The Partnership??

[Secaucus1978]

It is incorrect to describe a United Parcel Service manager or supervisor as a Partner. The philosophy of upper management has been completely reversed to forego what was in the hearts and minds of our Company founders and early pioneers.


A UPS partner felt a spirit of teamwork and camaraderie which is no longer present. The mid level management has difficulty finding “men of High Motives and Honest Hearts”.


This, therefore, is an attempt to remind our present Board of Directors of what has been done to quash those qualities that had been acquired, maintained and preserved by each and every person who became an Owner / Partner.


I work for my next level manager and anyone in the Company with higher rank. I am constantly reminded I am lucky to have a job. I work as directed to drive profits and meet POA goals for the division and district. We are merely employees of a large company, where former friends will stab you in the back to get ahead.


I work for the success of the District Manager and his rise to power. It is only for their gain or advantage. I am put in new positions with no training or skills. No one shares their own knowledge or experience because they need to protect their positions. This is the normal way to fire or demote people for lack of performance.


To management, “Service is our Last name”. We must be on call 24/7. With less people due to consolidation, and more specialized service recovery options, middle management is dedicated working after hours and weekends to find packages that were misrouted. Any donations to charity or acts of service done in sincerity are monitored by upper management to gain good media publicity.


The financial stability and the future profitable success of our Company are no longer uniformly shared. The upper management are “More Equal” owners and get a disproportionately larger share of the pie. I know my place it to keep “giving” rather than “receiving”.


I believe the policies of UPS are enforced as needed. The interpretations change based on circumstance. I know they can be used against people whenever necessary.


Being a Partner meant “Sharing In All Things”. Now QPR is a beat down tool where stretch goals are meant to share in the pain of failure.


Being a Partner was a way of life. When I chose to enter management I became a Partner. Now open market stock means management by share price. The partnership that once was is nevermore.


I must continually please my business unit manager. My continued employment is constantly threatened if I do not make my goals. My annual incentive is tied to total company performance. My efforts and my contribution is degraded in the talent management system. I know no matter how well I perform my specific responsibilities, I will never be good enough.


I must constantly strive toward better personal performance. As I grow in my job I know that the opportunities for new hires are occurring. As I become a more senior employee, my salary base will make me a target for demotion or removal. The younger employees make less money and will work longer hours for hollow promises.


I have no voice in determining the future course of UPS. The management committee manages by stock price. If I disagree with decisions, I know that I will be labeled a malcontent. I know that my comments will be ignored.


Throughout the years of this partnership, I looked with confidence toward my own personal well-being. I know this was a pipe dream that is not the future. I look with sorrow at the future of my fellow employees.

 

[Dragon]

What a great post, straight to the point and very well written and very true.

 

[jumpman23]

No incentive to go into supervision any more. Unattainable numbers and goals that are inhumanely possible unless they had robots as drivers.

 

[Lemvil]

Well thought out, well written post. Many of my thoughts exactly but presented far better then I would have done. It would be nice to think that UPS Senior Management reads the post but even if they do read it, realistically, would anything change? All of us with 20+ years are trapped until we "hopefully" retire under our own terms.

 

[728ups]

No offense,but in all the years I have been with the company any time an hourly had the temerity to complain about his or her job within the company ( no matter how eloquently written or spoken) without fail no sympathy has ever been forthcoming from any Supervisor or Manager . In fact more times than I can count the person with the problem has been told if he/she dosent like the way things are done than that individual can LEAVE,or that individual is told McDonalds is always hiring...................
Cry me a River pal

 

[jumpman23]

Exactly they don't care about any of us. Just a number that's all

 

[Brownslave688]

What a great post, straight to the point and very well written and very true.

Over a dozen paragraphs is straight to the point?

 

[Kicked Your Dog]

Vote no! Oh wait...

 

[hubrat]

I'm relieved to see someone finally put it out here. I wish more would speak up. Mid to lower level management is especially in a unique position with no organization and their duties keep them emotionally isolated. Our problems are much bigger than our company, more like what our company has come to represent. When we allow a few greedy people to hold the power, well here we are. Unfortunately, if things continue as they are our week union will be history too.

 

[brown bomber]

Oh well, even lions eat their own

 

[Dragon]

Over a dozen paragraphs is straight to the point?

Yup..straight to the point doesn't mean it has to be short, jumps right in and hits all the points we talk about everyday.

 

[CharleyHustle]

No offense,but in all the years I have been with the company any time an hourly had the temerity to complain about his or her job within the company ( no matter how eloquently written or spoken) without fail no sympathy has ever been forthcoming from any Supervisor or Manager . In fact more times than I can count the person with the problem has been told if he/she dosent like the way things are done than that individual can LEAVE,or that individual is told McDonalds is always hiring...................
Cry me a River pal

I agree and will also add that as a 36 year hourly employee, lower level to mid level management has never been so inept as they are today. They never have an new idea and can't grasp even the simplest concepts. Printing reports is their strongest suit, reading and understanding them is their weakest suit. They cry and whine all day about how bad they have it, but never do even the simplest tasks to make life easier. Maybe they have been dealt some pretty bad cards, but if they would learn to play with those, maybe they would be entrusted with better ones.

 

[Secaucus1978]

I agree and will also add that as a 36 year hourly employee, lower level to mid level management has never been so inept as they are today. They never have an new idea and can't grasp even the simplest concepts. Printing reports is their strongest suit, reading and understanding them is their weakest suit. They cry and whine all day about how bad they have it, but never do even the simplest tasks to make life easier. Maybe they have been dealt some pretty bad cards, but if they would learn to play with those, maybe they would be entrusted with better ones.

