Fraternization with management

ziffle

Member
Is there a written or unwritten code of conduct where Teamsters are not to associate with management off the clock? I have listened to rumors from the Great Basin District where drivers are going on frequent overnight hunting and fishing trips, not that there is anything wrong with that.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
Dude, spell it out! Are you talking hunting and fishing, or do you mean sleeping with management?

I believe UPS has policy against management having relationships with hourlys. I also know this policy is ignored!

I have never heard of the Teamsters having such a policy.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
I think you will find that while off the clock, it is hard to dictate what people do. The exception (not equally enforced) is management shagging hourly.

As for hourly and managment going off on hunting trips together, if you and another driver were best of friends and did this for years, and he went into managment, would you stop?

d
 

sendagain

Well-Known Member
I think management was instructed not to have friendships with hourly employees during their training for supervision. This however, has never stopped the raising of glasses by both management and hourly employees in many a fine pub throughout this great country. God bless the USA!
 

rushfan

Well-Known Member
We have a manager who was caught in the womans room with an hourly employee. She left, he moved up. That's not b.s. either.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
He was just investigating a claim that the bathrooms were not clean enough? Of course he would move up, being that sensitive to the needs of his female employees.

Would that really be BS or called something else?

d
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
rushfan said:
We have a manager who was caught in the womans room with an hourly employee. She left, he moved up. That's not b.s. either.

I know of a similar incident myself about 15 plus years ago so I do know this does happen. Now the manager wasn't in the restroom but the rest was likely the same. BTW: She didn't leave, she was terminated after they dug and found something to hang their hat on.

30 years ago, a friend and I were very close prior to either one working at UPS. He came to UPS first and I about 3 years later into the same function. We literally worked together for a time. A year or so after that he decided to go into management and as a result we had to end our relationship outside of work altogether because UPS was a different world 25 years ago. We both understood that and neither held any hard feelings about the situation. Whether that was extreme or not is open for opinion but it did simplify the workplace having ended that relationship outside of work. He moved out of State years ago and recently retired and just before he did he reached out to me via the help of a region manager and we had a good talk and shared how our lives were now. He was very pleased I was still with UPS and also happy to learn my wife and I were still together after all these years as he had gone through a divorce. He did admit UPS was a factor in that and seemed to have some regret in that but at the same time life goes on and you have to live with the choices that you make and he was happy especially now that retirement was at hand. As much as he wanted me to follow him into management I never regretted not doing so and he told me he highly respects my decision for choosing the path that I took.

In the end I am one who believes socializing with management outside the workplace is not a good thing at all and it hurts the effectiveness of both parties. In fact, my life outside of UPS is seperate as I socialize with no UPSers at all. UPSers are great people but I find the trend of life revolves around the job so the socializing will gravitate towards that at some point and be the focal point. When I'm away from UPS, it's important to be away from UPS. That's why I also think the "current events" forum and other Off topic forums are really important. I think it's good for UPSers to discuss other topics and learn just how diverse we really all are.

JMHO.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
????
In fact, my life outside of UPS is separate as I socialize with no UPSers at all.

Well for one, I am glad you dont socialize with us non UPS'ers:lol:


Seriously I would miss your insight!

d
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
dannyboy said:
????

Well for one, I am glad you dont socialize with us non UPS'ers:lol:


Seriously I would miss your insight!

d

Dboy,
Did you misread the above? I only socialize with non-UPSers. Again, UPSers are great people but the temptation to talk work IMO is just to powerful because in most cases the job is the only thing you have in common. It's not just UPS, it's that way no matter where you would work. I'm sure it's not that way with everyone but in 35 years of working it's always worked for me so why mess with success!
:wink:
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
No didn't miss read, just pokin fun. If it works for you, so be it.

On of my friends before he got transfered to Florida was a RPS center manager. Funny, we could talk about many things, not just UPS, and we never worked together, but yet we had work in common.

But I do understand where you are coming from. Since I have been gone, the best of friends have only called to ask if they can have a copy of the grievance program I put on the computer. There is one, and we used to be worst of enemies, that we still get together on weekends. What we have transcends the job.

Dont write off those possible friends at work from your private life. When you do you limit a lot.

Just my humble thoughts. For all the others, stay within your comfort zone.

d
 

tieguy

Banned
ziffle said:
Is there a written or unwritten code of conduct where Teamsters are not to associate with management off the clock? I have listened to rumors from the Great Basin District where drivers are going on frequent overnight hunting and fishing trips, not that there is anything wrong with that.

Absolutely not.

Interesting comments in response to your questions.

1) Association ( non sexual hanging out after work ) happens and should happen. During these events it is often discovered that while the manager may appear to be a super human god he does down his beer one bottle at a time just like the "regular guy". Seriously the management person should however be sensitive to any off work friendships that could appear to lead to the impression of favoritism. This issue is a tough cookie to define. If he takes the same guy in his center every night then clearly trouble. If he meets the steward once a week or once month for a couple of beers and discuss labor issues not bad but could give the impression that the steward is too chummy with the boss. Therefore I think the responsibile management person does have to be sensitive to the favortism issue.

2) Fratinization - Off work cuddling . Also getting tougher to define and our policy against it is getting tougher to defend. We have fired many people for these relationships over the years and lost a lot of money on the following lawsuits. We now seem to do more to seperate them operationally then to try to force one to leave.

3) On property heat of the moment cuddling - The managment person should be carefully dragged to the back of the lot to whatever part of the yard you store your old equipment in and summarily put out of his misery. Clearly the management person has an affliction that keeps him/ her from being able to engage in a normal healthy sex life away from work. Always dissapointing when I hear one of my "brothers" was rutting at work. Definitely dissapointing to hear they keep their jobs.
 
Ok I have a bit of a dilema..........the whole fraternizing thing........at my specific location we are not allowed to fraternize with management at all although I know of a lot of people hanging out with management outside of work I don't understand why the punishment for dating an hourly is worse than hanging out outside of work.....I know of one supervisor that frequently parties with hourlies and has fun with them at the same time and all the management just shakes it off and laughs, but when a sup is dating an hourly all hell breaks loose....Unfourtunaly, I'm in a little pickle.........I want to date a supervisor but need this job and it's super hard to find another one right now....any suggestions?
 

upsgrunt

Well-Known Member
Someone once quoted on here, and I can't remember who, a phrase to repeat that will answer that question every time!

Don't get your honey in the same place you get your money!
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
....Unfourtunaly, I'm in a little pickle.........I want to date a supervisor but need this job and it's super hard to find another one right now....any suggestions?
Its not the hourly that will get in trouble, it is the supervisor. There is nothing in the contract that prohibits an hourly employee from a relationship with management.
I agree with Tieguy that favoritism, or even the appearance of it, is something that must be avoided. It is best, in my opinion, to keep limits on the amount of friendship and fraternization that occurs between mgmnt and hourly.
 
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