Adverse behaviors vary from hub to hub, so be wise to do some research on your own before applying and accepting a part-time role at any specific hub location. Some hubs strongly follow internal policy guidelines, others apply attention to policy only after instances of poor behavior occur - i.e. as a means of rubberstamping continuance with broad warnings against inappropriate behaviors of staff, supervisors, and sometimes managers as well. If you are hired on as a permanent employee, be aware of all of the benefits and perks which apply to your employee level. Don't take it for granted that your supervisor or manager will walk you through all of the right things: on day one, you should have safety training; you should have a badge; you should be given a document which clearly states all of the objectives which apply to your role; you should also know when your health benefits will kick in. Eventually, especially in the cold weather months, you will need to visit a doctor when you are not on the job. Rationale: most people get sick with colds, flu, or worse during this timeframe. You will eventually get hit with a nasty little bug during the peak season, so be proactive in seeing your doctor for annual inoculation vaccines as soon as possible. If you do get sick, you shouldn't lose out on pay, but if you do get sick, it is better to have a doctor's excuse or receipt for your visit depending on your manager's/supervisor's style of leadership. Not all managers keep t
ProsLots and lots and lots of UPS logo gear. Most UPSers have a good sense of humor if nothing else.
ConsExcept for drivers, UPS branded gear does not include pants. So far, I have not seen any UPS branded long underwear, which would come in rather handy during the late fall and winter months.
I could honestly write a book about how garbage this place is because there’s so much bad about this place than there is good and I’m sure a lot of people who have worked here can agree. I’m only speaking in my experience working here and specifically the location I worked at as I cannot speak for other UPS locations so read what I just said carefully. Where do I begin? Well, first off if you’re thinking about applying to the UPS warehouse as a package handler/ pre loader, I just wanna say apply here if you don’t mind waking up around 3am every day, you’re in good shape because how they’re gonna work you there, you’re gonna need to be in shape the way you’re going to be moving at the pace you will have to move, want a part time job that will give you insurance free after 9 months and if you like meeting all kinds of different personalities. Warning tho, my advice is to go in to the job and don’t trust anybody, a lot of ppl there are snakes and the drama that goes on is pretty wack if you ask me. Be prepared to get thrown to the wolves. When you first start as a new hire, you may either have a belt supervisor give you 1 or 2 trucks to load on your first day. Hopefully you get a supervisor who will train you properly and explain as much as possible how to efficiently do the job. Eventually you will have to do 3 or 4 cars on your own, usually by the 5th day you have been loading on the belt. UPS only cares about money and not you so they want to cram as much work in as possible
ProsGood benefits, decent part time hours, get out early and have the whole day to do whatever
ConsShort breaks, everyone is lazy, operation ran like garbage, huge game of blame this and that person, unrealistic expectations, upper management only cares about money for all the wrong reasons. I can go on and on and on
Sorry for the length; it's a bit of my own reality check
General Culture:
UPS is an "old boy's network" - primarily comprised of former operations employees who transitioned into management positions. Essentially, the pay scale, advancement opportunities, promotions, etc. are reserved for employees who began their employment in UPS hubs or centers. The exceptions prove the rule. I've been here over a decade, and to this day, am still referred to as being "hired off the street". Generally, technical or skill-type positions (programmers, analysts, database admins, etc.) will likely be managed by a boss who has never done actual application development in their life. The company is currently extremely top heavy with a lot of pending retirement dead-weight, and they are actively trying to force out the pensioners - but that's easier said than done. Nepotism (management employees married to each other)/favoritism is a huge problem - especially given that most of these managers have worked for UPS for a couple of decades, being able to transition within the company to get away from a horrible boss is nearly impossible.
Technology:
Technology-wise, everything is about 15 years behind the curve. Only a few new niche applications are using anything current. This causes most employees - especially new employees - to have to accept that getting really good at your job at UPS means not keeping up with the outside world. SQL Server 2008 is in full effect, my friends. In my first app dev job at UPS, I was forced into using ColdFu
I began working at the Bluegrass Location as a package handler and enjoyed the small facility and camaraderie. We were given snacks twice per week and during peak season we had catered food almost every day.
