What's your prediction.....

[RTURNSONLY]

My prediction is that managers and couriers bathrooms will become separated, and the latter will have no access to managers' quarters. Meanwhile, non-management toilets will be stocked with plenty of these...




And I'm dead serious about it

 

[MrFedEx]

My prediction is that managers and couriers bathrooms will become separated, and the latter will have no access to managers' quarters. Meanwhile, non-management toilets will be stocked with plenty of these.



View attachment 7435

And I'm dead serious about it

This is the new 60 grit "granular hygiene paper" developed by the VP of Potty Preparedness in Memphis. As part of the "Toilet Paper Savings Program" (TPSP), this reusable resource will be distributed throughout the Express system October 1st.

 

[vantexan]

Oct won't have be as exciting as being led.
Saver will not end at the end of the year.

With talk of Dynamic ROADS not being fully implemented until the end of 2013 looks like the October announcement is just about discussing plans and timetables. No massive changes right away that will freak out customers. Just keeping Wall Street analysts apprised and on the hook in anticipation of better future profits. Analysts were saying in July articles that major changes weren't likely for 18-24 months with some saying sooner rather than later. So it could be a full two years before everything is implemented and even then there's nothing beyond speculation saying we will lose our jobs. The biggest indicator IMO will be the hiring of part-timers. If they go through the normal process then the new PTers won't come online for several months after the hiring starts. See a big spike in JCATS PT openings or a bunch of people being interviewed at the station then most likely big changes are imminent. 2 years will give them plenty of time to thin the ranks through attrition. I don't believe they are looking to get rid of people, just control and eliminate OT. Most extended area rts will still require a FTer. Might not get OT, but rts will probably be restructured to handle larger areas since there will be less freight if we are strictly overnight. The single biggest fallacy I'm reading here is that FedEx is going out of it's way to hurt us. We get hurt collaterally. Yes, they should take that into account in their plans and yes they know they are hurting us financially. I don't however think it's done gleefully with malice. They just want what they want and we get run over in the process. Shortly after I got hired in '86 a mgr told my workgroup the only thing FedEx promises is things will change. They have reneged on promises, they have exploited us. But as some say here it's just business. The only true power we have if they don't cross a legal line is to quit. But that most likely will just compound our financial problems for most of us. So just play it through for the endgame, give it a chance to unfold. It may be the bitter hell some here suggest, it may just be roughly 40 hrs a week in a very different Express.

 

[MrFedEx]

With talk of Dynamic ROADS not being fully implemented until the end of 2013 looks like the October announcement is just about discussing plans and timetables. No massive changes right away that will freak out customers. Just keeping Wall Street analysts apprised and on the hook in anticipation of better future profits. Analysts were saying in July articles that major changes weren't likely for 18-24 months with some saying sooner rather than later. So it could be a full two years before everything is implemented and even then there's nothing beyond speculation saying we will lose our jobs. The biggest indicator IMO will be the hiring of part-timers. If they go through the normal process then the new PTers won't come online for several months after the hiring starts. See a big spike in JCATS PT openings or a bunch of people being interviewed at the station then most likely big changes are imminent. 2 years will give them plenty of time to thin the ranks through attrition. I don't believe they are looking to get rid of people, just control and eliminate OT. Most extended area rts will still require a FTer. Might not get OT, but rts will probably be restructured to handle larger areas since there will be less freight if we are strictly overnight. The single biggest fallacy I'm reading here is that FedEx is going out of it's way to hurt us. We get hurt collaterally. Yes, they should take that into account in their plans and yes they know they are hurting us financially. I don't however think it's done gleefully with malice. They just want what they want and we get run over in the process. Shortly after I got hired in '86 a mgr told my workgroup the only thing FedEx promises is things will change. They have reneged on promises, they have exploited us. But as some say here it's just business. The only true power we have if they don't cross a legal line is to quit. But that most likely will just compound our financial problems for most of us. So just play it through for the endgame, give it a chance to unfold. It may be the bitter hell some here suggest, it may just be roughly 40 hrs a week in a very different Express.

I'm sorry to disagree, because I think we can be assured that the end game is simply us holding the short end of the stick. A lot fewer hours, more pressure to perform, and zero tolerance for any deviations from the script. Read the post on "pressure" on the other thread, and I think you'll get an idea of the "new" FedEx. Doesn't sound like a very good place to work. FedEx sucks.

 

[Rhoderunner]

Van I largely agree with you but MRFedEx point on pressure is spot on. I believe it is intentional and a directive from above to increase that attrition rate.

