First off, I have worked in the past as a factory worker, management, office worker and supervisor, all of which were very similar jobs/duties as there are at FedEx so I am familiar with how this type of business should be operating.
The hours usually only last from 3-4 hours, on a good day. Not anything you can live on by any means. The workload among the employees is unequally distributed. They have workers doing very basic jobs that are getting paid the same as someone who works crazy hard for the whole shift. i e. someone pushing a box all shift while someone else may be unloading a trailer consisting of packages over 75+ for the whole shift.
There is no "taking turns" or switching duties so you don't get run down or hurt from the amount/weight of packages you may be dealing with. The better worker you are, the more work they give you.
There is a lot of gossip and drama within the location. Much of which is based on how people treat each other and the favouritism that goes on.
They state there is advancement, but this is totally untrue. Once positions open up in the office, management, etc... it would be given to a manger's "friend" or someone who hasn't complained or brought up any issues regarding the company. They don't like intelligent people who have things to say about operations. Only focused on the business rather than the employees well being. Look at the turnover rate and you can probably see why they are always hiring handlers, no one wants to stick
LET THIS BE A FAIR WARNING TO YOU...this has to be one of the worst jobs. Firstly horrible manager. They literally don't care about you, your injuries or your health. All they care about is productivity and numbers. That is all you are to them..a number. They act like they care but they really don't. The job itself is very demanding. To whoever says the Cambridge Hub is a great place to work..your crazy! I've learned two things there how to become crippled and how to suffer from very high blood pressure. Outbound manager has lack of problem solving skills. If your behind on schedule he will start slamming and yelling at staff. Outbound manager is always angry and you can tell in staff faces they don't like working there. If you are not favored there don't expect to be treated with respect...In a lack of a better word, the outbound manager bullies some staff. New hires come and honestly do not get trained properly. They usually get shoved right into the line and learn from other staff, Outbound manager does not take the time to train them. Enjoyable part of the job is working with co-workers. Met some really good workers and also dealt with some really clueless ones. Honestly this is a dead end job. If you like being stressed out day to day, coming into work with hating every minute of it, by all means apply. Instead of recommending people to apply, I WOULD HONESTLY SAY STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS PLACE AS POSSIBLE.
Take this as a fair warning!
This is the worst place you could ever find yourself working as a second level sub contractor driver to a contractor route owner.
All drivers are subcontractors to a route boss, who is also just a private contractor outside of the actual FedEx Ground company.
All route bosses compete and bid for a bargaining price annually on all existing routes which makes it a very cut throat environment.
Pay based on an 8 hr day even if the route you are assigned takes 11 or 12 hours to complete.
Back stabbing is frequent, toxic and terrible work environment.
Corporate FedEx Ground managers rule with a heavy hand and preach safety first with no regard to the drivers well being or safety.
# of Packages delivered is all they care about at the end of the day, you are just a number ... no concern for your well being while pushed to the outer physical and mental limits.
Contractor Drivers always speed and rush through their routes, risking every one's safety on the highways or city streets, while trying to finish an outlying run in a timely manner in order to be paid properly.
Definitely not worth risking your life over for only $18/ hour before taxes.
Pay was always docked or short for unexplained reasons, never the same hours on pay stub even if you kept a record of the 40 hours a week you put into this mess.
Scam alert. Stay away!
Package Handler - poor communication by company, poor working conditions
For FedEx Ground Montreal:
They do not communicate schedule changes except through an application you download.
You get a break after working for 5 hours. So if you work a 3 or 4 hour shift you will not be getting a break. Sure 3 hours without a break sounds not terrible but when you are unloading or loading boxes nonstop for 3 hours you will want a break. Unloading they want you to be unloading a new box every 4 seconds and for loading every 12 seconds.
They tell you to get help for heavy packages, that is packages over around 70lbs or more depending on who you ask. Problem is you may be unloading a full trailer by yourself that has an abundance of 70+ or even 100+ lbs packages and the reality is there is no one you can easily ask for help as everyone else is trying to keep up productivity unloading or unloading other trailers.
Your cellphone must remain in your car or in lockers in the security guard shack outside the building. This seems a bit suspect to me perhaps to not have any photos taken of working conditions.I am sure they can frame it in terms of other security issues.
I do not recommend this job to anyone. You get paid a mediocre wage for hard work in unsafe conditions.
