On-road Supervisor Verbally Abusive From A Managers Perspective

ELYK

New Member
Don't know how many supervisors/managers are on this forum, but I need some advice and thought I'd give this forum a shot. I was hired as a pt pkg dispatch supervisor and have currently been in this position for the last 4 months. I previously worked in the air bldg as a union employee and had ZERO experience with pkg drivers before being hired in this position. I was very surprised that I was hired, due to me have absolutely no experience with dealing with the process of delivering/Picking up pkgs. I had never even been on car with a driver, nor did I have any idea of how the whole process worked. So I really began at the bottom when I was hired. It was so much stuff to take in and learn with peak season only 4 months away (and i still have soooo much more to learn). But I have picked up a lot and have developed, in my mind, good relationships with my 120 plus pkg drivers.

My issue is the training has been awful. My on-road supervisor (whose position i just took over) has been my main trainer and he absolutely hates me for some reason. He constantly contradicts himself when he gives me instructions. If I ask a question he gives me a look of "Why are you asking me this question, you should know" If I don't ask a question, it's like "Why didn't you ask me!?" If i ask him for his opinion on a certain scenario, its like "Figure it out!" When I do figure it out and make my own decision, it's like "NO, you don't do that!" (Even though, ive seen him make the same decision before). He has the mentality of a high school bully. I asked a simple question today and heard him say on speaker phone (he didn't know he was on speaker phone) "No! I dont want to talk to him!)" And the other dispatcher there has been there for 20 years and doesn't do a damn thing all day. On her phone all day long. I am never late, haven't called out, worked Saturdays, stayed later than I am suppose to if they need me too, and I dont even take a break all shift long.

My boss is a really good guy and even told me that I am doing great and don't let him get to me. I know it sounds like he's not because of my complaints, but I truly believe he's a good guy just trying to get thru another day of hell as a center manager.

There is still so much i dont know, so i do need this guys help to get through certain situations that I dont know how to solve, but I do not know how to go about this problem. If i make an issue about it, I feel i'll just get thrown under the bus more than i already am and most likely just crash and burn. I would just quit, but UPS is really helping a lot by paying for my schooling. Other positions are not widely available where I am located and I feel trapped and have no answers.

Any suggestions and/or solutions to this?
 

ELYK

New Member
Some people are just jerks. Don't worry about it.
I am trying not too, but I am not going to succeed in this position without proper help/training. They work such long hours every day, that all of the full-timers (manager/on-road sup's) just want to go home for the day and are not trying to hear another problem on top of the 100 plus they came across throughout the day. Any kind of action I can take?
 

BigBrown87

If it’s brown, it’s going down
Record your conversations or document what he is telling you, that way he has to own his :censored2: and give you straight answers. Tell him it's for informational purposes why you are recording your conversations so you can have a log to go to for answers. If he gets goofy or lies about what he told you pull up your records and show him what he said, that will shut him up and get him off your back.
 

Integrity

Binge Poster
Don't know how many supervisors/managers are on this forum, but I need some advice and thought I'd give this forum a shot. I was hired as a pt pkg dispatch supervisor and have currently been in this position for the last 4 months. I previously worked in the air bldg as a union employee and had ZERO experience with pkg drivers before being hired in this position. I was very surprised that I was hired, due to me have absolutely no experience with dealing with the process of delivering/Picking up pkgs. I had never even been on car with a driver, nor did I have any idea of how the whole process worked. So I really began at the bottom when I was hired. It was so much stuff to take in and learn with peak season only 4 months away (and i still have soooo much more to learn). But I have picked up a lot and have developed, in my mind, good relationships with my 120 plus pkg drivers.

My issue is the training has been awful. My on-road supervisor (whose position i just took over) has been my main trainer and he absolutely hates me for some reason. He constantly contradicts himself when he gives me instructions. If I ask a question he gives me a look of "Why are you asking me this question, you should know" If I don't ask a question, it's like "Why didn't you ask me!?" If i ask him for his opinion on a certain scenario, its like "Figure it out!" When I do figure it out and make my own decision, it's like "NO, you don't do that!" (Even though, ive seen him make the same decision before). He has the mentality of a high school bully. I asked a simple question today and heard him say on speaker phone (he didn't know he was on speaker phone) "No! I dont want to talk to him!)" And the other dispatcher there has been there for 20 years and doesn't do a damn thing all day. On her phone all day long. I am never late, haven't called out, worked Saturdays, stayed later than I am suppose to if they need me too, and I dont even take a break all shift long.

My boss is a really good guy and even told me that I am doing great and don't let him get to me. I know it sounds like he's not because of my complaints, but I truly believe he's a good guy just trying to get thru another day of hell as a center manager.

There is still so much i dont know, so i do need this guys help to get through certain situations that I dont know how to solve, but I do not know how to go about this problem. If i make an issue about it, I feel i'll just get thrown under the bus more than i already am and most likely just crash and burn. I would just quit, but UPS is really helping a lot by paying for my schooling. Other positions are not widely available where I am located and I feel trapped and have no answers.

Any suggestions and/or solutions to this?
For obvious reasons at UPS, I made a commitment to never quit because of horrible coworkers. Management or non management.

If I was going to ever quit it would be for my own reasons and not someone else’s dysfunction.

