WAD In Action

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
A couple of days ago, I was all ready to leave the building. All stops in order, all systems go. As I'm sitting there waiting for my turn to get out of the building, my manager pounds on the door and tells me I've got to take a last-minute bulk because Courier X is "bulked-out". So, I back up and they start wheeling it down. It's about 30 pieces and quite large, and will take up the entire center aisle of my vehicle. I tell the manager, "this will have to be my first stop because I can't work around it, and that means lates because I have to break route to hit this place first". So, we load it up and LBT is 10 minutes late.

When I get to the bulk stop, both docks are blocked by semis and there are two more waiting. There is no alternative access to Receiving, so I can't handtruck it in...I have to wait. Here's where WAD really kicks in. First, I send a PP message to Dispatch that I'm stuck waiting. Then, I walk into Receiving and call my manager on their phone, not my cell phone. I tell him I have to wait, and he says "he'll get me P1 help". 20 minutes later, I'm on the dock, After I leave, I'm looking at 20 lates, so I send another PP message reminding them I will be having lots of lates. No P1 help ever comes, so I take all of the lates, which is fine with me.

Please note: At no time do I speed, get panicky about service, or do anything but keep on delivering. I have no additional stress because it is no longer "my" problem. It has been shifted onto management, where it belongs. As a stupid courier, I lack the reasoning ability to take command of the situation and make corrective actions.

I also have a lot of SOS and P2, and the pickups are starting to roll-in heavy, so I send another message advising Dispatch and also call my manager from a customer location telling him I will be needing pickup help or else I'll have DEX 01s. "No DEX 01s, and full break" I am told. Fine. Using WAD, I casually keep right on delivering my SOS and P2, ignoring pickups. At around 1345, I get a message from Dispatch "concerned that I have so many ready-nows piling-up". I send another message saying that I have been directed (WAD) to have no DEX 01s, plus I still have to take a full 13/14. I send the message "working as directed by management". When I come-off 13/14 at around 1500, there are still even more pickups, and some are early closes. I also still have lots of P2 left to deliver. Another PP message to Dispatch that " still have many P2, and early closes...what should I do". I also leave a message on my manager's phone.

The day rolls-on. Because I was directed (WAD) to "not have any DEX 01s", I continue to deliver P2, and ignore pickups, except those that are where I'm already going. Dispatch is getting panicky. My next message..."" What would you like me to do? Drop the P2 or do pickups?". Again, put it right back on them. No response, so I continue to deliver P2. At 1600, I'm finally told to "stop delivering" and do pickups, which I do (WAD again). But by now, there's no way I can possibly get my pickups and ever make the CTV. Another message..."will miss the CTV, need pickup help". I have just covered myself again and someone else has to grab a bunch of my pickups.

I have successfully:
a. Covered myself
b. Put the onus on them
c. Screwed-up the operation by forcing them to send me pickup help
d. Still made SPH
e. Worked as directed
friend. Cost the company money through reduced efficiency
g. Made my manager look like an idiot
h. Brought back DEX 01s

When I get back, my manager wants me in his office. Before he even starts, I tell him that all day long I simply worked as directed, and that if he checks my numbers, that SPH will be at least 100%, so he's really got nothing to say to me. I tell him that I was simply working as directed all day long, and that his initial decision to task me with the bulk set the tone for the rest of the day. I took my full break, and made my numbers....he's got nothing. In fact, he'll probably be called on the carpet for overloading me, and then failing to make operational decisions throughout the PM. I'm just a bot that delivers boxes, and I'm not paid to make decisions...I'm incapable of higher-level thinking.

WAD is your friend. Use it often, but use it wisely. Watch the chaos ensue and just do your job. Let them worry and stress about it. Be like a Ground driver and put your brain in neutral. It makes the job a lot more tolerable.
 
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Doc Sorting Dude

Well-Known Member
Nice dig at the end about ground drivers. I feel if you gave adequate notice of the problems you'll be having through dispatch you're covered. You were smart to leave a message on the managers phone. I have the same problems in my area about waiting your turn at the receiving dock. If it looks like I won't get in right away, i just note "not in" and comments "dock full, long delay" and leave. P1 or not if I can't get in they're getting it later when I have a chance, I'm not sticking around.
 

dezguy

Well-Known Member
I'm curious, what is WAD? Is this a company directive or something you guys made up? We've never heard of anything like that up here.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
I'm curious, what is WAD? Is this a company directive or something you guys made up? We've never heard of anything like that up here.

Work As Directed. Simply put, you do only the minimum, and follow management directives to the letter, even if they make no sense. No thinking required, because you let your manager direct your actions. If they send you out 40 over, you WAD, take your time and have a bunch of lates. When this screws-up the PM for you, you put the "solution" onto your manager by informing them of your problem, and force the manager to tell you what to do. All action/inaction needs to be "covered" with a PP message and/or text or phone call to management and Dispatch. Use the customer's phone if at all possible, not yours, because you aren't compensated for the use of your phone nor are you required to use it for FedEx purposes.
 