Interviewer will over-promise some high paying salary or it will be attainable quickly but then retract their statements afterwards. Hours are all over the place sometimes being on call for weeks not knowing if you will have work.
My role was a delivery driver.
A typical day of work would consist of me going into the warehouse 30 - 45 minutes early unpaid to pack the company vehicle in a way that was efficient for me.
My routes were smaller towns with larger, heavier packages. (easier to spot but harder to move/deliver)
I learned quite about the ins and outs of courier delivery services. Eg: missed deliveries. The position taught me to multi-task and prioritize only the important aspects.
The workplace culture was scary with a lot of staff not caring for one another or there would be favorites with management.
The hardest part of the job was making sure you had the most efficient route for deliveries.
Most enjoyable part of the job was when they would let me drive alone so I could simply listen to my audiobooks/podcasts in peace. (Sometimes you would be paired with a partner who would talk for hours)
Overall, a fast-paced, stressful workplace with some potential but not for everyone.
This is the worst place to work. Please listen and stay away do not waste your time. It is federal regulated meaning no union or no help from the alberta standards act. Federal means you can show up to work and they can send you home if there is not enough hours which just wasted your gas and time and don’t get paid for it. They can call you and tell you short of volume and not to show up. Average hours are becoming 2 hours only if you get to work. They work you hard and fast and base their numbers on the time you leave making it look like the company is productive and doing good but no benefit to the employee if you are only work average 10 hours a week if not less. Pay cheques are like a 100 to 150 a week. You get written up for anything even if your late a minute and yet you don’t get hours. HR does not listen to employees and will not help so have to be cautious on your rights and speaking about matters because management will all team up on you if you say anything it’s not confidential. The attrition is high and they don’t care cause they feel they can always hire dummies. Never again will work for federal regulated company. Look for work with other companies instead such as dhl, ups, Canada post, etc.
I loved working at Fed Ex. I worked here in the evenings because my husband worked days and I had 2 small children to look after during the day. My wage was increased every 3 months for the first year and then annually after that. The benefits were amazing and helped out a lot because I have a medical condition that requires daily medication that is expensive. My shift supervisor was very understanding of my medical condition and was very supportive. It was the first workplace where I didnt feel intimidated if there was a problem. I could always talk to my supervisor about anything without judgement. We would rotate positions and duties on a weekly basis so everyone had equal work expectations without being biased. This job was physically demanding with lots of lifting but I enjoyed it because it kept me in shape and I felt healthy. The only reason I left Fed ex was because I needed a full time job to help support my family. This is the best part time job. Amazing benefits, great wage, ( well above minimum wage) monthly employee appreciation meals compliments of Fed Ex and a great work environment. 5/5!
Good benefits and good co-workers. I very much enjoyed using my benefits (vision, dental and health) and made very good friends working here. If you don't mind using your body, and want to make a few extra couple bucks, the package handler position at FedEx is for you. Please don't come in expecting to advance in this company. If you want to join something that is permanent, FedEx is not the place for you. Workers here are replaceable and no one cares about you here. I recommend something else if you are looking for something permanent.
Another note.
FedEx doesn't care about employee safety and doesn't handle packages with care. Packages are constantly thrown around as if they cannot break/damage and you will get in trouble, for being too slow, if you handle each package with care. At FedEx, it is more profitable to ship as many items as possible, and refund customers damage products rather than making sure every customer receive their package undamaged on promised time.
It's not an easy job, and it isn't for everyone. Once you push through it you're getting good money for part time work, and if you're on the manager's good side they'l let you stay for more hours. Advancement is common within one year. Package handlers often go on to become managers and high level staff quickly. Work hard, get fit, benefits are paid for and there's even a school incentive program.
Women and women of colour are encouraged and often surpass their male counterparts in determination and becoming high level staff. Regardless, everyone seems to be treated with respect while I worked there.
The hardest thing is the willingness to get up and bust your butt that hard for another day but if you can stick with it then it's worth it and if you work hard enough it'll pay off in the long run, you can make a career here if you want to.
Management is OK, just like management anywhere you have to play the game, however everyone truly cares about safety and it's ingrained in the culture. Weekends and holidays off with the occasional optional weekend/holiday offered for more pay.
Good physical work environment, worst management I have ever dealt with!