I suggest you read and study the UPS Policy Book and the UPS Code of Business Conduct and use information available in these documents as the source of your answers and solutions to you problems.

I always document every important thing that is said when dealing with issues in the workplace.

What I said as well as what was said to me in response.

Good luck!
 

Underallowed306

Well-Known Member
If he has a bully mentality, he’ll only understand one approach. Give him a good cussing. UPS is a unique place. This isn’t like working at IBM or Goldman Sachs. We have to get ugly sometimes. Tell him that ultimately you both want the same goal, for you to be good at your job so that he doesn’t have to think about you anymore. It may surprise you to learn that not everyone in management knows what they are doing, so the sooner you can get off the radar, the better. If he knows he can’t push you around so easily, he will move on to someone else. You have to learn this job through your collective experiences. Most of the time, the training is worthless, anyway. It’s only designed to cover their butt from a legal standpoint.
 
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...

Nah
I am trying not too, but I am not going to succeed in this position without proper help/training. They work such long hours every day, that all of the full-timers (manager/on-road sup's) just want to go home for the day and are not trying to hear another problem on top of the 100 plus they came across throughout the day. Any kind of action I can take?

When they blame you, kindly remind them that you came to them for help/advice before and they told you to "figure it out." So that's what you did.
 

...

Nah
I'm pretty sure he doesnt. But I know this guy is throwing me under the bus for stuff that isnt even my fault. There is such a lack of communication between everyone, that things get lost in the mix

Do what @Integrity said and document everything. Bring a notebook or something. Anytime he gives you contradicting instructions, anytime he shrugs you off, write it down.
 

Wally

BrownCafe Innovator & King of Puns
Don't know how many supervisors/managers are on this forum, but I need some advice and thought I'd give this forum a shot. I was hired as a pt pkg dispatch supervisor and have currently been in this position for the last 4 months. I previously worked in the air bldg as a union employee and had ZERO experience with pkg drivers before being hired in this position. I was very surprised that I was hired, due to me have absolutely no experience with dealing with the process of delivering/Picking up pkgs. I had never even been on car with a driver, nor did I have any idea of how the whole process worked. So I really began at the bottom when I was hired. It was so much stuff to take in and learn with peak season only 4 months away (and i still have soooo much more to learn). But I have picked up a lot and have developed, in my mind, good relationships with my 120 plus pkg drivers.

My issue is the training has been awful. My on-road supervisor (whose position i just took over) has been my main trainer and he absolutely hates me for some reason. He constantly contradicts himself when he gives me instructions. If I ask a question he gives me a look of "Why are you asking me this question, you should know" If I don't ask a question, it's like "Why didn't you ask me!?" If i ask him for his opinion on a certain scenario, its like "Figure it out!" When I do figure it out and make my own decision, it's like "NO, you don't do that!" (Even though, ive seen him make the same decision before). He has the mentality of a high school bully. I asked a simple question today and heard him say on speaker phone (he didn't know he was on speaker phone) "No! I dont want to talk to him!)" And the other dispatcher there has been there for 20 years and doesn't do a damn thing all day. On her phone all day long. I am never late, haven't called out, worked Saturdays, stayed later than I am suppose to if they need me too, and I dont even take a break all shift long.

My boss is a really good guy and even told me that I am doing great and don't let him get to me. I know it sounds like he's not because of my complaints, but I truly believe he's a good guy just trying to get thru another day of hell as a center manager.

There is still so much i dont know, so i do need this guys help to get through certain situations that I dont know how to solve, but I do not know how to go about this problem. If i make an issue about it, I feel i'll just get thrown under the bus more than i already am and most likely just crash and burn. I would just quit, but UPS is really helping a lot by paying for my schooling. Other positions are not widely available where I am located and I feel trapped and have no answers.

Any suggestions and/or solutions to this?
Sups come and go. Forget about it. What happens today at UPS never matters tomorrow.
 

PeakMode

Arrive Peak Leave
Because he was not trained and dont know the proper answer himself that is why he gets hostile to answer your questions. You need to find out who is the PFT coordinator for your building. Usually PFT is who Dispatchers call when they dont know how things in DMS, adjust or add sequences. They can walk you thru it better to a point they could setup some training for you.

EDIT: It is normal though. Ops environment is totally different from HUB,HR, BD, and Air. I laugh at these BDs who go to Ops thinking they could use their same business pitches they use on customers to drivers.
 
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Days

Well-Known Member
My issue is the training has been awful. My on-road supervisor (whose position i just took over) has been my main trainer and he absolutely hates me for some reason. He constantly contradicts himself when he gives me instructions. If I ask a question he gives me a look of "Why are you asking me this question, you should know" If I don't ask a question, it's like "Why didn't you ask me!?" If i ask him for his opinion on a certain scenario, its like "Figure it out!" When I do figure it out and make my own decision, it's like "NO, you don't do that!" (Even though, ive seen him make the same decision before). He has the mentality of a high school bully

This is a usual occurrence with UPS. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
 

Dr.Brownz

Well-Known Member
I'm pretty sure he doesnt. But I know this guy is throwing me under the bus for stuff that isnt even my fault. There is such a lack of communication between everyone, that things get lost in the mix

As far as I can tell, every UPS is like this. None of the supervisors work together/communicate effectively. It's fun to pit them against each other.
 
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