Corporate Hypocrisy

[SignificantOwner]

It's official, corporate has chosen to include on area pickups in your pickup compliance measurement even though the whole point of them is that they don't have a set pickup time. The email went out last week. They know that measuring them doesn't make sense but they've chosen to measure them because it's easier than fixing the report.

This is intellectually dishonest. Makes me wonder what other knowingly dishonest numbers corp is holding us accountable for?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

+/- 15 minute window on an OCA? Will this be based on the commit time given with the OCA or on the ETA that we input?

 

[yeldarb]

not oca, on route pickup. Will be interesting. I ONLY have on route pickups. I go first where my air or bulk takes me.

 

[soberups]

It's official, corporate has chosen to include on area pickups in your pickup compliance measurement even though the whole point of them is that they don't have a set pickup time. The email went out last week. They know that measuring them doesn't make sense but they've chosen to measure them because it's easier than fixing the report.

This is intellectually dishonest. Makes me wonder what other knowingly dishonest numbers corp is holding us accountable for?

Its a simple technique for keeping the pressure on and keeping people scared.

You generate metrics that cannot possibly be met...then you threaten peoples jobs for either (a) failing to achieve those impossible metrics or (b) achieving them by cutting corners in a dishonest manner. In other words, they are screwed no matter what they do. The goal....UPS's entire business model....is intentionally designed to create a situation where the drivers only hope of survival is to work off of the clock in order to meet an impossible "standard".

Any action we take to get off of one report will simply cause us to appear on a different one. If we drive in circles to all four corners of our route in order to meet the "pickup compliance" metric...we will therefore fail to meet the "85% on trace" metric. If we fix the "85% on trace" metric...it will cause us to fail on pickup compliance. If by some miracle we do manage both....it will come at the expense of running up excessive miles and we will therefore fail to meet an acceptable SPORH metric. Or, we will spend too much time in traffic and get tagged for "excessive idle time" metric. These expectations are, in most cases, mutually exclusive. No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, there is no way to meet one without failing at another. Basically, we are instructed to flip a coin and make sure it lands on heads and tails at the same time.

The system is this way by design. In addition to keeping the pressure at a high level, it maintains a level of job security for those who are in charge of monitoring the metrics and generating the reports.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

not oca, on route pickup. Will be interesting. I ONLY have on route pickups. I go first where my air or bulk takes me.

I have two on route pickups and they both have commit times and are both already included in my P/U compliance. My center has a number of rural areas which all have on route pickups and these tend to be our lowest P/U compliance areas so I know that these are already being monitored.

Are you guys sure SO is not talking about OCAs?

 

[DS]

Are you guys sure SO is not talking about OCAs?

This would make sense.Although the OP did say on area pickups,it sounds like he meant to say on call pickups,I work in a city with 3 million people in it,and with about 20 on area pickups,they can generally set their watches on my pickup time.Oncalls,on the other hand,can be a grey area when it comes to compliance times.Don't these morons ever give up creating problems where they don't exist?

 

[helenofcalifornia]

When I get an OCA, I always set the time for the latest possible time. Who knows when I will get there? Regular Pick ups are easier if it's the same route I am always running. On someone else's (?) route, it's a crap shoot.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

Oooooohh! My 2000th post! At this rate I will be up to 3000 by 2012.

 

[pretzel_man]

It's official, corporate has chosen to include on area pickups in your pickup compliance measurement even though the whole point of them is that they don't have a set pickup time. The email went out last week. They know that measuring them doesn't make sense but they've chosen to measure them because it's easier than fixing the report.

This is intellectually dishonest. Makes me wonder what other knowingly dishonest numbers corp is holding us accountable for?

There is a big difference between corporate hypocrisy and corporate stupidity. This example is the latter. There is no dishonesty here, just a stupid report (at least the way it is).

Already, the assertions of a corporate a conspiracy are flying. That's silly.

I have made it clear to corporate that we will do the right thing and service pickups properly. Some DO require pickups within 15 minutes, and they are properly planned and serviced.

