Retired UPS Management willing to answer all questions that you are are afraid to ask.

[toonertoo]

I've been told by on car sup I'm one of a few drivers that really goes by the book not intentionally that's how I was trained and on top of that I was over paid with on car sup I do have 14 years of safe driving and not so good with injuries I have 11 injuries a few rolled ankles and 2 hernias few other minor stuff been with company for 21 years only been full time for 14

Go to water therapy for your ankles, used to roll mine all the time once it was injured. 4 times in four years. I could step on a rock and twist it. Ankle and injury free since 1999.

 

[Mrodriguez182]

I recently looked mine up and there's also a posting says my center seniority date is 11/21/14 I started during peak, left for like 1-2 months and came back can they take that away? And make it the original date when I got hired permanently?

 

[Re-Raise]

not afraid to ask this. have been asking for years but never have gotten an answer. why does corporate use negative methods to achieve profits?

using fear , threats, intimindation , taking away incentives, turkeys, safe driving gifts, termination letters always being watched and criticized , instead of using positive reinforcement and the golden rule??? there are scores of companies that achieve outstanding profits that do the opposite.

everyone loves a pat on the back and an occasional thank you. 25 years ago we had such a manager. our hub was number one in the nation. the drivers would go through fire for this guy. it was great and fun working here at that time. there was a real comraderie.(sp)

it just seems like a terrible waste. the profits would greatly increase if drivers were appreciated more. sure the pay and bennies are great but there is more to life than that. I would like to work another 5-7 years but just cant wait to retire because of the negative work environment. its such a shame.

so why do you think this is corporates idea of running a successful company when most of us believe this is the wrong approach?

The only positive feedback I have gotten in the last 30 yrs at UPS was on the Hazmat test I took on the computer a couple of months ago.
If you got the question right, a message came up saying "Great Job!"

 

[rod]

not afraid to ask this. have been asking for years but never have gotten an answer. why does corporate use negative methods to achieve profits?

using fear , threats, intimindation , taking away incentives, turkeys, safe driving gifts, termination letters always being watched and criticized , instead of using positive reinforcement and the golden rule??? there are scores of companies that achieve outstanding profits that do the opposite.

everyone loves a pat on the back and an occasional thank you. 25 years ago we had such a manager. our hub was number one in the nation. the drivers would go through fire for this guy. it was great and fun working here at that time. there was a real comraderie.(sp)

it just seems like a terrible waste. the profits would greatly increase if drivers were appreciated more. sure the pay and bennies are great but there is more to life than that. I would like to work another 5-7 years but just cant wait to retire because of the negative work environment. its such a shame.

so why do you think this is corporates idea of running a successful company when most of us believe this is the wrong approach?

I've told the story before about when I first started I had worked probably five years and NEVER ONCE heard a positive comment on my performance. It was always "what took you so long yesterday?--what was the hold up yesterday? --what went wrong yesterday? blah, blah, blah day after day after day. I had long since resigned to the fact that nothing could please these a-holes. Then out of the blue one morning my center manager said "Rod you are doing a great job". It shocked me so much I actually didn't know what to say. Fast forward to later when I pulled up to the gas pump when I got back to the building and was met by a guy in a suit with a clipboard and a hundred questions one of which was "when was the last time you were told you were doing a good job"? That wasn't too obvious of set up now was it. I'm sure UPS didn't start out by beating down their employees on a daily basis like they do but they sure wrote the book on it as time passed. I would swear on a stack of Bibles that in 30 years I could count on one hand any kind of good compliment I ever heard but truth be told it really didn't matter because after a couple of years I had become just another jaded employee putting in his time until retirement.

 

[Catatonic]

It's funny because I've wondered the same throughout the years...

Look at it like this, the majority of middle management are generally glorified blue collar folk. Unless you work in the region you really have no say in how things go and are basically told what to do (YES-MAN).

So when you get a DM or center manager who gets threatened with their jobs if they don't get results that's usually when they forget about their morals and values and the workforce experiences harassment and intimidation.

I've told the story before about when I first started I had worked probably five years and NEVER ONCE heard a positive comment on my performance. It was always "what took you so long yesterday?--what was the hold up yesterday? --what went wrong yesterday? blah, blah, blah day after day after day. I had long since resigned to the fact that nothing could please these a-holes. Then out of the blue one morning my center manager said "Rod you are doing a great job". It shocked me so much I actually didn't know what to say. Fast forward to later when I pulled up to the gas pump when I got back to the building and was met by a guy in a suit with a clipboard and a hundred questions one of which was "when was the last time you were told you were doing a good job"? That wasn't too obvious of set up now was it. I'm sure UPS didn't start out by beating down their employees on a daily basis like they do but they sure wrote the book on it as time passed. I would swear on a stack of Bibles that in 30 years I could count on one hand any kind of good compliment I ever heard but truth be told it really didn't matter because after a couple of years I had become just another jaded employee putting in his time until retirement.

And keep in mind that whatever you experienced was experienced by the employee you refer to as management.
They are just another guy trying to get to retirement.

