HRchat Podcast
Listen to the HRchat Podcast by HR Gazette to get insights and tips from HR leaders, influencers and tech experts. Topics covered include HR Tech, HR, AI, Leadership, Talent, Recruitment, Employee Engagement, Recognition, Wellness, DEI, and Company Culture.
Hosted by Bill Banham, Pauline James, and other HR enthusiasts, the HRchat show publishes interviews with influencers, leaders, analysts, and those in the HR trenches 2-4 times each week.
The show is approaching 1000 episodes and past guests are from organizations including ADP, SAP, Ceridian, IBM, UPS, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Simon Sinek Inc, NASA, Gartner, SHRM, Government of Canada, Hacking HR, McLean & Company, UPS, Microsoft, Shopify, DisruptHR, McKinsey and Co, Virgin Pulse, Salesforce, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Coca-Cola Beverages Company.
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Podcast Music Credit"Funky One"Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
HRchat Podcast
Company Culture: Inside Breeze Airways' People Strategy with Jeff Weber
What happens when you combine cutting-edge technology with a more human approach to airline service? Jeff Weber, Chief People Officer at Breeze Airways, reveals the fascinating intersection of high-tech innovation and high-touch customer experience in this engaging conversation about the future of work in the aviation industry.
Jeff, who joined Breeze after successful HR leadership roles at forward-thinking organizations like Ancestry.com, explains why CEO David Neeleman specifically sought someone outside the airline industry to build Breeze's unique culture. "He said 'I don't really want someone who has been in the airline industry before. I want someone that's going to bring a culture like you had at the software companies you built,'" Weber shares, highlighting Breeze's distinctive positioning as a "tech company that flies."
Rather than replacing human workers with technology, says Jeff, Breeze focuses on augmentation – using AI-enabled tools like "Harper," their virtual HR generalist, to provide immediate support for team members on the go while maintaining the irreplaceable human element of their service. "We're not seeing roles getting replaced," Weber emphasizes. "We're seeing more of being augmented by technology. Pilots and flight attendants will be needed in the future, but how do we make their job easier?"
Perhaps most impressively, Jeff spent his first month at Breeze working frontline positions – cleaning planes, packing bags, assisting ground crew – to truly understand operational challenges. This hands-on approach exemplifies his leadership philosophy of aligning talent strategy with business objectives through three key pillars: acquisition, engagement, and development.
For HR professionals looking to future-proof their careers, Jeff offers clear guidance: "We should no longer be the police or compliance department. We should be the 'how do we help you deliver on your business plan' department." By staying current with emerging technologies while maintaining a focus on human connection, HR leaders can position themselves as essential strategic partners in any organization's success.
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Speaker 2:Welcome to another episode of the HR Chat Show. Hello listeners, this is your host today, bill Battam, and in this episode we're going to explore the big ideas impacting the world of work, leadership and innovation in HR, and I'm joined to help me on that journey today by Jeff Weber, chief People Officer over at Breeze Airways, a premium leisure carrier that's redefining affordable, non-stop services across the US. Jeff's career has spanned some of the most forward-thinking organizations, including Ancestrycom. Jeff's not only driven innovative talent strategies, but he's also held leadership roles in HR communities and advocacy organizations like the Women's Leadership Institute and the Utah SHRM Chapter. Jeff, how are you doing today? Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3:I'm great. Thank you, Bill. Appreciate you having me on the show.
Speaker 2:So let's get straight into it and, as we like to do on this show, why don't you start by adding to what I just said? Why don't you take a minute or two and tell our listeners a bit more about yourself, your career, background and also what gets you up in the morning, jeff?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, bill. I appreciate you asking that question. For me, it's all about how do we leverage the talent in an organization to best accomplish whatever the business mission or strategy is of the business. And that relates to both how we engage the hearts and minds of people who work for that company in this case, team members at Breeze and how do we get them really excited about what we're delivering every day as far as the guest experience for our experience, for our customers.
Speaker 2:I'm interested to know what first interested you in terms of joining Breeze and what made that opportunity stand out for you.