I have not been pressured or chastised for this.

Again, this is an example of a stupid corpoate measure. No more than that. I'll bet they will eventually fix the report. Until then, there is no point in making this more than it is.

P-Man

 

[Bubblehead]

There is a big difference between corporate hypocrisy and corporate stupidity. This example is the latter. There is no dishonesty here, just a stupid report (at least the way it is).

Already, the assertions of a corporate a conspiracy are flying. That's silly.

I have made it clear to corporate that we will do the right thing and service pickups properly. Some DO require pickups within 15 minutes, and they are properly planned and serviced.

I have not been pressured or chastised for this.

Again, this is an example of a stupid corpoate measure. No more than that. I'll bet they will eventually fix the report. Until then, there is no point in making this more than it is.

P-Man

I disagree.
I contend that they are closely related.
One fuels the other and perpetuates their symbiotic relationship.
I'll take that bet, as UPS almost always prefers to treat the symptom rather than fix the problem.

 

[SignificantOwner]

There is a big difference between corporate hypocrisy and corporate stupidity. This example is the latter. There is no dishonesty here, just a stupid report (at least the way it is).

Already, the assertions of a corporate a conspiracy are flying. That's silly.

I have made it clear to corporate that we will do the right thing and service pickups properly. Some DO require pickups within 15 minutes, and they are properly planned and serviced.

I have not been pressured or chastised for this.

Again, this is an example of a stupid corpoate measure. No more than that. I'll bet they will eventually fix the report. Until then, there is no point in making this more than it is.

P-Man

I call it hypocrisy because we operations folks are expected to be perfect while our corporate folks hold themselves to a lesser standard. How about if a driver decided that they weren't going to make delivery attempts or even scan a couple packages on their car each day. He looked at it, thought about it, and realized that it's such a small percentage of total pieces that it doesn't really matter. The same people that are knowingly sending out bad reports would call for his heads. Corporate has made decision after decision like this when it comes to reporting.

By the way, it's the on road pickups that I'm referring to, not on demand pickups.

 

[SignificantOwner]

Again, this is an example of a stupid corpoate measure. No more than that. I'll bet they will eventually fix the report. Until then, there is no point in making this more than it is.

P-Man

My raise and the raises of many others are based in part on this number. Why would I not make an issue of it?

 

[RoyalFlush]

My raise and the raises of many others are based in part on this number. Why would I not make an issue of it?

Assuming you get one. The announcement just says management is eligible for a raise.

I agree that the problem is more corporate ignorance than hyprocrisy. Its funny to see corporate projects and watch everyone go along with plans that clearly won't work, or at least won't produce the expected results. I've been involved in a few that were clearly misguided, now I'm watching the information be manipulated to give the illusion of success. Eventually (when the people that implemented the program move on) the truth will be exposed and changes will be made. If you disagree or speak up, you are labeled a trouble maker or uncooperative, so everyone just goes along with what they know won't work. I anticipate this will get worse as the people that came up through the ranks are thinned out.

 

[MobileBA]

........and you really care.......why?

 

[brownmonster]

I'm sure Joe Blow in the middle of nowhere really cares if he gets his pickup at 2:30 or 4:15. If corporate says it has to be between 3:00 and 3:30 I'm all over it. Miles are money!

 

[randomUPSISer]

Assuming you get one. The announcement just says management is eligible for a raise.

I agree that the problem is more corporate ignorance than hyprocrisy. Its funny to see corporate projects and watch everyone go along with plans that clearly won't work, or at least won't produce the expected results. I've been involved in a few that were clearly misguided, now I'm watching the information be manipulated to give the illusion of success. Eventually (when the people that implemented the program move on) the truth will be exposed and changes will be made. If you disagree or speak up, you are labeled a trouble maker or uncooperative, so everyone just goes along with what they know won't work. I anticipate this will get worse as the people that came up through the ranks are thinned out.

