"We have a really high turnover rate", uttered by my second interviewer, should have been the alarm I needed to consider going elsewhere, but I stuck it out because of pre-conceived notions that this company was decent to work for.
Heh, that's a joke and a half. This company is doing what many others think is just fine and dandy; cut the hours, ramp up the work, lose people due to hours and/or conditions or due to excessive expectations from supervisors/management, hire every week. God was I naive. The training was rather pointless, too, because almost nobody even follows it. That same interviewer turned out to be arrogant and insulting to just about everyone, even if they're new and still getting the techniques down, but what can you expect from a job like this. At least the union representative cared, listened, and was a good source of advice. Not that the latter would amount to much.
I got let go just in time for Christmas because I got inundated with a lovely truck that was packed as if by small children. Was given 45 minutes to do so, but even with another guy to help it took twice that time to get the work done. Was warned to pick up my performance in spite of the idiot supervisor knowing full well that the truck was not packed in a manner that would allow me to meet the expectations. I was a hard worker otherwise and wanted it to last as long as possible, but then I got that early Xmas present wherein I somehow didn't make the cut. Must note how that same week t
ProsYou get paid
ConsShort hours, pointless training, work conditions a gamble, bad supervisors
1.0
Preloader | Nanaimo, BC | Aug. 14, 2020
Do not work for UPS
A typical day as a UPS preloader involves waking up between 3:00am and 4:00am for work. Once you arrive for your shift, you'll be informed that 2 to 3 people have called in sick and you will be assigned additional duties to cover for them. This is a daily occurrence. You will not be paid for the additional work load. If you do not work fast enough, your supervisor will yell at you. The irony of mistreating the only workers that show up for their shift will be lost on them.
Your UPS Manager doesn't care about you. He just wants you to do whatever job he tells you to do, and be quiet while you do it. If you have a problem, he doesn't want to hear about it, and he will tell you there is nothing he can do to help you. Need time off? Death in the family? Mental illness? He doesn't care. He will hold you to your work responsibilities. Physical injury at work? He'll blame you and pressure you not to file an insurance claim. That way he gets his bonus at the end of the year.
Workplace culture. For the most part, your coworkers are friendly. You'll joke around, probably even meet at the pub for drinks every couple months. But you'll notice how most conversations at work revolve around the absolute lack of safety, honesty and structure at work. People get injured and management tries to cover it up. People who call in sick are ridiculed by management and given guilt trips in order to manipulate them into coming to work.
Bottom line is, if you work for UPS nobody will have your
ProsFriendly coworkers
ConsUnsafe work environment, dishonest/corrupt management, insurmountable daily workload
2.0
Administrative Assistant | Mount Hope, ON | Jan. 5, 2019
Lack of staff, Harsh hours, No respect
When you first apply and go in for your interview they make promises that they will never keep. Multi billion dollar company and they pay the least compared to the competition. Can't keep staff, management is rude and lacks respect for the employees. Forget advancement or trying to even be considered for other positions people that have been here 20+ years are being overlooked for positons so that they can hire part time people. Signs of appreciaton are very far and few between. Certain shifts are treated better than others and if you say anything when you have a problem they don't listen because they don't care and it shows. Everything in the building is old and dirty from the warehouse to the office. The fumes from the planes and trucks is rampant through the building not just the warehouse. The building is in ill repair and desperately needs some updating and some proper health and safety precautions. The time that I worked there was tolong for my liking.
Some of the managers were nice, but you could see the job wearing them down, others were just plain bullies. This place will kill you slowly, but that's okay to them because they can just replace you. Training stinks a week at best. The general consensus is that you can't go to management or HR for anything because they won't do anything. You're expected to go in even if you're sick which causes everyone else to get sick. They need to up their game if they want to keep staff and be able to have a happy and
ProsMost of the people, benefits
Conshours, lack of respect, lack of staff, unfair wages, poor working conditions
2.0
Quality Assurance Engineer | Markham, ON | Jan. 5, 2013
Work experience summary
I’m currently employed with Health Care UPS Supply Chain Inc. as a Quality Assurance Specialist. QPIC and RPIC. I am actively involved in maintaining quality compliance within the facility, as well as with external clients. At UPS SCS, I am grateful to not only have gained valuable hands on experience & knowledge in health care regulation, quality and distribution, but also have sharpened essential skills for personal growth. My dedication, reliability and hardworking character have brought positive contribution to past and current employers and appreciation from the colleagues and seniors whom I worked with.
As a postgraduate from the Intensive program of Regulatory Affairs at Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology (TIPT), I have gained a strong academic profile in Health Care legislation, procedures and practices for regulating the development, manufacture, quality assurance and marketing of pharmaceuticals, natural health products and medical devices. In a former employment at Lorus Therapeutics Inc. as a regulatory affairs specialist, it provided me with further hands on experience which developed and strengthened my technical skills, and an opportunity to apply and integrate knowledge to real-world work settings.
