From Cockpit to Supermarket

On Thursday, 19 March, Qantas Group officially announced to the ASX that it would be cancelling all international flights from the end of March onwards, reducing its domestic capacity by 60 per cent, and standing down two-thirds of its 30,000-strong workforce. The move left 20,000 Qantas employees, from those who man the planes, to those who serve in Qantas HQ, in a state of indefinite flux, as the airline fought to stay above water. 

‘The airline set up an online portal, providing stood-down employees with a list of temporary job opportunities’

At the time of the decision, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce made a number of comments to the media, stating that the airline would be interested in facilitating temporary job opportunities for stood-down staff members. He made specific mention to partner company, Woolworths. As one of Australia’s major supermarket chains, Woolworths was one of the few companies that required more staff during the pandemic period, rather than less, as panic-buyers saw essential items – including toilet paper and mince – fly off the shelves at a rate quicker than staff could replenish them. This made the group a worthwhile choice for stable, temporary work. 

According to a number of sources within Qantas, Joyce made good on his public promises to assist staff into new roles, facilitating easy, streamlined access to temporary working opportunities for all stood down staff. One source from within the Qantas corporate office informed us that the airline set up an online portal, providing stood down employees with a list of temporary job opportunities. “I even heard through the grapevine of some entire teams being picked up by other companies,” she stated. For one A330 pilot, Qantas provided welcome relief during a stressful period of extreme uncertainty, by landing him a temporary gig at his local supermarket. 

Greg, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, is an A330 second officer at Qantas, and one of the many staff members who were officially stood down by the airline in March. The process of being stood down was complicated and drawn out, according to Greg, as the airline attempted to navigate through its tough new economic climate. “Everything kept changing by the minute, basically,” he tells Australian Aviation. 

Firstly, Greg explained, bidding for his next eight-week flight roster was put on pause, as the airline made the decision to initially cut 20 per cent of its flying capacity. Bidding re-opened for the second time, however before the process had even finished, the final decision had been made. Stand down letters were sent, with A330 second officers like Greg among the first to be notified. Despite the disappointing news, Greg stated that he was motivated to take up the offer of temporary work opportunities, as promised by Qantas, and make the best of a bad situation. 

Thankfully, he found the process both fast and simple: all it took was one SurveyMonkey form for this pilot to find himself swiftly employed at his local Woolworths. “I applied on a Saturday, and then got an email on Thursday at 4pm that said ‘You start at Woolies at 10pm on Friday’, just 22 hours’ notice,” he says. With little time to prepare, Greg began his first shift that Friday, as planned. “It’s pretty easy for me because, like a lot of people, it was a job I had during high school. So, kind of like riding a bike, you don’t really forget how to put a box on a shelf, or use a pallet jack, it’s real simple stuff.” 

The quick and straight-forward transition into temporary, stable work was both welcome and necessary for Greg, as he pondered how he might pay the bills during this period of economic uncertainty. “My girlfriend is a flight [attendant] for Jetstar, so she’s been stood down as well,” he says. “To have two mortgages, for a young couple, with no income. It’s a big hit.” 

Luckily for the couple, they were both qualified to access to the government’s JobKeeper payment, a $1,500 per fortnight wage subsidy provided by the government and facilitated through Qantas, available to eligible businesses who have retained their staff, rather than making them redundant. To date, more than five million Australians nationwide have received the payment, showcasing the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has made its impact on the Australian workforce. This, combined with his income from working part-time at Woolworths, meant that the couple have managed to keep on top of their bills during the pandemic. “We’re not really saving anything, but we can’t really go out and spend our money on anything else anyway. We’ve got enough money for food to cook at home, and to pay the mortgage… it gets us by.” 

Perhaps a little surprisingly, the new job became more than just an economic lifeline for Greg and his family, as the pilot settled into a familiar role. While the world continued to reel from the shock of a worldwide pandemic, Greg found comfort in having both economic certainty, and enjoying a temporary change of pace to his usual, dynamic lifestyle as a second officer. He pondered on the stark, albeit welcome, differences between his job as a long-haul pilot and that of a Woolworths employee, in a time of global pandemic. 

“It’s really nice to go to work and not make a decision,” he says. “A lot of people will laugh and say second officers don’t do anything anyway, but they are constantly making decisions. [You are] making your own decisions, to then see if it’s the same as what the other two come up with. So it’s a lot more thinking [than working at Woolworths].” 

‘Greg found comfort in having both economic certainty, and enjoying a temporary change of pace to his usual, dynamic lifestyle as a second officer’

The pilot, previously a first officer at Jetstar, says that after a day in the cockpit, he’d go home mentally physically exhausted. “Whereas here,” he says, “I’m getting hot, sweaty throwing boxes on shelves, because I can, but there’s no decisions to be made. Someone else says ‘You do that pallet’ or ‘Put 100 boxes from that pallet onto the shelf’, and you just do it. You don’t have to think about it. You go home really nice and refreshed and think, this is great.” 

For this second officer, while he’ll happily work overtime for Qantas “out of love”, he’s also enjoying the ability to clock off on time, and be back at home in time for dinner. “I’ve been working [at Woolworths] a lot of days in a row, but I’m only working four, five, six hours a day and so I still have the rest of the day to do other stuff,” he says. “And it’s so nice, if you finish work at four, you finish work at four. And I’m home at five minutes past four!” 

While stacking the shelves might be more physically demanding, Greg has found the experience to be revitalising, during a time that could have instead been quite upsetting and stressful. From the required workload, to the easy hours, overall, Greg stated that he believes the “stability” offered to him, and many of his peers, by their temporary Woolworths positions, will ultimately mean he can return to his post at the end of the pandemic feeling generally refreshed and ready to get back in the cockpit. He noted other individuals who might not have taken the same opportunity that was available to them, and chose instead to spend time at home and remain inactive during a period when feelings of stress and anxiety are elevated for everyone. 

According to Greg, sitting at home is “potentially the worst thing you can do” for your mental health, especially for those who have been placed out of work. While it is not unexpected for the uncertainty of losing one’s job to bring up negative emotions, Greg says that he believes staying relatively stationary could take a toll on personal wellbeing, and impact on the mental health of anyone. He noted that some may turn to alcohol to get them by, however this is more likely to just exacerbate the issue. 

For anyone feeling down about their situation, he recommended that “keeping your mind active, keeping your body active and not just sitting at home” is an important step in keeping your mental wellbeing in check. The reminder is a vital one for anyone navigating different and difficult circumstances in the post-COVID world, and who may be struggling to cope under these unforeseen circumstances. For this reason, it’s more important than ever to be proactive in the face of mental health concerns, and prioritise the care of your mind and body. 

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing difficulty during this time, please don’t struggle on your own. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.