A JetBlue flight attendant, Steven Slater, became the latest overnight internet sensation after his dramatic meltdown on a recent flight from Pittsburgh to New York. But the episode has also sparked a discussion around people's frustrations with their jobs in a time of seemingly endless cutbacks.
Apparently triggered by one or more rude passengers, Mr. Slater cursed a passenger out on the plane's intercom upon landing at JFK Airport before escaping with two beers down the plane's emergency slide.
While what provoked his actions is unclear, the public response to Mr. Slater's outburst was swift and widespread. Numerous Facebook pages sprung up, supportive messages erupted on Twitter, and video tributes have appeared on YouTube. Newspapers editorial pages and blogs railed against the burden of air travel and the stressful conditions facing airline employees.
"Almost everyone, especially those who have worked with the public in a customer service/hospitality/sales clerk position, can relate to that 'snap' moment, when something has to give," Jeannine Stein wrote for the Los Angeles Times. "Slater pulled his off with flair, achieving what most stressed workers only imagine doing."
John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement firm, told Bloomberg Businessweek, "Slater tapped into a vein of anger that a lot of people have toward their employers. They are mad about all the layoffs they've gone through at work. They are mad about having their benefits cut."
Airlines, like many industries, are asking employees to do more in less time amid job uncertainty. At the same time, they often feel the brunt of passengers' anger over having to pay higher fares and losing amenities such as free food.
Some saw the episode as a call for more civility from over-demanding customers.
"If the attitude is that the customer is always right," Judith Waters, psychology professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, told the LA Times. "It's like saying we give you permission to be less than charming."
Others saw the episode as a warning to companies to take better care of their employees or expect to see them leave in droves when the job market picks up. Still others speculated on what it took for the 20-year veteran to move past his boiling point.
Speaking to the LA Times, Kathleen Shea, a Chicago-based clinical psychologist who specializes in workplace issues, suspected that the altercation could have had elements of public humiliation, disrespect and compromised authority.
"This was one more time he tried to handle an unruly, demanding passenger. It's like an instructor who is fine for the first three periods telling students to sit down, but by the sixth period when he's said it 30 times, he explodes," she said.
She added that stress-coping mechanisms have their limits.
"There's a lot of bad behavior out there today, and I don't think you can train someone to be a robot," said Ms. Shea.
Discussion Questions: What lessons did you take from Steven Slater's meltdown and the public's reaction to it? What can retailers do to help customer-facing employees manage the stress that comes with those jobs?