Fedex gives away free money to its employees

[franknitty]

Manager: Frank, i've been looking at your timecards, and I notice that you don't punch in 5 minutes before your start time ?

Me: Yes ma'am, that is correct. I punch in at my scheduled start time.

Manager: Why is that ?

Me: I just don't.

Manager: But why ?

Me: Why should I ? Is it mandatory to punch in 5 minutes before the scheduled start time ?

Manager: No Frank, its not mandatory for you to punch in 5 minutes before your start time, but Frank you're missing out on FREE MONEY !

Me: What ? FREE MONEY ? Since when did Fedex start giving out FREE MONEY ?

Manager: Frank ? You're missing out on 25 minutes/week, that could be in your paycheck !

Me: Do I look like I'm that hard up for money ? I have too many other things going on in my life at this time, to be staked out at the time clock with a bunch of other couriers desperately waiting to punch in 5 minutes early. No disrespect, but I just can't do it !

Manager: Well, like I said, you're missing out on FREE MONEY.

Me: Okay, whatever you say, but I also recall several times when I did punch in 5 minutes early you and the other ops manager kept telling me I was in the building too long ! That's the other reason why I don't punch in early, because I felt like I was being harassed by management.

Manager: I only recall asking you about your length of time in the building maybe once.

Me: Its been more than once, and I could give you the dates and times if you're interested.

(manager walks away)

This was an actual conversation with my manager. Thank you Fedex, but you can keep your FREE MONEY !

 

[whenIgetthere]

At my station, you might as well punch in at scheduled start time, because the CSA doesn't hand any equipment out till after scheduled start time. Conversation with my manager: Manager: Why are you late to stretch and flex so often. My answer: Go ask the CSA about handing out 80 sets of equipment while we should be doing our pre-trips. Same thing, manager walks away!!

 

[Mr. 7]

Thank you Fedex, but you can keep your FREE MONEY !

Hey Frank.
I'll take that free money any day of the week, send it over buddy.

 

[MrFedEx]

Manager: Frank, i've been looking at your timecards, and I notice that you don't punch in 5 minutes before your start time ?

Me: Yes ma'am, that is correct. I punch in at my scheduled start time.

Manager: Why is that ?

Me: I just don't.

Manager: But why ?

Me: Why should I ? Is it mandatory to punch in 5 minutes before the scheduled start time ?

Manager: No Frank, its not mandatory for you to punch in 5 minutes before your start time, but Frank you're missing out on FREE MONEY !

Me: What ? FREE MONEY ? Since when did Fedex start giving out FREE MONEY ?

Manager: Frank ? You're missing out on 25 minutes/week, that could be in your paycheck !

Me: Do I look like I'm that hard up for money ? I have too many other things going on in my life at this time, to be staked out at the time clock with a bunch of other couriers desperately waiting to punch in 5 minutes early. No disrespect, but I just can't do it !

Manager: Well, like I said, you're missing out on FREE MONEY.

Me: Okay, whatever you say, but I also recall several times when I did punch in 5 minutes early you and the other ops manager kept telling me I was in the building too long ! That's the other reason why I don't punch in early, because I felt like I was being harassed by management.

Manager: I only recall asking you about your length of time in the building maybe once.

Me: Its been more than once, and I could give you the dates and times if you're interested.

(manager walks away)

This was an actual conversation with my manager. Thank you Fedex, but you can keep your FREE MONEY !

I've always heard this is just another way they cover themselves from additional lawsuits. At my station, everyone punches in, and then there's a line of about 40 people waiting for equipment from the "gatekeeper", who thinks it's like being in kindergarten too. It's stupid, degrading, and just another moronic exercise in micro-managing people.

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

One of our CSA's was giving out equipment before punch in to help relieve some of the pressure....she got reprimanded big time.

 

[Mr. 7]

We get our own equipment whenever the hell we like.
OOoopps, unless it's an audit day.

 

[Cactus]

Interesting how FedEx thinks we're committing murder by getting our equipment early.

It wasn't nearly this bad all throughout grade school.

 

[LTFedExer]

Manager: I only recall asking you about your length of time in the building maybe once.

Me: Its been more than once, and I could give you the dates and times if you're interested.

Not sure what happened there. The time in the building doesn't start at your punch in, it starts at your actual start time. The 1st 5 minutes ARE free to everyone except payroll. At least, that's the way I understand it.

One of our CSA's was giving out equipment before punch in to help relieve some of the pressure....she got reprimanded big time.

Handing out equipment is one thing, handing out timecards is something else. She, most likely, got reprimanded because couriers get their timecards and punch in earlier than their start time.

It wasn't nearly this bad all throughout grade school.

I agree. But, I work with a bunch of grade school children.

 

[SmithBarney]

Better than the CRRs that give away money, we have a crew of Sat drivers that come in
15-20 min early and start looking up stops on the maps
before they are on the clock... Must be nice to be topped out and not have to worry about money.

Its nice our time clock is 2-3minutes off, example 1003am on clock(actually time 1000 on PPAD)
so if you try to come in "on time" your punch will be late and your ppad will show on time...

I worked at a small STA where we had no gatekeeper, it was come in grab a time card, equipment,
punch, and work. Smooth as silk never an issue amazing we were adults, not treated like cattle.

Now at my STA, they hand out the time cards at 5minutes til...(kinda hard for 30+ drivers to punch
in 5 minutes early when we get the cards(and equipment at the same time) with one time clock...
Someone inevitably gets cut out.. and the mgr has to override a "late punch"

 

[quadro]

Interesting how FedEx thinks we're committing murder by getting our equipment early.