Writing a review now simply cause of my experience and due to recent ads being posted sparked my interest in doing a review. Worked here in the past and the physical aspect of the job is nice, unfortunately the management and other areas are in need of serious improvements though. Treat staff unfairly and don't listen to any issues or concerns of the employees. They don't follow their own procedures and guidelines when issues concern management's behaviour but they do discipline an employee for theirs (unequal). Lack of training, knowledge and even common sense is far from an important trait that they look for when hiring anything above package handler.
Overall I would not suggest working here simply due to the people(managers and office). I really enjoyed working here because of the workload but the only reason I suggest not too is simply due to the lack of experience from management. Very,very poor staffing!
Early mornings, six day work week, lucky to get 25 hours for week. Managers can’t do the job they supervise you to do
I do not recommend this company to anyone. The managers are horrible. The place is run by favoritism! The start time changes daily. Messaged daily after leaving work what time you start the next morning. You never know what time you’re off work. If trailers are late you have to wait for them. Belts break and you have to load cages from another belt and transport the cages to your belt to unload the cage and, then load your trucks. You work almost every Holiday. Fedex does not allow you to take time off during the holiday season. Does not matter how much earned time off you have saved up. Christmas Day you will have off but, you will pay for it the next work day. You will earn holiday pay even if you do work. Some holidays you will work but have the following work day off.
Whether you work a holiday or not, the next work day is a nightmare. The drivers get the holiday off, but you will load trucks on top of what you already loaded the day before. Drivers do not work for Fedex, they work for contractors but, drivers have more of a say than you will. You are told when hired to load by vision. But, the drivers all want their truck loaded a different way. Then when you’re moved to other trucks, you don’t know how that driver wants his truck loaded. So, you load by vision and the driver comes in, is angry and takes everything off the truck and re-loads it how they want it. Also, when hired you’re told you will be trained a certain amount of time. Often, you’re only trained a few
ProsA physical workout at 3am. Water is usually provided.
ConsBad management, not appreciated, mosquitos, hot in summer, cold in winter, never know where you’ll work, never know time you’ll be off work, never know start time until later in the day and by message
This is a job not a career. This is in the same bracket as a store clerk, fast food worker, etc. There are basically no requirements and they will hire almost anyone that isn't missing all there teeth from meth or covered in blood from a murder they just committed. (They might hire those two anyway around peak)
That could be considered plus number one they are always hiring and not picky. If you need a job NOW, you can get one here.
The downside is that they're always hiring cause this job is brutal. If you expect to skate or cruise for a few months and get somewhere easier think again. You will have bruises you don't recall getting, you will be sore all the time, you will never be comfortable at work as you freeze in winter and roast in summer, you will be bored out of your skull as Fedex denies you any possible thing to help make the mind numbingly repetitive tasks your assigned pass quicker. You will also be constantly hounded if you don't make your metrics, but probably not actually fired because see above about the constant turn over.
On the other hand if you do make your numbers and show up for work every day and are clearly a worker, you'll get slack when you need it and respect from your mangers. With the turn over they have good workers are actually valuable, if you stay and prove yourself one of the top guys you'll get noticed.
So the work mostly sucks, why do it? Well it has it's upsides compared to the other sorts of McJobs mentioned above.
-The p
ProsPay is above average for a part-time job with no real requirements, medical and time off are also above average for part time, the hours are stable and consistent at my hub, there are chances for advancement if you put in the time
ConsThe work itself is awful being tiring, hard, and very boring
If you are hired you will start off part-time. If you need full-time you may be in for a relatively short or very long wait, depending on the time of year or current level of full-time staffing. You may be hired for the 1-5 shift or something along those lines, but at times you will work for 2-3 hours and be sent home because they do not have enough work to continue. You will get less hours in the winter and even as a full-time employee you may get under 30 hours in a given week. There are things like tuition assistance and benefits after you have worked a set number of hours, whether you are full or part-time. The hourly rate is above average, and you will get set pay raises until you have been there for a few years.
