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Fight the War against Misloads in 2012
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<blockquote data-quote="curiousbrain" data-source="post: 923013" data-attributes="member: 31608"><p>I know better ... but it's Friday; gee golly wiz-bang cheese crackers, I'll bite.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Not a fair comparison; let's see why. If a loader had "one of their personal packages" going in to a trailer/car, they would have specific information to look out for (HIN, PAL, route, zip code, address, etc), which they could then use to identify and pull the package; that is all well and good. However, when the loader is not looking out for a specific package, and is instead loading thousands of packages without watching for a specific one, human error will occur.</p><p></p><p>Furthermore, let's think about what "special attention" (as used above, it implies being careful to watch for a specific package - in your case, you defined it as "one of their personal packages") entails - it requires taking the proper amount of time to read the entire shipping label (the rare package has two or more shipping labels), check the PAL against the shipping label if applicable, dealing with HOLD/NIB's, data corrections, or any other number of things, which I shouldn't need to remind anyone who actually has loaded before, consumes precious seconds.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I have tried to explain this countless times to people who have never loaded before - and I will try to do so again.</p><p></p><p>First, a metaphor: Imagine you are trying to learn how to type faster; this is an extremely mundane task, which, when learned properly, involves basic muscle memory and a little bit of mental visualization, in the event that your fingers get "lost" on the keyboard and forget where they are supposed to be. Generally speaking, the faster the rate at which you type the more errors will occur - and even if you purposefully slow down, your fingers occasionally get confused or basic human error occurs.</p><p></p><p>In an abstract sense, loading is no different - the unit of work is elongated (reading label, moving if necessary, placing box), but once learned, it is basic muscle memory with a little bit of mental visualization. And, in the same vein, errors do occur based on many factors, one of which is the rate at which the work is expected to be conducted. And, even when the rate is low, similar to typing, errors still occur.</p><p></p><p>To make it a little more concrete, when loading a package car at the rate of around 250pph in 3.5 hours, it is so easy to forget where you are standing, because (yes, this may seem farfetched, but trust me it is true) you barely have time to even glance at the signs outside the truck; instead, you are grabbing the package, expecting that you are in front of a specific car, and you step (not pivot or twist, mind you) into the car, adjust the shelf if necessary, load the package, and exit - probably in about 2 to 4 seconds; longer if the truck is smashed and you really have to move things around.</p><p></p><p>That rate is not constant - which is to say that if you loaded a package every 4 seconds for 3.5 hours straight, you'd load approximately 3,150 packages. Why is this not the case, then? The general reason is because the longer packages are loaded, the smaller the remaining area is, which in turn means quicker thinking on the loaders feet, which means more adjustment, which means getting more backed up, which means more pressure/stress, which means more mistakes.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>If this statement is true, you are essentially calling the company you work for (or, more specifically, the people that comprise the company you work for) idiotic, as they are unable to resolve a problem that is "very easy to fix".</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>There are several possible "results".</p><p></p><p>First, any good loader with a shred of self-respect will, under the extreme pressure, become even more hyper-unionized than they may already be. If the temperature in the building is not right, or a management person stares at a package too long, the workplace will become so belligerent that you will actually see productivity drop.</p><p></p><p>Second, valuable employees will quit, deciding that the benefits/pay are no longer worth it. In which case, new, less experienced loaders will be hired, productivity will drop and misloads will skyrocket.</p><p></p><p>Finally, because the union does not, as far as I know, recognize "production" as anything they have to abide by, maybe the loaders slow down to the point where misloads go down - except, now the rate at which work is accomplished is so slow, that productivity is down regardless.</p><p></p><p>As such, these points raise the issue of a cost/benefit analysis: misloads are a problem, but the cost of misloads is balanced by the rate at which packages flow and units of work are accomplished. The reason why misloads are harped on is because it is, to some extent, controllable by having management/loaders dig for them when times are slow - if you actually believe that the expectation is zero misloads, you are out of your mind.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Probably the best idea in your entire post; an exchange of ideas.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>That is outstanding; but, I should hope I don't need to say to anyone that that is the exception, rather than the rule.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I agree; the work day can be fun. What is not fun, however, is a "goal" that includes extreme discipline for even the slightest mistake, with the understanding that one mistake will result in some kind of disciplinary letter and a sit down with the shop steward.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And now, some of my own thoughts.</p><p></p><p>Despite the length of the post and my disagreement with the way in which you go about suggesting the achievement of the goal, I do agree with the goal. In the spirit of congeniality, I will offer my own idea about what makes a better loader in two words: training and attitude.</p><p></p><p>Instead of one being a prerequisite of the other, they are both required for a good loader: All the training in the world won't matter if a person doesn't care about their job, and caring about their job won't help unless they are properly trained in how to do it.</p><p></p><p>And, even when this unlikely combination is found, human error still happens.