Fun at Work
About a month ago, our PDC manager dragged us receiving clerks into the warehouse with our supervisor to point out parts with problems. After the first time, I started warehouse walking, as I called it, looking for problems. See, the guys in the warehouse, they go to put away stuff and it doesn't have a ticket, they just write "NO TICKETS" on the box and shove it to the side. That's it. Our guy who does UPS receiving is awesome, though, and has this nice system with everything organized. Our Bulk guys on the other side are becoming just as nicely organized. The other lanes, though, could use the others' books to the back of the head a few times.
So I started walking the warehouse once a week looking for these problems; upped it to twice a week when the problems got thick, then cut it back to once a week when things got better. Carrying a little folder of blank problem forms, a clipboard, pen, and tape to put the pink copy on the parts. I doubled my problem ticket load last month with this. Normally 30-40 problem tickets; last month it was 88. So last week, our receiving lady who's been there forever commented that this really isn't my job. It's the team leader jobs to be finding and writing up problems. I emailed our supervisor and questioned this. She called me into her office and explained how true that was and while no one was complaining now, it wouldn't be long.
She was right. Monday morning (while my supervisor was on vacation; she'll be back today) I got the word from the 1st shift receiving supervisor that the union doesn't want me back there writing up problems. I sent my supervisor, the receiving supervisor, the PDC manager, and the other two receiving clerks, an email lining this out and how MY supervisor has already spoken to me about this and that this IS the responsibility of the team leads. Basically a CYA for when it comes back down on us that problems aren't getting solved. The other receiving clerk was most upset; HOW, she asked, will problems get to us now? She was even depending on me going back there and looking stuff up for her!
Okay, no big deal. This is what they want, this is what they'll get. Amusingly, I got in yesterday to an inbox stuffed with problem tickets that the team leads had started writing up. Out of the 9 I got, I had 8 solved by end of day. Rather surprised the second shift team lead when she came to pick up tickets and found the Problem Answers bin stuffed full *grin* Now we'll see how long this lasts.
Oh, and one of the Bulk area guys had to come up to tell me that not everyone thinks I shouldn't be back there. I thanked him for letting me know that. Now if they'd only tell their union rep that...
So I started walking the warehouse once a week looking for these problems; upped it to twice a week when the problems got thick, then cut it back to once a week when things got better. Carrying a little folder of blank problem forms, a clipboard, pen, and tape to put the pink copy on the parts. I doubled my problem ticket load last month with this. Normally 30-40 problem tickets; last month it was 88. So last week, our receiving lady who's been there forever commented that this really isn't my job. It's the team leader jobs to be finding and writing up problems. I emailed our supervisor and questioned this. She called me into her office and explained how true that was and while no one was complaining now, it wouldn't be long.
She was right. Monday morning (while my supervisor was on vacation; she'll be back today) I got the word from the 1st shift receiving supervisor that the union doesn't want me back there writing up problems. I sent my supervisor, the receiving supervisor, the PDC manager, and the other two receiving clerks, an email lining this out and how MY supervisor has already spoken to me about this and that this IS the responsibility of the team leads. Basically a CYA for when it comes back down on us that problems aren't getting solved. The other receiving clerk was most upset; HOW, she asked, will problems get to us now? She was even depending on me going back there and looking stuff up for her!
Okay, no big deal. This is what they want, this is what they'll get. Amusingly, I got in yesterday to an inbox stuffed with problem tickets that the team leads had started writing up. Out of the 9 I got, I had 8 solved by end of day. Rather surprised the second shift team lead when she came to pick up tickets and found the Problem Answers bin stuffed full *grin* Now we'll see how long this lasts.
Oh, and one of the Bulk area guys had to come up to tell me that not everyone thinks I shouldn't be back there. I thanked him for letting me know that. Now if they'd only tell their union rep that...