Help/advice for a new employee?

tobias

Member
hello all, got a bit of a long story but i'll try to keep it simple..
im a new employee, just finished my 5th day. interviewed for unload, got the job.

day 1: first day at work i watched 15 minutes of the training video and was moved to the primary by a supe. was told two people no-showed and immediately started unloading, eventually was moved to sort and then finally was brought down on the belt to start loading 2 trucks with the aid of another supe. first day and im doing a job i didnt know i was going to do, no formal training except the hazmat portion of the video. unload was simple, sort was simply divided into three categories but loading... thats an iffy one.

day 2: told im on the belt again, i asked why, they said the person who interviewed me made a mistake and loading was my job. ok. loading the same 2 trucks while a supe loads the two adjacent. asking questions along the way, still no formal training. manager comes by and informs me that i'm not doing things correctly despite the information ive gathered from the supe. try to adapt, change my workflow, survive day 2.

day 3: im moved to a completely different belt with a different supe. this time 3 trucks at once. again my methods are wrong despite what ive gathered from supe 1 and manager. this guy is level-headed but works at a pace i cannot understand. somehow manage to keep up. still no formal training or paperwork.. just things ive picked up/common sense. before i leave i ask what my employee ID is and how to punch in/out and get "we'll figure that out tomorrow".

day 4: same belt with my new supe, same 3 trucks but now i'm also loading a semi that delivers goods to a large sporting goods store. 2 misloads from the day prior (you don't say..). pace picks up but randomly am told to start filling out an intro packet of some sort (name, date of hire, things i enjoy). back to work "we'll get to that again later". still loading 3 trucks and a semi. some belt employees are told to go home and am now working with my supe to finish loading 1 semi and an entire side of the belt. before i go im given a quiz to fill out based off of things ive learned from the video... of which only the hazmat portion i saw. i tell him this, he does the quiz and says the answers while i watch.

day 5: nearly the exact same scenario as day 4 but with the information that i had 4 misloads. still not surprised even though i've been busting my ass, trying my best. i think the supe realized that and tried to help me out a bit more today. same pace which is so fast i barely know where i am half of the time. during a lull i fill out some other quiz.. we'll see how that goes.


thats the jist of it but i've omitted a lot in terms of dialogue between the supes and i. basically i finished my 5th day today for a job i didn't know i was going to do.. without proper training and without, what would seem to me, proper supervision and guidance. this entire experience seems VERY questionable to me and would appreciate any advice. i'd also like to know if this is how new employees in general get 'trained'... :knockedout:

cheers
 

UnconTROLLed

perfection
Welcome to BC and UPS.

This is UPS, you are now on the inside looking out. There is still time to turn around and run as fast as you can. It is nothing sweet.

Whatever you do, be safe and do not let the packages get to you. Let them pile up, fall on the floor, etc. If you run around you will run yourself into the ground and also probably get hurt. Work at a safe pace and be good to yourself.

Good luck and keep us posted :funny:
 

Moneythehardway

Well-Known Member
Welcome to BC and UPS.

This is UPS, you are now on the inside looking out. There is still time to turn around and run as fast as you can. It is nothing sweet.

Whatever you do, be safe and do not let the packages get to you. Let them pile up, fall on the floor, etc. If you run around you will run yourself into the ground and also probably get hurt. Work at a safe pace and be good to yourself.

Good luck and keep us posted :funny:


Amen to that.

Like Sleeve said, don't stress yourself & simply work at the fastest 'Safe' pace that you can and that'll allow you to focus more on low/no misloads. They (management) are aware that it takes a little time to figure everything out but they'll push you anyway.

