Supervisor leaving

[Deeohem]

Today one of the supervisors in my management took the time to let us know that he was quitting UPS. Even though I never reported directly to him, he was the go to guy when my supervisor was on vacation. He's been a good supervisor and always had time to chat and took care of all the techs as much as he was allowed to. He'll be missed.

He's leaving because of something better. Which brings me to my questions and why I'm posting. When I was hired, UPS was the 'something better'. When did that change? Why did that change?

 

[DorkHead]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[UPS Lifer]

"Something better" is a matter of perspective. The folks in the X and Y generation will continue this into the future. All companies will be developing ways to address this challenge. However...this is a personal perspective that I have. I watched my wife leave one company after another for "something better". In the long run, there was slightly more money and better title and more responsibility BUT nothing that would keep her stable through retirement.

On the other hand, I kept wrestling with the want ads from time-to-time but I stuck it out with UPS. I am glad I did. We would both still be working if I had left for "something better".

Best advice I could give you is save and invest like there is no tomorrow...so you can feel that you can have the independance that "something better" will bring along. Don't plan for a pension....make your own. I did that with SS also...anything I get will be a bonus! But I am not depending on it. Create investments with cash flow and continue to invest the "cash flow". don't over-leverage your investments...if something does go wrong you need to be able to pay for your assets.

It is my opinion and only my opinion that UPS will be one of the last companies to abandon the pension. But I feel they will offer alternative investing strategies that will help with the transition.

Remember - the grass is always greener looking on the other side of the fence. The trick is to get a your own green thumb.

 

[dumbsup]

UPS Lifer sounds like a true DM, he may or may not be but UPS is not like it was and never will be again. That all changed on a sunny day in Nov. 1999.

 

[local804]

My first center manager at UPS is doing his last week as the big bossman. I guess he either took the buyout or it is his time to retire. I am not sure of his age but I dont think he is all that old. He was very old school manager but was a pleasure to work with(cant say that about alot of CMs) and fair for the most part. Jim from the Nassau bldg , good luck.

 

[20yearvet]

I am new to the board but have been reading posts for a few months. I can tell you all as a more than 20 year vet that things have changed dramatically. At one time there was no cost for benefits, then the thrift plan went away, then going public. The public offering helped many of the longer term managers and above at that point, but as a supervisor going through a divorce, it did nothing for me. My issue is that I have not seen a whole lot over the last 8 or so years that is a benefit to employees. I am extremely loyal to the company for providing me a way to survive a nasty divorce, but continually wonder what direction we are going. I like my job but again, spend significant amounts of time trying to determine if 'the grass is greener'.

 

[hangin455]

"Something better" is a matter of perspective. The folks in the X and Y generation will continue this into the future. All companies will be developing ways to address this challenge. However...this is a personal perspective that I have. I watched my wife leave one company after another for "something better". In the long run, there was slightly more money and better title and more responsibility BUT nothing that would keep her stable through retirement.

On the other hand, I kept wrestling with the want ads from time-to-time but I stuck it out with UPS. I am glad I did. We would both still be working if I had left for "something better".

Best advice I could give you is save and invest like there is no tomorrow...so you can feel that you can have the independance that "something better" will bring along. Don't plan for a pension....make your own. I did that with SS also...anything I get will be a bonus! But I am not depending on it. Create investments with cash flow and continue to invest the "cash flow". don't over-leverage your investments...if something does go wrong you need to be able to pay for your assets.

It is my opinion and only my opinion that UPS will be one of the last companies to abandon the pension. But I feel they will offer alternative investing strategies that will help with the transition.

Remember - the grass is always greener looking on the other side of the fence. The trick is to get a your own green thumb.

When I "retire" from Mgmt I'll be looking for another job. The days of "hang in there and when it's all over it'll been worth it" are done. All the family sacrifices are bad enough but at least you used to be compensated for them.

 

[local804]

I feel for the guys(UPS drivers I know) who are going through a divorce and I feel for you too. The job as a UPS driver is not that friendly of a job for the person that sees his children for a couple of hours during the week and every other weekend. I know way too many peole getting divorced that are drivers and there are children involved in all. Mentally I seem them drained from the court battles and the UPS daily stress dont help out much either. They start late and are over dispatched because the suits know they are going to run their routes on the days they have to pick up their kids. Some drivers get their request loads denied because the boss says they "dont have the man power" or "we have a business to run" I try to help them out with taking a few stops off them and so do some of the other drivers. This is one thing that really pisses me off about the mgmt at UPS. If they keep telling us the BS that they care or we are not just a number, show us. Just remember, when its time for the ERI, I will write what I think in the comments. They will know what I write because every time I take the ERI, I leave my name.

