Archived Get ready

[insiteful1]

The DTL's have recently been introduced to the next work center(s) that are going to lose hours. Corporate will start lowering payroll allocations for logistics in the coming months. Logistics will have to become as "efficient" as the sales floor. This comes with possible good news, too. Good news #1....the sales flood hours are cut as low as they are going to go. YAY! Good news #2....sales floor MAY gain a few extra hours back (this is not concrete yet). After all the sales floor cuts that have been going on for the last couple of years, any gain in sales floor hours would help. Get ready logistics folks, things are about to get fun!

 

[dek067]

boo.
the company can't trust that their log etls are managing the business profitably, so they slash hours? is it like the log team is just hanging out at tsc, having 45 min huddles and checking their email 4 times a day? is 15 hours a week too much? shift diff breaking the bank? benefits? whats the branded koolaid answer behind this?

 

[Target Annie]

our flow team uses the most hours in the entire building - interesting to see changes go this way...

 

[RednTacky]

I know flow works hard, but it's difficult to have any sympathy when you overhear flow TMs encouraging others to work slower to stretch out their hours as much as possible...

 

[The Mule]

boo.
the company can't trust that their log etls are managing the business profitably, so they slash hours? is it like the log team is just hanging out at tsc, having 45 min huddles and checking their email 4 times a day? is 15 hours a week too much? shift diff breaking the bank? benefits? whats the branded koolaid answer behind this?

To be fair, you'd be surprised how often you need to check e-mail the higher up you go. I need to check in about 3-6 times a day to stay on top of things myself for my SFT role.

our flow team uses the most hours in the entire building - interesting to see changes go this way...

Flow is the most labor intensive task in the building, it will always consume the most payroll, just the nature of the beast. Not saying you don't understand, but have you ever worked Flow? There is a lot more to it that what most people get to see because the process is so spread out around the store.

I know flow works hard, but it's difficult to have any sympathy when you overhear flow TMs encouraging others to work slower to stretch out their hours as much as possible...

While I'm not trying to advocate unethical behavior, this is hardly surprising. With money tight and hours ever shrinking, it's not hard to imagine someone doing what they can to bring home that little extra in money.

 

[invictustaylor]

I know flow works hard, but it's difficult to have any sympathy when you overhear flow TMs encouraging others to work slower to stretch out their hours as much as possible...

I like to do this tai chi type exercise when i'm doing flow...i pretend I have concrete shoes and I walk with exageratted steps in slow motion.

Sometimes I move so slow it appears I'm moving backwards!!!

 

[insiteful1]

I know flow works hard, but it's difficult to have any sympathy when you overhear flow TMs encouraging others to work slower to stretch out their hours as much as possible...

^^This^^ happens with any hourly job. Target understands that since logistics has the largest chunk of hours, just imagine if you could trim off 10% of the most unproductive hours and distribute them to another process area (or bank them into corporates pocket). Please don't turn this into a 'flow sucks at life' thread.

 

[invictustaylor]

boo.
the company can't trust that their log etls are managing the business profitably, so they slash hours? is it like the log team is just hanging out at tsc, having 45 min huddles and checking their email 4 times a day? is 15 hours a week too much? shift diff breaking the bank? benefits? whats the branded koolaid answer behind this?

Fire the etl-logs. Each etl you fire, you could have 5 or so part time team members that you pay about 10,000 a year!

 

[Dr Laytex]

I like to do this tai chi type exercise when i'm doing flow...i pretend I have concrete shoes and I walk with exageratted steps in slow motion.

Sometimes I move so slow it appears I'm moving backwards!!!

I call these guys Aqua-People because they move like they're under water.

 

[tellmeaboutatime]

I can only speak to what I know. Right now my trucks have not decreased in size since 4th quarter. They are loaded completely full. each truck averages 2600 pieces. My payroll has decreased dramatically. I get exactly 12 team members for the first hour and 4 more come in an hour later. They all get 6 hours. I am in an early morning Super-T. I love when we get a 2000 piece truck and the LODs are all thinking that I should be able to get the team out early. They simply look at the total truck number. What they fail to look at is the actual load? Last week I had 198 repacks on a 1998 truck. This truck also had 5 big boxes of cosmetics. Unless you work flow, you have no idea how those 2 things can affect your goal time. We did have a few people say they were going to work slower to get their hours. Those people have been performances managed. It is no different than a closing team member who plans on leaving re-shop because they are tired of it. Every team in the building works hard, and we are all affected by payroll cuts. We all affect each other. If there is reshop left from the night before, flow works it out. If there are not enough cashiers, sales floor covers. If pulls do not get worked, backroom comes out to take care of them. If backroom doesn't get the pulls done, flow takes care of them. If your flow team is not as efficient as it should be then they should be coached. I would challenge everyone to look at some reports to see if the reality backs up your claims. My team has beat the RWT goals by more than 35% since last September, this includes pulling, stocking, unloading and back-stocking. My STL is evenhanded with cutting payroll, usually it is a percentage for each work center. To simply slash a bunch of hours out of flow would be disastrous. Someone has to get the freight to the floor if flow does not have the hours to do it, who will?

 

[Rarejem]

I know flow works hard, but it's difficult to have any sympathy when you overhear flow TMs encouraging others to work slower to stretch out their hours as much as possible...

I can't tell you how often I hear this. They know how little they are monitored as far as their speed. I used to be on the flow team and there are a lot of slackers there. On the other hand, scheduling for flow needs to be revamped. More metrics could be used - when major resets are going to be sent, final seasonal pushes, high volume research areas, etc. - to more effectively schedule enough people on certain days to complete the push on time. Many of our tms are only scheduled until 8 and then are asked to stay later in order to complete the push on high volume truck days. There are days I have seen flow tms still on the floor when I leave at 1:30. There TL has already left sometimes and there is no monitoring at all. Perhaps this is just our store, though. I see a need for much more effective leadership.