Which brings us back to the beginning. Work safe and everything else will fall into place.
 

tieguy

Banned
hello all, got a bit of a long story but i'll try to keep it simple..
im a new employee, just finished my 5th day. interviewed for unload, got the job.

day 1: first day at work i watched 15 minutes of the training video and was moved to the primary by a supe. was told two people no-showed and immediately started unloading, eventually was moved to sort and then finally was brought down on the belt to start loading 2 trucks with the aid of another supe. first day and im doing a job i didnt know i was going to do, no formal training except the hazmat portion of the video. unload was simple, sort was simply divided into three categories but loading... thats an iffy one.

day 2: told im on the belt again, i asked why, they said the person who interviewed me made a mistake and loading was my job. ok. loading the same 2 trucks while a supe loads the two adjacent. asking questions along the way, still no formal training. manager comes by and informs me that i'm not doing things correctly despite the information ive gathered from the supe. try to adapt, change my workflow, survive day 2.

day 3: im moved to a completely different belt with a different supe. this time 3 trucks at once. again my methods are wrong despite what ive gathered from supe 1 and manager. this guy is level-headed but works at a pace i cannot understand. somehow manage to keep up. still no formal training or paperwork.. just things ive picked up/common sense. before i leave i ask what my employee ID is and how to punch in/out and get "we'll figure that out tomorrow".

day 4: same belt with my new supe, same 3 trucks but now i'm also loading a semi that delivers goods to a large sporting goods store. 2 misloads from the day prior (you don't say..). pace picks up but randomly am told to start filling out an intro packet of some sort (name, date of hire, things i enjoy). back to work "we'll get to that again later". still loading 3 trucks and a semi. some belt employees are told to go home and am now working with my supe to finish loading 1 semi and an entire side of the belt. before i go im given a quiz to fill out based off of things ive learned from the video... of which only the hazmat portion i saw. i tell him this, he does the quiz and says the answers while i watch.

day 5: nearly the exact same scenario as day 4 but with the information that i had 4 misloads. still not surprised even though i've been busting my ass, trying my best. i think the supe realized that and tried to help me out a bit more today. same pace which is so fast i barely know where i am half of the time. during a lull i fill out some other quiz.. we'll see how that goes.


thats the jist of it but i've omitted a lot in terms of dialogue between the supes and i. basically i finished my 5th day today for a job i didn't know i was going to do.. without proper training and without, what would seem to me, proper supervision and guidance. this entire experience seems VERY questionable to me and would appreciate any advice. i'd also like to know if this is how new employees in general get 'trained'... :knockedout:

cheers

Lets face it you're not being trained to perform brain surgery here.

No you should recieve more training though you would have found yourself in the same two trailers. Your example highlights why that operation is short handed and your sup is loading packages rather then training you.

Your story is one that many of us here have to tell and laugh about in the later years. If you have that something special that UPSers have then you'll adapt and be fine. If not then thanks for playing.
 

tobias

Member
Lets face it you're not being trained to perform brain surgery here.

No you should recieve more training though you would have found yourself in the same two trailers. Your example highlights why that operation is short handed and your sup is loading packages rather then training you.

Your story is one that many of us here have to tell and laugh about in the later years. If you have that something special that UPSers have then you'll adapt and be fine. If not then thanks for playing.

thanks for your reply, i'm committed to see all of this through. was more or less curious if any or many of you have gone through such introductions when starting with the company.
 

UnconTROLLed

perfection
Lets face it you're not being trained to perform brain surgery here.

No you should recieve more training though you would have found yourself in the same two trailers. Your example highlights why that operation is short handed and your sup is loading packages rather then training you.

Your story is one that many of us here have to tell and laugh about in the later years. If you have that something special that UPSers have then you'll adapt and be fine. If not then thanks for playing.

If you are saying that the operation is poorly run/managed and THAT is why they are short handed (turnover), then that makes sense.

But a contradiction there is that "volume is down" and "we must lay off as many as possible" and etc. So technically staffing should be at an all-time high if anything, at least in theory.
 

things2auction

Well-Known Member
Just roll with it is the best advice I can give you.

I went through similar training when I first started. The first two weeks I worked almost every position in the building.

The pace is hard to get use to, but just continue working safely and you will find your groove.

