Part time supervisor

[ibleedbrown]

You are not following the methods. I've sorted hundreds of unloaders, and have never seen an unloader beat sorters constistently while following methods.

Your lack of concern for safety (using unload stands, for one) or customers (through package handling), again, makes you a perfect candidate.

so true! i can take on any unloader that puts labels up, doesn't stack and uses hand to surface methods. lately they have me sorting our best unloader heads up w over 70 irregs and he still cant shut me off. it's a two edged sword for our management team because i will keep him on and then the outbounds get buried and i will have to stack up a great wall of china in the sort aisle, then we have an egress issue and the unloader has to shut it off. i always tell my sups, be careful what you wish for. i sort by the methods, lifting and lowering, hand to surface etc etc.

 

[Nicholas21]

At my center, if you can not do your job, they make you a supervisor. Kinda like, if you can't play referee. Sounds like your center is the same.

i would believe that if other positions weren't also offered to me.

 

[Nicholas21]

You are not following the methods. I've sorted hundreds of unloaders, and have never seen an unloader beat sorters constistently while following methods.

Your lack of concern for safety (using unload stands, for one) or customers (through package handling), again, makes you a perfect candidate.

Wow.. You know exactly how I unload because you're in the trucks with me.

First off, If everyone unloaded using all the methods..get close to the object, feet shoulder width apart, bend at the knees..etc etc for every single package, we'd be there all night & miss me with the load stand crap.

Second, I've seen plenty of unloaders "beat" sorters & that could be for many reasons.

Third, me saying, "I take my job seriously"..includes me doing my job the way it is suppose to be done.

 

[wilberforce15]

Wow.. You know exactly how I unload because you're in the trucks with me.

First off, If everyone unloaded using all the methods..get close to the object, feet shoulder width apart, bend at the knees..etc etc for every single package, we'd be there all night & miss me with the load stand crap.

Second, I've seen plenty of unloaders "beat" sorters & that could be for many reasons.

Third, me saying, "I take my job seriously"..includes me doing my job the way it is suppose to be done.

Thank you for confirming for everyone that I was right.

 

[Dudeman]

If you're doing your job correctly you shouldn't be causing the sort any havoc. Working at a normal pace is actually more efficient. Firstly, your sorter won't have to cut you off so many times. Secondly, you'll be producing much less damaged packages. Thirdly you won't be jamming the system up so much (the jams that you're having plus the jams you're causing by forcing your sorter to throw packages to keep up and packages falling on the floor and jamming up smalls, which in turn causes all the production to stop in that area). Forth you would cause less injury(to yourself and the sorters that have to deal with the packages falling on them, tripping them or coming out with no space in between and pinning them between the belts and crushing them). After you've been here a while you will start to realize these things more and more. You will stop caring about your supervisors sucking you off because you're going so fast. You're still in the brainwashed phase currently, which is what they love because they can feed you right into the brainwashed supervisor phase where all you care about is numbers and think going faster is somehow going to achieve that goal for you, not thinking about the machine as a whole. Fifth, you might actually make some friends on the sort!, people that might actually WANT to sort you! Yes, there are lazy sorters, there are lazy people anywhere, but there are also very good sorters, and the very good sorters don't want some brainwashed idiot that goes fast with no regard, they want a normal speed efficient person that keeps his labels up, pulls is bulk and retapes, and (understand what paces to go on what trucks they are unloading to keep the sort efficient. Stops when he's asked and does not stack the belt, and always tells his sorter where he is going, are also top qualities. I've told management many times that things would run smoother if sorters and unloaders could both do each others jobs. Any sorter can unload...**** any idiot off the street can unload a truck... but if you knew the absolute hell you put us through but not doing it the correct way...and if management even cared one bit.../done ranting

As people have said here, the best reason to go supervisor is if you're not looking into staying at this job forever. Be prepared and have a thick skin and you might be good at it. Who knows.

