ERI Survey

[iloadthetruck]

Remember not to respond right in the center/don't care/Don'y know. Choose one way or the other slighly.
We were told that total number of answers to each question varied because center responses were discarded.

WRONG! Responses in the "middle" are just as valid as any other response.

I had a center manager who told me to avoid the "center" selection. (In other words, she was hinting me to hit the "top" choice instead.) This assumes that "Don't Know" has a value of zero. The scale most likely runs from 1-5. So... if you don't think "Strongly Agree", "Agree", "Disagree", or "Strongly Disagree" match your feelings, you SHOULD go with the center. I don't know why they call it "Don't Know." That almost makes you feel like you're stupid. It would more accurate if it said "Neither Agree or Disagree". That way you wouldn't have to "lie". (I take a lot of marketing surveys online, so I'm used to seeing a 1-5 scale setup that way.)

BTW, I had to laugh, because when I was took the ERI with that particular manager I was in a statistics class, and, even if the middle option did equal a zero value, zero is still statistically significant! It's not like that response gets ignored!

 

[dammor]

One more time for the learning impaired:

Hey, look up there! There's something going over your head....

(Just kidding about the learning impaired part, I know you meant well. Satire doesn't always come across too well in print.)

Jones, I'm looking up and seeing the reason I would love to retire soon. I am sick of the war that is going on between management and many hourly people. Seems we can't find a way to find any respect for the other person anymore. If you really think about it that is the problem with the entire world right now. I agree that many in management are out of control, but MANY in the ranks if ask to actually do thier job run to the the bathroom or don't show up at all. I'm quite frankly tired of the fight and will be happy to leave it to be carried on by someone as insightful as yourself.

 

[Cezanne]

Much like the Hatfields and Mccoys, you shot my great uncle, I'll shot yours. The long term employees generally have that attitude through alot of abusive management decisions, hell I still remember incidents from 20 years ago. Guess what we carry this luggage into these surveys and shoot the messenger because they are the only ones present. If they ever break down the statistics of the survey by seniority would anybody be suprised how negative it would be graded by the employees with 20 + years in. The generally feeling of why the survey does not go totally south is that for the most part the workforce on the ground level do get along to accomplish the job required. Afraid trust is another issue, this US verse THEM attitude did not start with a union shop mentality, would not it be fair that it is not fostered with directives on the corporate levels.

Is the work enviornment getting better? In my opinion they are, most of the old school management has retired. The decision of withholding MIP and the prospect of UPS stock not making the returns that it did in the past might prevent the attitudes of doing anything to get to next rung on that ladder. Face it we had some real winners in the past, most of them became too arrogant, got stupid and where escorted off the property. When you take this survey you are told to only judge your immediate management team, afraid we are only human and we have alot of axes to grind, guess who is going to pay1

 

[toonertoo]

Browncorpgal, someone had the password or the intellect to get into the system Fri morning, and ran up and asked me to go take it. No joke It was 856am and we start at 900, now would that really be fair. Even if I hit all strongly agree buttons it would take more than four minutes.............Thats why I get P'OD, now they are trying to make the quota, and they didnt for the week obviously, so they want to shortchange someone into answering quick and in a hurry, because they know Just like everything else at UPS, squeeze every bit of time out of them you can, and they knew well I have air to get off by 1030. So I didnt get to take it. Im still going to try though.

 

[tieguy]

To maybe answer the question to why you suddenly have twice of many supervisors in you ERI survey than you actually have is that many of the people who take this thing lie about their positions and seniority. They don't feel free enough to trust that the company could not make them out and retaliate. True story: many a year ago during one of these ERI surveys we had a manager who filled out this report for our body of workers, same manager was terminated about two years later for the cardinal sin of fudging the numbers. Guessing the first incident was not sufficent for a dishonesty charge, that should tell you something about the integrity of this report.

Could be they are fudging the eri or it could be people screwing up and punching the wrong codes into the computer. we do have people who are still functionally illeterate with computers in todays world.

 

[Cezanne]

Tieguy, the ERI catagories are so easy displayed now. They are not using codes anymore for job positions, in other words you have to be a complete idiot to not know your job classification or seniority group. I would never underestimate the intelligence level of the UPS worker. Most of the package drivers do have higher educational experience, the younger workforce of part timers are so computer savy that your explanation of the discrepancy wll not stand. The results of any survey are going to be skewed because of deliberate misinformation. How these things are graded would be fun to understand, thinking they throw out all the surveys with ALL "strongly disagree" chosen and to be fair throw out the ALL "strongly agree" ones. Those in the middle should be a fair representation of the feelings of the workplace.

How many of you guys and girls use the remarks section with the 300 space limit? From the statement it is only seen by the district representative and not used in the evaluation of your work area. Would be interesting to read the comments from those, if they ever publish them I would buy the book. Those comments might be a better representation of the pulse of the workforce than these vague mulitiply choice questions.

 

[ZEPHYR]

I do write in the essay section..good and bad...i would also love to see all the entries...and would like to know what this does for the workers...i think nothing...I do think management benefits in some way because all of the supervisors tend to kiss up to the union workers when ERI time nears...

 

[STLFeeder]

well then quit hanging that missletoe on the seat of your pants..

 

[tieguy]

Tieguy, the ERI catagories are so easy displayed now. They are not using codes anymore for job positions, in other words you have to be a complete idiot to not know your job classification or seniority group.

