Opinion: Hiring Compliance Is Crucial, Despite MRO Staffing Pressures

The reactive nature of modern aircraft MRO operations has led to an increased need to find talent quickly. However, the current skills constraints in the personnel market can have a direct effect on business approaches and attitudes toward compliance when it comes to human resource planning; compliance with applicable labor law, security and quality requirements all can be compromised.

In a sector that has largely recovered, MRO organizations face considerable pressure to ensure that all necessary personnel are in place to deliver planned operations in an extremely competitive market.

Many businesses are routinely supplementing permanent workforces with temporary staff to manage production peaks and introduce specific skills and qualifications into their operations at the right time.

Fierce competition for such scarce skills, rising employment costs and increasingly restrictive labor and employment regulations are making it more challenging to identify, fund and quickly onboard these workers. From a labor perspective, the reactivity of maintainers is arguably not what it used to be.  These pressures heighten the temptation to rush through the hiring and training processes.

With demanding customers at hangar doors, the pressure to secure labor can lead to hurried employment contracts, cutting of corners and deployment by unscrupulous intermediaries of workers who do not meet local employment requirements. These practices can range from not addressing local Social Security and taxation regulations to operating without the necessary licenses or insurance to deploy labor in specific regions—all of which pose considerable short- and long-term risks to all parties.

Regulatory risk is only part of the issue. Operational considerations—such as working hours, health and safety, security vetting and associated processes, and quality assurance checks—can be fast-tracked in the name of reactivity and competitive advantage.

The reality is that organizations cannot turn a blind eye to a supply of labor that is noncompliant. As the end user and economic beneficiary, organizations always will be at financial, operational and reputational risk in the event of an accident, finding or audit—regardless of any brokers, third-party employers or intermediaries involved. The onus is on the organization to work with reputable suppliers and ensure their own business standards are met when it comes to human resource management.

This is where the real competitive advantage lies. The edge comes from not only having access to the right skills but also being positioned to legally onboard, utilize and foster those skills in the organization. Achieving this objective requires robust processes, flexibility and associated internal policies.

Choosing the right labor supplier is crucial. Due diligence around employment knowledge and approach, in-house legal expertise and track record are required, and conducting periodic supplier audits will stand MROs in good stead when it comes to outperforming in the market. As tempting as it is, outsourcing regulatory compliance is not an option.

As we wait for labor flows to loosen with the arrival of newly trained engineers and technicians, the community must remain vigilant, uphold expectations and standards and be more focused than ever on employing people with the right skills in the right way. The bedrock of this corporate policy and approach will long outlast the skills shortage and contribute to the sector’s sustainability and resilience in the years ahead.

Inigo Uriarte Del Palacio, director of operations at Resource Group, is an expert on international aviation recruitment and employment.