I was then promoted to management and moved to LCH, remaining in the preload shift (essentially overnights). The culture was very different there. The facility was much larger with 4x more employees. Snacks and food were few and far between and there was barely enough to go around. Though there was a lot of computer training, there was little to no hands-on training or transitional period and I was expected to perform similar to other supervisors (even being informally reprimanded when I didn't do something right) though I was in a different facility with a different setup, procedures, definitions of terms, employees, and volume expectations.
For months we were understaffed and instead of progressively being introduced to management responsibilities and rotating me with other supervisors I was used as backup labor and wasn't dressed for this (this was also true anytime upper mgmt felt necessary or were trying to meet production goals, though technically the union prohibits supervisors working). I struggled greatly with the culture where everyone felt pressured to make decisions quickly but therefore did not make good stable decisions and did not communicate those decisions to everyone relevant so procedures changed back and forth many times within minutes. Often we
A typical day:
Private Vehicle Drivers (PVDs) arrive at center (or designated meet spot) to sort, organize and load packages into their own vehicle. The company provides a cell phone that is programmed with the assigned route for the day along with helpful information about each stop. The PVD then delivers the packages to each address. Packages that need to be returned to the center due to customer unavailable for signature or refused, or pick ups, are returned to the center or a designated UPS driver. Above all, the focus is on SAFELY delivering the workload - safety on the road, at residences/businesses and while loading/unloading to prevent and mitigate injury to people and damage to property. The company also is careful to keep packages that are more than 70lbs from going to PVDs.
Management:
There are several different members of management that the PVDs interact with for training, work assignment and normal HR matters. The location in Flint, MI (north center) has a management team that is highly supportive. Every single staff person from the director, dispatcher, office personnel and route drivers was informative and helpful, showing the highest amount of appreciation and insight.
How to be successful:
1. Each day, arrive to your location early and ready to work, with focus. The most physical aspect of the position is early in the day when unloading from trucks and loading your own vehicle. The workload will go much more smoothly when you are organized. UPS labe
ProsFun atmosphere, fosters creative thinking, great co-workers
ConsPosition is seasonal, performance metrics are not shared
Disclaimer: I worked for UPS as a seasonal employee.
That being said, I encountered a lot of full time employees.
The good: I was paid $21.00 an hour, which is pretty good by my standards especially since the job is very straightforward and if you're in decent shape or at least used to working laborious jobs chances are you wont find it difficult at all. Working to that tune I found it pretty hard be be overly annoyed about anything. Just goes to show if you pay people enough to make them feel like they're valued, you'll have happier and more productive employees. Most days you wake up by 8:45-9:00am and within an hour someone drops off your packages, you organize and deliver things in the way that works best for you and when you're done, you're done. The app is easy to use despite connections being a little hit or miss and you have plenty of backup options. Additionally, at the end of the day the routes are fairly easy to learn and after a couple weeks max you don't really need any help navigating beyond reading the addresses on your packages
The bad: Very disorganized company, and every level of leadership seems to have different priorities. I cant say I'm very surprised because UPS is a big company and the sheer volume of packages that passes through even a small facility like the one where I live, is ridiculous. No one goes out and buys anything anymore apparently, not even paper towels. Still, you have very little support once the packages have been scanned and l
Started out as a seasonal loader on preload, was rehired after peak and was quickly promoted to part-time supervisor, which is the position I'm mostly going to be referencing.
Pros:
The benefits for part time work are unparalleled. I have everything from my health care to any legal trouble covered with UPS plans. UPS has the Edcor program which is a tuition reimbursement system. This was my main attraction to sticking with the company and has helped tremendously with covering my education.
