Am I an abnormally slow loader?

[UPS Lifer]

Towely,
Be careful on the some of the advice you get. It is never OK to "hurl" packages. You are a new hire. You are on probation. You technically do not have the protection of the union until you make seniority.
You can lose your job "hurling" packages or making false walls.

Another thing - If you do not get up to 300 PPH you may not make probation. That is not harrassment. It is a fact. If you have not figured it out yet, lack of performance and attendance and attitude will get you out the door faster than anything else.

Let me explain the difference of what harrassment is and is not! I have seen a lot of weak individuals use that term to encompass many things and to try and scare others to back off.

Here are examples of non-harrassment: (Remember you are a new employee who is just learning the skills, methods and tasks of the job.)

Your supervisor lets you know how you are doing. Comes by often to check on you. Tells you where you should be versus where you are currently. Paints a picture for you of the negative consequences of not performing the methods. The supervisor meets with you before you start and after the work is finished. This is all part of the normal process of training.

Here are examples of harrassment: You are making your performance goals and your supervisor tells you to hit a higher number and continues to put pressure on you to hit the above standard numbers. Your supervisor tells you to hit the higher number or you won't have a job. If your supervisor just stands there for a period of time and keeps telling you to go faster, faster... If your supervisor picks you out of the group and embarrasses you in front of everyone.

if you feel that those type of behaviors are happening then get your HR rep involved.

 

[hoser]

Have a great vacation and just maybe you'll come back with a different perspective that will make your job a little easier to deal with.

Thanks buddy .

I do deal with it. I space out and I work smart and not hard. I can't do it all, so I just focus on my work area and I do my best to keep up, but if I can't, I don't speed up because that'll just result in injury or mistakes.

You tell the guy to slow down and stay backed up all night then try to finish up your post with work smart not hard?

he gets hours and he works safe. if everyone worked safely and properly, they'd get more staff. but they won't, so my advice is just to not get too stressed out over volume.

 

[diesel96]

Who cares if you're a 20 year vet because frankly, I don't and based on your advice about management you sound like like a whinny, hide behind the union management hater!!

Look, we're wasting our time I'm done with the back and forth on this thread with you. I'll just have to agree to disagree and not make this miserable for others here.

May your career be long and distinguished!!

So you you want to end this back and forth thread,thats fine with me,but you got to take a last shot an insult towards me .Lets not forget who STARTED this ;

Originally Posted by brazenbrown
You must be one of the problem children if you think management is manipulating and harassing all their employees, all the time. Too bad you can't just do your job.

If you want to insult people then be prepared to recieve right back.I got choice words about what you sound like to,but I'm grown up enough to walk away from this.

BTW..I have a few friends are in management and we hang out on the weekends.

If I feel that my supervisor is harassing me(which at times I have got that feeling a bit) I am not going to report it unless it gets out of hand. I'd rather just get good sooner and get him off my back than get on his bad side by reporting it.

Let him vent, just work safe,and tell him "yes boss,I'm doing my best"and don't let him get to you.You don't have to report anything unless they issue disciplinary action,then talk to your shop steward .

 

[lost]

I want to transfer to your preload....next week (I'm on vaca right now so mine is currently better haha )

Well, we have a new full timer now, Should be interesting, this person is from HR and from what I wnderstand has NEVER done ops before. The good thing he is positive.... for the time being. But numbers have tanked in the 2 days he has been there. My old full timer is training him this week so I do think he might have a chance. I can wait till my vacation!!! 3 weeks and COUNTING!!!

 

[LKLND3380]

I got hired 3 weeks ago. This will be my 10th day actually working on the floor as a loader and as it stands im only up to about 210 packages per hour(at the start I was at 165). Am I catching on slower than most or is this an ok pace? My supervisor keeps pushing me to go faster. Thats pretty much all I hear from him. Is he just trying to encourage me or do I really suck?

Get another hourly to check your pph... You may be at 250 but management will adjust to 210 so you will work harder...

Work to the best of your ability and work safe...

 

[LKLND3380]

Also, please be kind to us responders too, arrow up stickers are on those boxes for a reason.. those darn spills always find their way to the back of the trailer...lol

DO NOT THROW the Mona Vie, Xango or Noni boxes... Thet contain bottles that break and leak even though they have 2" of cushoning most of the time...

Don't load over 70s above waist level. They will fall on that case of oil or paint and cause a bad spill... I had a over 70 (93lbs) on top of five feet of boxes. Gotta love the folks in Jacksonville...

 

[LKLND3380]

What an inspiring story!!

Maybe if you had a different attitude life would be better for you!!

Who said his life was so bad? Sounds litke typical UPSer life to me...

 

[Southern Comfort]

Great thread here. Looks like most y'all are more interested in arguing than helping this guy, except UPS Lifer. It's like sitting in a CERC meeting with the filter off.