 

[Secaucus1978]

There is no crying here. Just take the post as an observation. The corporation has "worked with" the union in negotiating contracts that give full benefits and an industry leading hourly rate. Are you expected to work for your money? Yes. Are you trained to do the job? Yes. If you don't follow the methods are you accompanied by a management person to review your use of methods? yes. Most of the young supervisors you see are not trained the same way as supervisors from the days of supervisors basic training school. They lack the skills of their predecessors. Why are you there for 36 years? Obviously you like your job and the people with whom you work.
Your first statement about lower to mid level management is true due to lack of training. New management philosophy puts people with no skill in the area they manage or supervise. No training exists because their bosses never did the job as it is today. But there is a lot of yelling and threatening..
And Mr 728ups, the lower level management is told to be happy they have a job or they can walk out the door. It's the same for all of us. I'll get out when I hit 55.

 

[Catatonic]

No offense,but in all the years I have been with the company any time an hourly had the temerity to complain about his or her job within the company ( no matter how eloquently written or spoken) without fail no sympathy has ever been forthcoming from any Supervisor or Manager . In fact more times than I can count the person with the problem has been told if he/she dosent like the way things are done than that individual can LEAVE,or that individual is told McDonalds is always hiring...................
Cry me a River pal

In reading his post, I did not detect a request or a hint for sympathy.
It was an unemotional observation of the current management position versus 20 years ago.
Any management you come in contact with is the same as you ... just an expendable employee.
If you don't like that, McDonalds is hiring.

 

[FromPartnerToEmployee]

Thanks Secaucus - Nice Job. Your same thoughts inspired my screen name.

 

[SignificantOwner]

It is incorrect to describe a United Parcel Service manager or supervisor as a Partner. The philosophy of upper management has been completely reversed to forego what was in the hearts and minds of our Company founders and early pioneers.


A UPS partner felt a spirit of teamwork and camaraderie which is no longer present. The mid level management has difficulty finding “men of High Motives and Honest Hearts”.


This, therefore, is an attempt to remind our present Board of Directors of what has been done to quash those qualities that had been acquired, maintained and preserved by each and every person who became an Owner / Partner.


I work for my next level manager and anyone in the Company with higher rank. I am constantly reminded I am lucky to have a job. I work as directed to drive profits and meet POA goals for the division and district. We are merely employees of a large company, where former friends will stab you in the back to get ahead.


I work for the success of the District Manager and his rise to power. It is only for their gain or advantage. I am put in new positions with no training or skills. No one shares their own knowledge or experience because they need to protect their positions. This is the normal way to fire or demote people for lack of performance.


To management, “Service is our Last name”. We must be on call 24/7. With less people due to consolidation, and more specialized service recovery options, middle management is dedicated working after hours and weekends to find packages that were misrouted. Any donations to charity or acts of service done in sincerity are monitored by upper management to gain good media publicity.


The financial stability and the future profitable success of our Company are no longer uniformly shared. The upper management are “More Equal” owners and get a disproportionately larger share of the pie. I know my place it to keep “giving” rather than “receiving”.


I believe the policies of UPS are enforced as needed. The interpretations change based on circumstance. I know they can be used against people whenever necessary.


Being a Partner meant “Sharing In All Things”. Now QPR is a beat down tool where stretch goals are meant to share in the pain of failure.


Being a Partner was a way of life. When I chose to enter management I became a Partner. Now open market stock means management by share price. The partnership that once was is nevermore.


I must continually please my business unit manager. My continued employment is constantly threatened if I do not make my goals. My annual incentive is tied to total company performance. My efforts and my contribution is degraded in the talent management system. I know no matter how well I perform my specific responsibilities, I will never be good enough.


I must constantly strive toward better personal performance. As I grow in my job I know that the opportunities for new hires are occurring. As I become a more senior employee, my salary base will make me a target for demotion or removal. The younger employees make less money and will work longer hours for hollow promises.


I have no voice in determining the future course of UPS. The management committee manages by stock price. If I disagree with decisions, I know that I will be labeled a malcontent. I know that my comments will be ignored.


Throughout the years of this partnership, I looked with confidence toward my own personal well-being. I know this was a pipe dream that is not the future. I look with sorrow at the future of my fellow employees.

all that stuff. Live your life.

 

[SignificantOwner]

What I find interesting about this is that many share the feelings of the OP yet they continue to vote their shares as directed thereby perpetuating the cultural shift they mourn. What does 10 votes per A share get us? Nothing because control is not ownership.

 

[hangin455]

Control may not be ownership but since going public we are definitely trying to please forces that do not work here. I don't think they need any more influence than they already have.

 

[SignificantOwner]

Control may not be ownership but since going public we are definitely trying to please forces that do not work here. I don't think they need any more influence than they already have.

1 - There's no may about it. You don't get a higher dividend for an A share than for a B share nor do you share more in the profit. Control is good for select executives because they have high ownership levels, control, and limited accountability (for example heads don't roll for costly failed acquisitions followed by disastrous peaks, etc.).

2 - Dual structure has not been good for lower level employees. MIP has not been based on profit, and the small numbers of awarded shares are not even issued immediately like they used to be. Employee ownership levels are probably at an all time low (conjecture) but employees are convinced that the A shares get them something. It boggles the mind.