As I make the transition to the current role of Quality Assurance Specialist/QPIC/RPIC at UPS SCS, the valuable experience has again broadened my professional knowledge and skills through corporate coaching and on-going self learning. I’ve very much enj
2.0
Driver | Stoney Creek, ON | Apr. 18, 2014
High energy job in a fast paced enviroment
Working at big brown was a very interesting experience. The front line people are highly motivated and do an incredible job. The efforts of the team reflect their desire to provide superior customer service. A typical day is 10-12 hours, and it's pretty much non-stop. The physical and mental stresses are extreme,which provides a sense of accomplishment at having met customer and management expectations,and for generally surviving the day. The work volumes are ever increasing, which management says is a good thing. When one reaches the top end full time pay rate, the financial reward is satisfying with a nice benefit and pension package. (When I was in management, at a previous job, my employer told me that employees only need a union if the management is terrible, which I feel is an accurate assessment. )The shortcomings are the same as any multinational company, the larger it is, the more dysfunctional, sometimes to the point of absurdity. You really have to laugh,because there's no crying in logistics. The Teamsters try to work with the company, to provide a friendly,positive workplace environment, and they are kept quite busy. Is UPS the perfect company? No, but I like to hope that they're working on it. If you are energetic,highly motivated,and in great physical condition, and woke up one day and thought that you didn't have enough stress and aggravation in your life,well relax, there's a spot waiting for you. Working for UPS is a lot like a marriage, both sides make a l
ProsPay and the customers
ConsII think I covered that
1.0
Package Handler | Lachine, QC | Jun. 15, 2019
Awful place to work
I was there for the launch of the new building . What a nightmare. How things were done changed daily, and no one would communicate that to the employees. I worked in a certain section and it seemed like every day our list of duties grew longer and longer, all the while, management would cut hours. No one knew what was going on and there was a shocking lack of management. Employees would smoke outside of a door that was next to a bunch of bay doors so one section would smell of cigarette smoke. The shift that ended before mine would leave massive messes from time to time. The section of the building responsible for unloading the trucks would often unload everything that they needed to re-load and leave the volume that was destined for the section I worked in till the end. That ensured their employees got to go home on time, but screwed the area where I worked.
My department was spread into 3 main places that were fairly far apart. The 2 supervisors were somehow supposed to watch these 3 places at every second, and would get scolded if a manager happened to walk by one of the locations and an employee was not working hard enough. They had super un-realistic expectations.
We had some high-priority volume sit for weeks at a time because we would get so backed up with belts not working, boxes getting sorted to the wrong location, not getting to the truck in time etc.
Rumor was that several high profile clients (companies) pulled out of their deals with UPS over
ProsLiterally none
ConsToo many to list
3.0
Fleet Mechanic | Concord, ON | May 3, 2015
A great company with a great history and a dark side
Overall, I enjoyed my time at UPS. I worked in one of the skilled trades positions that was regarded as a protected asset and during most of my time there, I felt like we were compensated well but we were usually treated like possessions by junior management (supervisors).
The biggest issue was (is) the foolish promotion process that insisted on 'promotion from within' as the only source of talent. The failure to look outwards for talent and ideas is slowly killing this historic company. The practice tends to favour and encourage the non-producers from the unionized ranks to join the management team while the producers continue to push the company forward. I once questioned this practice and a senior manager (who had come along years earlier from the 'outside') admitted to me that 'we make money in spite of ourselves'.
I left the company under a cloud, one year after I rebuffed the 'order' to put my letter of intent in for joining management. The resultant investigation saw me 'asked' to return to work by the Teamsters and being paid for lost time. My co-workers that still remain (10 years later) tell me that the responsible supervisory group from that time is totally broken up across Canada and have not been promoted any further. The managers are all gone.
The several people promoted after I left were all upstanding team players and the upper management that is in place is a solid group. It's a shame the senior supervisors have not been removed completely in order
ProsGood pay, Good company, Good union. History is on the side of both.
ConsPromotion from within process is cancerous.
4.0
Communications Manager | Toronto, ON | May 9, 2014
A company with a strong legacy and many long term (20+ years) employees
I have a passion for employee communications and I am fortunate to have a supportive management team at UPS who is committed to not only seeing me succeed but also seeing my team succeed. They have purchased additional tools (computers, cameras, software) that have allowed for changes to be made in the way we communicate with the over 10,000 UPS Canada employees. We now have the capabilities to be more visual and creative in our communications with graphic design and video production – this is exciting. Because many of our employees are on the road or in an operations setting it is challenging to reach them because they do not sit in front of computers. We encourage face-to-face communications as often as possible but also make sure that visuals like posters and signs are posted in all centres across the country. We have even started producing a newsletter that is intended to be printed and posted so that operations employees feel more connected and engaged. There are positive and negative aspects to working for a company that has such a strong hold on its history and legacy. Change can sometimes be difficult. It does not mean it doesn’t happen, it just might happen as quickly as one would want in this age of instant communication and continuous change. What I love most about my job is that I get to work with all levels of employees from the president to the drivers and all in between. I enjoy making sure that everyone is kept well informed of what is going on with the busine
2.0
Courier Driver | Edmonton, AB | Jan. 24, 2019
All UPS and nothing else!
