Management and Admin Job cuts

[island1fox]

I posted my opinion of the change and the potential positives. Of course its only an opinion, just like yours and everyone else's. Time will tell.

My opinion is drawn from time I spent working in International. It was quite a while ago, but I was impressed at how much management concerned themselves with P&L. They questioned corporate dogma because they didn't want unnecessary cost. Sometime, the questioning was wrong, but I was struck by how much they truly managed to the bottom line.

We managed to SPORH, they managed to cost. I think that kind of thinking is good.

Regardless, the decision is made. I will do my best to make it successful.

P-Man

P-man,
Definitely want to make it clear -I was not attacking you --you are right everyone is entitled to their opinion . I was really responding to some other mgmt postings --basically saying they will be glad to be making more decisions. My humble opinion --we are not going back there.
Many hourly postings are saying goodbye to the "dead wood" --they have no idea how difficult and complex the Districts mgrs jobs are.
I was one of the International people that definitely managed by profit and loss--as I stated to you already -definitely made me a better person.
When some people say we manage by SPOR only --sure I would say that is a mistake ------but even here domestically --the last years I spent at UPS --we managed the BALANCED SCORECARD with spor being only one of the tracking elements ---bottom line --the BSC --was weighted toward profitability.
I believe with the twenty profit centers ---RPP vs CPP will rule.
I also believe a Profit Center District Manager will produce or will be gone----this will go down level by level --including the hourly.

 

[trickpony1]

I also believe a Profit Center District Manager will produce or will be gone----this will go down level by level --including the hourly.

.....so would a rough translation be:

Hourly will forget safety, methods, "run and gun" through your lunch, take short cuts and, after an injury, you will be gone to make way for a much cheaper new hourly employee to take your place?

 

[bigblu 2 you]

With the squeezing do you think they will squeeze drivers harder also?

ever squeeze a cactus?

 

[Red Rose Tea]

Of the 1800 mgmt / admin job cuts, many are being offered EBO. However, from what we are hearing not all that many will take the EBO unless they are in the 54+ age group.

In the article it says that this represents less than 3% of mgmt nationwide. My question is what criteria will they be looking at to make these cuts. All of the admin, PT & FT sups in our bldg are terrified of losing their jobs. We are not in a district office, but no one seems to know what criteria they will be using. Is an admin, PT sup or FT sup safe if they have been with the company for more than 10+, 20+ years and still have a relevant job? THose that have been through cuts like this before, what criteria do you feel they will be using for the reductions? Will the district office employees impacted likely be allowed to go to other centers to take jobs? Just trying to figure out the odds with 3 kids at home and being the primary breadwinner!!! Thanks.

]


Wired in,
In our center, we all have the same concerns and questions. Can't find anyone who has the answers. As the timeline states, April 5th is the start of the selection process for affected employees. But who are the affected, what is the criteria of determining the affected, etc etc. Hoping there is someone in the BC community who may be able to give us some insight on how this process will work. Most say since we are not in a consolidated District office, there should be no affect. But I dont feel comfortable or good about this.

 

[ImWiredIn]

Thanks Red Rose, I have a feeling many are feeling the same way we do. You tend to start to feel some sense of job security once you've been somewhere 15 years, but who knows. We're not in a district office and hopefully that is a plus for us, but I do feel for those that are. For some reason instead of feeling there's a 3% chance of losing our jobs it's amplified to 30%+ in our heads because we have no idea what criteria they would use to cut No one seems to have answers and HR seems to be just as baffled as others.

Some sort of guidance would help from the top so that tens of thousands of employees are not worrying for the next six months plus....just my opinion.

 

[upssup]

As far as a non-operations department goes, it is good for us in automotive as we are not a profit center and we typically are treated as such. It is one of my daily responsibilities to manage costs to the penny so we can justify how we do business. My P&L is all L! Try explaining this one. We have to be very aware of cost per package and dollars spent per car. This is our contribution to the bottom line. We do not work under the extreme pressure of operations but we still feel the heat. This is the type of management that everyone will be doing in every center before long or as stated earlier, they will find some one who can. The old light bulb theory, unscrew one that doesnt work and screw another one in.

 

[island1fox]

.....so would a rough translation be:

Hourly will forget safety, methods, "run and gun" through your lunch, take short cuts and, after an injury, you will be gone to make way for a much cheaper new hourly employee to take your place?

Trick,
Maybe thats how you would translate --but a job done incorrectly --safety and otherwise--only raises the cost --but of course --you already knew that !!

 

[randomUPSISer]

Trick,
Maybe thats how you would translate --but a job done incorrectly --safety and otherwise--only raises the cost --but of course --you already knew that !!

