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Hi all, I’m Marty with Warehouse and Operations as a Career and I am excited to be here with you today. I always say today, it’s nighttime when I have a moment to record the show each week, I’m kind of a today soul, I guess. I say the word tomorrow a lot, and today last 24 hours for me but I don’t use the word yesterday much at all. I mean, of course I have to refer to past events, last week, a couple of days ago, and I’m good with saying this or that happened but I don’t blame anything on yesterday. It’s in the past to me. So, let’s get started on episode 221, on the 51st week of 2020 tonight!
This week I gave a couple of different classes, some leadership, safety, and I had the rare opportunity to instruct a PIT class for a few pallet runners operating an electric rider pallet jack, actually a double jack and that was a lot of fun. I hardly ever get to teach that class anymore, it’s one I really enjoy too. Mixed in throughout the week I had a few meetings with several front-line supervisors and leads. I always like visiting with those making things happen. Anyway, it’s that time of year for stories. Things slow down a bit, everyone relaxes, we’re all in a good mood. People like to talk this time of year.
So, I was thinking earlier today about all the stories and accounts I heard this week about missed opportunities. I personally witnessed three major ones this year, all three really bothered me. I’m always talking about advancement and opportunities. It’s a shame, or I feel it’s a shame when someone hears a knock at the door and just doesn’t answer it!
So I have 6 bullet points, or stories I thought we’d talk about tonight. A couple of them you may even can relate too!
OK, the first one, and I’m going to talk about two on the same subject but their kind of different! Anyway, so a company offered a free OSHA 10-hour class to their associates. 13 people were excited, 13 registered, the V.P. called them to thank them for signing up and shared a little about the class with them, everyone was looking so forward to it! 3 people showed up. The class is of course 10 hours, so it was 8 hours Saturday, a 30min lunch and a couple of breaks, and then 3 hours Sunday to wrap up. Everyone knew the schedule. When asked why they didn’t show up most of the responses were that well, it was on the weekend and something came up. It was a free OSHA 10-hour class and the company was paying the card fee as well. Totally free.
We all know what those cards are worth career wise. They show an employer our commitment to our profession. Usually, as employees, we have to purchase that class. Some larger corporations will send their supervisors and managers through a course but as an employee, outside of management, we typically have to foot that bill ourselves. Oh, and they’ve had 4 of those 13 ask when the next class is going to be!
Here’s the second part I spoke about or the 2nd incident of a missed OSHA 10 hour opportunity. I guess it’s more of a missed pay opportunity too. So, a company was bringing back a few supervisors after being laid off for several months. They wanted to run all 4 of them through an OSHA 10-hour class before ramping everything up. It was suggested that the company could offer the class on a Saturday and a Sunday, and pay them for their time, instead of doing it during the week and pulling them away from their task. Their management decided the employees would like the class to be instructed during the week, so they didn’t have to work, yes, they used the word work, for 7 days straight. Simple math tells us they lost 10 hours of overtime pay right? I don’t know, I think I’d look at that as paid education, or paid training. My OSHA 10-hour card is good for the rest of my life, it can help me get another position, and it can help me earn more money. I’m all about self-education and taking advantage of every opportunity, I guess!
This one I hear, oh, probably 10 times a year but this guy I really felt sorry for.
So, a gentleman came to a staffing agency, he’d been out of work for quite a while. His experience was mostly construction, but he’d had a little warehouse early in his career. The agency had a great general labor position that was close to where the candidate lived, the pay rate was right, everything looked good. He sailed through the screening procedures and was being set up for the job. He was so excited. The recruiter completed the on-boarding process, gave him his safety vest and time clock number and told him to report to work at the appropriate time with his vest, steel toe footwear and a can-do attitude the next day!
Well, the associate showed up 15 minutes early, however he was not wearing the proper footwear. He was sent away by the customer, his new employer. When asked why he didn’t have on his steel toes he stated he didn’t have any, he thought it’d be ok till he got his first paycheck. It wasn’t.
This one is so bad because this particular agency had a shoe program, they may have been able to help him. I understand it may be embarrassing but we have to be honest when it comes to our jobs. 9 times out of 10 this wouldn’t work. But this one instance he could have been helped. As applicants we need to be honest, in most instances we can get some help. We all need a little help every now and then.
So here’s another steel toe story. An agency hires a lady as a reach lift operator. A stroke of luck for the agency and for the candidate. Their customer needed an operator to start Monday morning, it was Thursday when the order was received, and the lady happened to apply that very morning. She came in, completed her on-boarding and was set up for her PIT class the next day, Friday. She was given the address sheet, which had some instructions such as to be at least 15 minutes early, wear steel toe shoes or boots, where to park etc. She showed up early, took her seat and was ready to learn. The instructor introduced himself, asked everyone to introduce themselves, and proceeded to check the footwear as they we’re ready to get started. Well, she had on regular shoes. She said no one told her about wearing steel toes to the PIT class. The instructor asked if she was shown the orientation video, she said yes. He asked did she see the part about the upcoming PIT class and that proper footwear was discussed? She said she may not have seen that part. He asked if she was given an instruction sheet to find the class. She said yep and pulled it out of her pocket. He asked if she’d read it to him. She saw the part about the footwear and said why would she had read that anyway. He had to send her away. The job had to start Monday. The recruiter had to fill it with somebody else. Here at WAOC we talk a lot about responsibilities and how our positions are our responsibility right.
This one, well, I’m not sure I’ll ever understand this one. And it ends even worse than it starts. Alright, so a guy is promoted to a manager on a traveling team. He’s been a great employee for like 5 or 6 years, a very accomplished unloader. His managers, customers and crew really like him. His company promoted him and included him for 4 weeks of planning, arranging travel, helping him secure his supervisors and trainers. He worked closely with the recruiters for hiring local talent. He was super excited to lead his first team.
Two weeks out he heard from his brother that lived out of state. They hadn’t seen each other in over 5 years. He was going to be coming through the state on business and would be in town over the weekend. He wanted them to get together with all the local family and have a party. Well, the new manager went to his boss and explained that he just couldn’t pass up this chance to party with his brother and family. That he would not be able to lead this team this time. Of course, his boss explained that he had to go. A lot of planning and expense had happened. He was the manager and needed to make a decision. The associate quit, he truly felt like seeing the family was more important. Now, I don’t know his situation at all. I may have thought well, I’ll miss him this weekend but I can fly out and visit some other time. I don’t know. Here’s where it really turns bad. So he’s quit his job. He receives a call from his brother that Thursday that his job has changed his plans and he won’t be laying over. He won’t be coming through town. I don’t guess his brother put as much emphasis on the party as he did! Talk about a missed opportunity!
I think we have time for one more. Well, maybe not, I guess.
Anyway, I feel that we always have to be ready to answer those knocks. With all the examples we talked about here tonight, see, I didn’t say today, with all these examples, someone didn’t plan, they did not take on the responsibility, their responsibility, to succeed at their position. Some call it living in the minute. Others call it being lazy. Some say its someone else’s fault. It’s our fault, we control our success. If you don’t believe me send me an email to host@warehouseandoperationsasacareer.com and I’ll let you change my mind!
Be ready to answer that door! And be Safe in all that you do until we talk again next week!