SPH And Setting-Up Enployees To Fail

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
I was PMed by an employee today who doesn't want to post on his own about what is happening to him. In other words, he is afraid management will retaliate if they are outed for harassing him, and I can definitely understand that. I will keep this as generic as possible in order to protect the employee.

In short, this employee is making SPH, but management feels that 100% isn't good enough, so they are changing the expectations to a higher number. They want more, but due to extenuating circumstances, the courier is at their maximum SPH. Management doesn't accept the extenuating circumstances (they are legitimate), so now they are setting-up this employee to fail. He cannot change the extenuating circumstances, but FedEx doesn't care...all they want is bigger numbers. So now, the employee won't be able to make SPH and will probably eventually be terminated as they "build their case" with OLCCs and then letters, and then...gone.

If you think you cannot be fired for failing to make SPH, think again. They will set you up to fail too, and then blame your failure on your "bad attitude", "your laziness", and your "lack of cooperation". FedEx will stoop as low as it needs to in order to "get" you, and the reprehensible managers who go along with the corporate "search and destroy" protocol are nothing but lemmings performing a waltz orchestrated by FWS. I know of managers who brag about how many couriers they have canned for not making SPH. May Fred rot in Hell for ruining the lives of good people. Eff you, Mr. Smith, and all of your henchmen too.
 

DontThrowPackages

Well-Known Member
This is a big dot deal. Management is getting it from high above to get more out of couriers to offset the raises given out this month. Couple this with the fact upper level management also has a" magic number" of FT couriers it would like to get down to makes it open season on anyone with just one single strand of grey hair.
 

Cactus

Just telling it like it is
And their plan is to replace us with fresh faced couriers who can't make those numbers either?

Fred, Upper management and manure for brains. Some things just naturally go together.
 

hypo hanna

Well-Known Member
2 words.....Check ride

+1

After the CR, send a certified letter return reciept requested to the senior manager pointing out how the manager failed to attain the numbers required. (Take plenty of notes during the check ride. If you have a sympathetic dispatcher see if you can get a copy of the days stops with pickup times and the message report.) In your letter let the senior know that hitting those numbers will put you and the general public at risk of an accident.
you are basically telling him that continuing to push you for unattainable goals also puts FedEx at risk for a major lawsuit they have zero chance of winning.
 

DontThrowPackages

Well-Known Member
And their plan is to replace us with fresh faced couriers who can't make those numbers either?

Fred, Upper management and manure for brains. Some things just naturally go together.
That fresh face just may one of those willing to speed through the streets, work on his lunch and go to every pickup 30 minutes early. This is their ideal of the perfect CR.
 

!Retired!

Well-Known Member
This is a big dot deal. Management is getting it from high above to get more out of couriers to offset the raises given out this month. Couple this with the fact upper level management also has a" magic number" of FT couriers it would like to get down to makes it open season on anyone with just one single strand of grey hair.
And you know this how? Replacing a FT CRR (even a topped out one) with 2 PT'ers makes no financial sense.
+1

After the CR, send a certified letter return reciept requested to the senior manager pointing out how the manager failed to attain the numbers required. (Take plenty of notes during the check ride. If you have a sympathetic dispatcher see if you can get a copy of the days stops with pickup times and the message report.) In your letter let the senior know that hitting those numbers will put you and the general public at risk of an accident.
you are basically telling him that continuing to push you for unattainable goals also puts FedEx at risk for a major lawsuit they have zero chance of winning.
I was thinking......wouldn't a gap report show everything without even getting a check ride? Also, I would send the same letter you mentioned to the District Office. Once you mention safety is an issue, District's eyes open up. Be prepared for your manager's reaction if you do either one.
 

Cactus

Just telling it like it is
That fresh face just may one of those willing to speed through the streets, work on his lunch and go to every pickup 30 minutes early. This is their ideal of the perfect CR.
Until unfortunately he or she has an accident while he or she is supposed to be on break. Then the managers will do the under the bus toss.

 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
And you know this how? Replacing a FT CRR (even a topped out one) with 2 PT'ers makes no financial sense.

I was thinking......wouldn't a gap report show everything without even getting a check ride? Also, I would send the same letter you mentioned to the District Office. Once you mention safety is an issue, District's eyes open up. Be prepared for your manager's reaction if you do either one.[/QUOTE

Hey Jackal, do you ever look at JCATS? The ratio of PT to FT posts is consistently about 10 to 1. There are rare FT openings, but usually FT means being a swing. FedEx thinks converting to a PT workforce makes sense, even though I agree it doesn't make sense, but probably for a different reason than you. IMO, replacing a good, experienced FT courier actually costs FedEx money in terms of productivity. The new breed of employee is generally pretty inefficient. On paper, eliminating the possibility of OT and having more flexibility would seem to be the compelling reasons for FedEx to create a PT company. But, as usual, living in the virtual world of the engineers is problematic.