Work culture is what you make it. In terms of other supervisors, I'm extremely fortunate to have an excellent group of guys and girls to work with. In terms of employees, it's a complete mixed bag. They say the minimum requirements are being able to lift 70 lbs, but even then I get some guys rolling in that can barely lift 40. As a supervisor you're given some solid tools to retain the aces and lose the slackers, but once someone is locked in it's incredibly hard to get them off your op thanks to the union, even if they're not pulling their weight. This particular issue is compounded with the fixation on seniority; an old guy who's been there 20 years or so is almost impossible to get rid of, even if their performance is miserable and makes the younger guys work twice as hard.
The pay is pretty decent for a part timer. Nothing great, and a lot of guys work a second job, but if you're a college kid it's not too terrible.
Cons:
TERRIBLE room for advancement. Look, I rocketed i
Worst job ever. At UPS, "brown" stands for how they treat their employees...
Oh boy! Where to begin?! UPS treats their employees, um, very badly. Management is trained to harass you all day long and scream at you to go faster. Meanwhile, they let some people go home early on the same job because they wanted to save money. They see nothing wrong with expecting you to do the work of more than one person.
The mindset from the top down is very childish. Coworkers are very catty and play petty games that are really annoying and disruptive.
Management will use any excuse to intimidate you, belittle you, yell at you and will call you into the office for stupid things they make up. They will threaten to give you a warning letter or terminate you over and over. I have gotten Warning Letters for things I didn't even do. They are constantly bringing people into the office all day long for these "meetings." It is a colossal waste of everyone's time, and then they complain that their productivity numbers are off. They have every kind of dirty trick that you can think of. They fill your personnel file with all kinds of bogus information. The whole operation is VERY dysfunctional.
Don't expect the union to support you either. They effectively represent the company and will not raise a finger to help you when management plays their games.
They want us to unload trucks at the rate of 1,000 pieces an hour which is not humanly possible. The bulk packages can be extremely heavy. You have to be careful and look out for your safety or you will get injured. The
ProsLeaving at the end of my shift
ConsManagement is abusive, union reps and stewards are corrupt and support the employer, hostile work environment, need permission to use the bathroom, short breaks, will work you to death if you let them, ...and then step over your dead body, ...to declare you're fired for "stealing time" from the company, ....by laying on the floor
Avoid at all costs. Heres why after 10 years of service
Do not work here unless you are trying to support a large family and no other job that will give you the 70k+ to do so and you need that much money. You will have no free time with your family. You will be stressed out because you will be sent out with 14 hours days and the only reason you got done in 14 hours is because its the law and someone had to come help you because you were loaded with 20 hours of work. The managers will treat you like a number. If someone flies across the interstate and you don't avoid the accident its your fault, you are on the sht list. You will be screamed at and have your job threatened. You get injured? its your fault. If you can't predict the future then you are in trouble buddy. If there were no supervisors or managers the job would be good and I would continue to bust my as and have a stress free time doing it.
Let me give you a scenario of a once a week situation (at least). This isn't going to be worse case scenarios, just a common thing that happens.
So you start your day walking in and you get to your truck and "ohh no" your loader decided "yeah i don't feel like trying today" and there are packages everywhere in your truck, out of order and nowhere to be found. So now its time to leave the building and your dont know where your early packages are (next days and expensive shipping packages that need to be delivered early because one of those packages are worth all the ground packages on the truck combined in UPS profit). You can't
ProsBenefits
ConsManagement. Long hours. The list could go on forever
Depending on what job you decide to do (and I think most of these other posts support this), UPS can be either a great place to work or an awful career decision. To say that this company is outdated in its technology, business practices, pay scales and facilities is a MAJOR understatement. Don’t believe me? Walk into any Hub or HR office and take a look around – even the pictures on the walls are from last century! It’s as if the company just stayed in 1997. This company spends NO money on supplying, up-keeping or updating their facilities, and you notice it as soon as you step foot into a Hub, as most of them are just disgusting. I was very disappointed in the overall appearance of the office I worked out of at the Philadelphia Airport. For a company as established and successful as UPS, you just expect more.
