A dose of reality.....

[gman042]

Our Center Supervisor during the PCM asked what she could do to improve the morale of the center. No one had a good answer other than leave us alone and let us do our jobs. We had a driver come back after 8 months in feeders. Guess what? He was "observed" during his first day back. You can only guess he was pulled into the office the next day for all his infractions.

So.....after some thought during the day I requested a meeting with her to discuss her question. I must admit that she does try to make things right with us the drivers but unfortunately it will never happen. Not because of her but because of the mandates that are handed down from corporate.

Remember when UPS management and UPS drivers could(within reason) work together and get the job done. And there was a certain level of respect and appreciation. NOW.....there is not one thing that UPS Corporate does that decreases the CHASM that is between us. Every rule and regulation is a way to widen the gap. Look at Telematics for instance. Initially this system was created as a tool to better maintain a fleet of trucks. Then someone realized that it could be used to created reports on what the driver was doing every second of every day that he was operating that vehicle. It wasn't enough that we were out there doing our jobs but now we must be held accountable for our every action.....or non action.

I mentioned this to our CS when talking to her and told her that when and IF we ever go live she will be required to "nit pick" us on our every move.

UPS is a multi-billion dollar company. We are told that we are handsomely paid for our work but where is the respect? Human nature is to rebel against brow beating. And that is exactly the tactic that is used on the non-management. But it comes from a much higher level than your local management. Is it any wonder why morale is at an all time low?

There is an old tale about the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man built his house upon a rock while the foolish man built his upon sand. Guess which house washed away in the flood? Many years ago I would say that the business plan for UPS was sound. Maybe UPS Corporate should examine the current condition of their foundation. There is a flood coming and it could be a rude awakening for us all.

 

[cachsux]

So long story short is unemployment hard to apply for?

 

[Indecisi0n]

Does this mean i should add flood protection to my home owners insurance?

 

[Catatonic]

We had a driver come back after 8 months in feeders. Guess what? He was "observed" during his first day back. You can only guess he was pulled into the office the next day for all his infractions.

That makes sense to me ... you want to catch "slippage" or bad methods at the first opportunity so they easily be corrected.

Much harder to break a bad habit than learn it right from the beginning.

Kudos to your center manager for making this happen at the right time.

 

[hypocrisy]

That makes sense to me ... you want to catch "slippage" or bad methods at the first opportunity so they easily be corrected.

Much harder to break a bad habit than learn it right from the beginning.

Kudos to your center manager for making this happen at the right time.

I agree as long as the tone is to "help the displaced Feeder driver get up to speed" and not just start the discipline train (as was alluded to with the next day office call). Heck, last time I was in Package we still had Diad 2's and were just getting 3's so I wouldn't know how to turn the latest, greatest version on.

 

[Integrity]

Our Center Supervisor during the PCM asked what she could do to improve the morale of the center. No one had a good answer other than leave us alone and let us do our jobs. We had a driver come back after 8 months in feeders. Guess what? He was "observed" during his first day back. You can only guess he was pulled into the office the next day for all his infractions.

So.....after some thought during the day I requested a meeting with her to discuss her question. I must admit that she does try to make things right with us the drivers but unfortunately it will never happen. Not because of her but because of the mandates that are handed down from corporate.

Remember when UPS management and UPS drivers could(within reason) work together and get the job done. And there was a certain level of respect and appreciation. NOW.....there is not one thing that UPS Corporate does that decreases the CHASM that is between us. Every rule and regulation is a way to widen the gap. Look at Telematics for instance. Initially this system was created as a tool to better maintain a fleet of trucks. Then someone realized that it could be used to created reports on what the driver was doing every second of every day that he was operating that vehicle. It wasn't enough that we were out there doing our jobs but now we must be held accountable for our every action.....or non action.

I mentioned this to our CS when talking to her and told her that when and IF we ever go live she will be required to "nit pick" us on our every move.

UPS is a multi-billion dollar company. We are told that we are handsomely paid for our work but where is the respect? Human nature is to rebel against brow beating. And that is exactly the tactic that is used on the non-management. But it comes from a much higher level than your local management. Is it any wonder why morale is at an all time low?

There is an old tale about the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man built his house upon a rock while the foolish man built his upon sand. Guess which house washed away in the flood? Many years ago I would say that the business plan for UPS was sound. Maybe UPS Corporate should examine the current condition of their foundation. There is a flood coming and it could be a rude awakening for us all.

gman042,

I am all for anyone who may want to seek to raise morale in a company.

I think you may be wrong in your thinking.

I think the corporate book and plan is near perfect, but somtimes contains conflicting directives.

I think it is the poor local management and implementation of the corporate plans that cause the chasm between what is planned and what actually happens.

Local management almost always blames corporate for their behavior.

Most of the memos and the policies that I have seen have been outstanding in content and intent.

I can't say that the response and the implementation of these by local management has been anything but poor.

The inability for local management to challenge the often times conflicting directives from upper management is more of a problem than anything.

I do believe that when upper management gives lower management conflicting and unrealistic goals this lowers the morale of low level management.

Sincerely,
[SUP]I[/SUP]

 

[tourists24]

memos and policies always look good on paper.... but always take a back seat to making 50 routes fit into 45 package cars.

 

[GolfCart]

Gman you are the man !!!!!!! I agree !!!! Been at UPS for 23 yrs and the last few just keep getting worse . It SUCKS at my hub !! We have a ' I Hate My Job " Club , I am the president of it . It make a good laugh on a bad day . Every day in brown is a bad day in my hub .

 

[Integrity]

memos and policies always look good on paper.... but always take a back seat to making 50 routes fit into 45 package cars.

tourists24,

Individuals are responsible for what they do.

Individuals should not blame others for their behavior.

If somthing is being done against memos or policy, the whistle should be blown.

Most cowards don't however.

Sincerely,
I

 

[tourists24]

tourists24,

Individuals are responsible for what they do.

Individuals should not blame others for their behavior.

If somthing is being done against memos or policy, the whistle should be blown.

Most cowards don't however.

Sincerely,
I

You are correct in your statement, but the thread is called a dose of reality. Good luck with your whistle blowing

 

[Integrity]

You are correct in your statement, but the thread is called a dose of reality. Good luck with your whistle blowing

tourists24,

Thank You.

Sincerely,
I

 

[Omega man]

That makes sense to me ... you want to catch "slippage" or bad methods at the first opportunity so they easily be corrected.

Much harder to break a bad habit than learn it right from the beginning.

Kudos to your center manager for making this happen at the right time.

The hypocrisy here is that many of the sups and managers at UPS were some of the worst with regards to safety and methods at their hourly jobs. If not now in management, many could never live up to their company's current levels of scrutiny.

 

[Catatonic]

The hypocrisy here is that many of the sups and managers at UPS were some of the worst with regards to safety and methods at their hourly jobs. If not now in management, many could never live up to their company's current levels of scrutiny.

We refer to that as double standards in the UPS Management manual.