Guest post by Kadi McDonald

Expenses are increasing everywhere, but most notably, in the airline industry. Airlines are pinching their pennies and compromising their customer service – cutting staff, charging for baggage and squeezing more passengers onto flights than ever before. 

So how does an airline hold the tenth spot on Fortune’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies? Perhaps it’s because they still allow two bags to fly for free. Maybe it’s the low cost of fares to 78 U.S. cities. But more than likely, it’s a result of the simplistic, culture-driven business model Southwest Airlines has operated on for years.

In a recent interview with Fortune, former Southwest Airlines founder and chairman emeritus, Herb Kelleher, talks through his vision to simply treat employees right. 

I say “simply” loosely. As Kelleher explains throughout the article, treating employees “right” isn’t easy. Although he assures it can be accomplished in companies of all sizes, keeping employees happy doesn’t automatically happen. “It’s not a job that you do for six months and then you just say, ‘Well, that’s behind us.’ It’s something you do every day,” Kelleher explains. While airlines across the globe have adopted pieces of the Southwest model, many companies from other industries look for the textbook way Southwest hires, trains and motivates their employees – something Kelleher says isn’t mechanical.

Taking a few tips from Southwest can help make your organization lean and your personnel flexible and productive.

Treat employees like you’d treat a client. Southwest’s employee mission statement commits to providing the same level of concern, respect and caring to employees that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest customer. This helps Southwest create the right company spirit and maintain a level of employee engagement that translates over to a positive customer experience. “Our people are our single greatest strength and most enduring long-term competitive advantage,” Gary Kelly, current CEO says on the company website.

Give employees great opportunities. Southwest offers flexible contracts, helps to train personnel to be multi-skilled, and offers a wide array of perks and benefits to its employees: from free flights on Southwest for not only the employee, but spouses, children and parents of the employee, to a comprehensive health benefits package, a learning facility that provides a variety of professional, and personal development opportunities.

Be selective and only hire people who fit the profile of your ideal employee. Southwest’s customer-facing staff members are very personable, helpful and often witty. They’re professional and skilled and juggle a multitude of tasks. So would Southwest be impressed by a candidate who wasn’t able to multi-task, never cracked a smile in the interview and could barely hold eye contact? More than likely – no.

As Kelleher says, if Southwest can be voted one of the Top 20 best places to work, anyone can. The adverse market is no match for a company with strong, positive values and philosophy.