They promise the sun but deliver on nothing.
One of the worst companies I've worked for. They'll tell you anything so that you come work for them, then everything changes. They claim work/life balance, but it's all work and no life.
On average, as a driver, minimum is 10hrs per day Mon-Fri with only ONE 30min unpaid break. If you're not delivering, they will want to know why. Christmas was insane, 12hr days with your truck packed to the seams. No possible way to get it all done.
Your truck is already supposed to be loaded, organized and ready to go for the start of your shift, but never is. I spent at least 1hr of my day just organizing my truck because pre-load would just throw it (literally) into the back of the truck, then get asked what was taking me so long and why I was having down time.
They say $2 raise after 90 days... nope! It's after 90 days WORKED so it's about 5-6mths before you see that. Oh and NO benefits for the first year... yes YEAR!
They'll randomly call you to say not to come in that day because it's not very busy. Yes, they did that more than once, even though I was hired for a full time position. If they tell you to not come in, you don't get paid that day.
Management was a joke. Disorganized mess. Constantly getting msg's, misloads, meetup's for more packages, delivering out of area, changing start times and so forth. Never knew what was going on from day to day.
Culture... I never heard another driver say what a great company UPS i
ProsIt's a pay check
ConsNot a very good work environment
5.0
Package Handler | Toronto, ON | Apr. 14, 2020
fun place to work
- A typical morning at work in Toronto, would be, getting up at 6 to meet the driver at our meeting spot, and then from morning till afternoon, your driving around and delivering packages, you gotta be quick, not fast, but at least quick enough to stay on schedule, because there is a certain amount of packages that need to be delivered before the end of the shift.
-this job taught me a lot, about time management, and a lot about myself really. it taught me how to lift packages properly, and how to always lift at the knees.
- I don't recall meeting anyone in the work place, with a disruptive demeanor. everyone was quite nice, and respectful, especially my driver i helped out. i really wish i had stayed in Toronto but i had to leave for a funeral and multiple different reasons i don't mind speaking about. but ever since i came back to Windsor I've been trying my hardest to apply to ups, because i really enjoyed working there.
-the hardest part about the job would have to be running up and down the stairs of apartment buildings, but at the same time i enjoyed it because of the work out, but that's really about it.
-the part i enjoyed about working for ups was, just talking and communicating with the customers i would see on a regular basis, i actually found my second job through one of those communications at a bakery. i worked there on the weekends, and worked with ups during the week. my driver was really nice so it just , made everything so much better. and if i could,
Questions and answers about UPS
Why would you want to work at UPS?
Asked Apr. 1, 2017
For a better future!
Answered Nov. 30, 2020
If you are desperate for work during COVID 19, this would be a good place to start, then go somewhere else.
Answered Aug. 24, 2020
What should you wear to an interview at UPS?
Asked Apr. 19, 2017
Casual Dress
They are going to hire you, no matter what you wear.
Answered Aug. 24, 2020
Something presentable or formal
Answered Nov. 14, 2019
If you were to leave UPS, what would be the reason?
Asked Jan. 27, 2018
There are three issues I would tell her:
The training is deplorable, especially on DIAD use, and safety. You are blasted with everything over 2 days, then sent out on roads. I couldn't even sign in and out on my DIAD for 6 weeks, and there are FT drivers who can't even figure them out! HR just gets you to sign off on policies, and you don't even get a copy, because UPS is obsessed with protecting proprietory info.
The Management Team are nice at first, then will browbeat you on things; they get two or three drivers together, show you printouts of your DIAD entries, then pick you out as the perpetrator All the othe PT Drivers are suicidal, or planning their next jobs. Very bad for retaining quality people. I have been praised at othe places, for using my experiences to make suggestionss, but I'm TERRIFIED OF LOSING MY JOB, IN WORST JOB MARKET IN YEARS, thanks to COVID 19.
Sequencing is the biggest problem in my branch, in Edmonton. UPS uses Canada Post's system, which iscextremely inefficent. It requires the Pre Loaders to sit down and write the sequence numbers on the box or bag, after looking them up in the Canada Post log books. They are pressed to work so fast, that they make errors ALL THE TIME, mostcommonly making the grease pencil numbers illegible, reverse them as if dislexic, or switch the second with the fourth. It is so sad.
My Supervisor just told me, with no witnesses of course to NOT fix the errors (it takes 10 minut
Answered Aug. 24, 2020
Their poor training, painfully gradual, would probably mean I get killed on the job. I'd leave in a coffin.
Answered Aug. 24, 2020
What is the interview process like at UPS?
Asked Apr. 19, 2017
Pero al interview of manager or supervisor true phone
Answered May 26, 2019
Personal interview with the manager
Answered May 26, 2019
How are the working hours?
Asked Oct. 29, 2017
I'm working 56 hours in 3ach five day week. They hate paying OT, but have no choice. The Pre Loaders are so horrible, errors so pervase, that even the best drivers come home at 10 PM.
