ISFriendly
Well-Known Member
No one told me not to post anymore
R
ramsey500
Guest
and I heard today that more layoffs are coming---if there is anyone out there that knows anything please post the truth
InGodITrust
New Member
Who's helping these I.Sers find jobs within a month?
InGodITrust
New Member
Who's helping these I.Sers find jobs within a month; are they given a listing of available jobs?
fastgeorge
Member
Usual TSG work and lies:
Before PMT and Self Service Orders the usual TSG day had been waiting, doing some work like installs, updating something or running and fixing a problem. Minor or major. Now with PMT we do basically the same, but in addition to that we have to fill out PMT to get our reports "green". In order to get our reporting green we have to write one thing and work on the other. In other words: we have to lie or deliver false reports to management. Not as we like it, but this is the only way to survive as TSG.
But the problem is, that management decisions are based on PMT Reports. Decesions that are based on false reports / statistics tend to be catastrophic in the long run. Sorry to say that, but this happens right now.
We as TSG keep things running for the Company. Thus the Company can work and get money in. The reporting does in no way reflect that. If we, based on that PMT reports, are reduced, outsourced or whatever, then the company weakens itself and finally ends up in no income.
Every major company reducing its IT staff had the same experience. UPS does not consult this and runs in the same trap. UPS does not recognize that modern economy runs on oil and IT. Shure we could do it with horses and lots of typists on mechanical type writers and lots of admin clerks. Or we wait until Microsoft, SUN or whoever invents Computers and Software that handles itself and is so easy to understand that every user can fix computer prolems without training and experience. Until then we as TSG are there to fix it. In time and not within 6 days.
I hope UPS management can see that point as soon as possivle. Otherwise I can make lots of money in buying PUTs.
Before PMT and Self Service Orders the usual TSG day had been waiting, doing some work like installs, updating something or running and fixing a problem. Minor or major. Now with PMT we do basically the same, but in addition to that we have to fill out PMT to get our reports "green". In order to get our reporting green we have to write one thing and work on the other. In other words: we have to lie or deliver false reports to management. Not as we like it, but this is the only way to survive as TSG.
But the problem is, that management decisions are based on PMT Reports. Decesions that are based on false reports / statistics tend to be catastrophic in the long run. Sorry to say that, but this happens right now.
We as TSG keep things running for the Company. Thus the Company can work and get money in. The reporting does in no way reflect that. If we, based on that PMT reports, are reduced, outsourced or whatever, then the company weakens itself and finally ends up in no income.
Every major company reducing its IT staff had the same experience. UPS does not consult this and runs in the same trap. UPS does not recognize that modern economy runs on oil and IT. Shure we could do it with horses and lots of typists on mechanical type writers and lots of admin clerks. Or we wait until Microsoft, SUN or whoever invents Computers and Software that handles itself and is so easy to understand that every user can fix computer prolems without training and experience. Until then we as TSG are there to fix it. In time and not within 6 days.
I hope UPS management can see that point as soon as possivle. Otherwise I can make lots of money in buying PUTs.
pretzel_man
Well-Known Member
I think the company understands the importance of IT. UPS spends well over $1B on technology each year. The management commitee meets at least once a month to discuss technology and every project is tracked and reported on.
DIAD, DIALS, Worldship, GSS, Package Flow Technology, Worldport, etc...
These are only a small sample of the technology UPS values.
As far as TSG goes, cost is down a tremendous amount (something like over $25M). As a shareowner, I think that's great. As an internal UPS employee, its a little harder to get service, but not $25M harder.
I think the change was a good thing.
If you are dishonest in your PMT recording, well then either you or your manager is a problem. Falsifying reports is a major offense.
TSG does a fantastic job at UPS. They now do a fantastic job at a lower cost.
P-Man
R
ramsey500
Guest
seems like no one is 'helping them' - it's up to the individual to seek employment via HR-
Who's helping these I.Sers find jobs within a month; are they given a listing of available jobs?
