Flyr's fateful day Many sincerely believed that we were over Kneika

Flyr's fateful day: - Many genuinely thought we were over the hump Pilot Anine Haug had no idea that Saturday's flight to Las Palmas would be Flyr's last This is how management and employees experienced the bankruptcy.

- The mood had been very optimistic since the New Year New agreements were in place, many genuinely believed that we were over the worst of it, says pilot Anine Haug.

- That is why the bankruptcy came as a shock On Saturday 28 January, she flew her last trip on a Flyr plane – without knowing it.

On Monday, the message came that capital raising had failed Haug was on standby these fateful days.

She was among the many employees who gathered at Flyr's offices in Oslo to wait for news - In true Flyr spirit, lots of waffles were fried.

We hoped for the longest time that there would be good news There were some of us who thought that it was good that a long time passed between the news, that it was a good sign, says Haug.

She managed to go home before the news of the bankruptcy ticked into her mobile phone Precisely 19:00.

Haug turned in the door Many were still in the office.

Those who did not have the opportunity to attend there were invited to a digital meeting It was a long night of tears and grave beer.

- But also a good atmosphere It is no nonsense when we say that we felt like one big family.

It was sad when that family was suddenly split up, says Haug Preparing scenarios The pilot is satisfied with how the situation was handled by management, and says that communication worked well.

It was, among others, HR director Bjørn Erik Barman-Jenssen, HR and culture manager Trine Sønsteby and director of public relations and communications lasse sandaker-nielsen who were behind it For them, the week of chaos already started on Sunday 29 January.

They first had to prepare to communicate the news that the capital raising failed – and then for the consequences - All responsible companies prepare different scenarios when you are in such a situation.

On Sunday, it was discussed how we should take care of all stakeholders in the best possible way - we have had that plan all along And then we picked up that plan again, and started setting the race for the next morning, says Sandaker-Nielsen.

Furthermore, the management divided itself into a "worst case" and "best case" group Everyone was hoping for the former.

- We have a manager who has been clear that we don't give up on the run-up side, so everyone worked hard even though we had been notified that they had not reached the finish line We have been rescued at the finish line before.

Our goal was to find out how we take care of all these wonderful people if we have to deliver the negative message in a day or two - we didn't know what timeline we were dealing with, says Barman-Jenssen The order of communication became an important pillar - no employees were to read about the crisis in the newspaper before they had been notified internally.

The HR team provides communication blanket bombing to employees one minute after Oslo Børs was notified: E-mail, SMS, intranet case, telephones to union representatives, meeting notices Waffle culture It was also decided early on that everyone should be invited to wait for news together at the office in Oslo.

The management would rather convey any negative message to as many people as possible face to face There were people on parental leave with children in tow - and a surprising number of dogs.

And there were waffles – a well-used move in Flyr - It is the "culture minister's" business, says Sønsteby and nods towards Barman-Jenssen.

- I have some experience in making waffle batter, yes And standing at Gardermoen to roast them at five in the morning, for the crew who are going out to fly, says Barman-Jenssen.

Waffle Mondays, Waffle Fridays and Waffle Sundays at Gardermoen were something the management started at the very beginning to keep in touch between those who worked in the office and those who worked in the air - It is a very nice arena to meet colleagues and talk together.

If a leader comes into a crew room and just stands there, it can seem a little intimidating But if a manager is standing and frying waffles when the crew comes by, then it's a really nice way to strike up a conversation and get to know each other, says Sønsteby.

"Minister of Culture" Barman-Jenssen's waffle recipe can be found at the bottom of the case - Be human The HR managers believe that the most important thing they have done to achieve a good process from crisis notification to bankruptcy notification is to build a good culture from the start.

Barman-Jenssen says that transparency was a goal throughout Flyr's lifetime, and that the employees should know that they were not hiding anything - The only thing we don't communicate is what is stock exchange sensitive.

That has been understood and appreciated Employees knew they could ask any question, says Barman-Jenssen.

- We have had weekly meetings, and at many of them we have had nothing to convey But we have carried out the meetings, because there are always questions, says Sønsteby.

When they were finally informed that the bankruptcy was a fact, they prepared what they were going to say in the meeting with the employees - We wrote a message, but no one managed to convey what we had planned, says Sandaker-Nielsen and laughs.

- So it was a short and emotional session, we just said that we would rather talk together throughout the evening, because it was too tough Barman-Jenssen and Sønsteby agree.

- If I were to give someone advice about something I hope no one else has to face, it would be to be a human being Think what you would want a manager to do for me in this situation, and do exactly that.

It's difficult, but good when you get it right, says Barman-Jenssen .