#1--Thou shalt make safety thy first concern.
On day 1, I always give my helper a 5 min lecture on staying safe. That means NO RUNNING, PERIOD. That means 100% use of the handrail when entering or exiting, no exceptions. That means that, if I screw up and start the engine before they have the seatbelt buckled, they are to YELL at me to STOP. We are in a HURRY, which means I dont have time to take them to the hospital if they get injured. There is always time to do the job safely, and no package is ever worth getting hurt or killed over.
#2 Thou shalt treat thine helper with respect.
I treat my helper as a teammate, not a slave. Out of necessity I must be the boss, but I dont have to be an ass about it. When instructing them what to do, I throw in a few "please's" and "thank you's" here and there to keep things friendly. I encourage them to be an extra set of eyes and to never be afraid to tell me if they think I am at the wrong address. I screw up sometimes, especially under peak season conditions, and I'm not afraid to admit it. My helper gets a "high five" if they call me on giving them the wrong package for the stop. Most importantly...if I am frustrated or upset with management or with the workload in general, I dont take it out on them. Its not the helpers fault that the load is crap or that my boss is a maroon.
#3 Thou shalt see to it that thine helper is properly paid for their time
If you lack the willingess to pull over and take a 1/2 hour lunch and 15 min break....then at least allow your helper to do so. Or...dont enter a lunch at all on their time card. Whatever you do, make sure they are fully paid for every minute they spend working. They are barely making minimum wage, you make 4 or even 5 times what they do on OT, so dont screw them out of 15 minutes of pay just so that you can look better on a stupid report. I also give my helpers my phone # and instruct them to notify me of any payroll errors or shortages on their check. If my helper gets shorted, I make it my personal mission in life to find whoever is responsible and ride their ass like a dirty diaper if necessary until the problem gets corrected. For $9 an hour they shouldnt have to call a 1-800 number and argue about getting paid properly.
#4 Thou shalt not place unrealistic expectations upon thine helper
I've been a driver for 24 years. I know how to operate at the "UPS pace". A newly hired helper doesnt. They cant read my mind. What comes automatically to me is new to them. They probably have little or no useful DIAD training, and the first day on a blown-out package car can seem overwhelming to them. Be patient. They will pick things up faster if you are understanding and helpful instead of impatient and critical. Respect any physical limits your helper may have. I have had 100 lb gals who needed my help with heavy packages, but who were still going strong after 10 hrs and were far better helpers than the "he-men" with big muscles who got lazy and crapped out on me after 4 or 5. And if you have a female helper who needs more "bathroom stops" than you do...deal with it. I always communicate with my helper about the location of nearby restrooms, and if they gotta go they gotta go. It is totally inappropriate to expect a helper of either gender to pee in the bushes or go 8 hrs with no bathroom break just because you can.
#5 Thou shalt share thine tips and buy thine helper lunch.
Helpers are making barely more than minimum wage. Drivers make 5 times that much on overtime. If I have a helper who is hustling and working hard, then the occasional $5 or $10 bill that comes to me in a card from a customer gets handed to them. When we stop at a restraunt for lunch, I pick up the tab for both of us. I have had a lot of helpers who were literally broke (why else would they work for minimum wage) and they show up with some nasty cold lunch in a brown bag. I am not going to sit in a warm restraunt and eat yummy food while they sit in the cold truck and eat leftovers. We are a team and we eat together.
Thou shalt obey these commandments without question, or thou shalt be deemed an ass.