It will also get worse as UPS drives off its most talented management folks at the lower ranks who will not be there to be promoted into higher roles to make decisions. Instead we'll begin promoting the idiots that hung around.

....yes I'm still here too

 

[trplnkl]

Assuming you get one. The announcement just says management is eligible for a raise.

I agree that the problem is more corporate ignorance than hyprocrisy. Its funny to see corporate projects and watch everyone go along with plans that clearly won't work, or at least won't produce the expected results. I've been involved in a few that were clearly misguided, now I'm watching the information be manipulated to give the illusion of success. Eventually (when the people that implemented the program move on) the truth will be exposed and changes will be made. If you disagree or speak up, you are labeled a trouble maker or uncooperative, so everyone just goes along with what they know won't work. I anticipate this will get worse as the people that came up through the ranks are thinned out.

This pretty much sums up the definition of hypocrisy, setting standards that can not be met. Specially when the standard is unreachable in an honest fashion.
This is sortta like tellin a runner that he will be rewarded at the end of the race, but there is no finish line.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

The question I have is....what happened to "Smart Pickups?" I was kind of looking forward to it as it was supposed to eliminate the need to go to certain pickups everyday and possibly reduce the amount of pickup accounts that are measured for pickup compliance. I guess the point of this thread might squash my hopes for that reduction in pickup compliance but I'm still thinking that only having to go to certain pickups on certain days or only when they actually have something to pickup is a good idea.

 

[pretzel_man]

I call it hypocrisy because we operations folks are expected to be perfect while our corporate folks hold themselves to a lesser standard. How about if a driver decided that they weren't going to make delivery attempts or even scan a couple packages on their car each day. He looked at it, thought about it, and realized that it's such a small percentage of total pieces that it doesn't really matter. The same people that are knowingly sending out bad reports would call for his heads. Corporate has made decision after decision like this when it comes to reporting.

By the way, it's the on road pickups that I'm referring to, not on demand pickups.

My raise and the raises of many others are based in part on this number. Why would I not make an issue of it?

I disagree.
I contend that they are closely related.
One fuels the other and perpetuates their symbiotic relationship.
I'll take that bet, as UPS almost always prefers to treat the symptom rather than fix the problem.

I've been dealing with this issue for quite a while... I am aware of nobody that has had a raise reduced or has been disciplined because of the is report (if they are properly servicing the customers). There are multiple levels... Pickups within 15 minutes, 30 minutes, etc.

As I recall, the goal is 85%... Certainly, it is stupid to think that the higher the number the better the operation. As I said, its a stupid metric, but its no more than that.

P-Man

I

 

[tieguy]

Its a simple technique for keeping the pressure on and keeping people scared.

You generate metrics that cannot possibly be met...then you threaten peoples jobs for either (a) failing to achieve those impossible metrics or (b) achieving them by cutting corners in a dishonest manner. In other words, they are screwed no matter what they do. The goal....UPS's entire business model....is intentionally designed to create a situation where the drivers only hope of survival is to work off of the clock in order to meet an impossible "standard".

Any action we take to get off of one report will simply cause us to appear on a different one. If we drive in circles to all four corners of our route in order to meet the "pickup compliance" metric...we will therefore fail to meet the "85% on trace" metric. If we fix the "85% on trace" metric...it will cause us to fail on pickup compliance. If by some miracle we do manage both....it will come at the expense of running up excessive miles and we will therefore fail to meet an acceptable SPORH metric. Or, we will spend too much time in traffic and get tagged for "excessive idle time" metric. These expectations are, in most cases, mutually exclusive. No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, there is no way to meet one without failing at another. Basically, we are instructed to flip a coin and make sure it lands on heads and tails at the same time.

The system is this way by design. In addition to keeping the pressure at a high level, it maintains a level of job security for those who are in charge of monitoring the metrics and generating the reports.

What generally happens is the measurement becomes corrupted and thus loses its effectiveness. They'll try to beat the operation into results and when that fails change the measurement in some way.