Federal Express - The Way it Was...

[l22]

As a recent employee, I have heard from so many veteran couriers, CSAs, and even a few ops managers that things have gone downhill. As someone who is new to the company, when was the heyday of working for Express and when did it go downhill? What changed? Thanks....

 

[l22]

I suppose I should say I'm a newer courier - about 3 years. When did all of this micromanagement begin?

 

[Cactus]

When I started in the early 90's the rot had already started. Federal Express used to be a great place to work, a place where employees were an asset and the customers were well taken care of.

But somehow that all gradually changed

The company became corporate and infiltrated with BS once FedEx went public led buy people with an insatiable hunger for money and of course in doing so, the employees were given the short end of the stick and the customer got way less bang for the buck. Today the former Federal Express is a shadow of its former self since the only purpose left is to please Wall Street and push the stock price up.

My advice is get out and the sooner the better. Ain't no future here.

 

[l22]

I have been through 3 GFT processes - all of which I took to the 3rd level and lost every one of them lol. I will not go into them for fear of management reading this. However, being a good writer, I feel my case was made clear in the statements I provided during each step. Speaking to the coworkers at my stations, they would say 'this wouldn't happen in the old days" when speaking with them about the discipline I received from management and cowards further up in the company who don't cut frontline employees a break anymore. It just seems like morale is at an incredible low at Express and there is a sense of 'same nightmare, different day' haha. I enjoy being a courier but am concerned about potential discipline management is capable of giving when it comes to stops per hour and gap reports.

 

[Cactus]

Well they can stick those SPH and gap reports where the sun don't shine. If they get on your case about this stuff, tell your manager that you want him (or her) to do your route tomorrow and you'll ride with to see how it's supposedly done and watch them weasel out of it once you have them backed into a corner.

As far as GFT's go, the only way your going to win one these days is if the legal department sees a potential lawsuit if you are disciplined or lose your job. Other than that, forget it.

Consult an attorney if you need to.

 

[TUT]

When I started in the early 90's the rot had already started. Federal Express used to be a great place to work, a place where employees were an asset and the customers were well taken care of.

So it started over 25 years ago? Might as well just say it started once they asked someone to pick up heavy boxes and move them. But yeah, the entire landscape has changed for the worker once the stock market took over. Then it changed again for your Express network when email hammered overnight letters, the easy stuff. And finally once again when the market crashed and advanced logistics and price made ground delivery a bigger reality than ever for most shippers.

One will argue these owners just want too much money (true) but then again most start companies to strike it rich and feel it is theirs to have, the point of it all. Good news working for Fedex and most companies isn't a mandate.

It was always better back in the day, however I do feel good in the morning when the warm water comes out of the shower and the fecal matter flushes down the toilet in 70 degree weather. Not too shabby. I remember back in the day those two givens were a pain.

 

[Cactus]

So it started over 25 years ago? Might as well just say it started once they asked someone to pick up heavy boxes and move them. But yeah, the entire landscape has changed for the worker once the stock market took over. Then it changed again for your Express network when email hammered overnight letters, the easy stuff. And finally once again when the market crashed and advanced logistics and price made ground delivery a bigger reality than ever for most shippers.

One will argue these owners just want too much money (true) but then again most start companies to strike it rich and feel it is theirs to have, the point of it all. Good news working for Fedex and most companies isn't a mandate.

It was always better back in the day, however I do feel good in the morning when the warm water comes out of the shower and the fecal matter flushes down the toilet in 70 degree weather. Not too shabby. I remember back in the day those two givens were a pain.

First of all I never noticed a decrease in overnight letters/FedEx paks. In fact there's more than there ever used to be. One would be surprised how much junk mail is shipped through the system just to get it out of some shippers sight or to clear their books before the end of the month.

I'm really glad your shower water is warm and your crapper flushes but if your satisfied with just these essentials well then son your have your sights set a bit too low.

FedEx (when it was called Federal Express) made all sorts of promises to the employees back in the day that if we worked hard and stuck it out we would be nicely rewarded at the end. Well guess what? That was all a pack of lies and Fred thinks were too stupid not to remember these sad promises. Is there any doubt why we're more than a bit resentful? Smith gave himself a 12% raise last year and we got 2%. I guess billionaires need more money and the rest of us can learn the art of starving comfortably.

 

[TUT]

Get it. I was just unaware the decline it has been going on for so long, over 25 years. There shouldn't be too many around for the original promises and won't be any not to far into the future. I know it sucks and all, but that is our world today with the penny pinching.

My first job, plant managers routine, create new policies, fairly unpopular, didn't care, would turn over most of the work force in 180 days, the new guys none the wiser.

Always turning the screws.

