Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:51 — 8.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Hello all, how is week 25 treating you? Can you believe we are almost halfway thru 2021. I’m reassessing where I am at with my goals so I can start planning and making those adjustments, and I’m realizing that I have some serious adjustments to make! And you know what, that’s ok, there is absolutely nothing wrong with our goals changing. That’s called growing in my book. Seriously though, it is time that we reflect on the first half of the year and get geared up for the last half.
I’m looking at my note sheet here and it’s a little, well, almost blank! I mentioned reassessing the first half of our year so let’s do a bit of that real quick.
Do we feel like we’ve increased our wages over last year at this point? Earlier this year we talked about being that employee. We’ve spoken about setting up our own promotions, and how to make them happen. That’s all-good stuff, and some of it can be done with a short play, but honestly a lot of it is the long play. But these are our careers we’re talking about. A 5% raise is a good increase here in the states right now, and a 20% raise is an even better one right! I’m going to say again, and I believe it, that we ourselves can have a lot of input regarding our increases. By learning a little about every position that touches ours and doing a little self-education here and there. Oh, I just had a thought about that, we’ll circle back to that in a minute!
Several weeks ago, we spoke about how we should never burn bridges when leaving a position or a company. This is a big one. We’ll run into people we’ve worked with or for over the years I guarantee you! Just this week I was introduced to a lady that had worked for me over 10 years ago and now I’m trying to do business with a company where she runs the warehouse. You never know where or who your opportunities are going to take you or who from your past there going to lead you to!
Before we get started talking Op’s today, I have one quick question, or I guess maybe more like a statement. I mentioned that we’re in this for the long haul, developing our careers and finding what we want to do for the rest of our lives. So, we all remember what the finish line is right? After we’ve achieved what we want, whither that be getting married, raising the kids and getting them through school and started with their lives or maybe chasing our career and tending to our own lives. The final end goal is retirement right. Remember, every decision we make right now needs to pertain to that goal. Having the money to live as comfortable as we wish in our later years. Food for thought as we wrap up this first half of 2021!
I almost forgot, let me circle back to learning a little about every position that touches ours and self-education. Last week I had a gentleman share that after attending a PIT class outside his company that he started checking out what the OSHA 1910.178 section L was all about, and he was amazed at how legal the standard was. All the different And the Employer Shall, and the Employer Must, the Employer Will statements really floored him. He took that information back to his management team, shared with them how much he enjoyed learning about it and how important it was, it being a law and all, well, that gave him a raise and he is now PIT training for his company. The gentleman could very well be on his way to a career in safety who knows.
Ok, we need to get back to Op’s today. So, I had jotted down the words near miss programs, safety observations, forklift observations and the word pre-trip on my note page today. Usually, I’ll put bullet points in front of things like that but as I dealt with each one of those subjects this week, I think, and by dealt with them I mean something came up or I heard a story regarding each, as an expense actually, I was a little shocked or dazzled by how someone had handled them.
As employees we all have attended several classes given by our HR departments or maybe our Operations management teams and companies. We know there is to be no horseplay in a place of business and that sexual harassment or discrimination is against the law and will not be tolerated at any company in the nation. Oh, and I’m sure we know that there are zero tolerance policies, no alcohol and strong drug policies in the workplace that must be followed. We’re typically given a handbook that’ll share things like dress codes, organizational charts, job descriptions and all the rules the company needs us to follow right? Do you pay attention during those classes, and take notes? Have you read your company handbook? Are you one that asks questions of your HR or Manager if you do not understand something? If not, could that be the answer why we’ve been coached or corrected more often than we’d like?
Two weeks ago, I received an email from a young gentleman from outside my groups or contacts. He’d reached out to WAOC, kind of looking for vindication, I think. Anyway, he stated that he had lost his job of 2 weeks because he had been written up 3 times and pointed out. His first coaching was on his third day for being tardy and missing the daily start up meeting, he was 11 minutes late. His 2nd coaching came on his 4th day of work. He brought his lunch over to his work area and was seen eating something from it before lunch time. Then his 3rd and final coaching came on his 8th day on the job. He had damaged some product, 3 boxes of a liquid product had fell off his pallet as he turned a corner a bit too fast and a bottle or two had broken, leaking on the floor. He did not report it and just placed the damaged case in another slot and went on about his way.
I asked if, upon hire, he was given the attendance policy, and if anyone had explained where he was to put his lunch or what the food in the warehouse policy was and lastly, I asked if he knew that he should have reported the damages when they happened. His answer to all three were yes BUT. Ladies and gentlemen there are no yes but’s when it comes to a company’s rules, policies, procedures or directions! Isn’t it our responsibility to know the expectations and rules? And then to follow them.
As you know I do a lot of training, all kinds of training. Weekly I am sharing some knowledge and experiences with different groups, associates at all levels and many different positions. It is so easy to spot those that are engaged, listening and learning and are going to apply something they’ve learned and those that are attending because they are supposed to or directed to do so by their management teams! And of course, that is perfectly ok as well. Some associates are perfectly content with their positions, they love what they are tasked with doing. You all know that I’m a firm believer that we must love our jobs to do them right! But with all that being said, we are responsible for everything that’s being told to us and shared with us by our companies and our managers.
We all occasionally have to attend some sort of training or meetings at work. Think about all the time and expense it takes to put those programs together. Our company would not invest those expenses for nothing.
Is training interesting to us, no, I’m not going to pretend that its enjoyable. It takes us away from what we really like to do. But is it important and can it help us keep our jobs, even help us earn more? Absolutely. And that’s why I think it’s important and a responsibility that we should shoulder and accept.
Shoot, I went down a rabbit hole there for a bit, but you know that’s why I jotted down those words today. Near miss programs, Safety Observations, Observations and Pre-Trips are a part of our jobs and are our responsibility, whither we’re employees or members of management. We we’re trained on those topics. We should be doing them and completing them properly. No but’s! It’s our job!
We’ll I’ll step down off my soap box and I apologize for straying off onto training today, it is all the same though. Until next week let’s all take our training seriously, and especially any training regarding our safety topics!