MrFedEx
Engorged Member
I wonder how long it's going to be before FedEx realizes that continous terminations and resignations won't leave enough people to deliver the freight? I'm not giving exact numbers, but my large station has had around 10 resignations or terminations within the last month. Several people just got tired of the BS and found work elsewhere, and the rest were fired. Of special interest were 4 of the last 5 new hires, all canned because they couldn't do the job.
The courier job isn't rocket science, but it definitely requires someone with good decision-making skills, a sense of direction and prioritization, self-management, and excellent interpersonal skills. Simply put, a lot of people cannot do the job effectively. Add-in the low pay and ruthless micromanagement, and you end up with a sub-par workforce incapable of delivering effectively, much less delivering the Purple Promise. It's what they used to call a Pink Collar Job, which was a mixture of blue and white collar work.
FedEx doesn't get it that it's impossible to attract and retain excellent employees given the current environment at the company, and it's really starting to show, especially when it comes to customer service. Several of our couriers who came from the ramp couldn't even read a mapbook, much less find a residential stop. The ones who come from Memphis are the worst (to get FT), because they aren't from the area and usually are swing drivers, the worst possible position for a newbie.
You get what you pay for, and these days, Fred is getting exactly that, with disastrous results. Perhaps one of you engineers out there can calculate the costs of hiring, training, and terminatiing employees who stay for just a few weeks or months. Think that is cost-effective? How about the cost of retaining someone who can only do 7 or 8 stops per hour on a route that should be doing 15? It's happening, because until they can find bodies to replace the crummy courier, they get to stay. Efficient? Hardly.
The courier job isn't rocket science, but it definitely requires someone with good decision-making skills, a sense of direction and prioritization, self-management, and excellent interpersonal skills. Simply put, a lot of people cannot do the job effectively. Add-in the low pay and ruthless micromanagement, and you end up with a sub-par workforce incapable of delivering effectively, much less delivering the Purple Promise. It's what they used to call a Pink Collar Job, which was a mixture of blue and white collar work.
FedEx doesn't get it that it's impossible to attract and retain excellent employees given the current environment at the company, and it's really starting to show, especially when it comes to customer service. Several of our couriers who came from the ramp couldn't even read a mapbook, much less find a residential stop. The ones who come from Memphis are the worst (to get FT), because they aren't from the area and usually are swing drivers, the worst possible position for a newbie.
You get what you pay for, and these days, Fred is getting exactly that, with disastrous results. Perhaps one of you engineers out there can calculate the costs of hiring, training, and terminatiing employees who stay for just a few weeks or months. Think that is cost-effective? How about the cost of retaining someone who can only do 7 or 8 stops per hour on a route that should be doing 15? It's happening, because until they can find bodies to replace the crummy courier, they get to stay. Efficient? Hardly.