T L A

[franknitty]

For those express employees that aren't aware, taking SFA is NOT MANDATORY ! You do not have to take it ! Some couriers along with a few managers will try to tell you that you're required to take SFA, but you don't have to. IT'S YOUR CHOICE ! I had to shut the mouths of a few couriers in a pre SFA meeting last year, so I asked the senior manager in the presence of the couriers at the meeting, and she (Sr.mngr) said quietly SFA is voluntary, "but why would you not want to take it" ? Even MT3 has said SFA is voluntary, BUT the goal is to get to as close to 100% participation as possible. After 20 years of service I think the gods have compiled enough information on me !

 

[texan]

I'll never participate in TLA or SFA ever again !

I imagine you should to do it for one reason. They might be held accountable that they had the session with you.
So do not make their life rough. Just go with the flow and do not complain during the session.
Bring up some good suggestions, and check the block.

 

[MrFedEx]

I imagine you should to do it for one reason. They might be held accountable that they had the session with you.
So do not make their life rough. Just go with the flow and do not complain during the session.
Bring up some good suggestions, and check the block.

No suggestions possible, or wanted. Our SFA is a standardized test that is basically unchanged from when it was started about 39 years ago. It's really designed to measure one thing above all, and that is whether or not employees are tending towards going union. FedEx was planned to be non-union from the very start, and the whole company is structured around keeping the Teamsters out and eliminating anyone who openly advocates for a union.

It works very well. I will also not be taking it this year because refusing to do so will be held against my manager in the district I work in. If more people would make a statement and just say "no", they couldn't crow about how "great" they're doing because they wouldn't have enough people participating to make it valid.

The validity of the SFA is a crock anyway because FedEx can make -up any numbers they want.There is no independent verification of the results, so every year we "improve", even if there is a steep decline. All smoke and mirrors.

 

[Cactus]

No suggestions possible, or wanted. Our SFA is a standardized test that is basically unchanged from when it was started about 39 years ago. It's really designed to measure one thing above all, and that is whether or not employees are tending towards going union. FedEx was planned to be non-union from the very start, and the whole company is structured around keeping the Teamsters out and eliminating anyone who openly advocates for a union.

It works very well. I will also not be taking it this year because refusing to do so will be held against my manager in the district I work in. If more people would make a statement and just say "no", they couldn't crow about how "great" they're doing because they wouldn't have enough people participating to make it valid.

The validity of the SFA is a crock anyway because FedEx can make -up any numbers they want.There is no independent verification of the results, so every year we "improve", even if there is a steep decline. All smoke and mirrors.

The SFA never resolves anything anyway.

It's a complete waste of time and money.

Besides the managers who keep up their annual membership in "the losers club" (the one's with consistantly low scores) seem to always hang on to their jobs no matter how bad their performace is rated by couriers and CSA's.

 

[BrownMeetPurple]

Hey if I'm getting paid and fed, can't complain.

 

[texan]

No suggestions possible, or wanted. Our SFA is a standardized test that is basically unchanged from when it was started about 39 years ago. It's really designed to measure one thing above all, and that is whether or not employees are tending towards going union. FedEx was planned to be non-union from the very start, and the whole company is structured around keeping the Teamsters out and eliminating anyone who openly advocates for a union.

It works very well. I will also not be taking it this year because refusing to do so will be held against my manager in the district I work in. If more people would make a statement and just say "no", they couldn't crow about how "great" they're doing because they wouldn't have enough people participating to make it valid.

The validity of the SFA is a crock anyway because FedEx can make -up any numbers they want.There is no independent verification of the results, so every year we "improve", even if there is a steep decline. All smoke and mirrors.

Understood. Just sharing from a UPS side, Mr Franknitty seems so respectful and has a good attitude.
I like a lot of his post.
I do not live in all of your shoes at all. I have no idea what it is like where you all are at.
We have TLA Talk Listen Action or Act. So I just shared that perhaps that he should go with the flow on TLA.

 

[Mr. 7]

Besides the managers who keep up their annual membership in "the losers club" (the one's with consistantly low scores) seem to always hang on to their jobs no matter how bad their performace is rated by couriers and CSA's.

I dunno,
I've seen two managers in a row get "re-assigned" due to bombing their SFA scores. Both mgrs. were from the same work group, back to back.

Hey if I'm getting paid and fed, can't complain.

For the SFA, you're not getting fed, it only takes about 5 minutes on a computer. And, with my "TLA"s, it's never over any sort of food, it's more like 5 mins. in your mgrs. office for whatever reason.

 

[Cactus]

I dunno,
I've seen two managers in a row get "re-assigned" due to bombing their SFA scores. Both mgrs. were from the same work group, back to back.

Well what do you define as "reassigned"?