 

[Nicholas21]

Thank you for confirming for everyone that I was right.

let me clarify that for you...it was sarcasm.

 

[Nicholas21]

If you're doing your job correctly you shouldn't be causing the sort any havoc. Working at a normal pace is actually more efficient. Firstly, your sorter won't have to cut you off so many times. Secondly, you'll be producing much less damaged packages. Thirdly you won't be jamming the system up so much (the jams that you're having plus the jams you're causing by forcing your sorter to throw packages to keep up and packages falling on the floor and jamming up smalls, which in turn causes all the production to stop in that area). Forth you would cause less injury(to yourself and the sorters that have to deal with the packages falling on them, tripping them or coming out with no space in between and pinning them between the belts and crushing them). After you've been here a while you will start to realize these things more and more. You will stop caring about your supervisors sucking you off because you're going so fast. You're still in the brainwashed phase currently, which is what they love because they can feed you right into the brainwashed supervisor phase where all you care about is numbers and think going faster is somehow going to achieve that goal for you, not thinking about the machine as a whole. Fifth, you might actually make some friends on the sort!, people that might actually WANT to sort you! Yes, there are lazy sorters, there are lazy people anywhere, but there are also very good sorters, and the very good sorters don't want some brainwashed idiot that goes fast with no regard, they want a normal speed efficient person that keeps his labels up, pulls is bulk and retapes, and (understand what paces to go on what trucks they are unloading to keep the sort efficient. Stops when he's asked and does not stack the belt, and always tells his sorter where he is going, are also top qualities. I've told management many times that things would run smoother if sorters and unloaders could both do each others jobs. Any sorter can unload...**** any idiot off the street can unload a truck... but if you knew the absolute hell you put us through but not doing it the correct way...and if management even cared one bit.../done ranting

As people have said here, the best reason to go supervisor is if you're not looking into staying at this job forever. Be prepared and have a thick skin and you might be good at it. Who knows.

When I first started working there, during training..I went a normal pace and was told they were going to fire me if I didnt pick up my flow. Its funny because the sorting supervisor trained me & he said he didn't want to see any belt. Now, I give them what they want and everything is all good until the FT sup comes around and yells at them. Now its chill out. I understand the sorters may feel some type of way about this post but working the way you want us to work, puts our jib in jeopardy.

 

[jibbs]

Firstly, your sorter won't have to cut you off so many times. Secondly, you'll be producing much less damaged packages. Thirdly you won't be jamming the system up so much (the jams that you're having plus the jams you're causing by forcing your sorter to throw packages to keep up and packages falling on the floor and jamming up smalls, which in turn causes all the production to stop in that area)

I thought all this was standard operating procedure at UPS? Happens every day at my center, man. The trucks on my belt start maybe 20 feet from the sort aisle so I have a birdseye view all day. Sometimes my voice grows hoarse yelling "JAM ON YELLOW" because they're working so fast they don't place the bigger, more irregular packages on the belt in a way to ensure smooth flow.

Truthfully? I thought they were just stupid or didn't give a friend*, but after reading through this thread I'm thinking it might be a problem of unloaders actively trying to work faster than the sorters. Hmm. Food for thought, I guess.



I worked the sort aisle once. I felt like I kept up with the regular guys there, but after about 3 hours I found myself unable to lift anything heavier than 50lbs onto the overhead Blue and White belts. I was trying, I just lost all muscle endurance. My arms were jelly, man. So I've always respected the physicality of an unloader and sorter's job, but I truthfully haven't considered them the brightest of the bunch on the preload. I'm happy that this thread has me reevaluating that opinion.

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

First off, If everyone unloaded using all the methods..get close to the object, feet shoulder width apart, bend at the knees..etc etc for every single package, we'd be there all night

In other words if everyone followed the methods everyone would make more money. You don't get paid per box bro.

You sound like you'd fit right in as a part time sup, go for it.