Welcome to UPS :)
 

NHDRVR

Well-Known Member
1st - Welcome

2nd - Don't get hurt

3rd - (laughing) I wish I could say I am surprised but each center is a sort of free-for-all when it come to how they use the help. Trucks need to be unloaded and product needs to be moved. You are now a small cog in the system and getting a paycheck and pretty damn good benefits so choose and choose wisely. If you are willing to go along for the ride just bite the bullet and move the cardboard. If not? Start airing your grievances and fight the good fight. You will quickly see the inner-workings of UPS if you do. (won't go into detail)

4th - don't get hurt

5th - economy sucks so how bad do you need the job

6th - Don't......
 

hondo

promoted to mediocrity
1st - Welcome

2nd - Don't get hurt

3rd - (laughing) I wish I could say I am surprised but each center is a sort of free-for-all when it come to how they use the help. Trucks need to be unloaded and product needs to be moved. You are now a small cog in the system and getting a paycheck and [-]pretty damn good[/-] NO benefits or paid holidays for 1 year so choose and choose wisely. If you are willing to go along for the ride just bite the bullet and move the cardboard. If not? Start airing your grievances and fight the good fight. You will quickly see the inner-workings of UPS if you do. (won't go into detail)

4th - don't get hurt

5th - economy sucks so how bad do you need the job

6th - Don't......
Fixed it for you
 

jennie

Well-Known Member
hello all, got a bit of a long story but i'll try to keep it simple..
im a new employee, just finished my 5th day. interviewed for unload, got the job.

day 1: first day at work i watched 15 minutes of the training video and was moved to the primary by a supe. was told two people no-showed and immediately started unloading, eventually was moved to sort and then finally was brought down on the belt to start loading 2 trucks with the aid of another supe. first day and im doing a job i didnt know i was going to do, no formal training except the hazmat portion of the video. unload was simple, sort was simply divided into three categories but loading... thats an iffy one.

day 2: told im on the belt again, i asked why, they said the person who interviewed me made a mistake and loading was my job. ok. loading the same 2 trucks while a supe loads the two adjacent. asking questions along the way, still no formal training. manager comes by and informs me that i'm not doing things correctly despite the information ive gathered from the supe. try to adapt, change my workflow, survive day 2.

day 3: im moved to a completely different belt with a different supe. this time 3 trucks at once. again my methods are wrong despite what ive gathered from supe 1 and manager. this guy is level-headed but works at a pace i cannot understand. somehow manage to keep up. still no formal training or paperwork.. just things ive picked up/common sense. before i leave i ask what my employee ID is and how to punch in/out and get "we'll figure that out tomorrow".

day 4: same belt with my new supe, same 3 trucks but now i'm also loading a semi that delivers goods to a large sporting goods store. 2 misloads from the day prior (you don't say..). pace picks up but randomly am told to start filling out an intro packet of some sort (name, date of hire, things i enjoy). back to work "we'll get to that again later". still loading 3 trucks and a semi. some belt employees are told to go home and am now working with my supe to finish loading 1 semi and an entire side of the belt. before i go im given a quiz to fill out based off of things ive learned from the video... of which only the hazmat portion i saw. i tell him this, he does the quiz and says the answers while i watch.

day 5: nearly the exact same scenario as day 4 but with the information that i had 4 misloads. still not surprised even though i've been busting my ass, trying my best. i think the supe realized that and tried to help me out a bit more today. same pace which is so fast i barely know where i am half of the time. during a lull i fill out some other quiz.. we'll see how that goes.


thats the jist of it but i've omitted a lot in terms of dialogue between the supes and i. basically i finished my 5th day today for a job i didn't know i was going to do.. without proper training and without, what would seem to me, proper supervision and guidance. this entire experience seems VERY questionable to me and would appreciate any advice. i'd also like to know if this is how new employees in general get 'trained'... :knockedout:

cheers

Thats normal for UPS, as I found out. Work inside to and did the same thing when I started. I look at it as the positive, you get to know more people there and learn different jobs. Hang in there, I call this the TEST, don't let it break ya:peaceful:

P.S. I never was formally trained at anything, you just do it.
 