 

[bbsam]

Van I largely agree with you but MRFedEx point on pressure is spot on. I believe it is intentional and a directive from above to increase that attrition rate.

I think that's taking things a little too personally. It's about the money. If getting SPH up and production levels up means that FDX can engineer full time positions for couriers and reduce the number of part timers they have to put on the road to cover service, maybe that would be to their interest. If, on the other hand, Express couriers can't rise to that level, then attrition will be the course.

 

[Ricochet1a]

I think that's taking things a little too personally. It's about the money. If getting SPH up and production levels up means that FDX can engineer full time positions for couriers and reduce the number of part timers they have to put on the road to cover service, maybe that would be to their interest. If, on the other hand, Express couriers can't rise to that level, then attrition will be the course.

This is the one thing the Ground types don't get about Express, and why they aren't qualified to make observations about Express practices based upon their Ground experience.

If Express sent out its Couriers in the AM, with NO INTERFERENCE from dispatch, they would get off their volume in a very "productive" manner and return to station in a predictable (anticipated clear time) manner. The SPH statistic would be a valid measure of productivity in that circumstance.

It doesn't work that way in Express though.

Couriers get messages from dispatch to make a same day reattempt for a delivery which they tried to get off less than an hour previous. Customers call the number on their door tags and want a same day reattempt. Express still doesn't have the 'nads to tell customers, "You missed our delivery attempt, you can come into the station after the time specified on the door tag, or wait until tomorrow for another attempt." So dispatchers send out a message, make a reaattempt on so and so package.

This causes the Courier to "break trace", drive back to the location, make the attempt, then drive back to where they left off in their stop order. In many instances, Couriers take upwards to 20 minutes (sometimes even more), driving back to that location, making the delivery, then driving back to where they left their planned route (Express routes cover a larger footprint than either UPS or Ground routes). That just slaughters any SPH calculation. The report at the end of they day shows all that time spent in "on-road", so the overall statistic FALLS due to that 20 minutes spent getting off ONE STOP.

The "solution" is for the Courier to enter a "shuttle" time code, to get the time driving to and from the location outside of base pattern to not count againt their SPH statistic - but most station managers WON'T allow Couriers to do this.

Then Express expects it delivery Couriers to get early closers (pickups which close before the PM routes hit the road), The same situation arises for the delivery Couriers - they have to stop making deliveries, drive to the early closer, then head back to where they interrupted their "normal" route. Precious time is spent in doing this single stop. Then in many instances, customers like this either don't have the package ready to ship, or need to fill out an airbill (they are too damn lazy to go to a dropbox or Office location and get their shipment off there). The Courier has to cool their heels, waiting for the customer to complete the shipment, then process it, then get back to where they left off.

Then if a Courier in an adjacent route area gets slammed, dispatch will try to get the Couriers in the surrounding areas to "help out". This does provide service coverage, but the SPH statistic again gets slaughtered - there is a lot of time spent driving into another area, only to get a handful of stops. There is no "end of day adjustment" to SPH stat to account for all this non-productive driving around.

You can call it service, but it is completely INCOMPATIBLE with attempting to measure "productivity" with a SPH statistic. Express is trying to have it both ways, provide service while pushing Couriers like robots. You are hearing about the results of that idiotic management style.

This is also why Express ground ops could NEVER become a contract operation. Trying to meet service expectations with a straight jacket SPH expectation won't work. Express KNOWS this, thus why it maintains the RLA and non-outsourced ground operations. This should tell you (the Couriers) something about what is happening right now. Express knows it can't really get it both ways, yet it appears that it really thinks it can (at least to those in ops). There is a method to Express' madness - and the Couriers are caught squarely in the middle of it.

 

[vantexan]

Van I largely agree with you but MRFedEx point on pressure is spot on. I believe it is intentional and a directive from above to increase that attrition rate.

I'll go you one further. Where there's a need to step up the attrition rate the pressure is increased. Where manning is at optimal levels or is short handed then couriers are pretty much left alone. I don't see older couriers being pushed extra hard to get rid of them in favor of cheaper couriers. But they certainly don't want too many hanging around getting paid minimum guarantee.

 

[bbsam]

PR1a, is there a chance that Express might one day "grow a pair" and stop sending couriers back a second time in the same day? I also get requests to reattempt every so often. Customer Service never makes promises, but 60% of the time it isn't a big deal//

 

[SmithBarney]

BBSAM you missed the point, if we were about "service" then running back and delivering isn't an issue.
But crrs are judged (if you will) on a SPH #, with no accounting for what happens during the day.