Speaker 3:So what initially interested me in Breeze? David Nilman, the CEO, reached out to me and asked me if I'd be interested in taking on the chief people officer role here at Breeze and my first response was David, I don't know anything about airlines so maybe I'm not the right person for this role. And he kept calling me despite that and he's pretty persistent, as you may discover in his history of founding five different airlines. So he kept calling me. We talked more about it. He said I don't really want someone who has been in the airline industry before for this role. I really want someone that's going to bring a culture like you had at the software companies you built and utilizing technology to build that kind of culture. So that became pretty apparent that he was very interested in that and it really intrigued my interest in coming in and learning a new industry and working to build that culture and dynamic as the company continues to grow fairly rapidly right now.
Speaker 2:Thanks for listening to this episode of the HR Chat Podcast. If you enjoy the audio content we produce, you'll love our articles on the HR Gazette. Learn more at HRGgazettecom. And now back to the show. So my understanding is Breeze and I have to say I've never taken a Breeze flight yet, but maybe I'll have to do something about that in the future. But my understanding is Breeze isn't just an airline. It brands itself as a tech company that flies. That's very interesting.
Speaker 3:How do you align the high tech with high touch to create an employee experience that reflects both innovation so really, for us it's about creating what we call that seriously nice guest experience, and that really stems from creating a culture where we have a seriously nice experience for our team members, and that includes technology around any strategy or structure and this is one of the competitive differentiators for Breeze is how do we provide technology and a seamless experience for our customers up until they get on the aircraft and when they're on the plane, what kind of experience we provide with our flight attendants and pilots who actually come out of the cockpit and talk to people I know shocking to say just over the intercom. And so we really create that guest experience that has resulted in a really high NPS score for the airline of around 60, which is incredible in this kind of industry right now, and so our role is creating the technology that supports that. You never want technology to drive the organization. You want technology to support the strategy and the innovation you want to build in the organization and, in this case, the culture and the dynamics. So as we roll out new tools and processes, we really try to remove barriers using technology. I think it's really important.
Speaker 3:Everyone's talking about how to use AI and AR in HR, but it's not about just rolling out AI chatbots.
Speaker 3:It's about any analysis you want to do about what is the problem we're trying to solve for the business, what is our thesis on how this is going to help improve both the employee experience and or the guest experience, and how do we utilize that technology in a way that interacts with all of our other systems in a scalable way?
Speaker 3:So we're rolling out a new product called Harper, which is an AI-enabled HR generalist provided by WISC, and the goal there is to provide that level one or level two tier support for team members who may be on the go.
Speaker 3:We have flight attendants rushing to catch a plane and they may want a question answered immediately, but our staff isn't always on 24 seven. This tool enables them to get the first response very quickly that both summarizes their question, gives them a curator response based on Breeze's policies and practices, and then gives them the source document as well as who they go to next if they need to escalate that question. So they get an immediate response. It fits very well in our culture of technology enabled solutions and they know who to talk to if they want to take it to the next level. So we're using applications like that to really grow and scale our business in a way that's really user friendly and what they're used to as consumers getting immediate answers to their questions. We also need to provide those immediate answers, and so that's one of the tools we're utilizing to provide solutions for those types of situations.
Speaker 2:Okay, excellent. So as part of your role, you're there to encourage your staff members to embrace being augmented by AI. Can you offer some other examples of programs, initiatives that you're leading around that in the moment?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, ranging from anywhere from talent acquisition all the way through talent development and growth, and this kind of applies to our talent strategy. But how do we remove hurdles anywhere? We see them in the organization. Instead of saying, oh no, you can't do this, our job is to say what is it you want to accomplish and what tools can we provide for you to get that answer or request or or something faster. For example, if a manager has a new requisition and they need to post it, sometimes the hurdle is the manager has to write the description or it takes them a while. We can provide an AI enabled tool that says here's the last posting you did. You wanna update this? And here's how we help you post it. Here's the recruiter you'll be working with and, if we can able that process so it removes that barrier to entry to every process like that that's already established in the company. That helps us deliver on this more efficient and engaging experience, both for our leaders and for the team members.