Notcool

Well-Known Member
Read! If you want to keep the job. Misloads will get you out the door. Welcome to UPS and your right it is about surviving as long as possible to get a route LOL Don't worry about speed that will come. As long as you are building good walls and no misloads they cannot say anything to you. Let me rephrase that, They will threaten you but theres nothing behind the threats. I have yet to see any new employess ever get any real trainning. I never did.
 

tieguy

Banned
If you are saying that the operation is poorly run/managed and THAT is why they are short handed (turnover), then that makes sense.

But a contradiction there is that "volume is down" and "we must lay off as many as possible" and etc. So technically staffing should be at an all-time high if anything, at least in theory.
I make the assumption the operation is short handed when tobias said his supervisor was loading the two trailers next to him.
 

Re-Raise

Well-Known Member
At least with PAS/Ed you don't have to read charts or keep stop counts.

You will find at UPS there is always some fire management has to deal with that is more important than training you. When I was a cover driver they always had some reason thay couldn't ride with you on a new route.

I just got to the point I asked other drivers how to run it. I might be running my bid route completely backwards because I was never TRAINED on it.

This place will break you if you are weak.
 

Dustyroads

Well-Known Member
The first week at UPS in any part of the operation seems insane to a newcomer. Don't expect a lot more training. Basically, there are 8 sections on the shelves, overflow, oversize, overweight and haz mats go on the floor, and there are special bulk stops with floor designations.

Remember that you need to look at that first number and letter on the PAL label to make sure you get in the right car. Another poster said, you need to not have misloads, that is true. Slow down a little if that is what is needed to be accurate, and your speed will come with familarity.

Finally, remember, if you were able to jump in there the first week and load four trucks without any mistakes, they would want to give you five trucks next week.

It will all get easier, you will get use to the chaos.

Finally, if you desire to become a driver, start volunteering to drive saturday air, morning air, anything that they need, as soon as they will let you. Keep your driving record CLEAN. Never drink and drive. Always work safe, if you aren't careful all of the time, you will get hurt, it's a dangerous place to work.

Good luck, and welcome to the ups family.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Toby

Again, welcome to both brown cafe and to UPS. At both, you will get a lot of information and satisfaction. And at both, you will get out of it what you put into it.

The best advice is to work safe first and always.

same pace which is so fast i barely know where i am half of the time.

That is the pace at UPS, full steam. You will get used to it, and adapt. ITs not to bad once you get a handle on your job, but right now its overwhelming and intimidating. Everybody has gone through that.

Keep your willing attitude and you will get the training and knowledge you need

d
 

tobias

Member
thanks for the replies, guys. the more i think about it my hub is very very shorthanded. i haven't seen one supervisor actually supervise... all of them are loading constantly. i guess its been a good way to train so far but my supervisor expects me to go much faster than i can right now. after having trouble with some misloads i told him i'd need to slow down a bit, to which he said 'can't today.. too many packages'. i'm a right-brained person so i asked to have my 3 cars be switched to color names on the label which made today much, much more manageable. if i could have the stops turned into values of a color gradient i might just be unstoppable :wink2:

thanks again
 

Dustyroads

Well-Known Member
Some of our new preloaders find it helpful to write the car number and sequence number on the side of the package as they are placing it on the shelf, copying it off of the pal label. They have found that when it's beside another package that has a different car number on it, it sets off that little alarm. It takes a little more time, but in the case of my new loader, it has reduced the wrong car misloads.
 

Ms Spoken

Well-Known Member
At least with PAS/Ed you don't have to read charts or keep stop counts.

You will find at UPS there is always some fire management has to deal with that is more important than training you. When I was a cover driver they always had some reason thay couldn't ride with you on a new route.

I just got to the point I asked other drivers how to run it. I might be running my bid route completely backwards because I was never TRAINED on it.

This place will break you if you are weak.

Oh how I miss those slash stop count sheets. Every Friday I would offer my loader a dollar for every slash so UPS wouldn't add anymore work to my truck. It was a win/win situation for both of us.
 
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