Old timers will tell you the company has changed, once upon a time couriers were able to provide service to customers
meaning, time to connect, make contacts, make reattempts all without being overly chastised for time on road.

I understand the need to optimize a work force, you don't want a bunch of slackers out there wasting time, but the judging matrix
needs to be rethought out.

 

[bbsam]

No, fredly. With all due respect, you missed the point. Pay attention to the posts over the past few years. What is it that the old timers are saying? The increased accidents, the low morale, the ridiculous discipline over minor infractions. One of the things that happens here is that people are so busy complaining about what they see coming that they can't envision then "endgame". If FDX finds Ground acceptable considering the profits generated, is there not calculating going on at Express to determine acceptable for increased profit? And if that means one attempt per day, who knows? Wasn't there a push to end the third consecutive day attempt? It is an opiate of sorts to convince oneself that "they would never do that". And yes, it's outside the proverbial box, but so are the announcements coming in October.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

PR1a, is there a chance that Express might one day "grow a pair" and stop sending couriers back a second time in the same day? I also get requests to reattempt every so often. Customer Service never makes promises, but 60% of the time it isn't a big deal//

Why wouldn't the courier reattempt on their way back to the depot rather than breaking off?

My route is fairly dense (much like the driver) and it is usually not a problem to reattempt a send-again but I would not break off to do so. I would do it at my convenience.

 

[vantexan]

Why wouldn't the courier reattempt on their way back to the depot rather than breaking off?

My route is fairly dense (much like the driver) and it is usually not a problem to reattempt a send-again but I would not break off to do so. I would do it at my convenience.

That's what most do. The company told us this afternoon we go back to 3 attempts starting Monday. They might try a few things, but if the customers are unhappy they usually change back pretty quick.

 

[whenIgetthere]

That's what most do. The company told us this afternoon we go back to 3 attempts starting Monday. They might try a few things, but if the customers are unhappy they usually change back pretty quick.

The two attempts have been a disaster here. Not a problem for stations located fairly closely together, such as the northeast. Areas such as those are within 15 or 20 miles of most customers to pick their package up. At my station, the next station is 90 miles away, north to south we cover an area 100 miles, and it sounds like Van's stations service area is much larger. Many customers aren't going to drive 40, 50 miles or more to pick up their cell phone or battery charger, because they missed the courier the first two days. In the three weeks since we started two attempts, I'd estmate I have had a couple dozen stops with second attempt as the final attempt. Before that, I'd say I had a couple of third attempt, final attempts in the past year. I understand that the customer can request a third attempt, but many times they don't realize this, and in the end, we look like we provide lousy service. As for Ground, the nearest Ground station is 60 miles away, and they cover more area than we do.

 

[Ricochet1a]

Why wouldn't the courier reattempt on their way back to the depot rather than breaking off?

My route is fairly dense (much like the driver) and it is usually not a problem to reattempt a send-again but I would not break off to do so. I would do it at my convenience.

This is where Express and UPS are markedly different. if a customer calls in for a reattempt, more often than not, they expect to get the package within 30 minutes. The Courier has to "break trace" and make the delivery attempt. A lot of these are residental customers, who are "waiting" for their package so that they can go back to work or whatever. They caused a hell of a lot of headaches when I was a Courier, and I'm sure they still do.

Another issue are businesses which are closed during Express' P1 cycle, for which Couriers have to indicate "closed" (DEX 8) and move on. From what I understand, Couriers are expected to make another attempt for these business after they open, WITHIN THEIR P1 CYCLE. That is absolutely NUTS. The routes go out with so much P1 (optimized) that they barely have time to make it all off within the commit window. If Express had a built in 15 cushion in P1 load (have routes go out with P1 that can reasonably be delivered by 10:15 AM), then they'd have that cushion to use to make this sort of reattempt. Express sends out routes with virtually all of them getting off their last P1 stop between 10:25 and 10:30. This policy of Express' means that the Courier will automatically burn a few P1 deliveries, in the process of getting off the P1 volume to the business which was closed. Now admittedly, the Courier knows which of his regular business customers open "late" in the morning - these don't cause a problem. It is the "once in a blue moon" customer which has a P1 delivery that isn't open till 9:30 or 10:00 that causes the headaches.

In doing pickups with early close times, the Courier has NO OPTION but to break trace - the service metric applies to these just as any other time specific metric. If the Courier is late to a pickup, it went against their performance review (in the old days), and currently, Couriers are being handed discipline for having missed pickups and too many deliveries after commit time.

