Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:13 — 9.8MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Well, things are opening up a bit, at least here in Texas. Right or wrong, returning to some form of normal is good. For me, I’m able to get into the dentist as of this week and will get to have my procedure next week! We’re over a quarter into the year, 20 weeks in, and from a business perspective it seems like we’re just gearing up. I’m Marty with Warehouse and Operations as a Career! I’m excited to hear about so many companies calling people back in and to see all the job boards lighting up, all the new ad’s being placed and the staffing companies making those calls again! It’s like budgets are being reset or rebooted, plans are being adjusted and goals seem achievable again! I feel we, as employees, should probably be doing the same! I hope by now your using a journal daily, listing our thoughts and experiences will earn us more wages this year, and that you’ve written out your plan and have listed, oh, say, 4 or 5 goals, each one a stepping stone to the next, and you’re on the path to accomplishing all of them. Seriously though, we’re 5 months into the year, almost halfway through 2020 and I’m feeling good about our opportunities ahead. Now, I was fortunate. Being classified as an essential employee, whatever that means, I was able to work. My job was different, or it felt a lot different, but we were still training, and visiting facilities, helping associates and customers. We here at WAOC understand several industries we’re not as fortunate, well, fortunate isent the right word, after all I think the industries that we’re able to stall Manfacturing or production for their employees, protect them if you will, did a great job handling the crisis and I hope each of you we’re helped out by your individual states.
I know, blah, blah, blah, right! Let’s talk a little op’s and shop talk. That’s more in line with our lives!
One thing I’ve found fascinating the last couple of weeks is the interest in training and learning something new! Out in the field, visiting different facilities I’ve noticed companies are again allowing, that sounded a little harsh. I’ll use the word encouraging, and trending, more towards cross training employees. They’re letting us get on pallet jacks and forklifts, and supervisors are working with us general labor associates much more in a coaching capacity. I know I’ve had many people that’s never been interested in other positions reaching out and asking questions about the tasks that touches theirs, and gosh, over the last 3 weeks, let’s see, maybe 8 or 9 people I know have accepted lateral promotions or have asked to do more if not outright promoted with pay increases to other positions. The one thing they all had in common was they had gone to their management teams and asked if they could learn something else or do so and so. It’s nice seeing that hunger again! Maybe it’s because of this perceived reboot or restart I’m imagining!
This Wednesday one of our trainers had a customer send a general labor associate to him for PIT training. He had told his supervisor that he had a little bit of experience on an electric rider jack so his management team thought it’d be great to get him certified and be able to use him as needed on the jack as needed. When he arrived at the training center and saw the classroom, and all the equipment lined up he informed or stated to the instructor that he’d never used or been on the electric rider pallet jack before. He went through the classroom portion, participated and asked a lot of questions, especially regarding all the safety aspects of equipment operation and he sailed through the testing. During the on-site he was very comfortable on the equipment and operated it safely. Now, he was very slow, and focused, you could tell he didn’t have a lot of experience or time operating the equipment, but he’d definitely been on it a few hours somewhere in his past. His instructor laid out a plan with the associate’s supervisor to get him some training time out on the front docks, moving pallets around and such, getting some working time in. This all came about, not out of a need by his employer, but because he asked to do more. I bet he’ll receive a wage increase within the next few months. I can’t help but wonder if this action was actually planned, a step to accomplishing a goal. Anyway, I applaud his efforts and I hope he stays on his path!
Another gentleman, and I love this success story although it doesn’t end so well. A customer had a new position open up. They decided to hire a person to be their baler. They had a lot of shrink-wrap at the end of every shift that had to be gathered up a placed in their recycling baler. In the past a couple of different people would be trained on its operation and take care of it when they had the time. It’d became a bit overwhelming, hence the new hire.
An agency had a gentleman with quite a bit of utility experience in the warehouse, he had some equipment experience, just nothing in any type of productivity setting but he was comfortable learning anything. The supervisor took him for a tour of the warehouse, worked with him, showed him how to gather up and stage all the used plastic wrap and taught him how to use the baler machine. The gentleman did really well regarding the safety training and his orientation. A great hire all the way around. Well, after his first week he no called no showed on his 7th day. The following day the agency reached out to him to see what was wrong to no avail. The associate didn’t return the phone calls. So, they started sourcing for a replacement. The gentleman called back the following day and explained his reasoning for being absent and apologized for not calling earlier. Now, he had a legitimate situation come up, I’d classify it as a family situation. In any event, it’s our responsibility as an employee to communicate with our employer. His supervisor liked him. Had he communicated his needs to his boss he would have been willing to adjust his schedule as it turned out, but because he just ghosted everyone he’d been replaced. The new man is doing alright but the supervisor would have liked to have kept the previous gentleman. His hands were tied though, the employee really had given him no chance to keep him. We’ve talked so much about the importance of communication. This is a great example of how most things can be worked out, but we must talk things through. Oh, and for the agency. Well, the recruiter is having a hard time placing the individual again. The Op’s guys are a little wary of bringing him onboard with a NCNS under his belt. He’ll be fine, they’ll find him a position but hey, it’s our responsibility to be that responsible employee!
I have an unloading team, they work with a distribution facility, it’s a night shift but on the inbound side. Anyway, over the last few weeks they, like most facilities around here, experienced a downturn in their inbound case counts so their hours and weekly wages had been affected. One of the individuals got pretty upset with his pay. Of course his supervisor pointed out that with having fewer cases, working less hours and with the account not shipping as much as they were, it was just slow right now and it’d pick back up in a few weeks as things opened up again. The employee wasn’t having it. He turned in his notice stating he’d be leaving next week. The supervisor took it, turned it into his boss who then requested his HR department to find him a replacement. Now get this. When the associate heard they were bringing on another unloader he got upset all over again! He walked out and quit! I don’t know if he thought his boss would somehow come up with more money if he threatened to leave or if he was just hurt that he’d been replaced, but that’s not the way to handle our grievances. Last week we talked about attitudes and human nature. This is a prime example of what not to do. I understand the gentleman is having a rough time finding a position that can pay him what he was earning.
Personally, I’d be hesitant to leave a job until I had another one, especially right now with the number of people seeking employment, until I had another good position lined up!
I think this last example could be associated with poor planning and I’m not sure a goal was even defined!
So, what’s your plan. If your returning to work now what are you going to do differently than before you, we’re furloughed? And if you’ve been working are you changing anything, have you adjusted your plans and goals at all? Send us a message to Host@warehouseandoperationsasacareer.com, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the 2020 reboot or restart. And don’t forget about our Facebook and Twitter feeds, you’ll find us on both using @whseandops. I hope to be able to visit with you again next week, I’m scheduled to have a little oral surgery but when I return, we have some great interviews set up with those performing some of our career positions! It’ll be fun to hear from those doing the jobs!
Until next week, be positive, get motivated, opportunities abound as we enter the 2nd beginning of the new year. Remember our first responsibility to ourselves, our teams, our employer and our families is to be Safe in all we do!