Con-way early on but not towards the end under stood how to keep employees satisfied. I don’t think Jacobs has a clue or quite frankly does not GAFF.
I will think Jacobs bought us partly based on he saw plenty of area to from the inside to increase profits. He did not anticipate how great the driver shortage was and how discontent some employees were .
How many times have we heard the statement. If you got a guy past top out. You have him for life ? Trick is. There are more options now than there ever were. And it's the guys with 10-20 years that are quitting. I think I have moved up 30 spots this year. It's close. Still can't hold anything. Keep cutting bids. And that is a big issue. Why stay here and keep moving backwards ? When you get a job somewhere else and move forward ?
That's what's hurting the most. It's not losing the new guy that don't do anything anyway. It's losing the long tenured, role model, this is how we get things done type of drivers that is killing this LTL company. We have been taken over by a bunch of millennials. And work is offensive. And expecting more than nothing from them is insulting. They have been raised by parents that always did everything for them. And they see us as being of the same age and treat us as though we should be jumping up and rushing to do it all for them.
The old school puritanical ideology has been replaced with I don't care. Someone else can do it. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a guy walk into dispatch and literally refuse a route. Throw the DRs at the dispatcher and demand a specific route because it's his route or he wants that one instead for this one for this or that reason.
It's been a weird transition for me. But I am onboard and joining in. And that's even funnier. When you do something that these privileged little snow flakes do. They look at you like, how dare you ? And say stuff like : You have been doing this for how long ? And can't get this done ? And when you try to point out that they are topped out, been working here long enough themselves and every bit as capable and more. They get loud and start to really get upset. Because saying they are competent is offensive.
So you just gotta remember. " It's not my job to do ( fill in the blank ). " Even if it is, your job to do. Literally. And my favorite. " That's not right, you don't understand. " I hear this one so many times. And it's been added to my lexicon.
When in Rome. Right ? Bring on the millennials ! I ain't scared. More than willing to get paid the same to do less. Doesn't bother me at all.
And we older guys all see this as very negative and discouraging. But this attitude is the perfect antidote for the modern workplace. The amazon-ish big brother is watching every move. Where you have ridiculous quotas that you will never obtain. And on the odd chance you do. It means tomorrows quotas will be even higher for you.
There will be a rebirth of the union in America. But the Boomers have to die off first. They done ruined it. And so long as they have their hands in it. There's no helping it. So it will be the children of the millennials that will lead that wave. Which means it will be to late for me and the rest of Gen X. But I have to believe with all we are seeing. Big labor will rise again. With new leadership and fresh blood. Listen to this AOC talk. Read some of her posts. Her children. And her children's friends. Are not going to be idle. They will be protesting and rebelling. Look at these Antifa freaks. It's a growing swarm of hostility. And it will take some time to build big enough. But it will get there. And it's not just here in America. These things are growing rapidly world wide. Which is the other part of this. There is more visibility now than ever. Did you buy those sneakers from a company utilizing slave children in Malaysia ? Are you buying avocado from Mexico ? You know the drug cartels have taken over the trade routes ? Right ? All of this is going to come full circle. You can't outrun history. Expansion always leads to contraction. Every time.
Sorry for the long read. I usually would have done the typical splitting up of many of these ideas as responses to various previous posts. But this was just easier today. Enjoy the long weekend, people.