Break immediately after your last p1 stop?

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
We were told that we are now required to take a 1 hour break after we deliver our last p1 stop. So if you get your last p1 off at 1015, you have to begin your break after. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this ridiculous new rule.....

First, see if your state has a law mandating a break within a certain time after starting work. If they do, see if this policy conforms. Second, WAD, and do exactly as they ask, because it will almost certainly backfire on them. Consider the scenario where you have P1 until 1015, but are killed with SO and P2. Take your full hour, and then leisurely complete the rest of your route, making sure you have plenty of late SO if at all possible. Also, since you have so much P2 and SO, fall behind on your pickups and request help immediately via the PowerPad so you're covered.

This would appear to be another strategy to cut non-productive time by making you take your lunch at their convenience when they think you do nothing but take Fred's money. As always, these blanket dictates will last until it's proven the "plan" is a failure.
 

whenIgetthere

Well-Known Member
First, see if your state has a law mandating a break within a certain time after starting work. If they do, see if this policy conforms. Second, WAD, and do exactly as they ask, because it will almost certainly backfire on them. Consider the scenario where you have P1 until 1015, but are killed with SO and P2. Take your full hour, and then leisurely complete the rest of your route, making sure you have plenty of late SO if at all possible. Also, since you have so much P2 and SO, fall behind on your pickups and request help immediately via the PowerPad so you're covered.

This would appear to be another strategy to cut non-productive time by making you take your lunch at their convenience when they think you do nothing but take Fred's money. As always, these blanket dictates will last until it's proven the "plan" is a failure.

I think they want to eliminate having to pay couriers to set up their P2. They know some will set their P2 up while on break. Don't do it, wait till your break is over, don't give them free labor.
 

Wally

BrownCafe Innovator & King of Puns
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Cactus

Just telling it like it is
So what's the goal behind this new, ridiculous rule?
Upper management probably isn't sure what the goal is other than to muck with the workforce. It's just another power play thought up by one of Fred's cronies to make them look "important."
 

SmithBarney

Well-Known Member
For a while they didn't want us doing anything but P1 in the P1 cycle, meaning if you were done they "wanted" you to stop and take a break, this only applied to 1030 and 1200 areas.

The primary goal was to clearly assess how much(P1s) a route could realistically do, and it had to do with Staffing, because if you are going out with 18(1200P1s) and you are delivering a total of 40 stops before 1200, they "wanted" to try and get more P1s on you from other areas. And they "wanted" to adjust staffing with staggered starts or strange overlapping PT routes.

Unfortunately we all have "wants" and we don't live in a perfect world where everyday you have the same # of P1s, and trying to plan this was a logistic nightmare, so they gave up.

Although It still rips me up, when I have 50P1's and ask for help from a neighboring route(who drives right through my area) and can't get it even though that route is mixing 50/50 all morning.
 

Fred's Myth

Nonhyphenated American
I think they want to eliminate having to pay couriers to set up their P2. They know some will set their P2 up while on break. Don't do it, wait till your break is over, don't give them free labor.
Your P2 should be set up before you leave the building. If you mean reset, then you're only talking a couple of minutes, anyway. Why would you need to do it on your break?
 

Fred's Myth

Nonhyphenated American
In a perfect world of clear thinking, intelligent upper management, the Managing Director would call the Senior Manager of the above described station on the carpet, and have him yank a knot in whichever ops manager came up with this operational manure. Instead, I expect they're congratulating and patting each other on the back.
 

whenIgetthere

Well-Known Member
Your P2 should be set up before you leave the building. If you mean reset, then you're only talking a couple of minutes, anyway. Why would you need to do it on your break?

My P2 is set up, in fact, every stop in my truck is in stop order before LBT. But I'm talking about the swings who need time to set theirs up. I did it when I first became a swing, take time after P1 to look stops up in unfamiliar areas. Then I realized I was giving them free labor, never did it again. We have one ten hour route in my loop, and she needs someone to put her route in order everyday.
 

Purplepackage

Well-Known Member
Your P2 should be set up before you leave the building. If you mean reset, then you're only talking a couple of minutes, anyway. Why would you need to do it on your break?

i have a shelf for p1 and my p2 is split up in different sections on each shelf, I toss what goes in each section and put 0 thought into how I'm going to run it stop for stop. I've been doing this over 25 years and have never had p2 set up before I leave, most of the time I change how I'll run p1 on a whim
 

outtatime

Well-Known Member
You'd be surprised how many couriers set them up after P1s. More common among newbies but even some veterans still do it.
With DRA there is no reason the whole truck is not in stop order before leaving the building. In fact, whoever is loading the truck should be putting it in order right from the get-go.
 

59 Dano

I just want to make friends!
In a perfect world of clear thinking, intelligent upper management, the Managing Director would call the Senior Manager of the above described station on the carpet, and have him yank a knot in whichever ops manager came up with this operational manure. Instead, I expect they're congratulating and patting each other on the back.

The MD would get involved if it caused enough service/productivity issues (or there is enough Hell that's raised with HR), AND whoever came up with the idea couldn't point to improvements in whatever metrics it's supposed to address.

As to whether or not they'd rip a new anus into the person who came up with the idea, yes. Would they admit to the workgroup that it was a bad idea or that the person was a bonehead or anything of that nature? Hell no, they'll put a crazy spin on it.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
You'd be surprised how many couriers set them up after P1s. More common among newbies but even some veterans still do it.

So, Mr. Manager. Are you going to come-off the fence and just say this is another stupid idea from Memphis, or will you slither away back into your cubicle?
 

!Retired!

Well-Known Member
I think they want to eliminate having to pay couriers to set up their P2. They know some will set their P2 up while on break. Don't do it, wait till your break is over, don't give them free labor.
If you're on DRA, there's nothing to 'set up'.
So, Mr. Manager. Are you going to come-off the fence and just say this is another stupid idea from Memphis, or will you slither away back into your cubicle?
I believe he's just stating a fact. My manager (new to the station, but not new to management) has said he wants to stop people from coming in early to move trucks (which the PM'ers can't seem to follow the lineup sheet properly), do their VIR, etc. Basically, stop people from working off the clock.
 

59 Dano

I just want to make friends!
So, Mr. Manager. Are you going to come-off the fence and just say this is another stupid idea from Memphis, or will you slither away back into your cubicle?

It's happening at one station and you're "DERP DERP DERP, MEMPHIS DERP DERP, CUBICLE, DERP!"
 

McFeely

Huge Member
You'd be surprised how many couriers set them up after P1s. More common among newbies but even some veterans still do it.

I get out of the building quickly and run my P1s, then set up my P2s while on road after my P1s. I don't do it on my break though.
 

!Retired!

Well-Known Member
Not every station is on DRA.
Agreed. My station down south is SRA.
Nor every route in stations with DRA. None of the outer area routes in my station are on DRA.
Agreed. We have 2 loops that are so condensed, DRA will send 3 couriers t the same building. We also have an outer area loop that is SRA because all they have are CR #'s and the crappy mapping program FedEx uses doesn't 'see' them.
I get out of the building quickly and run my P1s, then set up my P2s while on road after my P1s. I don't do it on my break though.
Lucky me. I have no 'setting up' to do. I only need to straighten up my bigger boxes and any packages that fell off the shelf.......on the clock, of course. I also simply look at my map and see that stop 75 is 2 blocks from stop 40, scroll to stop 75 for the address and voila, off we go.
 
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