It’s no secret that Southwest Airlines has a favorite holiday. Halloween is a big deal at Southwest and all levels of the organization get into character. Customer service agents have been known to greet travellers as the crew of the Starship Enterprise or completely convert the service counter into the summer of 1969.
Every year, CEO Gary Kelly leads the way to celebrate Halloween in style. His past get-ups have included The Mad Hatter, Woody from Toy Story, and our personal favourite – a lifelike version of Frankenstein.
Halloween at Southwest clearly illustrates leadership commitment to creating a fun loving workplace culture, the foundation of their employer brand. On their blog you’ll find countless examples, but the enthusiasm for Halloween in particular really stands out. Spending the business day in full makeup as Frankenstein isn’t something you’ll see in CEO offices very often. Gary knows that his commitment to the workplace on October 31st sets the tone for the entire team and his example encourages employees at all levels to join in.
In a move requiring some good faith and a healthy sense of humour, Gary Kelly reached out to his employees and customers for help selecting his costume this year. So what is Gary dressing up as this year? Visit the Southwest Airlines blog, Nuts About Southwest to find out!
If a fun workplace is something you aspire to build within your organization, take a tip from Southwest. Whatever you choose to do, do it in style and make it a big deal. Anything less is a watered down version of what could have been a remarkable workplace experience.