 

[TooTechie]

Okay, so here is the deal. Working as fast as you can is NOT doing your job to the best of your ability. To be a good unloader you need to understand the big picture and fully understand your part of the operation. Blowing out the sort aisle, while it may make your part time sup happy is actually a bad thing. It causes either the primary belt or the belts to the outbounds/small sort to shut down because they are overloaded. It causes packages to fall on the floor in the sort aisle creating a safety issue, damaging the packages and possibly injuring sorters. Working the way you've alluded to in this thread will eventually result in you or someone unloading next to you getting injured. When they have to write that up, do you think those part time sups will be as supportive about the way you're working?

Bottom line....As an unloader you can do your job the best by working at a steady decent pace that the operation can handle.

 

[Dudeman]

That is another way they have you brainwashed if you think your job is at risk at all by working correctly or going at a normal pace. I've never seen anyone get fired for that. I've seen just about everything in the book at UPS, people that only come in once or twice a week for years and retain their jobs. I've seen 3 fist fights where both guys, and one of them 2 girls, came out bloodied and battered over something totally stupid. Guess what, they all still work at UPS. Short of stealing or knocking your full time sup out cold, I'm not sure its even possible to get fired from this place.

 

[blue efficacy]

Seeing those 18 year olds try so hard to go fast and impress their supervisors is kind of cute, actually. 1 of 2 things will happen: They realize the error of their ways, or they flame out and quit out of frustration because they finally realize that their extreme effort accomplishes nothing in the grand scheme. These kids are routinely abused with the worst trailers and eventually they won't be able to take it.
Or they become supes, forgot that one.

 

[LongTimeComing]

Look, it's simple. Belt stops mean something isn't right, period. If the belt is cutting off because you are 'out pacing' your sorter, that is YOUR fault and not correct. Any PT sup worth his/her salt knows this. You should be doing what is right and correct, and be looking out for your fellow teamsters (your sorter). Communicate with them and find a pace that works best for both of you.

If your supervisor told you to smash every box before you loaded it, would you?

If you supervisor truly thinks that making you go as fast as you can will actually make the unload go down faster.....then he is a fool. Just continue to do what is consistent and keeps the belts moving...and that PT sup won't be able to touch you.

 

[curiousbrain]

I don't know how it works in other places, but in the building where I am employed, we are run so hot that there is absolutely zero room for error. If a trailer is 10 minutes late, that means we probably just missed production; if an unloader isn't ripping the trailer apart, we are missing production; if small sort isn't doing a ton of bags, we are missing production. I cannot state this emphatically enough: one single misstep (either through my own action/inaction or external forces), and I have just missed production.

In short: I can understand Mr. Nicholas' point. I am not encouraging him to wreck the sort, or endanger his employees, but I also understand that from the perspective of management, there is a balance to be struck. A slow steady pace is great at times, but more often than not, management will encourage the unloader(s) to burn the trailer they are in - and, from there, they will encourage the SPA guy to do his job, and as such with the sorter.

"Encourage" obviously means different things to different people - but, in the end, that is the name of the game. It's great that some soups work in a land where it rains (I'm quoting another BrownCafe member here) lucky charms and leprechauns, but at least in the world where I am employed, there is no margin of error, and that means working "briskly", to put it lightly.

Disclaimer: I expect a lot from my employees, but if I ever suspect they are truly endangering themselves or others, asses will sting. I've shut down the entire unload a few times, and spent an hour in the office because production sucked that day. So, do not interpret what I said above that I work my employees unsafely - I train them, work with them, because I can do all three jobs very efficiently and safely. As I am no better than the average bear, I expect others to be able to do the same - unload, spa, and sort.

 

[TooTechie]

No one said slow steady pace. I said decent steady pace. You shut down the entire unload? Unless an outbound belt was mechanically broken or there was a bad hazmat leaker I've never seen a shift have to shut down their primary unload belt for more than a minute.