If they are "reassigned" to another work group within the station, what does that solve?

If it's off to another station then perhaps that's a different matter.

 

[BrownMeetPurple]

For the SFA, you're not getting fed, it only takes about 5 minutes on a computer. And, with my "TLA"s, it's never over any sort of food, it's more like 5 mins. in your mgrs. office for whatever reason.

You must be in a smaller station then. Our last at least 30 minutes.

 

[LTFedExer]

The SFA never resolves anything anyway'

True.....

It's a complete waste of time and money.

Depends on your point of view. I get paid by the hour.

You must be in a smaller station then. Our last at least 30 minutes.

SFA is the same regardless of station size. Same 20 questions that haven't changed in my time there.

 

[Mr. 7]

Well what do you define as "reassigned"?

If they are "reassigned" to another work group within the station, what does that solve?

If it's off to another station then perhaps that's a different matter.

Both of them are no longer mgrs. And, they were both moved out of our sta.

 

[Cactus]

Both of them are no longer mgrs. And, they were both moved out of our sta.

Ah, I see.

If we could only be so lucky at our station.

 

[59 Dano]

It works very well. I will also not be taking it this year because refusing to do so will be held against my manager in the district I work in. If more people would make a statement and just say "no", they couldn't crow about how "great" they're doing because they wouldn't have enough people participating to make it valid.

Nothing is more negative than a negative response on the SFA. If you want to boot a manager, you have to give him a bad score. Never seen a manager disciplined for low SFA participation rates. Seen a couple disciplined for low scores, though.

The validity of the SFA is a crock anyway because FedEx can make -up any numbers they want.There is no independent verification of the results, so every year we "improve", even if there is a steep decline. All smoke and mirrors

Just like you can make up stuff in posts that can't be verified?

Regardless, what does independent verification have to do with anything? Are you going to be more happy with your employer if someone else audits the results and finds that they're good? No and neither would anyone else. So why bother?

 

[MrFedEx]

Nothing is more negative than a negative response on the SFA. If you want to boot a manager, you have to give him a bad score. Never seen a manager disciplined for low SFA participation rates. Seen a couple disciplined for low scores, though.



Just like you can make up stuff in posts that can't be verified?

Regardless, what does independent verification have to do with anything? Are you going to be more happy with your employer if someone else audits the results and finds that they're good? No and neither would anyone else. So why bother?

In my district, it used to be a warning letter for managers who didn't have 100% SFA participation. The ones that manage to go critical get sent off to re-education camp where they chant the mantra of PSP until they "believe". Nothing really changes because all that really matters is the budget numbers.

It is a simple fact that there is no independent verification of the SFA results, so they can pull whatever numbers they want out of it, or just make them up. I've always made it clear that what I say here is my opinion, unless I have facts stating otherwise.

 

[59 Dano]

fact[/B] that there is no independent verification of the SFA results, so they can pull whatever numbers they want out of it, or just make them up. I've always made it clear that what I say here is my opinion, unless I have facts stating otherwise.

Again -- so what if they make up the numbers? If they are audited and the auditors verify that the company legitimately got a high score, would it change the way you or anyone else feels? No. So what do you care if the numbers are legit or not?

 

[Cactus]

Again -- so what if they make up the numbers? If they are audited and the auditors verify that the company legitimately got a high score, would it change the way you or anyone else feels? No. So what do you care if the numbers are legit or not?

Apparently accuracy doesn't mean squat to you.

 

[59 Dano]

Apparently accuracy doesn't mean squat to you.

Sure it does, but no one is going to like the company any more or less based on the SFA results. Just like you aren't going to start liking Justin Bieber because he's selling lots of records (or CD's or iTunes MP3's).

 

[Cactus]

Sure it does, but no one is going to like the company any more or less based on the SFA results. Just like you aren't going to start liking Justin Bieber because he's selling lots of records (or CD's or iTunes MP3's).

It's not about whether we like the company or not.

It's to define areas that are weak and need improvement and there's supposed to be follow up meeting to address and correct defiencies. But that's all fallen off the radar.

Memphis is good at saying "all is well again this year with SFA's" which in turn saves them money.

And guess what? Problems continue to fester.

But managers like you like to wear Smith supplied blinders to work too.

 

[MrFedEx]

Again -- so what if they make up the numbers? If they are audited and the auditors verify that the company legitimately got a high score, would it change the way you or anyone else feels? No. So what do you care if the numbers are legit or not?

This is a very telling statement. You've just told us it doesn't make any difference if the whole thing is a fraud (which it is).

 

[Cactus]

This is a very telling statement. You've just told us it doesn't make any difference if the whole thing is a fraud (which it is).

Yep.

Looks like the cat's out of the bag.