Towely - there's some good advice that's been written here. Your first 30 days are a probationary period. They should be used learning the methods and applying them daily, becoming more proficient in the job. Yes, speed will come as you get better following the methods. And yes, once you make seniority you can not be held to a production quota. However, if you are proficient at following the methods, 300 pph is a very attainable goal. If you can not hit that, then there is likely something wrong with your execution of the methods. It's you supervisor's job to figure that out what you are doing wrong and help you correct it. 'Go faster' is what an inexperienced or incapable supervisor will tell you. If that sup is truely observing your performance, they should have a clue as to what you need to work on, be it package selection or decision making when it comes to placement. Those are the most common things that prevent production, though there are obviously many more scenarios. The people that wrote for you to keep working on executing the methods and that production will follow know what they are talking about.

A few other pieces of advice :

Find out how your pph is calculated. If your sup is just taking the volume you scan and dividing that by the hours you work, then there's no trick to use. If, however, you are using the newer wireless equipment, GSS is the name, then your sup is in all likelihood using the GSS reports to generate your pph. You can somewhat trick those numbers. What you need to do is make sure you are logged out of your scanner whenever you are not in your trailer - during break, when you get a drink of water, etc. GSS tracks the amount of time you are logged in vs the packages that you scan and spits out a pph based on those elements. I'm not telling you to go crazy with logging in and out, but if you are legitimately not scanning then do let that time count against you.

Many of the anti management statements posted here are by seasoned vets that have become soured by a bad run in with mgmt years past or by people that are simply bored with their job - hey, it happens. We move freight day in and day out, it gets redundant. They're a little salty, to say the least. Form your own opinions, don't let the negative talk wear you down. Yes, some mgmt people should never have been promoted. But yes, there are actually good people out there too that are trying to do their job to the best of their ability and who truely care about the people that report to them. You're grown, you can figure out what kind of supervisor you have without these people clouding your judgement.

 

[Towely]

Thanks for the advice Southern! We do use the new wireless scanners so that advice should come in handy(only time im ever not scanning or busy is break though but that still will help).

The day before yesterday I was at 235. Yesterday I hit 255 but today I was around 247 I think. Someone came in today and was asking me how the job was going. He asked if I thought they were working me too hard. Then he asked how often my trainer came in to help.

I told him I didn't really have a trainer. When I was being trained I got trained by 4 trainers over 4 days. I told him my supervisor tried to help out and give me pointers where he could though. He said that he would talk to someone about that(the having 4 different trainers). Maybe I will get some better training now but on the downside im drawing unwanted attention now. Oh well, I think I should be able to hit 300pph in the 30 days for at least one or two days...hehe

 

[Loader2749]

As a (relatively) new loader, I can try to give you a few tips:

-Once you place a package in the wall, DON'T MOVE IT. Even if you see a better spot for it, let it be. Over time you will develop the skills to know where to put the next package.
-If you are backed up, don't try to preselect the next box to add to the wall. In fact, don't even worry about any of the other boxes except for the one right in front of you. Again, with time, you'll be able to know where to put what box, but right now you need to worry about the body conditioning.

I had a few more, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. I hope all goes well and don't give up! By the way--have you talked to any part-time CERC members? They might be able to answer some more of your questions, as they specifically deal with new-hires and how to keep them with the company.

 

[cuttlefsh]

Wow another clubhouse debate on production that does towely no good.

Towley I started off as a loader many years ago. I found I did not work as hard when I worked fast. Sounds goofy but heres why.

I tried to stay ahead of the flow. When I did so I found it ran hard at times and then slowed down for awhile. When you get behind the flow you then spend more time walking up to the chute breaking jams and picking up packages that fell off the side. Therefore I ended up working harder when I got behind the flow.

When you stay ahead of the flow then you get those little breaks in between where its not running that hard. When you get behind the flow you never catch up and you end up working at maximum pace all night long.

Your sup is trying to get you up to standards. Its to your benifit to do so.

staying ahead of the flow totally rules. it makes pushin the rollers back easier and also gives you time to get out and help push flow and break jams for other trailers. there is this one person in my work area that just got seniority and she barely gets 150pph. they won't even fire her. I wish we had some psycho power trip supervisor to scare her off, cause she is always behind the flow and never helps anyone else out cause she's backed up both sides.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

She will probably be a clerk in no time.