 

[upschuck]

And keep in mind that whatever you experienced was experienced by the employee you refer to as management.
They are just another guy trying to get to retirement.

Understand that, but don't treat the people you work with like dirt, so you look better. Why do you think most have sour attitudes? because they have been dumped on one too many times.

I try to treat everyone with respect, but I too, have a limit.

 

[rod]

And keep in mind that whatever you experienced was experienced by the employee you refer to as management.
They are just another guy trying to get to retirement.

I won't argue that but would it really kill them to give a little positive reinforcement once in a blue moon? Its like they enjoy brow beating the troops. I'm not saying that UPS has to become another Google work environment but give me a break-----constantly being smacking down your troops only gets you troops who hate you and pull back instead of be willing to give it their all.

 

[Catatonic]

Understand that, but don't treat the people you work with like dirt, so you look better. Why do you think most have sour attitudes? because they have been dumped on one too many times.

I try to treat everyone with respect, but I too, have a limit.

Yeah, I understand.
I'm not sure I could make it in today's UPS Operations as a management person.

But, just as you do your job of pickup and delivery, a management person has to do what they are told as well.

I'm sure many customers think drivers are s too.

 

[Catatonic]

I won't argue that but would it really kill them to give a little positive reinforcement once in a blue moon? Its like they enjoy brow beating the troops. I'm not saying that UPS has to become another Google work environment but give me a break-----constantly being smacking down your troops only gets you troops who hate you and pull back instead of be willing to give it their all.

That would be nice but if they get slapped down by calls from the Div Mgr or worse District manager and get chewed out on the daily conference calls ... s gonna flow downhill.

 

[rod]

That would be nice but if they get slapped down by calls from the Div Mgr or worse District manager and get chewed out on the daily conference calls ... s gonna flow downhill.

that's no way to run a railroad

 

[Turdferguson]

And keep in mind that whatever you experienced was experienced by the employee you refer to as management.
They are just another guy trying to get to retirement.

I have always tried to keep that in mind when dealing with management. They are people too. You can tell the ones who are doing what they are told and the ones who for lack of a better word complete turds.

 

[Catatonic]

that's no way to run a railroad

And that's the problem ... so far, it has worked pretty damn well for the shareholders and so the Board supports it and appoints Management Committee members that support and implement it by promoting people who go results by browbeating.

As a management person, myself and others would wonder why the people who got promoted usually did not follow the teachings of UPS Human Resource workshops, especially the People's Workshop.

 

[olroadbeech]

It's funny because I've wondered the same throughout the years...

I think that corporate does not have any type of policy to achieve their goals through negative methods. I think that develops through the execution of that plan and the results of micromanagement.

Look at it like this, the majority of middle management are generally glorified blue collar folk. Unless you work in the region you really have no say in how things go and are basically told what to do (YES-MAN). A lot of them came through the ranks from hourly and usually don't have any type of management experience or sensitivity training. The rest are off the street management who never worked in the hub or delivered a package in their lives and are completely out of touch. Either way it's a poisonous combination.

So when you get a DM or center manager who gets threatened with their jobs if they don't get results that's usually when they forget about their morals and values and the workforce experiences harassment and intimidation. I've seen some pretty pathetic things throughout my career that have really been comical. It's funny watching someone completely abandon their ethics and integrity for the sake of the corporation. Once you look at it like that... trust me you'll never feel harassed.

Every one of us has had a manager who was a really good person and tried to please everyone, but we all know that person either gets moved or they become bipolar and change their management method to achieve results. It never lasts long term.

FYI I'm not slamming management here, I'm just telling it like it is. There are plenty of union members that give this company hell and things are the way they are for a reason. I'm a realist.

That's the reason why this job is draining, it's not the physical labor aspect. It's like being in a bad relationship... you love the company, but they keep keying your car.

that's a great way of looking at it, a different perspective. thanks.

 

[upschuck]

I'm sure many customers think drivers are s too.

They are, especially the one on BC.





Oh, wait.

 

[Catatonic]

that's a great way of looking at it, a different perspective. thanks.

You know he is management don't you!

 

[olroadbeech]

You know he is management don't you!

wut? a good perspective is a good perspective.

 

[box_beeyotch]

wut? a good perspective is a good perspective.

By far the best and most truthful post I have read to this day on the forum regardless of which side it came from.

 

[Fragile]

You know he is management don't you!

Not at all! Service provider. Everyone is right though, it's not relevant what side it came from.

 

[JackStraw]

Damn. I wanted to ask him how it felt to do dishonest things(groom a load, have drivers code off PCM's when preload isn't wrapped under the guise of "safety", knowingly break the contract, hide mis-loads so they don't show up on a report, etc. etc. etc. etc.) and then go and try to fire a driver for being dis-honest for scanning a package 50 yards away from a stop.

 

[Griff]

Yes, How can someone hold you accountable to a lie.

You cant and that's why the union doesn't recognize your time standards (lie) or your 3 day OJS rides for sporh metrics (lie).