Then you will only get raises through a promotion or a bump in the state minimum wage, which prompts the company to increase your pay rate, even though it is already above minimum wage. On the bad side if you are loading or unloading trailers you must meet certain quotas, and if you or the whole team do not meet their quotas you may be yelled at and constantly prodded, depending on the personality of the manager. There were some good managers years ago, but almost all of them have moved on to another company or been promoted to another Fedex facility. Most of them will try to be friendly until their superiors come down on them for not meeting some set goal. Then what once seemed like a nice manager will begin to yell at people in the presort meeting
ProsBenefits, tuition assistance
ConsHours, poor and apathetic management, workplace culture
Fed ex Ground is sub contracted so.it depends on your contractor how much your paid and how smooth it is. I'd say from my experience most are going to put you between 40-45k a year. Some more some less. Job is very physical. Alot of heavy lifting and stairs. If your route is in town you do alot more heavy lifting and running. Rural routes less so. Can be very stressful. All your deliveries and pick ups need done whether you broke down or your trailers were late. Doesn't matter get it done. Fed ex systems seem to go down at least every other week so be prepared to run with no manifest to help you put your stops in order. Trailers are constantly late which means you dispatch later which means you get home later and some contractors pay salary so you make no extra for that time. Customers leave their aggressive dogs loose. The house that has 3 flights of steep steps will always be the one to constantly order dog food, couches, book shelves, ect. If someone else calls off or breaks down you're probably getting stuff added to your route(for no extra pay). If you're lucky enough to have a route close to your terminal you still get the shaft because now if you can't fit everything on your truck you're close enough to come back and reload what you didn't fit and go back out. No advancement at all unless your lucky and buddy buddy with your contractor you might get management role. Don't think if you're salary you'll just work faster to get done earlier because if you're always done a
Busy and fast paced workplace that will give you a workout.
What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working for FedEx is that as a part time employee you get benefits that include medical (after 90 days), school reimbursement, PTO (after the first year of working), and are paid to work out. It is a physical job but it is also quite easy. As a package handler there are two options when getting hired. The first is 4 hour at a lower pay. This option is for those who want to work full time. With this option if you want to work full time you would work two shifts a day and if you do work 40 hours a week you would become a full time employee and you would get access to medical benefits immediately and your pay would also be increased to the same pay as the other option. They don't tell you that until your at orientation and by then you have already chosen your shift. The second option starts at the higher pay but is only a part time position. You can get close to 40 hours a week but you will be working 6 days a week. This job will be hectic at times as there is no time for breaks. You work straight through your shift as the packages do not stop coming until the end of your shift but it is a great job that allows you to have time off during the day to get things done as needed.
What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful parts about working at FedEx is that you don't get breaks and working in a warehouse in humid environments does mean that you will be sweating, a lot. There are
2.0
Warehouse Package Handler | Ocala, FL | Feb 27, 2023
Fun job, poor management
The job itself is not difficult at all and actually pretty enjoyable. If it were not for poor management, I would still be there. Managers don’t communicate with each other properly, they rely on a few of the best employees to ALWAYS pick up everyone else’s slack causing good employees to burn out, there is not a good break system for people working doubles (you basically have to hope that a manager will allow you to leave a few minutes early with enough time to still get your full 30-minute break and get back to still clock in on time and I actually lost hours this way once because my first shift manager insisted that I would still get my full break even if I got out late and had to clock back in “late” and that there wouldn’t be any issue with it and so he did not let me out for break on time so when I clocked in after my break at 12:08 for my second shift that started at 12, higher-ups still made my second shift manager send me home even though they knew that me clocking in “late” was me coming back on time from my break and the dock was already short staffed and needed the help), and a lot of managers have clear favorites that they are all buddy-buddy with and hardly make them do any work most of the time unless higher-ups are walking around while other people are being pushed to work harder as if there’s not any other help just standing around. Another issue I had was with the fact that they don’t provide ANY work clothes, gloves, or any other type of useful protective e
If you want to protect your mental health, do not apply. It is a pretty physical job but thats not even the hard part of being there. Management has been horrible for years. They overwork certain people, play favoritism, and dont treat everyone the same. Some managers arent even trained properly and think they can belittle and talk to employees any way they want. There has been people there for 7+ years who keep applying for higher positions but never get promoted because the managers want to keep them as package handlers due to never having enough people to handle the sorts. the retention rate is horrible for a reason. Everytime they bring in a huge group of new hires, only a few of them stay. FedEx does not create a work environment that makes employees proud to work there at all. I was a package handler there for 4 years. Around my 3rd year, i got injured so they allowed me to help them out with admin/QA work (answering phone calls, address corrections, etc). they saw how great/quick i was at doing that job and began having me do a whole package handler sort then after that would have be do admin/QA duties because “they needed the help”. I helped and began applying for the admin positions as they opened up but would never get hired so i got upset and let them know that i would not be helping out with admin/QA anymore because as a package handler, QA/admin is not a part of my job description. I let them know that if they wanted my help, then they would simply hire me for th
A typical day at Fedex Ground would be arriving at the security checkpoint and emptying your pockets. You then proceed to swipe/clock in and head to your area in the unload or loading dock. You will meet with your area team (about 4-8 package handlers) and manager who will usually inform everyone of their previous day's performance (package scanning, pace and/or load quality), and what the current day's workload will be. After which, you will be assigned a truck or if you are unlucky, IC's.