InGodITrust
New Member
So far this seems to be a rumor. From what I understand more people are updating their resumes and preparing to do whatever it takes to secure a position within the company. However, let's wait and see.
A
Anonymous AK
Guest
Anyone that says being dishonest on these BS reports is a "major offense and My Word How can you guys do that" is someone that has never worked in TSG, and actually been forced to use a cumbersome POS product like PMT to justify your dept's existence. The timelines and inputs in PMT for a job like IT support are unrealistic and allow NO room for the sudden work(like crashes) that TSG are there for in the first place. TSG's job is largely reactive(and if you think TSG does not have to drop everything and react and get a server or critical app back up you really don't know what the hell your talking about) You strike me as another of the many "bean counters" this stupid company puts into decision making positions to make decisions on things they have NO practical experience with(ex:driving a route, TSG, loading a truck). Go back to your cubicle and play with your UPS knick knacks.........
pretzel_man
Well-Known Member
I don't know if you didn't fully read my post and the one I responded to, or if you purposefully disregarded the points.
The previous poster said that he lies on PMT reports and that its a big problem. Here is what was said:
"In other words: we have to lie or deliver false reports to management. Not as we like it, but this is the only way to survive as TSG.
But the problem is, that management decisions are based on PMT Reports. Decesions that are based on false reports / statistics tend to be catastrophic in the long run. Sorry to say that, but this happens right now."
So, is the problem that PMT is cumbersome? Are you told to lie?
No, I have not managed TSG. I've managed many different UPS functions including some IT work a number of years ago.
Whether its package drivers, hub employees, preload, IS, or TSG, falsifying reports is wrong.
I know you have a tough job. You're not the only one. TSG is running a much more cost effective operation today. That's a good thing.
P-Man
I left UPS during the TSG downsizing.
My direct supervisor understood that his PMT requirements were unreasonable. He knew his manager's PMT requirements of him were unreasonable.
But, just the same, I lied to my supervisor, who lied to his manager.
Not a one of us is a dishonest person. How can I say this? None of us lie in our daily life outside of UPS PMT. You either lied (falsified) or you suffer discipline and possible termination. There was no option. Is it right?
NO -- hence I left. But, some of my peers were not in a position to leave. Many didn't want to leave but were downsized.
I live in a townhome community. I have a one-car car and a one-car driveway. My garage is filled with boxes, boats, saws, etc. My association passed a rule (enforceable by towing) that no one can park on the street. I and many others pleaded that it wasn't fair. Most families in my neighborhood require two working adults to pay the mortgage and association fees (and all the other expenses of life).
The people who passed the rule didn't care about my ownership of two or more cars. They just didn't car. I now park on the road and chance towing.
It ain't right, but it is what it is. PMT is a lot like my problem at home. I do something that is not supposed to happen because some heartless and unyielding person says that the the law is the law.
I trying to quit this townhome like I quit UPS, but it is a little harder to get out of a house than it is a job.
-- I lied every single day in PMT. The PMT "rules" required it.--
S
Sev 8's Ghost
Guest
Wow, I should learn to proof-read!!!
My point is that UPS sets rules for PMT that are impossible to follow without cheating. When you tell them that it is not possible that say too bad.
When someone looks at you and tells you to do something that is not possible and then tells you "Too Bad", then you lose respect for the person and the policy.
When faced with an option of only failure, then you recreate the rules.
A non-management TSG tech does not have the power to change the system. In my district, dozens of us questioned and protested (maybe all of us), and it fell on deaf ears.
It is hard to imagine that the entire wealth of data from PMT is false and imaginary. The fact, however, is that most of it is just that.
Just like in my example about the townhome, if given only varying negative choices, you can only have a negative outcome.