I didn't quite want to be so vocal about it but since you make the point I guess what I am saying is we still have complete idiots with computers working who select the wrong codes. I have a feeder operation and I will have people that for whatever reason select job codes that we do not have in feeders.

 

[old levi's]

Does anyone really believe that management will take any action to address the concerns raised by the ERI? If you answer yes, how would this action manifest itself, what sort of time frame would be involved, and most importantly at some later date why wouldn't UPS say this is what we did to correct problem XYZ that was made known to us through the ERI. Imagine the positve morale boost that could result from such action.

Now, has anyone, anywhere, at any time, ever heard someone in management publicly say this is what we did to resolve an issue raised through the ERI? Please detail your response.

Also, I don't trust the overall center score that is made known months after the ERI. Why so long? The final score can be tabulated and posted 5 minutes after the last survey is completed. I know that some will say here's another paranoid, conspiracy theory nut case. That's fair. But, I say prove me wrong. Show me a printout with the reponse to each question for every survey taken at my center. This is not privileged information because the surveys are not identified. I'm not intersested in the personal comments;just show me the raw data. I can do the math. And before some management person rails about the honesty and integrity of UPS let me remind you of the numbers on the daily operation report that no one can explain or defend.

Sorry for the long post; not really my style.

 

[bobcat]

The responses to the ERI in the remarks section are not tabulated at the center level so that individuals cannot be identified. They are made available to the district. I have read the ones in my area and it helps me to see trends and issues that need to be addressed. The comments are a valuable source of information to me. I would encourage you to put in your opinions regardless of positive or negative. Also, sometimes groups are combined when the survey is set up. No groups smaller than 10 are allowed to prevent indentification of individuals. I have combined centers and thus the number of employees on the survey exceeds the number of employees in the individual center.

 

[toonertoo]

Thats good to know bobcat, because the mechanics dont want to take it because there are only 3 of them.
The clerks dont want to take it because there are only 3, and the carwash the same coz theres only 4 or 5.

Small center afraid of being singled out, and they are all good people who would have good input.

 

[Cezanne]

Doesn't it say alot about our work enviornment when individuals are still afraid of retribution for expressing their opinions when asked. With the next survey we should all sign our names after using every space in the remarks section. Sounds alot like George Orwell's big brother scenario, are we living in these United States with all the freedoms associated. Has fear of an authoriatarian corporate entity has many of us scared of being singled out. It is a sickness that is predominate and prevents most of us from taking action to correct any injustice in our workplaces.

Consider this survey a matter of public record and go express good or bad opinion. The company is asking for that information, whether they use it for change for the good, well the ball is in their court. Also a member of a miniority work group and pretty sure they can singled me out just by the nature of my classification and seniority, let alone my venting in the remarks section. Whatever, have been making waves for over twenty years and see I am still here. With the consideration that we for the most part a union shop with all the rights afforded by the contract, could you imagine how frightened those employees are who do not have any union representation. Just ask your immediate supervisor or manager how free they are to express their feelings on this survey, warranted or not

 

[sillyputty]

I took it last night- it only takes 5-10 minutes so I don't see what the big deal is. I agree that nothing really changes with the results, but the management team we have in my building right now is actually pretty good. We've gone through some pretty bad ones- but my work area supervisor is decent and the friend/t sup I have now goes out of her way to get you a day off when you want one. The only real negative I have is for workplace confidentiality- many of the p/t sups have too many outside friendships with loaders- fraternity brothers and such.

Anyway- the ERI- it's not a big deal to take. Oh- and the question about whether they will act on issues in the survey. I disagreed on that one. Mainly because I think (as usual) the results will come back decent and they won't eally have anything to act on. The confidentiality/trust/fairness question came back low last year and what are they really going to act on in regard to that anyway?

 

[helenofcalifornia]

They won't let us take the survey when we come in at night. I guess (rightly) they think too much negativity after a long day onroad.

 

[hoser]

I loved the last question in the ERI:
"I feel that the results of the ERI will be noticed and impact my centre" (or something to that effect.
As much as I am in a great work group and I am happy, I put disagree. My comments about how horrifically old our centre, equipment, and scanning devices are will make no change.

 

[mpeedy]

At our hub the p.m. clerks were told by their sup. that for the ERI questions they only could answer with strongly agree or agree. The clerks asked why and the sup. said that corp. said these were the only answers. The clerks took the ERI as instructed.
Word got out of what this sup. said to upper management. The clerks now have to re-take the ERI and the sup. is in deep doo doo.

 

[hoser]

At our hub the p.m. clerks were told by their sup. that for the ERI questions they only could answer with strongly agree or agree. The clerks asked why and the sup. said that corp. said these were the only answers. The clerks took the ERI as instructed.
Word got out of what this sup. said to upper management. The clerks now have to re-take the ERI and the sup. is in deep doo doo.

How could a supervisor be that stupid, and think he/she would get away with it. Honestly...

 

[BrownCorpGal]

I saw on UPSers.com that today's the last day of the ERI. How was your experience? Any problems with a sup letting you take it? I thought it was pretty straight forward and I didn't mind taking it.

 

[toonertoo]

My new good boss had me come in and gave me how much time I needed, not telling me to do it in 4 minutes. (it took me 12) I had no problems except the 300 characters. I said I like the new team the last ones sucked and ruined the morale of a whole building, and that my answers were based on present and not past mgmt. That I would like my truck cleaned from the fire going on three yea.......................and I ran out of room. Trucks need cleaned from the fire three yrs ago peak, I still have soot all over me every day. I think they will figure it out tho, got some bright people there in corp.