Memorizing stuff now?

[newupsers88]

At the hub that I am at they are actually requiring us to memorize the 8 keys to lifting and lower, 5 keys to preventing slips and falls and the 8 yard control keys in 2 weeks or else you can be terminated. Is that happening anywhere else?I know the first tow are necessary but yard control keys for a guy that loads pacakages is kind of unnecessary right?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

At the hub that I am at they are actually requiring us to memorize the 8 keys to lifting and lower, 5 keys to preventing slips and falls and the 8 yard control keys in 2 weeks or else you can be terminated. Is that happening anywhere else?I know the first two are necessary but yard control keys for a guy that loads packages is kind of unnecessary right?

Wrong. As a non-certifed employee you are obligated to have a basic understanding of yard control procedures. Of the 3 that you mentioned the yard control keys are the easiest to learn.

You used the word memorized. It is my understanding that we are only required to have a basic understanding of the DOK questions.

 

[Bubblehead]

At the hub that I am at they are actually requiring us to memorize the 8 keys to lifting and lower, 5 keys to preventing slips and falls and the 8 yard control keys in 2 weeks or else you can be terminated. Is that happening anywhere else?I know the first tow are necessary but yard control keys for a guy that loads pacakages is kind of unnecessary right?

How are they telling you to come by this knowledge?
Certainly they don't expect you to learn it on your own time.
Insist that you be given time, on the clock, to learn these items.
How long that takes, is an individual thing.

 

[NHDRVR]

I don't see the problem in being asked to know standard safety information. I don't consider myself a huge company guy but if someone has an issue remembering the 8's and 5's then they should study harder. These things aren't complicated....

 

[dillweed]

Our building is also doing this by bringing people in fifteen min early. They gave us a pamphlet to study and said we had a certain number of tries to get it right or we're terminated.

It wasn't hard to memorize the yard keys and the others I already knew so no big deal. They did throw in a few questions about exiting pkg cars, where to set pkgs in back, use the handrail and so forth but the answers are in the pamphlet.

 

[tieguy]

knuckle down that stuff is pretty simple.

 

[raceanoncr]

And, NO, you will not be terminated. Intimidated, yes. Terminated, NO! It's been tried and failed.

 

[sano]

I never studied the 8 keys or 5 steps, but they drill us on them pretty often. I could say them without thinking by the time I worked here a month. Now the driver stuff is a bit harder. I am air driver and we are supposed to know the seeing habits and the 10 point commentary.
I was trying to study while I preload. Turns out that doesnt work too well

 

[over9five]

God, I hate stories like that. It's a poor manager who has to threaten termination to try to get his employees to learn this dribble.

And I'm with Race. They'll whine and cry and throw tantrums and threaten termination..... but you won't get fired as long as you make an effort.

 

[EAT MY OVERALLOWED]

knuckle down that stuff is pretty simple.

It's pretty simple when you have all day to sit in an air conditioned office and memorize it -- I totally agree.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Maybe management should memorize the contract and be expected to be quizzed on it once a week? Plenty of them need it anyway.

 

[grgrcr88]

They tried to discipliine people in our building for not knowing the drivel. It went no where, as long as you are not being a smart ass or refusing alltogether. Also I never, ever look at that crap off the clock. I am not in school, you want me to learn something, PAY ME FOR IT!!!!!!!

 

[j4ck4zz]

DOK comes around about once a year for us. Just about long enough for everybody to forget it so we can be harassed to memorize it again. Oh yeah.. every morning in the pcm our drivers are asked to recite as a group one of the 5 seeing habits based on what day of the week it is. Monday's we do "Aim high in steering" for example. Good lord, our center manager will not give up on this even though there is practically no participation from anyone. ps turn in sale leads

 

[fxdwg]

I learned (learned) the ABC's on my owntime.

Isn't this the same?

Why should a person have to learn this only on Company Time?

 

[dilligaf]

I learned (learned) the ABC's on my owntime.

Isn't this the same?

Why should a person have to learn this only on Company Time?

We are required to know this for work. They need to pay us for learning it.

 

[grgrcr88]

Because it's company drivel. I don't need it to function in everyday life outside of UPS.

 

[dillweed]

OK, for me the drivel wasn't a problem. However, they have come up with yet another new one. Last week my pt gave me a paper with all the injuries I'vehad over the years. Seventeen years in and I've had 5 or 6 of them. One was a shoulder surgery but the rest were very minor and required a few days of light duty or a rib belt. I thanked him for the paper and pitched it later.

Yesterday he came up with another copy of that paper and asked me to sign it. I just laughed at that one and told him no way. Looks as if they are trying to make us sign to prove we know the safety stuff and sign that we've had injuries. hm.. They're up to something again.

 

[over9five]

DOK comes around about once a year for us. Just about long enough for everybody to forget it so we can be harassed to memorize it again. Oh yeah.. every morning in the pcm our drivers are asked to recite as a group one of the 5 seeing habits based on what day of the week it is. Monday's we do "Aim high in steering" for example. Good lord, our center manager will not give up on this even though there is practically no participation from anyone. ps turn in sale leads

I applaud this. Your center manager IS paying the drivers to learn it. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[over9five]

Why should a person have to learn this only on Company Time?

Because we're hourly employees. We get paid for all time spent in service to the company.

 

[Magnus]

You think that’s bad? Eventually, they’re going to ask you to memorize ALL of the zip codes your center handles locally, and some that are even out of state (the outbounds), no matter what you’re doing (load/unload) but especially if you are put on sorting detail. And, they’ll only be raising you $1.00 for those 40 – 60+ zips and the brain cells “wasted” on storing them long-term, and on YOUR OWN time.

Those couple little memorizations of the key safety habits and procedures are going to seem like a cakewalk at that point. And if you ever manage to make it to Driver, well guess what? There’s hundreds more things you’ll be expected to learn and know within a split second, and the OJS will be asking you every single one of them during your training and while you’re trying to focus on the road and your next few stops, so you’d better get the basics down quick.

For the immediate term, I’d suggest you get an area map from one of your management or sups which specifies the entire center’s radius complete with all zip codes and start cracking at them now, in addition to all of their "safety drivel" (which is really in your best interest to know, because it won't be their ass getting busted up for not knowing and following them, but yours). Oh – and by the way, they’ll also be asking you to memorize streets in addition to the zips, or at least this is what I was told would be required at my center.

Good luck!