Part Time Supervisor Questions

rob539

New Member
Greetings, this is my first post here.

I've been a PT sup for about 6 months now and I honestly can say I haven't had one easy day of being a PT sup, of course that's the way I knew it would be. Yes the pay is good off the bat, and the benefits are great and so is the 401k. I took on this position to learn new skills and to put on resumes for future jobs.

Everyday we take a lot of heat from our FT sup about production, PPH etc. (I supervise in the sort aisle) and it's gotten to the point where we sometimes have our jobs threatened by the FT. Somewhere I heard that we cannot be terminated for production but we can be terminated for not doing our administrative duties (DECR, DOKs, Observations etc.). Is this true? Cause I'm getting tired of going home and not having a sense of security about my job.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Observations are the flavor of the month for our preload sups.

No, you cannot be fired for production issues, but you may be fired for not performing your other duties.
 

728ups

All Trash No Trailer
In a Right to Work State you are an At Will employee and can be fired for anything. Being in Management you should get used to not having any Job Security
 

Integrity

Binge Poster
Greetings, this is my first post here.

I've been a PT sup for about 6 months now and I honestly can say I haven't had one easy day of being a PT sup, of course that's the way I knew it would be. Yes the pay is good off the bat, and the benefits are great and so is the 401k. I took on this position to learn new skills and to put on resumes for future jobs.

Everyday we take a lot of heat from our FT sup about production, PPH etc. (I supervise in the sort aisle) and it's gotten to the point where we sometimes have our jobs threatened by the FT. Somewhere I heard that we cannot be terminated for production but we can be terminated for not doing our administrative duties (DECR, DOKs, Observations etc.). Is this true? Cause I'm getting tired of going home and not having a sense of security about my job.
rob539,

Please describe what he/she says when he/she is threatening your job.

Sincerely,
I
 
F

FrigidAdCorrector

Guest
Somewhere I heard that we cannot be terminated for production but we can be terminated for not doing our administrative duties (DECR, DOKs, Observations etc.). Is this true? Cause I'm getting tired of going home and not having a sense of security about my job.
You as management can be fired for production issues. If you can't attain your PPH you have too many people working. Cut people, and then when you're screwed tell your FT "Sorry you wanted the PPH up, so I cut people." He'll change his mind quick.

Administrative duties is the easiest part of the job. DECR's take 30 seconds to do. DOKs take no time at all. Observations are easy. Don't ignore parts of your job for others. Yes the sort takes priority. But if you can't get your DECR's done you need to start showing up earlier and leave later. Observations just sit there and do the tally and write the notes down after. Prior to the employee leaving review it with him/her.

I wouldn't screw around with the DECR's though, I'll just say that. They'll nail you on an audit for not having those done.
 

RolloTony Brown Town

Well-Known Member
Greetings, this is my first post here.

I've been a PT sup for about 6 months now and I honestly can say I haven't had one easy day of being a PT sup, of course that's the way I knew it would be. Yes the pay is good off the bat, and the benefits are great and so is the 401k. I took on this position to learn new skills and to put on resumes for future jobs.

Everyday we take a lot of heat from our FT sup about production, PPH etc. (I supervise in the sort aisle) and it's gotten to the point where we sometimes have our jobs threatened by the FT. Somewhere I heard that we cannot be terminated for production but we can be terminated for not doing our administrative duties (DECR, DOKs, Observations etc.). Is this true? Cause I'm getting tired of going home and not having a sense of security about my job.


I don't know what kind of facility you work in, but I started in a 40k hub. Production in the sort aisle is generally relied solely on the production of the unload. So long as you never have more sorters than unloaders you're starting off on the right foot.

In my experience, the best thing you can do as a sort aisle supervisor is to train your employees. Do they know their exceptions?
Do they understand that missorts hurt themselves as well as the building? Test them regularly and make sure they understand the importance. Work on safety and methods. Do they do their jobs properly? Hand to surface, bending at knees, etc? If you see them working unsafe, fix it immediately and explain the importance. You don't want to see them get hurt. Most people will respond if you're teaching for the right reasons. If You see a missort happen and can get to the package, get it and show them. It only hurts them to missort. If an employee is getting buried in packages, stop the flow of packages, let him get organized. If you're quick enough to divert flow without stopping the unloaded then do it. Sometimes it's a methods problem. Sometimes it's a bad pairing (fast unloader on a slower or newer sorter). When guys do well, encourage them to keep going.

I'm sure you knew some of this, and as you get better you'll be able to keep your internal belt running without ever turning it off. Just like there are mistakes made by your employees, there are mistakes throughout the operation. If internals come in labels down, ask a lead sup or your boss to follow up because it'll only benefit the whole building.

Production isn't easy to achieve at ups. Work on building quality relationships, proper training, and holding people accountable by teaching methods and building knowledge. Production will more or less achieve itself in a sort aisle once you've done all of that. Your boss CAN fire you if they feel you aren't getting it done. Most buildings don't fire sups because they need as much help as possible, but production standards aren't recognized by the union. You're a supervisor and can be held accountable. Paperwork sucks, but it shows your coordinator what you did. If you're unproductive and haven't finished your paperwork then what exactly did you do that day? That's the way you need to look at it.

Good luck rookie. We've all been where you've been. You'll be alright if you care enough.
 

hyena

Well-Known Member
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