Speaker 2:So I don't know a heck of a lot about the airline industry, I have to admit, but I'm going to guess that no time in the near future will you see airline assistants being replaced, and I certainly hope that the captains and co-pilots and whatnot are not going to be replaced by robots in the near future. That would make me feel very uneasy, um, but you know the the place we're at now, and we're recording this in the middle of 2025, is we're seeing lots of roles being not just augmented by ai and machine learning, um, but actually being replaced. Are you seeing that in your organization in different areas? If so, what are some of those examples of roles that perhaps existed 12 months ago that don't really exist on their own anymore? Perhaps they've been combined with other positions? Can you give us some insights around that?
Speaker 3:Yes, we're not seeing roles getting replaced here right now. We're seeing more of what you indicate of being augmented by technology. Pilots and flight attendants will be needed in the future. So, but how do we make their job easier? How do we make it easier for them to schedule, to work out their shift changes, to take time off, to request sick leave and then, when they're on the plane, how do we make it easier for them to understand if the load balance is correct and automate all of those processes so they don't have to spend a lot of extra time chasing those things down?
Speaker 3:So for us, we're using augmentation capabilities from AI-enabled tools and software to make their jobs easier and more efficient in everything they do. And that applies across the organization Our guest experiences team. They all work from home and they're all remote, but they utilize AI-enabled technology to help our guests answer their first level questions and then they take the escalated questions. That make it much more efficient for our guests to get immediate response, especially when they're airport asking a question and they need immediate answers. But then our team can also take those escalation questions and help them get responses in those as well. So that's how we're usually using technology right now not just to replace anyone, but more to augment what their current roles are doing.
Speaker 2:Okay, very good. So across your career, you've been responsible for building people functions, of course, from the ground up. What practical steps can HR leaders take to effectively define their vision and influence areas like technology, talent development and the future of work? We like to have practical takeaways on this show. Go, yeah, okay.
Speaker 3:Well, that's a broad question for me. I always come in and start with what is the business strategy that needs to be delivered on, what is the mission, what is the strategy, what are the key initiatives that need to be focused on? And then how do we build our talent strategy around that? And usually I build that into three functional areas, which are pretty normal, I would imagine talent acquisition how do we quickly access the type of talent we need to grow the business, assess them, bring them on board and onboard them in a way that fits the culture in the business? And then the next phase of that of the talent strategy is what is the talent engagement strategy and how do we build that? How do we get everyone to want to be here delivering on that mission every day, despite the challenges of fast pace, fast growth, operationally intensive business?
Speaker 3:And the third component of the talent strategy is how do we develop and grow our team members and our leaders? What are the competencies we care about as a business? What are the values we espouse? And then how do we actually build the skills for our team members in each of those areas that are important for us to deliver on that strategy and the business plan. And then how do we build and grow our leaders? Many of our managers are in newer roles because we're growing so fast, and how do we make sure they have the tools and capabilities they need to deliver successfully on whatever the challenges are in the business every day? So we're building adaptability and agility into the organization because things change rapidly here in this industry. And then how do we use those skills to adapt and grow and build new skills as they're required of us as we use new technologies or new applications?
Speaker 2:Okay, let's talk a bit more about leadership, if you don't mind. When managing a team, how do you personally balance delivering results with keeping engagement and morale at high levels?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think it's important for everyone on the team to understand what is the big picture, how do we deliver in our team to support the mission of the company and what does every task we do contribute to that mission.
Speaker 3:And so we have a clear outline as what is the business strategy, what are the key projects, what are our projects that link into those and cascade those down, and then how do we as a team contribute to those and help our business leaders become successful in their various teams, and then how do we measure that success?
