Turnover

I Am Jacks Damaged Box

***** Club Member (can't talk about it)
It is hands down the biggest problem in my building now. It's constantly a 1 step forward, 6 steps back type of problem. I think the worst I have seen was a dude who quit after 10 minutes. Most last about 2-3 weeks.

My question is twofold:

1. What is turnover like at your building?

2. How much would you estimate the waste of background checks/drug testing people who quit so quickly are costing the company?
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
It is hands down the biggest problem in my building now. It's constantly a 1 step forward, 6 steps back type of problem. I think the worst I have seen was a dude who quit after 10 minutes. Most last about 2-3 weeks.

My question is twofold:

1. What is turnover like at your building?

2. How much would you estimate the waste of background checks/drug testing people who quit so quickly are costing the company?

If you are asking about handlers, things haven't changed in years. If you are stating that there are Couriers only lasting that long, then something has changed.

Regarding the second point, what may seem to be a "waste" in background checks, is more than made up by

1. Not starting benefits for part-timers till they hit their 91st day.

2. Requiring employees to have 1000 hours worked in order to even qualify for the PPP "contribution". If a part-timer works ALL of their scheduled hours but only comes up to 950 hours, then they get SQUAT into their PPP. With the hours cuts that are happening, fewer and fewer part-timers will get anything into their PPP.

You'll notice that all districts have a full-time salaried type that does nothing BUT process applications of potential newhires, trying to keep the positions filled with new bodies. Many stations have a de facto permanent trainer Courier established to get a new-hire up to speed in procedure before they are handed another to get up to speed. I think they euphemistically call it "mentoring".
 

SmithBarney

Well-Known Member
Turnover is so high because management can't figure out how to hire(when they hire off the street)
At one of my stations I was told over 200 applicants showed up for a single position. The guy
they picked could barely utter an intelligible sentence. He lasted 3 days.. the next guy was the same way.
I'm not sure what criteria they use, but they should be using something other than checking for a pulse.

One guy nearly quit because he was Tu-Sat and the manager was beating-up on him about Saturday numbers
after 6 weeks..(his Sat route was different than his reg rte) I got on the manager hard, said the dude has run the route
exactly 6 times, once every 7 days, not exactly a recipe to learn a route fast(especially for a new hire) I told him to ride with him
and train him(instead of going home at 9am) he declined, the new crr eventually got it.

but man, managers can be really umm "not smart"

Hey who knows maybe FedEx will keep all the CRRs in October, and cut 70% of management... LOL
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
It is hands down the biggest problem in my building now. It's constantly a 1 step forward, 6 steps back type of problem. I think the worst I have seen was a dude who quit after 10 minutes. Most last about 2-3 weeks.

My question is twofold:

1. What is turnover like at your building?

2. How much would you estimate the waste of background checks/drug testing people who quit so quickly are costing the company?

Just left a station where we were fully staffed and in a matter of days we were close to being severely understaffed. Have seen a constant parade of PTers coming and going. Apparently someone high up has crunched the numbers and decided it's worth the constant turnover to do what they're doing. Better hope that the economy doesn't improve too much or there may not be anyone willing to work for FedEx. Word gets around about certain employers.
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
Turnover is so high because management can't figure out how to hire(when they hire off the street)
At one of my stations I was told over 200 applicants showed up for a single position. The guy
they picked could barely utter an intelligible sentence. He lasted 3 days.. the next guy was the same way.
I'm not sure what criteria they use, but they should be using something other than checking for a pulse.

One guy nearly quit because he was Tu-Sat and the manager was beating-up on him about Saturday numbers
after 6 weeks..(his Sat route was different than his reg rte) I got on the manager hard, said the dude has run the route
exactly 6 times, once every 7 days, not exactly a recipe to learn a route fast(especially for a new hire) I told him to ride with him
and train him(instead of going home at 9am) he declined, the new crr eventually got it.

but man, managers can be really umm "not smart"

Hey who knows maybe FedEx will keep all the CRRs in October, and cut 70% of management... LOL

Just maybe they're looking for people who aren't bright enough to figure they're getting screwed.
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
Fredly is on to something.

Station management tends to look at potential employees who would make good ASPIRE candidates (or whatever term they are using now). I did know of instances where they looked at the resume more than the impression the individual gave regarding their ablity to do a repetitive physical task. They'd hire a good looking resume, but wouldn't look at the person's ability to actually do the job for which they are being hired.

I think this goes back to the ending of the skills assessment test back in 2006 (map reading, listening skills, reading comprehension, clerical ability - ASTRA code sorting), and the ending of the physical assessment (no verification of weight lifting capability). I remember old timers saying that they were put through a physical assessment as part of the application process. Now the only assessment that goes on is determining if the applicant has a pulse, all four limbs and is drug free.

There are people that can't read a map to save themselves, and who can't lift 50 pounds to save themselves - all trying to work as a Courier, getting stuck with the worse routes (heavy volume) and trying to make productivity with no training whatsoever.

If things have progressed to the point where Couriers aren't even lasting a month, then there is a problem - with the management doing the hiring.
 

Glorifiedpackmule

Well-Known Member
Fredly is on to something.

Station management tends to look at potential employees who would make good ASPIRE candidates (or whatever term they are using now). I did know of instances where they looked at the resume more than the impression the individual gave regarding their ablity to do a repetitive physical task. They'd hire a good looking resume, but wouldn't look at the person's ability to actually do the job for which they are being hired.

I think this goes back to the ending of the skills assessment test back in 2006 (map reading, listening skills, reading comprehension, clerical ability - ASTRA code sorting), and the ending of the physical assessment (no verification of weight lifting capability). I remember old timers saying that they were put through a physical assessment as part of the application process. Now the only assessment that goes on is determining if the applicant has a pulse, all four limbs and is drug free.

