5 characteristics of a community-minded travel network
What are the key characteristics that make up your ideal workplace? At TravelManagers, our brand values recognise that relationships are our business and people are our trademark. We asked five personal travel managers (PTMs) what it’s like to be part of what we like to call the TravelManagers family.
Shared Values
“I don’t know any other organisation – especially in a sales-based industry – where it’s not competitive between colleagues. If a PTM has too much work, we will pass business to one of our colleagues – I think that’s because we’re all here for the same reasons, and we all want to ensure our clients are well looked after.
“Within the National Partnership Office (NPO) team, you can see that a lot of them have worked together for a long, long time – they like to poke fun at each other and you can see that it’s a really happy, family-like work environment.”
Carli Hester – PTM based in Armstrong Creek, VIC
Community-Centric
“From the day I walked into TravelManagers, I just felt like one of the team. There’s a real camaraderie between the PTMs and the NPO team. It’s really refreshing and probably one of the best things about it for me. The same applies to relationships with suppliers – it’s much more of a partnership.
“TravelManagers’ culture is unreal. I love it. I never thought a workplace culture could be so cool. Coming from my previous role, where there was a real ‘us and them’ mentality, to step into the TravelManagers’ culture, I was shocked because suddenly, I felt like I was part of a family. “
Ally Casey, PTM based in Long Jetty, NSW
“Culture and community are important, and the camaraderie within the TravelManagers family is really strong. It’s great to have colleagues that you can either have a bit of a conversation with if you’re having a difficult day or if you’ve got a difficult itinerary. I love knowing that I’m part of a bigger, broader community where everyone is passionate about travel.
“I have a colleague who I buddy with, and we look after each other’s clients while the other one is away in case of emergencies. That sense of being able to call on someone who’s not only a colleague but a friend creates a really nice place to work.”
Rose Febo, PTM based in Hawthorne, QLD
Collaborative Knowledge Sharing
“When I joined TravelManagers more than twelve years ago, I didn’t know a lot of other people working in a mobile space, but as soon as I started, I knew I’d made the right decision: I felt at home and really supported.
“During my induction, I met people in my training group who are still among those I can call on now, all these years later. There’s always someone I can call on for advice, even if I’ve never met them – if they’re an expert on a particular area, they’re happy for me to pick their brains. And I’ve never experienced that anywhere else, honestly.”
Melanie Carter, PTM based in Scoresby, VIC
“There’s a new PTM who’s come on board in my local area, and she knows she can reach out to me for assistance with using Amadeus, because she’s come from a Galileo background. That sort of knowledge-sharing is really common, and it never feels like you’re imposing on anyone because everyone’s welcoming and happy to help.”
Karen Whitehead, PTM based in Thurgoona, NSW
Client-Centred
“TravelManagers’ culture and sense of community has attracted a lot of like-minded people who are passionate about travel and their clients. We genuinely care about each other, and we all get along – it’s quite unique and lovely. The focus is always on what’s best for the client: if I can offer some advice to another travel manager that helps their client, we all win.”
Melanie Carter, PTM based in Scoresby, VIC
“I had a case when I was travelling, and a client needed to cancel their holiday at the last minute due to illness. I emailed a colleague, who was able to pick up the pieces for me until I was back in range. And I don’t think that happens with a lot of other businesses – that you can just rely on someone to give you that assistance.”
Rose Febo, PTM based in Hawthorne, QLD
Supportive Leadership
“I feel that TravelManagers is quite unique in that I know I can call anyone in the organisation, whether it’s a colleague, my business partnership manager or a member of the Executive team. I’ve had a few instances where I’ve called our Managing Director and he’s just been there to listen, to give me some great advice, and help me to strategise a solution to a particular situation.
“There’s literally no-one in this organization that you could not talk to or call – from the top down, no-one is out of bounds. Everyone’s always positive and happy to help you resolve whatever that issue is or just pick you up if you need it. For me, if I can talk to the people at the head of the company, then I think it’s a sign of a pretty good company.”
Rose Febo, PTM based in Hawthorne, QLD
If you’d love to join the TravelManagers family, call for a confidential chat with one of our state-based Business Partnership Managers.