 

[Cactus]

Get it. I was just unaware the decline it has been going on for so long, over 25 years. There shouldn't be too many around for the original promises and won't be any not to far into the future. I know it sucks and all, but that is our world today with the penny pinching.

My first job, plant managers routine, create new policies, fairly unpopular, didn't care, would turn over most of the work force in 180 days, the new guys none the wiser.

Always turning the screws.

You mention penny pinching and then have a revolving workforce that has a senior staff that has 6 months experience? Firing, hiring, training new help and break-in time for newbies is rather expensive you'll come to find out. Sounds like your company is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

 

[TUT]

You mention penny pinching and then have a revolving workforce that has a senior staff that has 6 months experience? Firing, hiring, training new help and break-in time for newbies is rather expensive you'll come to find out. Sounds like your company is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

That was 20+ years ago, my first job. But in their case they could retrain new hires rather easily, jobs weren't overly difficult for the main workforce, perhaps Fedex is thinking down the same lines there as well, I don't know. I'm sure the accountants ran the numbers. I do get what your point is "penny smart, pound foolish", that happens all over the place, I'm sure there was some of that going on there to.

 

[l22]

Well they can stick those SPH and gap reports where the sun don't shine. If they get on your case about this stuff, tell your manager that you want him (or her) to do your route tomorrow and you'll ride with to see how it's supposedly done and watch them weasel out of it once you have them backed into a corner.

As far as GFT's go, the only way your going to win one these days is if the legal department sees a potential lawsuit if you are disciplined or lose your job. Other than that, forget it.

Consult an attorney if you need to.

Haha they can stick a lot things where the sun don't shine... My manager went on a checkride with me a few months ago and I asked him if there is anything I can be doing better and he said no. However, this month my manager has been emphasizing stops per hour during group meetings and providing me with gap reports that show my on road performance. When I sat down with him and he pointed to a large gap in the report I then explained to him why there was a large gap and he just said oh alright. Is it a good idea to write notes on the timecards we submit explaining why there may be certain gaps?

 

[Operational needs]

Haha they can stick a lot things where the sun don't shine... My manager went on a checkride with me a few months ago and I asked him if there is anything I can be doing better and he said no. However, this month my manager has been emphasizing stops per hour during group meetings and providing me with gap reports that show my on road performance. When I sat down with him and he pointed to a large gap in the report I then explained to him why there was a large gap and he just said oh alright. Is it a good idea to write notes on the timecards we submit explaining why there may be certain gaps?

Just keep a notebook. That should suffice.

 

[Cactus]

I suppose one those large gaps will bring this company to its knees.

You suck Memphis.

 

[CJinx]

I suppose one those large gaps will bring this company to its knees.

Unexplainable gaps mean wasted time and money.

We had an ISP that installed GPS monitoring hardware on his fleet. His employees, now realizing they are being monitored in real time, vastly increased their productivity and now haggle over work and OT. He is now very happy that his payroll is no longer out of control.

If scrutiny on the part of a small business owner can save him hundreds or even thousands, the same scrutiny applied on a much grander scale would save millions.

 

[MrFedEx]

Unexplainable gaps mean wasted time and money.

We had an ISP that installed GPS monitoring hardware on his fleet. His employees, now realizing they are being monitored in real time, vastly increased their productivity and now haggle over work and OT. He is now very happy that his payroll is no longer out of control.

If scrutiny on the part of a small business owner can save him hundreds or even thousands, the same scrutiny applied on a much grander scale would save millions.

Ah, yes. Justification for extreme micromanagement. Except there's one little problem. IT DOESN'T WORK!!

You are a TOOL.

 

[CJinx]

IT DOESN'T WORK!!

Funny you say that because I provided an example that it does. You catch people screwing off while on the company dime and you save money. Not a difficult concept.

 

[MrFedEx]

Funny you say that because I provided an example that it does. You catch people screwing off while on the company dime and you save money. Not a difficult concept.

Does it say C-R-A-friend-T-S-M-A-N across your ass. Or Snap-On?

 

[CJinx]

Does it say C-R-A-friend-T-S-M-A-N across your ass. Or Snap-On?

Do you have anything worthwhile to add or are you going to continue to toss around insults because you can't justify stealing company time?

 

[MrFedEx]

Do you have anything worthwhile to add or are you going to continue to toss around insults because you can't justify stealing company time?

Nobody is stealing from Fred. more like the other way around. Instead of sounding like an idiot, research Taylorism, and then get back to me so you can discover why it works at UPS and will never work at FedEx. And you're a total tool.

 

[BigTex61]

Part of Taylorism is fair pay for a good days work. That's were UPS kicks our tail. FedEx wants UPS productivity while taking away. That can't last forever.