It wasn't nearly this bad all throughout grade school.

FedEx doesn't think that. The timecard and equipment process is a pain in the rear for most of us but you can thank our California brethren for this fiasco. When people were allowed to get their own timecard and equipment whenever they liked prior to their start time, many people foolishly worked of the clock. This was by their own choice but they wanted to plot their stops, set up their truck, etc. Then they turned around and said "hey I was working so I should get paid". The courts agreed so now we don't get to get our own timecard and equipment. Thanks to them, they ruined it for the rest of us.

 

[vantexan]

Thanks to them, they ruined it for the rest of us.

Yeah, I recall having to be at my sort position ready to go at scheduled start time in some places. Other places had stretch/flex + morning meeting at scheduled start. Got equipment on own dime. Considering the low raises, stripped benefits, and mgrs telling us if we stop for restroom break or to get a drink we're stealing from company, is it surprising that employees struck back with lawsuits?

 

[quadro]

Yeah, I recall having to be at my sort position ready to go at scheduled start time in some places. Other places had stretch/flex + morning meeting at scheduled start. Got equipment on own dime. Considering the low raises, stripped benefits, and mgrs telling us if we stop for restroom break or to get a drink we're stealing from company, is it surprising that employees struck back with lawsuits?

No it's not surprising and I'm sure a lot of it had merit to it but if you want to come in early and take your sweet time caressing every package in your truck, don't get mad that FedEx won't pay you for it. And worse, don't make it an issue for the rest of us so that we now have to stand in a lunch line to get our timecard and equipment.

 

[vantexan]

No it's not surprising and I'm sure a lot of it had merit to it but if you want to come in early and take your sweet time caressing every package in your truck, don't get mad that FedEx won't pay you for it. And worse, don't make it an issue for the rest of us so that we now have to stand in a lunch line to get our timecard and equipment.

Caressing aside, being forced to get equipment off the clock is essentially being forced to work without pay. If standing in line is objectionable to you then clock in at your scheduled start time. Should be a much shorter line then.

 

[quadro]

Caressing aside, being forced to get equipment off the clock is essentially being forced to work without pay. If standing in line is objectionable to you then clock in at your scheduled start time. Should be a much shorter line then.

That's my point. No one forced them to get their equipment off the clock but because they did get their equipment off the clock and then turned around and said "hey that's not fair", now I have to stand in a stupid line. The line is there whether I punch in 5 mins early or on time.

 

[vantexan]

That's my point. No one forced them to get their equipment off the clock but because they did get their equipment off the clock and then turned around and said "hey that's not fair", now I have to stand in a stupid line. The line is there whether I punch in 5 mins early or on time.

May not have happened at your location, but as I've said, some stations required you to have your equipment ready to go and report to your sort position immediately upon clocking in. If the company chose to make standing in line standard procedure nationwide due to lawsuits, it's not the fault of couriers standing up for themselves. They should have never been put into that position. The company could have allowed to clock in up to 5 mins early all along and grab your own equipment like we used to do. But they were more than happy to let us do it off the clock and then put pressure on us to be ready to go immediately upon clocking in.

 

[bbsam]

How long does it take you guys to" get your equipment"? Around here you just stop in an office on the way to the truck.

 

[CharleyHustle]

Maybe they could come up with a system where your spot in line is reserved for whoever kisses the most rear end gets to be first.

 

[SmithBarney]

How long does it take you guys to" get your equipment"? Around here you just stop in an office on the way to the truck.

Depends, the window is 25inches wide, the "gatekeeper" has to find your equipment and try to give you your time card at the same time.
30x in a 5 minute window.

and now we aren't even allowed to power up the new PPADs(until we are ready to VANscan and leave the building) because the in building wireless network sucks so much juice from the batteries that the PPADS go dead by about 2pm.

 

[Cactus]

FedEx doesn't think that. The timecard and equipment process is a pain in the rear for most of us but you can thank our California brethren for this fiasco. When people were allowed to get their own timecard and equipment whenever they liked prior to their start time, many people foolishly worked of the clock. This was by their own choice but they wanted to plot their stops, set up their truck, etc. Then they turned around and said "hey I was working so I should get paid". The courts agreed so now we don't get to get our own timecard and equipment. Thanks to them, they ruined it for the rest of us.

Certainly they think that. And with FedEx's "one size fits all" philosophy we're just a herd of cattle thanks to the legal department trying to run just about everything. Since there was a problem with California, then deal with California not 49 other states too.

There's obviously too many in the legal department without enough to keep them occupied.

 

[quadro]

May not have happened at your location, but as I've said, some stations required you to have your equipment ready to go and report to your sort position immediately upon clocking in. If the company chose to make standing in line standard procedure nationwide due to lawsuits, it's not the fault of couriers standing up for themselves. They should have never been put into that position. The company could have allowed to clock in up to 5 mins early all along and grab your own equipment like we used to do. But they were more than happy to let us do it off the clock and then put pressure on us to be ready to go immediately upon clocking in.

No, they couldn't allow you to get your own equipment because there will always be those few employees who will get their equipment early and that puts FedEx back in trouble.

Also, how many companies allow you to clock in and not report to your work position? Actually, now that I think about it, I think you might be saying that you had to get your equipment, punch in, and be in your position by your start time. If that's what you are referring to, then I apologize if I misunderstood. In that sense, yes I agree that if you have to be in position at say 0800, you cannot be expected to punch in at 0800, get your equipment, and be at your position all at the same time.