Is it ego, recalcitrance, or stupidity on the part of upper management? I don't know the answer, but I can tell you that PMT is impossible to use without falsifying the numbers. I am sure there are current TSG folks who can explain further if you think I am crazy.
freeloader
geek
I have to agree regarding the PMT integrity issue. I left UPS a couple years ago and PMT is what TSG management lived by. Prior to PMT, normal logic and reasoning applied. Once PMT came into play, all that normal logic and reasoning went away and everything from that point forward revolved around PMT. As I mentioned in other posts, as a tech you had two choices: fudge your numbers and look good in PMT or enter your actual numbers and look bad in PMT. Management preferred the first option so they could look good on the BSC. If you took a stand and tried the second option, you faced discipline and termination.
Sure, TSG was getting fat and PMT was a way to trim that fat. But also with PMT it was possible for management to micromanage (aka harass) the hell out of any TSG tech they chose. Very easy to abuse if you ask me.
Sure, TSG was getting fat and PMT was a way to trim that fat. But also with PMT it was possible for management to micromanage (aka harass) the hell out of any TSG tech they chose. Very easy to abuse if you ask me.
A
Anonymous Chowder Head
Guest
Hello moderator..Are there problems with the IS section. There are missing newer posts and nothing new for two weeks??
B
BROWN4LIFE15
Guest
glad to see some I.S. folks are still around !
which missing topics are you referring to?
which missing topics are you referring to?
Last edited by a moderator:
beentheredonethat
Well-Known Member
OK, Here's my two cents. I did a stint in TSG when PMT first was being rolled out. Although I am quite literate with technology my goal was never to stay in TSG, rather to take the opportunity to learn about that aspect of UPS. Prior to being in TSG, I had many dealings with TSG, most were very good, by techs who cared. However, often I'd know and see techs that came in and spent a good chunk of their day t/w other techs in the G.O. I used to have a cube across from them, and would constantly hear them talk about all sorts of things but UPS. One day I needed something fixed on my PC, I walked over and asked for some help, they basically told me they were too busy and I'd have to wait etc. (Well before PMT). There were two techs there and there FT supv. I then asked if they wanted to hear a recap of their conversation over the last hour about Microsoft, Bill Gates etc. Needless to say they worked on my request immediately. Long story short, we had way too many people. Technology has improved, Tivoli, remote support etc. I wouldn't like it either if my job got affected like this. But in a technology job, you need to keep working on your skill and improving yourself, or you will fall behind. Keep talking about the good old days if you want, but we won't be going back to them.
Some of the new improvements are just rehashes of old standards -- remote support, for example.
We (TSG) were using remote control software in Novell 3.x to control both servers and DOS workstations in the early to middle 90's. Next, we went to Windows 3.1(1) and used the earliest version of Netop. This was standard stuff for local (district) helpdesks. I remember remoting into DOS workstations in the hub that used TTPC to upload Symbol scanners via serial connections.
Technicians have always been a curious bunch. While they are notorious for not socializing with endusers, they generally get along with each other well. When there is no work, they talk shop.
The problem at UPS is that most everyone is paid to do something productive every minute. In most cases, that productivity has to do with lifting and lowering boxes. It is a hard thing to understand that some employees are paid for their thinking skills, not their brawn. It was probably the hardest thing for me at UPS. There was an expectation that I do something all the time. I'm not lazy, but I had a hard time understanding what it was that I was supposed to do. Busy work in IT is not necessarily a good thing. In fact, it can be counterproductive. You can PMI a device into failure. Any TSG Tech worth their salt has seen the benefit of leaving working equipment in a hub or center alone.
To your point, though, if a tech has no work and and is not responsive to an enduser's request -- this is a problem.
pretzel_man
Well-Known Member
UPS found $40 million of time that TSG techs were spending not doing something productive. Putting controls in reduced TSG costs significantly.
From my perspective, this is a good thing. Many left UPS, but many also found jobs inside UPS that gave them new opportunities.
Downsizing is never easy, but in this case it was necessary.
