As employers push efficiency, the daily grind wears down workers

[TimeForChange]

Matt Taibi of Providence, R.I., routinely works 12-hour days as a driver for UPS. The company would rather pay him and other drivers overtime instead of hiring more workers.Taibi has no complaints about his pay. He makes $32.35 an hour, plus benefits, and has job security as a Teamster. But he wonders how much longer he can keep up the breakneck pace.“There's more and more push towards doing more with less workers,” said Taibi, 35. “There are more stops, more packages, more pickups. What's happening is that we're stretched to our limits and beyond.”​

The whole story is here:
As employers push efficiency, the daily grind wears down workers - latimes.com

 

[Catatonic]

Matt Taibi of Providence, R.I., routinely works 12-hour days as a driver for UPS. The company would rather pay him and other drivers overtime instead of hiring more workers.Taibi has no complaints about his pay. He makes $32.35 an hour, plus benefits, and has job security as a Teamster. But he wonders how much longer he can keep up the breakneck pace.“There's more and more push towards doing more with less workers,” said Taibi, 35. “There are more stops, more packages, more pickups. What's happening is that we're stretched to our limits and beyond.”​

The whole story is here:
As employers push efficiency, the daily grind wears down workers - latimes.com

An unfortunate sign of the times:

Although the economy is improving, companies are still squeezing labor costs to contend with global competition and boost profits, aided by an array of technologies and management strategies.There are exceptions, especially in knowledge-based industries where talent is scarce. In California's Silicon Valley, technology companies try to retain software engineers with an ever-increasing array of benefits.

“If you're a highly skilled employee with highly marketable talents, they're going to pay dearly for you. But if you're a relatively fungible person, with nothing that separates you from anybody else, the risks and costs have been shifted to you at a dramatic rate,” said Rita Gunther McGrath, a management professor at Columbia University's business school.

Some food for thought
Tough as they may be, those measures have allowed people like Roman and Weber to continue earning paychecks while many of their neighbors are sitting home unemployed, the firm contends.
“Generally, the business had been run the same way since its inception,” said Tim Meyer, a Gores Group executive. “It became clear that as the market began to soften, what was in place was not a sustainable business model.”
“Sometimes you have to make dramatic changes to save the jobs that you can,” he said.
Businesses are encouraged to keep fixed costs, such as labor and rent, as low as possible. That has paid off: The amount of profit companies make per employee has risen 34% since 2004, according to financial analysis firm Sageworks.

This "unsustainable business model" has been the talk around Corporate UPS for at least 5 years and why many are selling their UPS stock to reduce their risk.

 

[bryanturner100]

Well he's in for it now!!!!!!Still i would rather do that then work my 2jobs 14 to 16 hours a day with a two hour commute while i sleep in shifts for six years now just to try to get a piece of that carrot.Another example of an cry baby driver that should be on the 9.5 list and be filing grevences but then he sees his 2000 thousand dollar a week pay check then changes his mind .TELL THIS GUY TO SHUT UP ALL READY I HOPE THEY ADD 40 STOPS TO HIS ROUTE ON MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Leftinbuilding]

I think the key word here is "efficiency". Not a push to super human effort. "Efficiency". Is expecting "efficiency" unreasonable?

ef·fi·cien·cy

[ih-fish-uh

n-see]
noun, plural ef·fi·cien·cies. 1. the state or quality of being efficient; competency in performance.


2. accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort: The assembly line increased industry's efficiency.

 

[brownmonster]

I guess I'm just a relatively fungible person.

 

[bottomups]

Fungible? Maybe you should change your underwear.

 

[barnyard]

There are also many other studies that show productivity drops after 8 hours of work. The combination of day after day of forced OT, combined with tighter and tighter demands for efficiency, I believe is one of the chief drivers of our increasing injury and accident rates. I honestly believe that we are at the point that the only way UPS is going to lower injury and accident rates is going to be to lower the average paid day, significantly.

We should not have to literally beg for only 2-8 hour days a month.

 

[ibleedbrown]

ups would rather pay one driver money and benefits for a 12 hour day than 2 drivers 8 hour days. however the equation comes out to w grievances, injuries, workers comp, loss of productivity, accidents, lawsuits etc etc somehow it still makes more profitable sense for them to do it this way. they must be doing something right because they made over $5 billion in profit last year. if ups could figure a way to make more profit while lessening the load on their employees i'm sure they would do it but than again i'm sure a lot of people would be complaining when their checks are $300-$500 lighter each week. it's the classic case of be careful what you wish for.

in your drivers opinion, what amount of hours would you be happy with, while taking your full lunch and breaks everyday?

 

[104Feeder]

Hoaxter, at what point does a business model become sustainable? 200 years? Seems to me the unsustainable model is the one we have been using the last ~20 years, as it's gotten away from the one we used the first 90 or so in many ways.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

In your drivers opinion, what amount of hours would you be happy with, while taking your full lunch and breaks everyday?

