Part time supervisor

[Nicholas21]

So, I've been working at UPS for about 4-5 months now, I am an unloader. A pretty good one. I cause chaos for the sorters, so yesterday I was asked if i wanted to be a supervisor? They keep asking me over and over again that I am beginning to consider it. I heard a lot of bad things about being a supervisor. I know there's extra cash involved but the job can be extremely stressful. Is it worth it?

 

[stoni24]

Everyone here is gonna say "no don't do it. It's a terrible dead end job." But those same people were hired in on an earlier contract not this one. They didn't have to wait 1 year for healthcare, 18 months for family coverage, no paid holidays 1st year, laughable .50 cent per year raises for 3 consecutive years, constant layoffs and so on...I almost fell for the pt sup gig. Glad now I didn't, but the first 4 years are terrible for a pt hourly now days......peace

 

[Softconcrete]

ask to go to the sort aisle so you can get pounded too! extra dollar!

 

[Brownslave688]

Ill say what I've always said. If there's even a remote chance u might make ups a career don't do it.

 

[ibleedbrown]

if you're 21 years old, and do not have a chance to go driving or don't want to, i say go for the supervising position. you will automatically double your salary. if you are good at it and they like you you will have a chance to be a full time supervisor at a relatively young age. if you do not plan on sticking around that long, being a pt sup at ups will give you very good experience in management and look good on your resume when looking for another job. you will have to put up w a lot of stress and b.s. from upper management but you will be doing a minimum amount of physical labor compared to a union worker.

 

[wilberforce15]

I cause chaos for the sorters, so yesterday I was asked if i wanted to be a supervisor

If you believe the job of an unloader is to cause chaos for sorters, then you will be a perfect member of UPS management.

 

[rudy5150]

Part time sups are the worst jobs at UPS. They dont make anything work quite abit of hours and get yelled at by upper managment, on car sups, and teamsters!

 

[Boysie8706]

I'm a pt sup, If I could i would go back and not be a pt sup. There are way better opportunities down the road if you remain in the union. (Different job opportunities that you can actually bid on)

 

[Indecisi0n]

no don't do it. It's a terrible dead end job.

 

[lateagain]

I was a preloader for 3 years, went to pt sup on the preload, was hired to be a ft sup, and in the process to go ft sup, I had to drive first. I have been driving for 12 years now. I would have driven earlier if I would have stayed hourly.

 

[Anonymous 10]

So, I've been working at UPS for about 4-5 months now, I am an unloader. A pretty good one. I cause chaos for the sorters, so yesterday I was asked if i wanted to be a supervisor? They keep asking me over and over again that I am beginning to consider it. I heard a lot of bad things about being a supervisor. I know there's extra cash involved but the job can be extremely stressful. Is it worth it?

I bet if you become a part-time supervisor you will change the world. Think about it if you can blow out a sort isle you are the best of the best.

 

[tonyexpress]

I bet if you become a part-time supervisor you will change the world. Think about it if you can blow out a sort isle you are the best of the best.

Ahh yes...The good old days..My part-time sups use to have challenges where the best unloaders would go against the best sorters...Oh the production numbers we'd get..

 

[Nicholas21]

I don't cause chaos purposely. They just can't keep up with my flow. I believe my job is to unload trucks as fast as I can and not dilly dally around. I take my job seriously.

 

[Nicholas21]

I bet if you become a part-time supervisor you will change the world. Think about it if you can blow out a sort isle you are the best of the best.

Hopefully my ability to change the world will change people and their bs sarcasm as well. Thank you for the wisdom though..

 

[neartom]

At my center, if you can not do your job, they make you a supervisor. Kinda like, if you can't play referee. Sounds like your center is the same.

 

[BLACKBALLED]

Considering you have only been there a few months and they are asking you to become a pt sup. should make you wonder why? I was A pt sup. for 5 years after being hrly, I went through 5 different center managers and it was not pretty, I was the type of sup. who had no problem jabbing with them but I wished I had stayed hrly, my advice is do not do it. The job got easier for me after time but it still was a regret.

 

[PiedmontSteward]

I don't cause chaos purposely. They just can't keep up with my flow. I believe my job is to unload trucks as fast as I can and not dilly dally around. I take my job seriously.

Have fun with that when you're in your mid-20's or early 30's.

 

[wilberforce15]

I don't cause chaos purposely. They just can't keep up with my flow. I believe my job is to unload trucks as fast as I can and not dilly dally around. I take my job seriously

You are not following the methods. I've sorted hundreds of unloaders, and have never seen an unloader beat sorters constistently while following methods.

Your lack of concern for safety (using unload stands, for one) or customers (through package handling), again, makes you a perfect candidate.

 

[curiousbrain]

Think of this decision as a career choice because, at UPS, it is; you will hear stories about how you can go drive and qualify on-road to be an ORS, and then stay in the union (thus switching from management to the union), but the company is starting to slam that door shut in a variety of ways. Soon, that will not be an option.

As such, you should give this decision the amount of thought it deserves.

The problem is, with 4 - 5 months, you (as I, when I made the switch to management) don't know enough to properly evaluate the pro's and con's, so you are forced to rely on advice from longwinded geezers like myself - most of whom have a bias and/or an axe to grind.

If I were you (and I was several years ago), I would stay hourly for at least a year before you make the decision.

 

[LongTimeComing]

Pay no mind to sour apples. Just take some mental notes from their responses with a grain of salt, and ultimately do what you want to do. Being a part-time sup CAN suck terribly. Or it can be pretty kosher. It can be both. It is what you make it.

Opportunity for growth is dependent on your district. With that being said, there are HUGE amounts of middle and upper management retiring within the next couple of years, so there's almost a certainty that there will be better opportunities for Part-time sups to move up than there has been over the past 6 years or so.

The money is better initially. You would be making more over a long period of time if you stay an hourly, but if you need the money NOW, then by all means do it.

Job security is pretty solid for PT sups. When hits the fan, you might get bitched at by your full-timer, but it's the full-timer that will be taking the heat from above. Upper management doesn't typically accept the excuse of "the part timer did it"....that will get thrown right back in the face of whatever FT sup decided to use it. I've been on many a conference call where this has happened.


As far as my personal opinion goes on your particular situation....If you can't seem to handle the criticism from a forum full of the kind of people that will be working for you at some point, then you may need to reconsider your ability to lead, coach, council, and manage that same group of people. UPS has done a terrible job assessing the interpersonal relationship skills of their management team, and having one less bag who lacks people-skills can only be looked at as a step in the right direction. Continue to on your sorter, and don't add to the crappy image that UPS management has already created for itself.