Boeing Attempts to Shift Culture After Employee Survey Shows Morale Issues

A recent FlightGlobal report cited an internal message by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who said that “pride in Boeing has dropped significantly.” In response to Boeing’s survey findings, Ortberg reportedly held an all-employee meeting on April 17 to address the matter.

According to the report, the survey found that 67 percent of respondents felt proud to work at Boeing—a drop from 91 percent of respondents in a 2013 employee survey feeling prideful.

During Boeing’s first-quarter 2025 earnings call on Wednesday, Ortberg said the company has introduced new values and behaviors to the entire organization after reviewing the first survey of its kind since 2019.

“In the quarter, we had a series of employee meetings talking specifically about culture change. We formed an enterprise working group to help us refresh our values and behaviors,” he said on the call. “And we’ve recently completed an all employee survey, the first in five years, and got very constructive feedback on what’s needed to improve the future of our company.”

“Our people are passionate about the culture change, so I really want to seize the moment to make the necessary changes within the company,” he continued.

The survey comes after a challenging year for the American aircraft manufacturer. In 2024, Boeing underwent numerous controversies from unsafe production standards to corresponding lawsuits stemming from several incidents involving its best-selling 737 Max aircraft.

Boeing’s 737 production has since been hindered by a monthly manufacturing cap governed by the Federal Aviation Administration. These delays were compounded by a 53-day machinist union strike at Boeing’s Pacific Northwest factories ending in November 2024.

Roughly a year after his death, the family of Boeing whistleblower John “Mitch” Barnett also sued Boeing in March 2025, blaming the company for his suicide.

Editor's note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.