That depends. I can remember being in operations for a while where we were rushed so much that most "forgot" safety and other stuff. Most of the time you "get by" without getting hurt.

Of course, all it takes is once, BUT it enough time is saved in between accidents it ends up being cheaper for the company to just let you get hurt. ESPECIALLY if the company then does its absolute best to fire you for "not following safety protocol". It happens, its real.

 

[island1fox]

That depends. I can remember being in operations for a while where we were rushed so much that most "forgot" safety and other stuff. Most of the time you "get by" without getting hurt.

Of course, all it takes is once, BUT it enough time is saved in between accidents it ends up being cheaper for the company to just let you get hurt. ESPECIALLY if the company then does its absolute best to fire you for "not following safety protocol". It happens, its real.

Random upser,
Do not really want to spend alot of time "debating " performance with you ---while important is still just one of the thousands of cost elements that must be managed.
Sure --a reaction --now they want us to run and speed. In all of the OJS rides I personally had with drivers --no one ever did nor was instructed to speed or run --just the opposite. Do the job correctly. Where this gets blurred --some not all ---drivers will talk and talk,"socialize --suddenly realize they are way behind --instead of doing the job correctly -unsafe short cuts come in to play --WHOSE FAULT ??? Please --not going to waste time going round and round on this --wellover 90% of good hardworking Teamsters work hard and do the job correctly --10 % same people over and over --do not do the job and try to blame everyone but the true problem --themselves ---very same with Management --90% good hardwoking people --10% mistakes -cause more problems than they solve --this is "human nature" never changes.
As any honest Management person or Teamster would agree on --no price on a life --also cost of major accident or injury never is made up by drivers shorting lunches or working unsafely.
Bottom line --using this "excuse" is B/S. A smoke screen !!

 

[Braveheart]

just like the burger flippers at mcdonalds.

We are more like Chefs at Morton's pal. Not burger flippers. Those guys work at DHL.

We are the waiters and bartenders who keep bringing them back.

It has to be us because they could drink and eat at other cheaper places, IE ship with another company, but they come to the best!

 

[Braveheart]

Random upser,
Do not really want to spend alot of time "debating " performance with you ---while important is still just one of the thousands of cost elements that must be managed.
Sure --a reaction --now they want us to run and speed. In all of the OJS rides I personally had with drivers --no one ever did nor was instructed to speed or run --just the opposite. Do the job correctly. Where this gets blurred --some not all ---drivers will talk and talk,"socialize --suddenly realize they are way behind --instead of doing the job correctly -unsafe short cuts come in to play --WHOSE FAULT ??? Please --not going to waste time going round and round on this --wellover 90% of good hardworking Teamsters work hard and do the job correctly --10 % same people over and over --do not do the job and try to blame everyone but the true problem --themselves ---very same with Management --90% good hardwoking people --10% mistakes -cause more problems than they solve --this is "human nature" never changes.
As any honest Management person or Teamster would agree on --no price on a life --also cost of major accident or injury never is made up by drivers shorting lunches or working unsafely.
Bottom line --using this "excuse" is B/S. A smoke screen !!

The problem is that I work the same route every day at the same pace and yet the numbers are all over the place. -40, +30, -15, -25, +37, +19 makes no sense.

The time credit for some things is way too low and others too high.

 

[Braveheart]

There are a lot of drivers that make UPS money and there are a lot of drivers whose main focus is to make money only for them and their families. It would be a great company if we could marry those two together. 20% of Union people are in it only for themselves. When you think about loosing 20 cents on the dollar that adds up. I know that I wouldn't want to run a business under those conditions! I've had drivers tell me that they intentionaly slow down so that they won't get more work!!! Now isn't that what our economy is based on? Look at what happend to the Auto Workers. Oh excuse me that was all managements fault. When things are going well it's the employees whose hard work got that company to where it is. Once that same company is doing poorly, it's management!!

The problem is a guy gets a route and smokes off 120 stops. The next day it is 130. He does it but a little later clock out. Time is still great so now it is up to 140.

He is not sticking it to the company by going back to 120. He is saying no thanks on the knee and back problems.

Our center has been so go go go that the accidents, injuries, customer complaints, missed pick-ups, mis-deliveries have steadily gone up.

But no nah ah er no connection there huh.

It is called bean counters. How much profit at 15 stops vs 17 stops per hour with the additional accidents etc etc

 

[Braveheart]

aww did that one hit home? i was wondering if it would generate any posts.

well, they are the one "doing the job", right? it's a metaphor.

i guess sales would be the cashier and the center manger would be the GM of the store. customers love going to mcdonalds because those burgers are always cooked so well!

sales and the manager are SOL without those burger flippers!