There are people that can't read a map to save themselves, and who can't lift 50 pounds to save themselves - all trying to work as a Courier, getting stuck with the worse routes (heavy volume) and trying to make productivity with no training whatsoever.

If things have progressed to the point where Couriers aren't even lasting a month, then there is a problem - with the management doing the hiring.

The people my station has hired since the skills test was trashed can't read maps, have no directional sense, no commen sense, and no sense of urgency.
 

Glorifiedpackmule

Well-Known Member
Maybe management ought to give them some "Milk of Magnesia" during the sort, and tell them that they can't go to the can until they clock out....

No... too draconian.

Haha.. "what happend right here? You had 6 minutes between stops...why? Well ma'm I had to stop to go to the bathroom...."You should of been on break for that"
 

jmeti000

Well-Known Member
I didnt think management did the hiring anymore. At the ramp I used to work at all new hires had to go through the recruiter for FedEx. The recruiters look over the potential employees info that is submitted online, gives them a call, asks them a couple of questions and if they fit the bill then the name is forwarded to the hiring manager. The managers are required to give a person an offer letter for employement if after the walkthrough they answer "yes" to four simple questions. From what I was told they went to this system due to legality issues...big suprise.
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
I didnt think management did the hiring anymore. At the ramp I used to work at all new hires had to go through the recruiter for FedEx. The recruiters look over the potential employees info that is submitted online, gives them a call, asks them a couple of questions and if they fit the bill then the name is forwarded to the hiring manager. The managers are required to give a person an offer letter for employement if after the walkthrough they answer "yes" to four simple questions. From what I was told they went to this system due to legality issues...big suprise.

I was using as a basis for "assumption", that hiring was still conducted the way it was 5-10 years ago.

If the method has changed to the way you stated, then that would explain a lot of the problems relating to current turnover.

I do know from having talked to some Express people that hired in AFTER I left the company, that the process was a bit "weird" - I'll honestly admit I thought they didn't know what the hell they were talking about regarding the process. With what you are saying above, what I was told by these recent hires, makes a lot more sense now.

They related doing EVERYTHING through the district HR/recruiting individual, then only having a short "talk" session with two location managers. From the time these individuals hired in (what I know of their hire dates), it looks like the process may have changed in the spring of 2011.

When I hired in during the middle part of the last decade, the "recruiter" was a one day deal. They made sure all the paperwork was in order (getting the online portion to match up with physical paperwork submitted), made sure all the work history and residence history was in line (those with access to US Mail had certain restrictions placed on their past living locations) - then passed everything off to the manager of the workgroup that was hiring. The manager at the location conducted a 20 minute or so interview with another location manager taking notes during the process and occasionally jumping in to ask a question.

From talking to "old timers" (80's hires), they had to go through an actual physical assessment, both strength and even what sounded like aerobic fitness. That got gradually whittled down to where NO physical assessment was done, not even a test to verify if someone could lift 75 pounds. This casued NUMEROUS problems, where people would be hired in, and couldn't even lift 50 pounds, forget about lifting 75 pounds repeatedly through a work shift. I can attest to repeated problems within AGFS workgroups, having employees hired in that simply couldn't handle the physical aspect of the job - and managers directing Ramp Agents and Teamleads to basically step in and do the individuals work for them. This was all done to satisify requirements for "gender diversity".

To say I was furious would've been an understatement - the damn manager wouldn't even send the incapable employee home - they sent them off to "go rest for a bit". I never got any paid rest breaks when I was in AGFS - not a one. This all fell under my "learning process" of what Express REALLY was (or had become), and NOT the company I read and heard about (all from accounts from individuals who worked wage positions in the late 80's to the mid-90's).

Given the reaction of Express to litigation in the past when it comes to employee assessment (doing away with the skills test back in 2006, etc.) - I'm not at all surprised that Express has taken away ANY real input from the manager from the workgroup which would utilize the new hire, and have the recruiter do all of the determination of hiring, and merely reduce the process of selection to the applicant answering correctly to a few questions (presumably regarding possessing transportation to get to work, ability to be flexible, etc.).

This would actually fall into line with the doing away of the Performance Review - which I think occurred during the same time period, early 2011. The 2011 pay actions WEREN'T affected by review scores (if memory serves correctly). So it actually all makes sense - when it comes to linking things up with the "big picture".
 

SmithBarney

Well-Known Member
I was hired by my station manager, even took the skills assessment..whoopee.
Just take a look at employee numbers and how fast they have grown, now I know
contractors also get assigned numbers in sequence, but in the past 5 years just estimating here
they have gone from 600,000 to I think we are at or near 800,000 that is a ton of turnover..
 

jmeti000

Well-Known Member
Haha.. "what happend right here? You had 6 minutes between stops...why? Well ma'm I had to stop to go to the bathroom...."You should of been on break for that"

Well, if using the restroom isnt good enough, being a woman there is always that monthly reoccurring excuse that NO man/woman can ever argue with...what can they say to that? "Im sorry, but you should have just left a big red stain on the seat of the truck, and then let me pay you overtime to clean it after you return so your not driving in an unsanitary vehicle" lol.
 

55+

Well-Known Member
eventually we will be just like lowes and home depot with 70% attrition rate ..it'll be a revolving door ...
 

Glorifiedpackmule

Well-Known Member
Well, if using the restroom isnt good enough, being a woman there is always that monthly reoccurring excuse that NO man/woman can ever argue with...what can they say to that? "Im sorry, but you should have just left a big red stain on the seat of the truck, and then let me pay you overtime to clean it after you return so your not driving in an unsanitary vehicle" lol.

Hahaha.. They'll Just expect you to clean it on your own time.
 
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