 

[20yearvet]

Just so we all know, I am a 15 year supervisor. I appreciate the kind words about divorce, because my more than a year of dealing with it was tough. Getting time off for court or whatever was a challenge regardless. When I was an oncar supervisor, I had a driver whose wife was pregnant. I was lucky the day she went into labor because I was in the office dealing with complaints. He called in to say she was in labor. I went to his locker (with his permission), grabbed his personal keys, drove his car to his route and finished it, so he could be with his wife during the most important part of life, the birth of a child. I have no qualms about doing it even though it caused my 5 extra hour of work after I was done, it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. Family comes first. I wish UPS would understand that. My first wife did not - hence the reason.

 

[local804]

"Family comes first" Wish other people were on our page.

 

[toonertoo]

I really think that if UPS went back to being a little more family friendly....... I think we could all take the hours and the stress better, if we knew when we had an important day to go to a childs event and would get the help to get there we would be alot less disgruntled. It used to be you could help out a fellow driver by taking ten, or what he had left at five, and it was no big deal, but now everyone is so over dispatched, we cant help each other even if we were willing. Mine are grown and it isnt an issue with me any more, but I remember when it was. And those are the days you have air til 1030, and have to use the dolly at every other stop.
The other morning the pcm was about the 100 yr celebration at Middleburg HUb, and telling us how we and our families are all invited. Everyone just looked at each other like "yeah right, we will go" Now 15 yrs ago, more people would have went, now no one wants to take their kids to see how the history of UPS has made them M-friend orphans. It used to be a source of pride, 15 yrs ago we would have all enjoyed the comraderie, and a bunch of us would have drug the families there, and had a great time, Now every one needs their weekends just to catch up, and hope to catch up and have some quality family time. Just my Opinion.

 

[Channahon]

Just so we all know, I am a 15 year supervisor. I appreciate the kind words about divorce, because my more than a year of dealing with it was tough. Getting time off for court or whatever was a challenge regardless. When I was an oncar supervisor, I had a driver whose wife was pregnant. I was lucky the day she went into labor because I was in the office dealing with complaints. He called in to say she was in labor. I went to his locker (with his permission), grabbed his personal keys, drove his car to his route and finished it, so he could be with his wife during the most important part of life, the birth of a child. I have no qualms about doing it even though it caused my 5 extra hour of work after I was done, it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. Family comes first. I wish UPS would understand that. My first wife did not - hence the reason.[/quote

A fine example of UPS management taking care of their employees. I'm sure if the supervisor was not available, his fellow drivers would have pitched in to help.

There's just something about a newborn that melts everyone's hearts. IMO

 

[RockyRogue]

A fine example of UPS management taking care of their employees. I'm sure if the supervisor was not available, his fellow drivers would have pitched in to help.

There's just something about a newborn that melts everyone's hearts. IMO

I agree, Channa. Not all UPS management are heartless, as you and your above counterpart demonstrate. Even some of the impassive, "all production" management have a little humanity left. One day, before I ended my first UPS stint, my friend/t'er demanded, "What's the matter with you? You haven't spoken to anyone since you walked in the building!" He said it in a genuinely curious, humane fashion. He was the biggest A&%HOLE in the building but he still asked what was wrong with his employee. We talked maybe two minutes but it turned around my opinion of him. -Rocky

 

[ups_vette]

I know that some of you (trickpony in particular) think of me as one of the "strickly by the rules" managers. In most cases you're right. However, even I have shown compassion to one of my drivers when the circumstances were truly unique and urgent.

As an example, during the work stoppage of 1976,,, that's right, 1976, not 1997. Most of you have no knowledge of that work stoppage. It effected the East Coast, from New England to Virginia. The rest of the country was not effected. At that time I was the Center Manager of a 50 car Center in NE Pa. The drivers were picketting the building and I was alone inside. One of the top senior drivers called and said his mothers house was on fire. He said he and the neighbors had moved most of his mother's posesions out of the burning home and asked if he could use a package car to temporarly store her items till they decided where to take them.

Without hesitation, or checking with my Division Manager, I told him I'd be there as fast as I could. I changed into my browns ("stricly by the rules manager"), told the drivers outside who were picketting where I was going and drove to the mother's house. Her items were stacked in a vacent lot next to her home and we loaded them into the p600. I still have the picture of me loading her furnishings into the p600 that appeared in the local newspaper the following day.

