Preventing forced lay-offs
This stategy resulted in a reduction of more than 3,500 FTEs, while preventing forced lay-offs in the Netherlands. We achieved this by not extending part of the temporary contracts, and any vacancies that arose were filled internally by KLM employees.
Flexibility and cooperation
KLM indirect staff was asked to help out in operational departments, in addition to their own work, in order to reduce the costs of hired and temporary staff. About 800 of our staff answered the call, including ground staff and cockpit crew, who were deployed on operational matters at peak times, allowing for a marked reduction in the number of temporary employees who had to be hired. Other employees have also been on secondment within the KLM Group. KLM cabin crew flew with transavia.com for six months in the summer of 2009, and pilots worked for Martinair and transavia.com. Also, ground staff is asked to fly with KLM Cityhopper as cabin attendants for a year, during which period their own positions will not be occupied.