</p><p></p><p>edit: I'd like to point out that even though you do your job perfect everyday, you still had numerous typographical/grammatical errors in your post; not that you claimed to be perfect at typing, but then again no one believes that you (or anyone) are perfect at their job, either.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="curiousbrain, post: 923013, member: 31608"] I know better ... but it's Friday; gee golly wiz-bang cheese crackers, I'll bite. Not a fair comparison; let's see why. If a loader had "one of their personal packages" going in to a trailer/car, they would have specific information to look out for (HIN, PAL, route, zip code, address, etc), which they could then use to identify and pull the package; that is all well and good. However, when the loader is not looking out for a specific package, and is instead loading thousands of packages without watching for a specific one, human error will occur. Furthermore, let's think about what "special attention" (as used above, it implies being careful to watch for a specific package - in your case, you defined it as "one of their personal packages") entails - it requires taking the proper amount of time to read the entire shipping label (the rare package has two or more shipping labels), check the PAL against the shipping label if applicable, dealing with HOLD/NIB's, data corrections, or any other number of things, which I shouldn't need to remind anyone who actually has loaded before, consumes precious seconds. I have tried to explain this countless times to people who have never loaded before - and I will try to do so again. First, a metaphor: Imagine you are trying to learn how to type faster; this is an extremely mundane task, which, when learned properly, involves basic muscle memory and a little bit of mental visualization, in the event that your fingers get "lost" on the keyboard and forget where they are supposed to be. Generally speaking, the faster the rate at which you type the more errors will occur - and even if you purposefully slow down, your fingers occasionally get confused or basic human error occurs. In an abstract sense, loading is no different - the unit of work is elongated (reading label, moving if necessary, placing box), but once learned, it is basic muscle memory with a little bit of mental visualization. And, in the same vein, errors do occur based on many factors, one of which is the rate at which the work is expected to be conducted. And, even when the rate is low, similar to typing, errors still occur. To make it a little more concrete, when loading a package car at the rate of around 250pph in 3.5 hours, it is so easy to forget where you are standing, because (yes, this may seem farfetched, but trust me it is true) you barely have time to even glance at the signs outside the truck; instead, you are grabbing the package, expecting that you are in front of a specific car, and you step (not pivot or twist, mind you) into the car, adjust the shelf if necessary, load the package, and exit - probably in about 2 to 4 seconds; longer if the truck is smashed and you really have to move things around. That rate is not constant - which is to say that if you loaded a package every 4 seconds for 3.5 hours straight, you'd load approximately 3,150 packages. Why is this not the case, then? The general reason is because the longer packages are loaded, the smaller the remaining area is, which in turn means quicker thinking on the loaders feet, which means more adjustment, which means getting more backed up, which means more pressure/stress, which means more mistakes. If this statement is true, you are essentially calling the company you work for (or, more specifically, the people that comprise the company you work for) idiotic, as they are unable to resolve a problem that is "very easy to fix". There are several possible "results". First, any good loader with a shred of self-respect will, under the extreme pressure, become even more hyper-unionized than they may already be. If the temperature in the building is not right, or a management person stares at a package too long, the workplace will become so belligerent that you will actually see productivity drop. Second, valuable employees will quit, deciding that the benefits/pay are no longer worth it. In which case, new, less experienced loaders will be hired, productivity will drop and misloads will skyrocket. Finally, because the union does not, as far as I know, recognize "production" as anything they have to abide by, maybe the loaders slow down to the point where misloads go down - except, now the rate at which work is accomplished is so slow, that productivity is down regardless. As such, these points raise the issue of a cost/benefit analysis: misloads are a problem, but the cost of misloads is balanced by the rate at which packages flow and units of work are accomplished. The reason why misloads are harped on is because it is, to some extent, controllable by having management/loaders dig for them when times are slow - if you actually believe that the expectation is zero misloads, you are out of your mind. Probably the best idea in your entire post; an exchange of ideas. That is outstanding; but, I should hope I don't need to say to anyone that that is the exception, rather than the rule. I agree; the work day can be fun. What is not fun, however, is a "goal" that includes extreme discipline for even the slightest mistake, with the understanding that one mistake will result in some kind of disciplinary letter and a sit down with the shop steward. And now, some of my own thoughts. Despite the length of the post and my disagreement with the way in which you go about suggesting the achievement of the goal, I do agree with the goal. In the spirit of congeniality, I will offer my own idea about what makes a better loader in two words: training and attitude. Instead of one being a prerequisite of the other, they are both required for a good loader: All the training in the world won't matter if a person doesn't care about their job, and caring about their job won't help unless they are properly trained in how to do it. And, even when this unlikely combination is found, human error still happens. edit: I'd like to point out that even though you do your job perfect everyday, you still had numerous typographical/grammatical errors in your post; not that you claimed to be perfect at typing, but then again no one believes that you (or anyone) are perfect at their job, either. [/QUOTE]
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