Why did I do it? I did it because someone needed help and I had the ability to help.
After the work stoppage ended, I went back to business as usual, as did the driver I was abel to help. As a matter of fact a few months later I suspended that driver for signing for a package.

We all have our individual jobs to do, and as long as all of us perform our jobs as required, the job gets done. It's only when someone (management or hourly) doesn't live up to their responsiblity that the job doesn't get done.

 

[hoser]

Today one of the supervisors in my management took the time to let us know that he was quitting UPS. Even though I never reported directly to him, he was the go to guy when my supervisor was on vacation. He's been a good supervisor and always had time to chat and took care of all the techs as much as he was allowed to. He'll be missed.

He's leaving because of something better. Which brings me to my questions and why I'm posting. When I was hired, UPS was the 'something better'. When did that change? Why did that change?

treatment. UPS is the introduction to supervisory experience. then you find the jobs that require 2-3 years experience, and you move on.

 

[Raw]

I know that some of you (trickpony in particular) think of me as one of the "strickly by the rules" managers. In most cases you're right. However, even I have shown compassion to one of my drivers when the circumstances were truly unique and urgent.

As an example, during the work stoppage of 1976,,, that's right, 1976, not 1997. Most of you have no knowledge of that work stoppage. It effected the East Coast, from New England to Virginia. The rest of the country was not effected. At that time I was the Center Manager of a 50 car Center in NE Pa. The drivers were picketting the building and I was alone inside. One of the top senior drivers called and said his mothers house was on fire. He said he and the neighbors had moved most of his mother's posesions out of the burning home and asked if he could use a package car to temporarly store her items till they decided where to take them.

Without hesitation, or checking with my Division Manager, I told him I'd be there as fast as I could. I changed into my browns ("stricly by the rules manager"), told the drivers outside who were picketting where I was going and drove to the mother's house. Her items were stacked in a vacent lot next to her home and we loaded them into the p600. I still have the picture of me loading her furnishings into the p600 that appeared in the local newspaper the following day.

Why did I do it? I did it because someone needed help and I had the ability to help.
After the work stoppage ended, I went back to business as usual, as did the driver I was abel to help. As a matter of fact a few months later I suspended that driver for signing for a package.

We all have our individual jobs to do, and as long as all of us perform our jobs as required, the job gets done. It's only when someone (management or hourly) doesn't live up to their responsiblity that the job doesn't get done.

Sniff,Sniff , that was touching!

 

[Braveheart]

The day we went public with our stock was the day we were doomed! When Wall Street says $4 billion dollars profit is not enough despite terrorism, soaring fuel costs, the war in Iraq, soaring health care costs, soaring insurance costs, hurricanes, all the constant changes to airport security, the constant costs associated with employee turnover in the part time ranks which have now spread to other areas including all the managers that keep quiting, etc etc etc Is when I long for the private stock we used to have when the only time it ever went down was 50 cents during the strike.

 

[UPS Lifer]

I am extremely loyal to the company for providing me a way to survive a nasty divorce, but continually wonder what direction we are going. I like my job but again, spend significant amounts of time trying to determine if 'the grass is greener'.

If you haven't done this already - seek out someone you respect that knows your situation - where you work - local conditions - etc. This should be someone that you feel is where you would like to be (or on the way). Pick that person's brain and get some coaching from a different perspective.

Again, I just recently retired. I have seen 35 years of change. My last couple of years, I had a district level job so I got to visit with all the management teams throughout the district. Many supervisors are very disenchanted right now especially because of the changes with the stock.

What is happening at UPS is not unique to UPS. In most cases, it is less dramatic than what is happening in other companies.

Career Development discussions help - Why....because it makes YOU focus on what is most important to YOU and if done correctly gives you a game plan at how to get there. For example - Family - a diiferent position - an increase (or decrease) in responsibility. If you don't know where to turn to get with your Employee Relations Manager (not supervisor), to give you some direction. Good Luck! I know you will find your path.

 

[RockyRogue]

Career Development discussions help - Why....because it makes YOU focus on what is most important to YOU and if done correctly gives you a game plan at how to get there. For example - Family - a diiferent position - an increase (or decrease) in responsibility. If you don't know where to turn to get with your Employee Relations Manager (not supervisor), to give you some direction. Good Luck! I know you will find your path.

Good suggestions, UPS Lifer. Graduate school professional education suggests what's called a career map, too. I'm working on one right now. Its helping me immensely! -Rocky

 

[Salesguy]

If you think the grass on the other side IS greener..I say

bye bye

Better yesterday than today!