 

[cassismark]

Towely, I'm in the same boat you're in. I've been a loader at UPS for a few weeks and they have me loading faster than some of the more experienced loaders. So far, my experience with my part-time supervisor and pickoff has been negative. I load at about 350 pph for my first hour and then somewhere around the middle of the shift my trailer will blow up on me and my pph goes way down to somewhere around 200-250 pph. I can't sustain a 300-400 pph for an entire shift because my loading efficiency lacks. My part time walks in and sees me struggling with jams and asks me why the flow backed up. I explained that I was loading to the best of my abilities, but the best of my abilities cannot compensate for the extreme flow being fed to my feeders. Supposedly, the feeders I am loading used to be two-man trailers until management or someone decided to have only one person load them. I have made it clear to my part time that I do not have the loading skill to do my job correctly at this pace ie. checking all the packages in a bag, hand to surface methods, and using a load stand (the package cluttered floor and never ending flow make using a load stand impossible). My part time doesn't have loading experience so his only response to huge jams and backups is load faster. I feel am being force to sacrifice my loading quality at all times when I load these heavy trailers. I am not confident in my part time's understanding of the situation because he tells me to lower my load quality whenever the flow gets heavy, and to make it worse he tells me some of the things I learned in the classroom training is "B.S.". I have voiced my concerns to him and the multiple trainers that visit me when I load, but of course my concerns are ignored and I was told that I have a "bad attitude". To top it off, other part time supervisors load for me when the flow gets to heavy to keep up with, but I believe this is a violation of the labor contract. Please, if you have any suggestions to remedy this situation I would be grateful to hear them. Thanks for your time.

 

[raceanoncr]

I got hired 3 weeks ago. This will be my 10th day actually working on the floor as a loader and as it stands im only up to about 210 packages per hour(at the start I was at 165). Am I catching on slower than most or is this an ok pace? My supervisor keeps pushing me to go faster. Thats pretty much all I hear from him. Is he just trying to encourage me or do I really suck?

Yes, you're right. Quit now before you get humiliated even more. You really DO suck. Always be aware that the more you do at UPS, the more you will be EXPECTED to do, so you will NEVER be any good!

Get out while you can still walk!

Thank you, thank you very much.

 

[SameRightsForAll]

No i'm loading trailers. A my biggest problem is package placement. I do build good walls but I always second guess myself and im having a hard time adapting to 'thinking ahead.' Im catching on(yesterday I think I was at 230 an hour but I wont find out till I go in today) but I just want to be sure im not way slower than the average newbie.


Don't push yourself to the limits of passing out just to see how many pph you can meet. Be safe and fast at the same time and find a balance. The speed will pick up naturally, but there's still a limit to what one person can do. However, UPS supes will usually keep pushing you to go beyond your limits. That's what I've found in our hub. You'll know when you're preloading like hell for a whole week and then the next week they put another car on you or reploace one of your 5's with a 10. They're probably seeing if you can go up another notch. If you do, you'll get another 10 soon.

The obvious point here is that you have to set your own limits with safetey in mind as well as accuracy since misloads and missorts increase when you are completely stressed out with an overloaded work day.

Also, try refraining from telling them "I can't do this" since it will already be obvious when you're standing in a mountain of packages every day.

Demand in a friendly way to get your pph for the previous day or today and make it aware that you're concerned and also you're keeping your own tab outside of whatever "figure-lating" they are doing.

 

[SameRightsForAll]

It's impossible to get fired from this place; they certainly won't do it because you feel your PPH isn't at a level that it should be and that it's a hit to your masculinity.

Not exactly impossible. One way the company can indirectly fire you is to indirectly pursuade you to quit.

 

[SameRightsForAll]

That's how I worked; first month I thought busting my ass would impress everyone, but it didn't, and I felt like another pulse that they hired to move boxes. So now I just space out and do enough to get me by. It's only in the supervisor's benefit to work 'up to standards'.

Work smart, not hard.

There's also the 1 or 2 first weeks of a new employee busting their chops beyond all recognition that helps the company out greatly. I believe that the high preloader/unloader turnover rate in some hubs has some kind of value to the company which they will never admit to.

I agree that working swift and smart is the only way but it does take a while to master, and even then you're not going to master it completely because they will see that and put more workload on you. Every company practices this, though, right?

 

[UPS Lifer]

There's also the 1 or 2 first weeks of a new employee busting their chops beyond all recognition that helps the company out greatly. I believe that the high preloader/unloader turnover rate in some hubs has some kind of value to the company which they will never admit to.

I agree that working swift and smart is the only way but it does take a while to master, and even then you're not going to master it completely because they will see that and put more workload on you. Every company practices this, though, right?

Texas - I was a hub manager and a training manager in an air hub with over 1400 employees. During some weeks we were training between 30 to 60 new hires. The average was around 20. Training new hires is a losing proposition. In an air hub the training cost is approx $4k to train one employee. Depending on the operation you can lose between .5 and 3 pph for every 5 new hires you train. Those numbers can rise steadily if the opderation is even smaller.

Bottom Line...
Retaining employees is more cost effective than turning them over. New hires cost the company in every area - including safety, service and performance.

Unfortunately some managers don't see it that way. They would much rather get rid of someone that is not performing than work with them to get the performance up to standard. I was at odds with some of the managers over this point. Employees that perform within the first couple of weeks are the exception not the norm.