An open message to the TSA

The Transportation Security Administration at the Atlanta Airport has been in the news a lot lately. Seems the airport administration is threatening to privatize security and screening operations if the government-run agency can’t get its act together. Kudos to the airport management for recognizing there is a serious problem. As a frequent traveler, here’s what I would like the TSA bigwigs to hear.

▪  Remember that you are public servants. This is an important job and you need the support of travelers. All too often, TSA employees seem to function more as adversaries than allies. Many TSA employees present the image of being full of themselves with power. With the exception of the person who looks at the screen, all employees are in the business of observation and crowd control — a relationship business.

My first real job was teaching hospital housekeeping supervisors. I remember the cardinal rule of cleaning: Use the least force and the least caustic cleaner you can use first and only use more force if it doesn’t work. TSA employees would do well to take a lesson here.

▪  Have some kind of clear management presence in the heart of things at the airport, and manage your employees. There never seems to be anyone in charge. It’s not OK for TSA employees to yell at travelers. It’s not OK for employees to be just downright rude. Most important, it’s not OK for employees to stand around in little knots talking about what they had for dinner or what they’re going to do on the weekend or how they hate their supervisor. If you’re at work, work; particularly when your propensity to stand around doing nothing means that travelers don’t move through the system as fast as possible.

▪  Present a professional image. Uniforms that need cleaning and uniforms that don’t fit, particularly those that are way too tight on both men and women, don’t help the image of TSA employees. Also, have some grooming standards and stick to them. No perfume, please. Take a lesson from Disney and their Disney-look standards. It works.

▪  Honor your commitments. I’ve paid good money to get TSA-approved status. This should mean something to TSA employees. Treat me like the seasoned traveler I am. If you charge me money for the service, give me what I’ve paid for. All too often, airports do not have special TSA lines and do not have personnel to support TSA status travelers.

It’s not rocket science. It’s good customer service. All policing is, first and foremost, a relationship business. And the problem starts at the top. Hire better people, set higher standards, have higher expectations and hold your employees accountable. In short, manage. This can go a long way toward increasing both the efficiency and effectiveness of this all-important service.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 4:25 PM with the headline "An open message to the TSA."