Navigating The Turbulence: How United CEO Oscar Munoz Leads

It's been a rough year for Oscar Munoz. The CEO of United Airlines was thrust into the spotlight in April after a video of a passenger forcibly ejected from a flight by non-United security went viral and caused a public relations uproar.  Munoz and United were criticized by the way they initially handled the situation, but ultimately released a more thoughtful apology to the passenger and public acknowledging that the "truly horrific event" elicited "outrage, anger, disappointment" that he both understood and empathized with. Most importantly, he promised to review and improve booking policies, noting, "No one should ever be mistreated this way."

Impressively, despite the uproar public crisis, United Airlines employees continue to be confident in the leadership of Munoz and the direction the company is headed. According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees have and still enjoy working for Munoz - In fact, the CEO has been named one of the2017 Highest Rated CEOs, ranking #18 with a 96% CEO approval rating.

During the awards eligibility (5/2/16 - 5/1/17), Munoz maintained an exceptional approval rating. However, Munoz’s CEO approval rating saw a slight dip in the wake of the public relations debacle, but is still holding  a 91% approval rating —  well above the average CEO approval ratingon Glassdoor of 67%, based on the 700,000 companies reviewed. Glass door ratings show that United employees have and still do love working at United under Munoz's leadership. The chart below also shows how Munoz has consistently been a strong leader in the eyes of his own employees since taking the helm at United a few years ago.

Here’s a sample of what employees have to say post-incident:

• “I have been with United for 29 years. I am proud of my company again and that's because of our beloved CEO Oscar. He has made the world of difference to me and so many of United family. He is a wonderful and kind person. I love my co-workers, we are like a family.” —United Airlines Customer Service Representative (April 25, 2017; Denver, CO)
• “Management is great, they keep employees motivated and well-informed of everything. They are very accessible and ready to help.” —United Airlines Temp Customer Service Representative (May 26, 2017; Houston, TX)
• “Working for over 5 years, great place, family oriented, lots of mentoring from an abundance of experienced seniors, industry standard pay, respect and professionalism, great focus and leadership under our CEO Oscar Munoz.” —United Airlines Service Director - Airport Operations (May 13, 2017; Washington, DC)
• “United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world. United Airlines' focus is on customer satisfaction. Their second focus is on their employees. Most of their employees are very happy because the share in the success of their company, which is awesome.” United Airlines Customer Service Representative (April 17, 2017; Newark, NJ)

Furthermore, while the incident caused United stock to fall as much as 6.3% in pre-market trading, dropping $1.4 billion, in the first week, employee sentiments in the aftermath did not waiver. The vast majority approve of the job Munoz is doing and United’s company rating has climbed from 3.3 to 3.8. Since becoming CEO in 2015, Munoz's ratings have been higher overall than both of his most recent predecessors, Jeffrey Smisek, who left with 42% approval rating, and Glenn Tilton, who left with 30% approval..

Exploring the United CEO's reviews, we also see a few common themes from employees including:

• Strong training programs and mentorship from experienced senior leadership: United truly cares about employee success
• Emphasis on customer service and transparency: United wants to do the right thing for both employees and customers
• Recently renovated mission and organizational structure with increased alignment to technology demands of the sector

What makes Munoz a top CEO? According to Glassdoor chief economist Dr. Andrew Chamberlain, Munoz's positive rating among employees has more to do with day-to-day culture than any breaking new story.  "Our research shows that company culture is the single biggest factor driving CEO approval among employees," says Dr. Chamberlain. "There’s a clear link between healthy company culture and being a high rated CEO. Workplaces with satisfied employees rate their CEOs significantly higher than those with low worker satisfaction. And employees hold CEOs personally accountable for cultivating a healthy corporate culture."

Digging into the rating trends, as of June 1, 2017, employees rate the likelihood of recommending United to a friend at 78% and the overall business outlook at 67%.

United team members consistently rave about the company's "excellent" 401k plan, employee discounts, health insurance plans and work-life balance. While he relies heavily on his team to shape the employee experience for the over 10,000 employees, Munoz is at the core of United's thriving culture.

"For me, the name United evokes something special. It brings to mind the countless inspiring stories of so many dedicated professionals I've met," shared Munoz in February.  "Each day, they make me proud to call myself a member of their team. I see our people going the extra mile for our customers and for one another. I see them brave the elements and endure the long hours and late nights, often far away from their homes. I see them strive to go beyond expectations and deliver a better experience for our customers with each flight. This is the vision of our company that I find most inspiring."

Congratulations to United CEO Oscar Munoz for being named one of Glassdoor's Highest Rated CEOs — and the highest airline CEO —  showing the world what it means to survive the storm.