 

[dek067]

Fire the etl-logs. Each etl you fire, you could have 5 or so part time team members that you pay about 10,000 a year!

no. thats what they said about the tl cuts too. "we're cutting 4 positions, that means an extra 160 hours of payroll for the store! no more only 1 person on the salesfloor! a tm in every area!" when i questioned it during our meeting about target not basing payroll on tm $$$, just general hours, and asked where all the extra payroll was we were promised, all i got was a coaching on store morale. theoretically, it would work that way, but it doesn't.

And for people complaining about flow tm dragging, that's on your etl/tl. they can't stop it completely, no one can, but they need to be working on the morale of their team and helping them understand that if they perform better they will get the chance to do other things to get their hours and still complete the truck process. we've cross trained ours on pog, sf, pricing, and instocks. after they're done, they stay and help out where needed. now we have several awesome tm who are well-rounded and they understand their process a little better by working in other areas.

 

[OvernightsFault]

No good, no good.

 

[invictustaylor]

I call these guys Aqua-People because they move like they're under water.

that's hilarious, we've had a couple srtl/etl's that looked like they were wading in a waist high river. lol

 

[invictustaylor]

I can't tell you how often I hear this. They know how little they are monitored as far as their speed. I used to be on the flow team and there are a lot of slackers there. On the other hand, scheduling for flow needs to be revamped. More metrics could be used - when major resets are going to be sent, final seasonal pushes, high volume research areas, etc. - to more effectively schedule enough people on certain days to complete the push on time. Many of our tms are only scheduled until 8 and then are asked to stay later in order to complete the push on high volume truck days. There are days I have seen flow tms still on the floor when I leave at 1:30. There TL has already left sometimes and there is no monitoring at all. Perhaps this is just our store, though. I see a need for much more effective leadership.

i'll work hard and fast when someone sets an example. Is the etl or tl in better shape then me and working me under the table. I'll say to myself "dang, I'm not letting him out do me, i'll step up to the table."

but if the etl or tl are lazy and are frequently seen lolly gagging or slacking off, then forget about me making them look good, i'm following their example.

 

[LURCHST3R]

I can only speak to what I know. Right now my trucks have not decreased in size since 4th quarter. They are loaded completely full. each truck averages 2600 pieces. My payroll has decreased dramatically. I get exactly 12 team members for the first hour and 4 more come in an hour later. They all get 6 hours. I am in an early morning Super-T......... To simply slash a bunch of hours out of flow would be disastrous. Someone has to get the freight to the floor if flow does not have the hours to do it, who will?......

I Work at a overnight store, avareage sales for us are arond 120-140,000 a day, avareage for us is a 2400 piece truck sense the begging of last 4th quarter. when we lose 2 or three flow team members due to call outs, the results are at least one or two department's(toys, domestics, etc.) does not get done and rolls over to the next night,and usually builds up untill one of our no truck nights.... if they slash flow hours the problems will simply get worse.......

 

[Rarejem]

i'll work hard and fast when someone sets an example. Is the etl or tl in better shape then me and working me under the table. I'll say to myself "dang, I'm not letting him out do me, i'll step up to the table."

but if the etl or tl are lazy and are frequently seen lolly gagging or slacking off, then forget about me making them look good, i'm following their example.

Sooooo sad. Your ETL and TL are supposed to manage their departments and teams. Sure, they can get in there and help out, but that's your job and what you were hired to do and what you get paid for. It is not their job. Maybe you could try to be an example to your fellow tm's by actually doing your job instead of waiting for someone else to set an example for you.

 

[insiteful1]

I Work at a overnight store, avareage sales for us are arond 120-140,000 a day, avareage for us is a 2400 piece truck sense the begging of last 4th quarter. when we lose 2 or three flow team members due to call outs, the results are at least one or two department's(toys, domestics, etc.) does not get done and rolls over to the next night,and usually builds up untill one of our no truck nights.... if they slash flow hours the problems will simply get worse.......

Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. There will not be a "slashing" of hours. Merely cutting down on wasteful hours. I'm on board with that!!

 

[invictustaylor]

i wasn't whining. and aren't etls/tls suppose to spend 60 percent of the time on tasks and 40 percent of their time managing???

 

[chevalier]

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[FrontEndKnowItAll]

I am all for efficiency, but, hours are cut to the bone. They want every department to run at the minimum payroll for the most productivity. Part of why I left is because I was tired of having expectations that I could barely meet on good day. It is more stressful to be playing a perpetual game of catchup and trying to keep a fast, fun, and friendly team while your working them like dogs is nearly impossible!

 

[Target Annie]

Flow is the most labor intensive task in the building, it will always consume the most payroll, just the nature of the beast. Not saying you don't understand, but have you ever worked Flow? There is a lot more to it that what most people get to see because the process is so spread out around the store.

Been with the company over 20 years, several of those spent on the flow team - I agree with you, I'm just curious to see how lowering their hours will change processes. I'm not being critical at all, just awaiting the new changes. again,,,,

 

[invictustaylor]

Expect more pay less!

 

[commiecorvus]

I really don't see this going well.
We're pretty much getting done every day but that's by the skin of our teeth and we have the ETL's (all of them) and other teams kicking in, on truck days to get everything cleared.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Spot is being stupid! When you have only 3 tl's on the floor 1 day, a week.