Mr. 7

The monkey on the left.
When I get to the bulk stop, both docks are blocked by semis and there are two more waiting. There is no alternative access to Receiving, so I can't handtruck it in...I have to wait. Here's where WAD really kicks in. First, I send a PP message to Dispatch that I'm stuck waiting. Then, I walk into Receiving and call my manager on their phone, not my cell phone. I tell him I have to wait, and he says "he'll get me P1 help". 20 minutes later, I'm on the dock, After I leave, I'm looking at 20 lates, so I send another PP message reminding them I will be having lots of lates. No P1 help ever comes, so I take all of the lates, which is fine with me.

Just curious MFE,
If this had happened back in the "Federal Express" days, what would you have done to save this situation?
 

dezguy

Well-Known Member
Work As Directed. Simply put, you do only the minimum, and follow management directives to the letter, even if they make no sense. No thinking required, because you let your manager direct your actions. If they send you out 40 over, you WAD, take your time and have a bunch of lates. When this screws-up the PM for you, you put the "solution" onto your manager by informing them of your problem, and force the manager to tell you what to do. All action/inaction needs to be "covered" with a PP message and/or text or phone call to management and Dispatch. Use the customer's phone if at all possible, not yours, because you aren't compensated for the use of your phone nor are you required to use it for FedEx purposes.

LOL I've been working like this for years. From flat tires to going to have DEX 08's, I put that on my manager to figure out. I don't think I've ever used my cell phone to talk to my manager. One of my fellow employee's gave my cell number to my manager one time. Luckily their name came up on my call display and I didn't answer it. I changed my cell number the next day.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Just curious MFE,
If this had happened back in the "Federal Express" days, what would you have done to save this situation?

I would have tried to refuse the bulk, citing service level. If they insisted on me taking it, I would have tried to talk to someone at the dock, say I had a tight deadline, and then tell them I couldn't return until the PM, and hope they'd buy it so I could get the freight off. I'd also be hustling, because I cared back then. I'd probably have skipped lunch or taken a half hour, and then started knocking off SOS and P2 as fast as possible while working-in the early closes. In other words, I'd do my best to "make it happen".

Now, I could give a :censored2:, and I just sit whenever possible and WAD to the max the rest of the time. There is absolutely zero incentive to work hard for FedEx. No payoff=No effort.
 

!Retired!

Well-Known Member
I'm curious, what is WAD? Is this a company directive or something you guys made up? We've never heard of anything like that up here.
FedEX LOVES using abbreviations, MFE came up with his own.
Just curious MFE,
If this had happened back in the "Federal Express" days, what would you have done to save this situation?
Short and easy answer........whatever it took. Then again, back then all he would have had to do was tell the manager he'd have lates and he would have not ended up taking out the bulk. Managers cared back then as well.
 

Maui

Well-Known Member
MFE, What would your response have been if you were directed to start PUPs and make sure you were back to meet the CTV? I have seen many occasions with those directions then to go back out and finish the deliveries afterward so long as you work less than 14 hours.

 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
MFE, What would your response have been if you were directed to start PUPs and make sure you were back to meet the CTV? I have seen many occasions with those directions then to go back out and finish the deliveries afterward so long as you work less than 14 hours.


I'd have to WAD and do the PUPS. Be assured that I would do my best to stay out there and make them come retrieve the vehicle and me by hitting 13:59.
 

DontThrowPackages

Well-Known Member
WOW Mr MFE. Don't you know you were suppose to run your rte as if you didn't have the bulker in your truck and simply climb over that excess freight all through you p1 cycle until it was the last p1 stop left in your truck? Then you can scan one piece of said bulker(more than likely at 10:29) and begin to drive to that loading dock, off load it(cart it up the ramp as many trips as it takes if the dock is full) and use both 28/29's as your stem time to do all of this. Your next mistake was not taking a 60 minute lunch after delivering 1 stop after the bulker. Once on lunch you should have delivered as may stops as possible in that 60 minute lunch, remembering to write down all tracking numbers and addresses. Now when you come off of lunch, you can simply pod those stops 1 minute apart. SGR? No problem. Just sign it yourself. Who cares if all the signatures look the same. Management sees the one stop per minute,(even if it takes 15 minutes to get to the next one) the same handwriting and will put two and two together realizing you were not only insuring service but a nice fat bonus for he/she and the SM at the end of the year. By working on your lunch you could have easily make the situation given to you a successful one. This kind of work mentality is the reason we no longer receive bi-annual raises, jump seat, BPP, profit sharing, Christmas bonus, 3 years to top pay, Family BBQ, Uniforms on demand, Pension, Friday breakfast, manager lunch on check rides, Car Pool reimbursement, Health insurance comparable to Brown, 5 full day work weeks, Overtime.......etc.
 

bigbird00

Active Member
I wouldn't take the time to call your manager or ppad dispatch.The mato at our station is when we get there we get there no one gives a rip and besides that its there plan.
 
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