Speaker 3:So it's very objective. How do we know if our team members are engaged, that they're having a good experience on different teams, and how do we support the organization in that regard? And when there are road bumps or other issues, how do we partner with the business leaders in a way that helps them accomplish those objectives? And so for me and the team, it's all about clarity of objectives, what we're focused on, how do we measure success and how do we follow up. And then how do they feel like they're an integral part of that that we need to make sure they feel like they can make decisions and put in place plans that will deliver on those as well, so they feel empowered and then they feel trusted in the organization. So I think all those components are really important to me as a leader and that's what we try to espouse on our people services team here at Breeze.
Speaker 2:Okay, you've only been in this role since March, I believe, but it sounds like you really got it down.
Speaker 3:I don't have it down yet. I've got a lot to learn. You'll laugh at my first month here. I asked if I could go out and do every job in the business so I could learn the airline. So I was helping clean planes, I was packing bags on the planes, I was helping down on the ground crew, I was helping take tickets at the counters. For me it was really important to learn about every role in the business so I would know what the challenges and the opportunities are, and in a fast paced environment it's really important to know what everyone's dealing with, and so I wanted to experience all of it. So that was a great way for me to get integrated in the business. I love that.
Speaker 2:I absolutely love it. I think that's wonderful. What were some of your learnings?
Speaker 3:Well, I don't want to have to clean up throw-up bags anymore. I know that. So that was fun, but what I did learn is the complexity of all of those teams working together to turn a plane very quickly. It's all about operational performance and on-time performance in the airline industry, and it's not just one team that does that. It's multiple teams working together, some of which are team members and some of which are contracted, and there's a lot of work involved in both planning, organizing and getting people aligned on what the expectations are there, and doing a lot of work around. What does it look like when the plane needs to be cleaned really fast? How do we get the guests on board as quickly as possible and give them a very positive experience? And then how do we make sure they arrive safely, along with their luggage, at the new location? So all those things require a lot of coordination and I think for me, that was the biggest takeaway.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I guess ultimately you guys got a pretty clear set of metrics there around folks arriving safely.
Speaker 3:Absolutely no-transcript. Important factors for us here.
Speaker 2:Okay, now I'd like to talk to you about something that I'm passionate about, and that's community building and learning from peers. One of my other hats is I organize various different events for HR leaders and similar. You've served on boards and in advisory roles for HR associations and nonprofits. Jeff, how important is community and peer learning to your professional development? And, as part of your answer, how should HR leaders make time for that in pretty busy roles? You know they've got so many other things going on. How can they make sure that they put time aside?
Speaker 3:I think it's critical, to be honest, to have a well-rounded experience and I would say, for example, in the case of the Women's Leadership Institute, for people leaders to have things they're passionate about and go get involved in them gives you a balance, kind of like I'm giving back to the community, I'm doing something meaningful.
Speaker 3:I'm seeing the impact of that not just at my work but also on the community. For example, in the Women's Leadership Institute, that's one of the most impactful things I've been part of seeing the difference that's been made in helping prepare more women for leadership roles, both in business and in politics, and helping build that pipeline of leaders through a series of career development courses that we helped create. That for me was so rewarding to see those cohorts of 100-plus female leaders go through that process and seeing them become really successful in their various organizations. That's very rewarding and was super impactful for me personally in my career just to observe that and see that and see all of these incredible people advance and grow in their careers, and we were able to help support that and me. Finding opportunities like that that matter and make a difference is a really crucial part of building a community and supporting that my understanding is that breeze is going through a period of rapid growth.
Speaker 2:You're coming on to um and ensure that happens in the right ways, including, for example, employees still staying true to the original vision of Breeze when it was first set up. You've also led during MAs and periods of rapid growth at other organizations. Of course, how should HR leaders approach culture, integration and communication during times of big change?
Speaker 3:For me, it's all about establishing what does that culture look like, not only describing it, but giving examples of that, what it is, what it's not. In my previous company we created videos. We had team members showing examples of what the culture should be and we had executives showing things, examples of what it shouldn't be. We thought it was funny, so it was a good way to integrate that and show. Here's what it looks like.
