Download - page 7

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05
MESSAGE TO SHAREHOLDERS
Our People
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my
appreciation to the many WestJetters who, in the days that
followed September 11th, showed the true WestJet spirit in
helping our customers, and those customers of other airlines,
in need of assistance. I have received numerous letters and
have heard many heart-warming stories of how our people
displayed compassion, empathy and efficiency during these
challenging times.
Thanks to their efforts, WestJet was also the first Canadian
airline to be up and fully operational after this tragedy, having
implemented all of the required changes to the check-in and
security and screening procedures. The hard work of
WestJetters across the country allowed us to quickly recover
from the backlog of stranded guests.
Our unique and enviable WestJet culture remains alive and
well, through which we continue to win the hearts and minds
of the travelling public. Our growing number of people
continue to show their strong commitment to WestJet and
confidence in our future. In 2001, WestJet added an additional
745 people to our team, bringing the total number of WestJet
people by year-end to 2,327. At December 31, 2001, 82% of
our people participated voluntarily in the employee share
purchase program, on average contributing 11.4% of their
earnings towards the purchase of WestJet shares.
In 2001, we twice celebrated the distribution of profit sharing,
bringing the total amount of profit shared with our people for
the year to $10.3 million. The strong support of our customers
and our focus on low costs, ensured that WestJet did not need
to lay-off any of our people despite the short-term decline in
passenger traffic in September and October.
We continue to build on our strong foundation with our
ProActive Communication Team (P.A.C.T.) as we work together
on programs to further enhance the working environment at
WestJet. In 2001, we successfully completed a salary
assessment for all our people resulting in compensation
increases to once again follow industry trends. P.A.C.T. was
also instrumental in the improvement of our vacation-pay
model for hourly WestJetters, and were heavily involved in
training programs with Team Leaders, Managers, and
Directors. P.A.C.T. has also worked to strengthen
communication and team spirit among all levels of our
organization.
Our growing number of people continue to
show their strong commitment to WestJet and
confidence in our future.