8 hours

 

[stink219]

I think the key word here is "efficiency". Not a push to super human effort. "Efficiency". Is expecting "efficiency" unreasonable?

ef·fi·cien·cy

[ih-fish-uh

n-see]
noun, plural ef·fi·cien·cies. 1. the state or quality of being efficient; competency in performance.


2. accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort: The assembly line increased industry's efficiency.

Unfortunately, efficiency is placed on the driver. Management will not change a plan to save their life. Not sure why this is. Before you managers start trying to save face, I will tell you now what ever your going to say your full of crap. You have this philosophy of "Lets get through today and worry about that tomorrow". Until tomorrow comes and nothing changes. Why is it so hard for you guys to make things more efficient? Take edd for example, It's easier to find the ace of spades when the deck is in order, so stuff shuffling it!!

 

[QKRSTKR]

8 hours

Absolutely.

Tell people if you want to only work 8 hours you have to put in a special request in writing. They will look at you like your nuts. Most employers still only work their employees 8 hrs a day. Some companies actually cut hours from 40hrs per week to 35. UPS. Lets give our best, the people our customers see everyday, as much o.t. As we can. It might work but I have never seen moral of package drivers so bad.

 

[barnyard]

Absolutely.

Tell people if you want to only work 8 hours you have to put in a special request in writing. They will look at you like your nuts.

Add to that that you can only ask for 2 a month and may be refused and they look at you like you are insane.

 

[Leftinbuilding]

Unfortunately, efficiency is placed on the driver. Management will not change a plan to save their life. Not sure why this is. Before you managers start trying to save face, I will tell you now what ever your going to say your full of crap. You have this philosophy of "Lets get through today and worry about that tomorrow". Until tomorrow comes and nothing changes. Why is it so hard for you guys to make things more efficient? Take edd for example, It's easier to find the ace of spades when the deck is in order, so stuff shuffling it!!

LOL, me a manager? That's a hoot. I was a driver for almost 36 years. Retired almost 4 years ago. And I guarantee you I put up with more crap in those years than you'll ever see. But I am smart enough to know this company doesn't make it without efficiency!! Period!! You are on the street if this company is not efficient. Perfect? NO! But some people need to wise up to what made this company, and what it will require to continue it's success.

 

[Johney]

Most employers still only work their employees 8 hrs a day. Some companies actually cut hours from 40hrs per week to 35. UPS. Lets give our best, the people our customers see everyday, as much o.t.

I believe the reasoning behind this is, employee's will now be considered p/t and companies will not provide them the opportunity to pay for benefits. At least that's how it is with my wife who works in the health care industry. Their employee's work between 35 and 39 hours and are p/t. No bennies allowed.

 

[stink219]

I wasn't talking to you. I know you weren't a manager. We have become a less efficient company the last 7 years.

 

[smells like godzilla]

Well he's in for it now!!!!!!Still i would rather do that then work my 2jobs 14 to 16 hours a day with a two hour commute while i sleep in shifts for six years now just to try to get a piece of that carrot.Another example of an cry baby driver that should be on the 9.5 list and be filing grevences but then he sees his 2000 thousand dollar a week pay check then changes his mind .TELL THIS GUY TO SHUT UP ALL READY I HOPE THEY ADD 40 STOPS TO HIS ROUTE ON MONDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

When you're a cover driver, the 9.5 list is pretty much a joke, unfortunately. When I cover a route for a week, I can get 9.5 for 3 days. But if you do 3 different routes in a week, you're looking at long days and no family life. So, they can go right ahead on load me up, but productivity goes way down when that happens. Good luck with that!

 

[Harry Manback]

I wasn't talking to you. I know you weren't a manager. We have become a less efficient company the last 7 years.

Agreed, ORION anyone?

 

[Leftinbuilding]

When you're a cover driver, the 9.5 list is pretty much a joke, unfortunately. When I cover a route for a week, I can get 9.5 for 3 days. But if you do 3 different routes in a week, you're looking at long days and no family life. So, they can go right ahead on load me up, but productivity goes way down when that happens. Good luck with that!

UPS has ways to deal with this type of attitude. They have long memories and they are very patient. Seen it too many times to count. Good luck with that.

 

[Jackburton]

“If you're a highly skilled employee with highly marketable talents, they're going to pay dearly for you. But if you're a relatively fungible person, with nothing that separates you from anybody else, the risks and costs have been shifted to you at a dramatic rate,” said Rita Gunther McGrath, a management professor at Columbia University's business school.

Read more: http://www.browncafe.com/forum/f6/e...rind-wears-down-workers-349459/#ixzz2PpJ5CNg5

As long as the company can justify paying a FT driver supervisor 70k to read reports that a pt position can do, I feel just fine in my job security.