Speaker 3:Here at these companies and here at Breeze, for example, we work really hard to bring all of our new hire team members into one location for training to have that experience, and we talk a lot about the culture, the environment, things that impact it. Our entire executive team takes time at every new hire orientation to spend time talking about both the company, why they're here, what the culture is, why it matters to them, why we provide the kind of guest experience we have and why our MPS scores are so high and how we want them to propagate that. That that's really crucial to us and we actually share examples of, for example, a flight attendant, how they made such a big difference in one guest experience, or a tech person who works at night on a plane to make sure it's ready to go in the morning, the impact of on-time performance that has on the plane. So all those things go into the culture of delivering both on results and creating that incredible guest experience and helping them.
Speaker 3:See that line of sight and I would say that's true of acquisitions as well Different companies have different cultures and let's just acknowledge what those good things are from each culture and try to adapt to both of those. But be very clear about what the intended outcome is of the culture we want to establish and how that fits with delivering on the business plan in a very optimal way. And so, as we've done acquisitions in the past, we preemptively spent a lot of time flying out as an executive team, meeting with those teams, talking about the culture, the environment, the things we care about as a company, answering questions, making sure people aren't in the dark and over-communicating as much as possible what this means for them, what the impact is and what we expect going forward.
Speaker 2:Okay, very good One for our HR innovators out there. What advice would you give to up-and-coming HR professionals, new professionals looking to future-proof their careers we are living in very changing times so that they can make a meaningful and long-term impact? I'm sure the HR function is very different to when you started, right?
Speaker 3:It is 100% different than when I started. I think what's been evolving is the need for HR leaders and the practitioners to really understand the needs of the business. What are the current business trends, conditions, requirements, what's happening out there? How hard is it to get funding? What is that funding used for? How do we scale and grow the business? What are the business imperatives that we have to deliver on? And then, how do you, as an HR leader and as an HR practitioner, work with the business leaders to deliver on that? We should no longer be the police or compliance department. We should be the how do we help you deliver on your business plan department? And we should be the how do we help you deliver on your business plan department? And how do we help you think about what's coming next? How do we stay really engaged in what's coming in the future? You mentioned innovation. We should be on top of what are the new trends, and resources and tools are out there.
Speaker 3:I spend at least an hour to a week looking at new trends, from AI enabled tools to what's happening out there with coaching and development, leadership, planning and development, and I want to stay on top of it. I'll do demos, even if we're not looking for a tool just to learn about what's being created out there and it's coming very fast. Ai will accelerate very rapidly some of the tools and resources that will now be available. We need to know what those are, we need to be on the cutting edge and we need to understand if they fit or don't fit with the needs and the strategy of the business. So I think that's very important to understand both how technology can be applied to deliver on the needs of the business and really understand that well. So business leaders don't see you as someone that tells them what they can't do. They see you as someone that tells them here's how you can get done, what you need to do and some tools we can help you use to do that.
Speaker 2:This. I'm going to do it. This episode has flown by. Jeff. Before we do wrap up for today, I've just sent you a connection request on LinkedIn. I'm assuming that's one way that folks can connect with you and learn more about what you're getting up to. What are some other ways, if there are any, and, of course, how can they learn more about what's happening over at Breeze?
Speaker 3:Absolutely Very excited to connect with people and learn more about what they're doing, how we can apply best practices across the board. Again, that's part of why it's been fun to be involved in the executive forum with Sherm and others to really learn about best practices and how we can apply those.
Speaker 2:Awesome, and if folks want to connect with you, is that LinkedIn only. Are there any other ways that they can connect with you? That's really the best way that's what I check and stay up to date on Me too. Me too, I'm not cool enough to have a TikTok. Okay, very good. That just leaves me to say for today Jeff Weber, thank you very much for being my guest.
Speaker 3:Thank you, bill, pleasure to be here today. Thank you for having me on.
Speaker 2:And listeners as always. Until next time, happy working.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the HR Chat Show. If you enjoyed this episode, why not subscribe and listen to some of the hundreds of episodes published by HR Gazette and remember for what's new in the world of work? Subscribe to the show, follow us on social media and visit hrgazettecom.