IC's is short for incompatibles and they are the packages or non-packages too large or unable to ride the conveyor belts throughout the building. Anyway, you load or unload packages for your entire shift with no breaks aside from trips to the restroom. Packages coming down the chute and into your truck can range anywhere from 0.1lbs to about 50lbs. IC's however can weigh from 5lbs to 150lbs, and even 200lbs. IC's tend to be very awkward to carry and heavy. They can be boxes of furniture, metal shelving, treadmills, large pieces of metal such as farming equipment, TV's and mattresses for example. And you have to load or unload both IC's and regular packages into/from a truck all together.
Work at Fedex is very hard and it will take time for your body to adjust. It can be even harder when your co-workers do the bare minimum, or your manager messes up creating double the work for yourself or the next shift. Expect to sweat and be hot in the summertime and very cold in the winter. Lifting wi
Prosplenty of shifts, pay progression, opportunity to develop a career
ConsNo breaks, very stressful at times, can be very dangerous
Long but detailed review! So I've worked at FedEx Ground for almost 8 months. I intended to make it a career, and now I can't wait to leave! For starters, the typical day starts with two shifts, inbound and outbound. Inbound (my shift) works early (2 am - 8 am) and scans and loads the trucks which are parked against a belt line with typically 6 employees, 3 on each side, and 3-4 trucks per person. Outbound takes off pick-ups and scans them. I originally didn't hate my job. I had a good trainer and the job, although difficult, was fast paced and I learned quickly. The co-workers on my belt were helpful and I probably could have stayed there. The pay is good on an hourly basis, but lack of hours means that my weekly check is still basically under $250 after taxes. There are no breaks, no lunches, and no respite. You can bring food in if you don't mind security searching it. FedEx has the worst management I have seen in a long time. They seem to only promote or listen to advice from incompetent employees who don't work hard, and give their work to people like myself who will do it. The harder you work, the more they crack the whip on you. If drivers like your work and compliment you, you WILL NEVER be promoted. I was denied 4 promotions for positions I was overqualified for, like office associate and QA clerk, and the jobs went to people I worked with who were absolutely TERRIBLE at their job. My trainer eventually quit after another trainer, who was terrible at his job (surpris
ProsNone
ConsPoor healthcare plan, extremely physically demanding, poor management, good employees never get promoted.
I currently work here, but I am thinking of quitting soon because it is a very stressful work environment.
It's highly fast paced - packages come down the conveyor belts like water flows through a river. On the weekends, it's a lot easier, because most businesses like offices and such are closed, which means less volume = less packages you have to scan, load, and/or unload. The volume does get worse around holiday seasons, however.
Management could be better, but it's certainly not the worst. It's just that because it's so busy at FedEx Grounds, the managers are spread thin, so they might not be able to help you or be around to help a lot of the time. You will, for the most part, have to rely on coworkers. Which isn't so bad, because the coworkers are so very lovely and helpful. They'll teach you things that the managers won't.
The pay is amazing - I get paid $14 an hour. I started at $11.85, and I haven't even worked a year here! That's a huge plus about this company. Also, if you're looking to be the boss in your job, this is another great opportunity at FedEx. I have coworkers who started working here AFTER me and they're basically managers without the title. If you love helping people and, quite literally lifting your weight, this is a perfect place for you.
The downside is that you only work about 20 hours a week. If you're looking for a perfect work-life balance, this is the place for you. If you're looking to make bank every week, this is not ideal. Fair warning:
ProsPay, coworkers, managers, lots of activity, no discrimination of any minorities
