December 20, 2009

Four more shipping days 'til Christmas

We are working deeper into the night as the package volume has increased day by day (hopefully peaking on Monday). The trucks are leaving the hub with packages stacked to the ceiling, making the first part of the day tougher. It is pretty hard to find the package you're looking for when there isn't even a walkway in the cargo area.

The company I'm working for was planning on a slower year, but guessed wrong. They didn't use the money they saved on helpers to hire peak drivers like they have done in the past. So without more trucks to spread out the workload, the remaining solution seems to be yelling "work harder".

As the workload increases, most people put in the extra effort to get the job done. But there is a point when the workload becomes too much, and people actually slow down. They become overwhelmed, disheartened, and spend time repeating "this sucks" instead of digging in and doing their best. Every person's line is different, and I am glad to say my driver this year has a higher line than my one last year. It also helps when you don't feed the beast by joining in on the bitch session. I have done my best to stay positive and jumping in wherever I can to help.

I've been getting home pretty fried, and just haven't had the energy to do much of anything but catch up on e-mail and zone out before bedtime. On the bright side, the temperatures are back up in the 40s and 50s, and I managed to lose four pounds last week. And exhaustion does help combat the insomnia.

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