Back to morale, it's everywhere- not just UPS. My sister's a pharmacist and she works 13 hour days in retail by herself. Some days she gets no chance to eat at all. No tech to help, no break. Sometimes she has several waiting at the pick-up window, one at the drop-off window and a phone call on hold.
My good friend works for a store that sells computer games and cds. She fears for her job because she has trouble pushing the extras such as extended warantees (sp), magazines and frequent shopper cards. This woman has been a good employee for many years, filling in as manager when needed and walking through NY snow to open the store when no one else could make it.
Another friend in high-end clothing retail has also worked her butt off for this place at least fifteen years. They are now pressuring her to buy and wear the clothing they sell. She certainly cannot afford $120 for a blouse. They push her to accessorize (another sp) so customers want the same. She is in her fifties and has a few extra pounds. They want younger, more attractive managers. Her feet are shot due to the running she has done for them. She has to wear supportive shoes with tie-up laces. They are on her for not wearing high heels and cute sandals. They told her to get her feet fixed and out of those supportive shoes.
These issues have become worse in the past six months, much like at UPS. Customer service and quality are pushed but we're not allowed the time or self-respect to concentrate on it. Little things like spending a few minutes being personable to customers, making them feel like important human beings are gone. No time, no time for that.
Seems it should eventually catch up with big business. Customers waiting too long, being shorted on communication and attention, exhausted and impatient service workers.
So many levels of management that constructive comments from the bottom never make it up the ranks as they were intended. Each level of management minimizes the issues so that, by the time it makes it to someone who can DO something, it's a non-issue.
The only thing we can do is work to our best standards and have no regrets. Let the warnings and threats happen because we cannot stop it. Do the best we can and let the chips fall.