In being called outside one's route area to help other Couriers, there is no way to put it off till the end of the day. Those stops which are shifted over to other routes still have their ready and close times in full force.

Through all of this, "productivity" is lost to ensure service - both in delivering and in geting volume picked up in time to make the outbound trucks.

This is the paradox of having a system which guarantees delivery and pickup within tight time windows ALONG with trying to measure productivity by SPH. Given the nature of the beast, you can't do both well, either service is provided and anticipated SPH drops, or if SPH is to be maintained regardless of the cost, service is sacrificed. Right now Express is holding up the metric of SPH as the definitive measure of a Couriers productivity - and they are paying the price.

There are ways to game the system - I used the shuttle time code extensively when I was forced to run around like this. it is perfectly in line with Express guidelines for use of shuttle time code. Many managers don't like their Couriers doing this though, since many abuse it (shuttle for 5 minutes, back to on road, shuttle for 7 minutes, back to on road time code). The shuttle time code ISN'T meant to be used in this manner. I covered myself by keeping note of when i went into a shuttle time code, and included a written note of where and why I did so along with my time card.

The whole concept of aggressively utilizing the SPH statistic flies in the face of the old concept of providing service. To me, it isn't a surprise, FedEx Corporation made the decision to cash in on the brand name they established in the 70's, 80's and early 90's - all in an effort to maximize profits. I've commented on it before, service is being cut back where ever possible, in order to squeeze an additional bit of profit out of operations. The people being caught in the middle of this are the Couriers. They are literally between a rock and a hard place, with no where to turn.

And most of them (it seems) still don't think organizing is a good idea.

 

[Out of the Dark]

This is the new 60 grit "granular hygiene paper" developed by the VP of Potty Preparedness in Memphis. As part of the "Toilet Paper Savings Program" (TPSP), this reusable resource will be distributed throughout the Express system October 1st.

I need to get out my " Mary Alice Taylor Rules" t-shirt. Oh the memories.

 

[DontThrowPackages]

BBSAM you missed the point, if we were about "service" then running back and delivering isn't an issue.
But crrs are judged (if you will) on a SPH #, with no accounting for what happens during the day.

Old timers will tell you the company has changed, once upon a time couriers were able to provide service to customers
meaning, time to connect, make contacts, make reattempts all without being overly chastised for time on road.

I understand the need to optimize a work force, you don't want a bunch of slackers out there wasting time, but the judging matrix
needs to be rethought out.

Is that ever so true. Zig zagging back and for all day reattempting stops because the customer wasn't their or stopping what you are doing and driving to the opposite side of a Rte to get a 1hr closer wouldn't be a big deal at all. It great to see someone opening up the door as the truck pulls up happy for the reattempt. When I first started, most of us finished P1 around 10:15. With that extra 15 minutes, nobody had to tell us to reattempt p1 because we wanted to save the service on that package. Now we are told to take out a certain amount of p1 and p2 that will keep us running all day and doesn't take in account customer calling in wanting his new passport or loan papers reattempted right now. It wouldn't be a problem but it now cost the courier time he doesn't have to throw away. Dead heading to an area for one stop then dead heading back to here you left off can kill the productivity for that day. I've hear of couriers telling dispatch they can't go back because they may not make goal for the day. If they could create some code like a " Customer service satisfaction" code we could enter into the PP, we could go on it. Run to the stop and run back to where we left off and then come off the code. Shuttle codes are a no no but we need something. Did I ever see a courier abusing the shuttle? Yes, it happens. I get it. Something has to be done. The only reason this company is in business is because of service. I hope that's never forgotten.

 

[MrFedEx]

I need to get out my " Mary Alice Taylor Rules" t-shirt. Oh the memories.

God, that was one psychotic bitch. We used to call her "The Joker" because of that outlandish makeup.

 

[MrFedEx]

Why wouldn't the courier reattempt on their way back to the depot rather than breaking off?

My route is fairly dense (much like the driver) and it is usually not a problem to reattempt a send-again but I would not break off to do so. I would do it at my convenience.

Does UPS have DSR (Direct Signature), and ISR (Indirect Signature/Doortag) options? My guess is that you have an equivalent, but that UPS is smart enough not to make you break route to do a reattempt. It's ironic that FedEx ignores certain aspects of service and over-emphasizes others. More evidence that the folks who run the show have their heads up their asses.

 

[Out of the Dark]

God, that was one psychotic bitch. We used to call her "The Joker" because of that outlandish makeup.

And her Bigger than Life jewelry...............we had a pool going when she would thump her chest and knock herself out with it. Kinda like a Celine Dion move.