P-Man
B
Beaten_Down_Daily
Guest
Saving costs are good however thier needs to be a more precise methodology. For instance all buildings are not created equal and the tech manning formula only concerns itself with the amount of tech hours per 100 pcs. For that formula to work, there needs to be other considerations for the other supported equipment. We have people that barely even touch pcs because of all the other supported equipment they are working on. Many of our hubs have 2-4 sorts running upto 24 hours a day. These larger hubs are using the same manning formula as your 9-5 general offices and small centers, which doesnt make sense. This formula is great if your a tech in a General Office, but its horrible if you are in a 24hr a day hub.
PMT is terrible. Why?
1. PMT expects you to be the dispatcher and the driver and you are also responsible for a smooth flow of work. You are sometimes overwhelmed with work and other times you need something to fill the gaps, which you are powerless to do so. So its like blaming a loader for the flow of work even though they have loaded at a consistent rate. Sure you can downsize more so the work is backed up more, but then forget about SLAs. So just blame the tech for the flow of work on the report.
1. UPS Management and large external customers expect immediate responses to what the desk would dispatch as a Sev6 or Sev8. If I plan their problem two days out and make them wait I get trashed on my CSI or potentially anger an external customer. Pick your poison because you are placed in a no win situation.
2. For instance you get a Sev2 or Sev5, say you resolve it but it takes you to the end of your day. You close the log, because you fixed it. However now there is no way to account for the time you have to turn equipment or to wait for it to come back from Louky and then rebuild it and re-inventory it. And no it doesnt always fit into my admin time because a thousand other things have also been crammed into that already (like HDFS and PMT). So how do you account for that time? We need to have a way to create a task for equipment and inventory associated with a closed log. And no it cant always be done within the opened log because you may be waiting for it to come back from repair.
3. Now that we have been downsized I cannot walk from one end of the building to the other without being tech jacked. Sure I can tell the Division Managers to call the desk but that just doesnt happen. They refuse to call and I dont want any problems. How do account for that time? I end up begging people to call the desk for thier problem even though I am right there working on something less important, but at least I had got a log for the lesser item. I then tell them since it came through as a Sev6 they must wait for me to plan it. They hate me, I hate me.
3. PMT is a square peg which is being shoved into a round hole.
PMT is terrible. Why?
1. PMT expects you to be the dispatcher and the driver and you are also responsible for a smooth flow of work. You are sometimes overwhelmed with work and other times you need something to fill the gaps, which you are powerless to do so. So its like blaming a loader for the flow of work even though they have loaded at a consistent rate. Sure you can downsize more so the work is backed up more, but then forget about SLAs. So just blame the tech for the flow of work on the report.
1. UPS Management and large external customers expect immediate responses to what the desk would dispatch as a Sev6 or Sev8. If I plan their problem two days out and make them wait I get trashed on my CSI or potentially anger an external customer. Pick your poison because you are placed in a no win situation.
2. For instance you get a Sev2 or Sev5, say you resolve it but it takes you to the end of your day. You close the log, because you fixed it. However now there is no way to account for the time you have to turn equipment or to wait for it to come back from Louky and then rebuild it and re-inventory it. And no it doesnt always fit into my admin time because a thousand other things have also been crammed into that already (like HDFS and PMT). So how do you account for that time? We need to have a way to create a task for equipment and inventory associated with a closed log. And no it cant always be done within the opened log because you may be waiting for it to come back from repair.
3. Now that we have been downsized I cannot walk from one end of the building to the other without being tech jacked. Sure I can tell the Division Managers to call the desk but that just doesnt happen. They refuse to call and I dont want any problems. How do account for that time? I end up begging people to call the desk for thier problem even though I am right there working on something less important, but at least I had got a log for the lesser item. I then tell them since it came through as a Sev6 they must wait for me to plan it. They hate me, I hate me.
3. PMT is a square peg which is being shoved into a round hole.
Similar threads