A Gap Report is not the same thing as a check ride, and I have heard that many stations are no longer doing them. If the swing or float goes out and kills your route every time, there might be an issue, especially if the swing is working through lunch, speeding etc. If the swing isn't cheating, you've got a problem. But if your numbers are already good, maybe they're just pushing for more, probably to help eliminate the 2% we're getting as a raise. They don't care if the swing cheats, because they'd like you to do it too, and if you're at 100%, why not be at 102% by "trying harder"? MT3 is always pushing us to do more. Why? The only payoff is for them, not us. WAD, and reap the benefits of less stress.
 

Doc Sorting Dude

Well-Known Member
Rather than punishing the crr's for not attaining their goal, I would think the managers of their respective groups would lower the SPH not only to make their group look good but the station performance overall. There are many crr's who just cannot work any faster or drive any harder than what they've been doing for years. Replacing a seasoned courier with a newbie will not instantly improve numbers.

If they take the average of what a seasoned courier did say for a year, what do they expect a replacement will do? Even a seasoned swing driver cannot possibly match consistently what a regular courier normally does; there are too many variables for each route and different abilities. Again, why the focus on SPH if the work is done consistently on time?

It seems some managers have no backbone when questioning the validity of improving station performance. A checkride is important but it has to be more than 1 day to make a fair assessment.
 

whenIgetthere

Well-Known Member
And you know this how? Replacing a FT CRR (even a topped out one) with 2 PT'ers makes no financial sense.

I was thinking......wouldn't a gap report show everything without even getting a check ride? Also, I would send the same letter you mentioned to the District Office. Once you mention safety is an issue, District's eyes open up. Be prepared for your manager's reaction if you do either one.[/QUOTE

Hey Jackal, do you ever look at JCATS? The ratio of PT to FT posts is consistently about 10 to 1. There are rare FT openings, but usually FT means being a swing. FedEx thinks converting to a PT workforce makes sense, even though I agree it doesn't make sense, but probably for a different reason than you. IMO, replacing a good, experienced FT courier actually costs FedEx money in terms of productivity. The new breed of employee is generally pretty inefficient. On paper, eliminating the possibility of OT and having more flexibility would seem to be the compelling reasons for FedEx to create a PT company. But, as usual, living in the virtual world of the engineers is problematic.

A Gap Report is not the same thing as a check ride, and I have heard that many stations are no longer doing them. If the swing or float goes out and kills your route every time, there might be an issue, especially if the swing is working through lunch, speeding etc. If the swing isn't cheating, you've got a problem. But if your numbers are already good, maybe they're just pushing for more, probably to help eliminate the 2% we're getting as a raise. They don't care if the swing cheats, because they'd like you to do it too, and if you're at 100%, why not be at 102% by "trying harder"? MT3 is always pushing us to do more. Why? The only payoff is for them, not us. WAD, and reap the benefits of less stress.

I got a check ride last week, and not by my manager, it was by the belt manager for that route. I think they did it because the CRR on that route is usually around 98 or 99 percent, and they're trying to bump his SPH up. They post this everyday, so it's no secret what he runs. I went out and ran the route at 99 (I've run that route many times, so I know it pretty well), and IMO, they're dreaming if they think they can move the numbers up.
 

!Retired!

Well-Known Member
Hey Jackal, do you ever look at JCATS? The ratio of PT to FT posts is consistently about 10 to 1. There are rare FT openings, but usually FT means being a swing. FedEx thinks converting to a PT workforce makes sense, even though I agree it doesn't make sense, but probably for a different reason than you. IMO, replacing a good, experienced FT courier actually costs FedEx money in terms of productivity. The new breed of employee is generally pretty inefficient. On paper, eliminating the possibility of OT and having more flexibility would seem to be the compelling reasons for FedEx to create a PT company. But, as usual, living in the virtual world of the engineers is problematic.
I switched stations/states twice. 12 and 10 years ago. There has always been big FT/PT ratio. The problem doesn't lie with FedEx, it lies with the new hires. They volunteer for everything.....so why have a FT experienced courier when you can have a cheaper PT willing to do the work when you need them? I had one think she was getting a just posted prime FT route because the manager liked her. I just laughed.
 
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