Because it is cheap and fast. We are not cheap so why do they use us?

Because our drivers are the best. Quit looking down your nose at us. A tie and college degree does not make you any better than the guy next to you.

The next time you are working a deal let me have you do it outdoors, in the rain on a 95 degree day, with 2 pit bulls on your ass, hauling a 70lb box, up stairs, with heavy air stops, through a school zone, while old farts keep pulling out in front of you, breaking in a new "stevie wonder" pre-loader, delayed by traffic accident, sorry no time allowance for that, driving a truck with no power steering and gears that pop out of gear, with strained muscles and the flu.

What is your idea of a bad day?? calculator break, coffee get cold, out of sweet and low.

 

[Catatonic]

OK braveheart, I'll post something so you will not have the embarrassment of 5 straight posts in a row.

 

[Anonymous 10]

OK braveheart, I'll post something so you will not have the embarrassment of 5 straight posts in a row.

You know what your all right in my book.

 

[Re-Raise]

Because it is cheap and fast. We are not cheap so why do they use us?

Because our drivers are the best. Quit looking down your nose at us. A tie and college degree does not make you any better than the guy next to you.

The next time you are working a deal let me have you do it outdoors, in the rain on a 95 degree day, with 2 pit bulls on your ass, hauling a 70lb box, up stairs, with heavy air stops, through a school zone, while old farts keep pulling out in front of you, breaking in a new "stevie wonder" pre-loader, delayed by traffic accident, sorry no time allowance for that, driving a truck with no power steering and gears that pop out of gear, with strained muscles and the flu.

What is your idea of a bad day?? calculator break, coffee get cold, out of sweet and low.

He had to listen to a conference call one time that he thought was pretty tough.

We had a sales rep at our pcm this morning say he was leaving our center and that we would be getting a new one.

We all just stood there in silence because none of us even knew who he was.

 

[soberups]

Random upser,
In all of the OJS rides I personally had with drivers --no one ever did nor was instructed to speed or run --just the opposite. Do the job correctly. Where this gets blurred --some not all ---drivers will talk and talk,"socialize --suddenly realize they are way behind --instead of doing the job correctly -!!

Another common place where this gets "blurred"....is when the driver realizes he is way behind because he has once again been heavily overdispatched.

Its pretty easy to pay "lip service" to safety during an OJS. If UPS truly cared about safety it would go beyond the slogans and buzz words and 10 pt commentaries and instead focus on the stuff that actually matters.....like unfair time allowances, unsafe package cars, and overcrowded facilities. Dont hold your breath waiting for that to happen, though.

 

[whiskey]

Another common place where this gets "blurred"....is when the driver realizes he is way behind because he has once again been heavily overdispatched.

Its pretty easy to pay "lip service" to safety during an OJS. If UPS truly cared about safety it would go beyond the slogans and buzz words and 10 pt commentaries and instead focus on the stuff that actually matters.....like unfair time allowances, unsafe package cars, and overcrowded facilities. Dont hold your breath waiting for that to happen, though.

I still have a lap belt.

 

[Booger]

P-man.
Any thoughts on how long it will take for all of the dust to clear after this is over. I'm in the pool for promotion but obviously won't be acceptinng any position until AFTER the job cuts and also the year or so it takes for the affected individuals to leave or bump others out of positions. I can't see signing up to be low man on the totem pole right now!

 

[pretzel_man]

P-man.
Any thoughts on how long it will take for all of the dust to clear after this is over. I'm in the pool for promotion but obviously won't be acceptinng any position until AFTER the job cuts and also the year or so it takes for the affected individuals to leave or bump others out of positions. I can't see signing up to be low man on the totem pole right now!

Boog...

I wish I had a good answer. My personal opinion is that the dust will settle and get kicked up again a few times.

First, we will see who takes the buyout and who doesn't. By the way, I understand that corporate was expecting very few below 55 to take it. Looks like they are right so far.

Then the new district / region staff will be decided and we will find out who has no position. The message is clear on this. There will be no bumping, there will be demotions (if the person is lucky), and there will be forced severance.

At this point, when it looks like the dust is settling, the new structure will be expected to be producing. Corporate is realigning to support the structure. I assure you that Myron will expect results with his new role.

I think the dust kicks up again then as the new region / district / corporate structures learn to work the process.

Remember, they are trying to set up the districts for growth, especially in the middle markets. If we grow, there will be new jobs and opportunities for those remaining.

If it doesn't work .....

P-Man