If you’re a driver, receiving Union benefits, it’s fantastic. The regular drivers start at $21/hr and after 4 years are capped at $37/hr... roughly $90k a year without a college degree, and the CDL drivers start at $31/hr. So those guys are pretty-well taken care of. If you can handle arriving at 8:30am and driving home at 10pm after making 250 deliveries five nights a week, then it’s totally worth the money.
Package Handler position is a joke. Honestly, UPS views their package handlers as barely even humans. Each one is just a number, and if they slip up or forget to show up, they’re completely expendable. No hiring standards – if you have a pulse, a ride to wo
ProsGreat to put on a resume
ConsOut-dated and out-of-touch Leadership at the top
Questions And Answers about UPS
How did you feel about telling people you worked at UPS?
Asked Oct 5, 2016
Honored to be apart of a company that works so hard for people and clients
Personally my best experience
Now rehired and unbelievably grateful for the rehire
Answered Nov 26, 2021
I worked at UPS a while back and I loved it. With Management and my co workers, we worked as a team to better serve our customers. I am hoping to become part of the UPS team again!
Answered Sep 30, 2021
What is the work environment and culture like at UPS?
Asked Jun 17, 2016
Farmingdale NY Hub
HR Elonigro Spotlighted Hero in the Service Industry
Transforming Lives Making Dreams Come True
Stressing of safety throughout the hub for employee health and well being and the communities in which are served
Award Winning Leader In compliance of responsibilities to keep a safe work environment on boarding 100's of positions moving fast and moving forward
Answered Nov 26, 2021
SurePost First gear speed to sort, scan, load postal bags, place on designated belt for loading. Managed to follow Dok in lifting and loading wearing gloves for hazmat and to stay physically safe Clean work area with porters on duty at all times
Pumping up in happy spirits
Bonded to meet challenges of time expectancy
Answered Nov 23, 2021
What is the best part of working at UPS?
Asked Jan 6, 2020
Grand Canyon 11/19/21 Service Provider early am put safety gears in to top priority as parked with hazards - pulled up and over enough for cars turning on the road so pleased with the service all year as the driver followed mask mandates and delivered packages on schedule for early Christmas orders we are incredibly pleased with Walmart - medications and toiletries of Cvs this company is a leader in compared to any other courier services Maximum Satisfaction Coram Ny
Answered Nov 23, 2021
On the job 27 years a few slips and falls with back injury 11 times taken care of by the Ups Teamsters benefit for lifetime support - 1/2 pension pay pout retirement stocks medical care -
On company that cares for the well-being of employer and there families ----
Answered Jul 17, 2021
What would you suggest UPS management do to prevent others from leaving?
Asked Mar 15, 2017
Management in charge of 111940 Priority Signature Saturday services through Covid mail services of UPS practicing safe services for our environment- Package delivery of service trained well manner dressed for success We are Proud Ups customers offering same day Nda as scheduled Lab Corp Vaccines Proficiency testing kits World Class Services
Excellent customer center
Answered Jun 6, 2021
Keep up the great work
With any concern you can speak to your immediate supervisor. Within the building and outside the building. Good listener positively enforced aside with intellect in a non judgement environment.
Serve be a trusted and valued leader of UPS Preload
Feel a sense of worth and belonging go home feeling fulfilled
Suffolk Preload Community of Unity
Answered Apr 11, 2021
Why did you leave your job at UPS?
Asked Mar 15, 2017
You don’t LIC together making a difference in in the world gaining a sense of belonging
Strong values in management and teamsters Union steward supportive and available at all times
Answered May 3, 2021
We keep using Ups because of the high priority in safety and care of ordered products.
Air Saver from Ukraine Sag Harbor First on time Second Taken Care of Third Notification of transport real time delivery spot on Fourth The Driver beeping on arrival used hazards and uses blinkers Result Happy Customer Incomparable to any other services for export importing business expedites and residential services
