Here's a thread for you managers.

ups1990

Well-Known Member
We drivers constantly complain about a number of topics but never talk about the good supervisors.

Just a few years back we had a young center manager who really never drove but was respected by a majority of drivers. Men gravitated to him(not that way) he was charismatic, fair and tough. He was almost like a football coach in our center. Our PCM's were inspiring and uplifting and sometimes they were down right intimidating to the point where you had that extra giddy up that day. We sometimes need a person to motivate us even thou we're all men and women being paid as professionals.
 
Easier said than done. Managers have the life sucked out of them almost as soon as they are hired. You can watch the new ones bright eyed and bushy tailed turn surly within weeks. They are puppets on a string held to unreasonable expectations. They are held accountable for others mistakes above them and have to implement action plans to correct the issues when they did not cause and have no power to correct. You are union, have a guaranteed contract with annual raises. These guys did not get raises for 2 almost 3 years. You need to pump them up as they have no recourse and would probably join a union themselves if the option existed. Unless they make it to the ivory tower their work life is not fulfilling and stressful beyond comprehension. Put the shoe not the other foot and offer up your praise and perhaps together you can lament and hope for better things together.
 

DS

Fenderbender
21 years ago ,3 months after I gained seniority my mom died.
My 2 on car sups at the time showed up at the funeral,and ups sent flowers.
I was impressed .
Cutbacks.The shareholders get our turkeys now.
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
Easier said than done. Managers have the life sucked out of them almost as soon as they are hired. You can watch the new ones bright eyed and bushy tailed turn surly within weeks. They are puppets on a string held to unreasonable expectations. They are held accountable for others mistakes above them and have to implement action plans to correct the issues when they did not cause and have no power to correct. You are union, have a guaranteed contract with annual raises. These guys did not get raises for 2 almost 3 years. You need to pump them up as they have no recourse and would probably join a union themselves if the option existed. Unless they make it to the ivory tower their work life is not fulfilling and stressful beyond comprehension. Put the shoe not the other foot and offer up your praise and perhaps together you can lament and hope for better things together.

More likely the mistakes of the people who report to them.


Rest of it seems about right.
 

Coldworld

60 months and counting
We drivers constantly complain about a number of topics but never talk about the good supervisors.

Just a few years back we had a young center manager who really never drove but was respected by a majority of drivers. Men gravitated to him(not that way) he was charismatic, fair and tough. He was almost like a football coach in our center. Our PCM's were inspiring and uplifting and sometimes they were down right intimidating to the point where you had that extra giddy up that day. We sometimes need a person to motivate us even thou we're all men and women being paid as professionals.

If they treated us like professionals you would find that the us vs. Them mentality would be greatly decreased. They treat us like a piece of machinery...if it breaks throw it out and get another. No offence but this post has you drinking the coolaid
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
If they treated us like professionals you would find that the us vs. Them mentality would be greatly decreased. They treat us like a piece of machinery...if it breaks throw it out and get another. No offence but this post has you drinking the coolaid

You are such a cog!
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives

Catatonic

Nine Lives
Just out of curiosity, do you ever see the ceo and coo?
No, I am not in the Corporate office ... I am about 12 miles north.
I do not like the feel of the Corporate office and stay out of their as best I can.
I worked there for 8 years and saw the CEO and COO quite often ... they are both retired now.
I worked with Eskew on a few projects so I would stop very occasionally and say hello.
Winestock was my last Division Manager while I was in Operations so he and I would talk often. He has a very sarcastic sense of humor.
 

sosocal

Well-Known Member
Hoax- you said you spent time in Corporate and have an operations stint as well...Maybe you can answer the question I have often wondered...Do THEY REALLY know what it is like out here in the trenches?...
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
Hoax- you said you spent time in Corporate and have an operations stint as well...Maybe you can answer the question I have often wondered...Do THEY REALLY know what it is like out here in the trenches?...

No, not really.
They have selective memories and consequently an idealized perception of life in the trenches. It's still a partnership to them.
 

Inthegame

Well-Known Member
No, I am not in the Corporate office ... I am about 12 miles north.
I do not like the feel of the Corporate office and stay out of their as best I can.
I worked there for 8 years and saw the CEO and COO quite often ... they are both retired now.
I worked with Eskew on a few projects so I would stop very occasionally and say hello.
Winestock was my last Division Manager while I was in Operations so he and I would talk often. He has a very sarcastic sense of humor.
Hoak, Seeing Eskews name brought back a memory of a fun time in my career. I had a center manager that was extremely paranoid, therefore the target of many pranks. One day I wrote my name in the next box of a house mail envelope, crossed it off, wrote "Mike Eskews" name, crossed it off and wrote my name again. This made it look like I had this personal correspondance with Mr Big. I left some old scrap meaningless report inside, sealed the envelope and left it on the center manager's desk. He talked very differently to me after that. You gotta have a little fun.

Quick question...Did you ever get a chance to meet Jim Casey? He stopped by our center in '75 or'76 and I got the chance to shake the man's hand. Wonder what he'd think of his company today?
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
Quick question...Did you ever get a chance to meet Jim Casey? He stopped by our center in '75 or'76 and I got the chance to shake the man's hand. Wonder what he'd think of his company today?

I met him on the same tour he was making I guess. I was a P/T sup and got to meet him and shake his hand and introduced myself. I ran across him an hour or two later and he remembered my name. Since then, I have learned remembering names like this was something he took pride in.
 
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