# Advice for dealing with OM.



## dcguy86 (Jan 19, 2020)

So, I need advice, and while I know I probably have no ground other than to ask why. I was told that a TM that just joined my shift was told they were getting RR trained. I don't know if it's true or not, but I digress. I have had multiple conversations about getting that training since I came off of my corrective a couple of months ago. My OM told me when the need arose I was the next one up to be trained. I followed up with them about a week and a half ago and they told me that the need still wasn't there but the way it was looking the last person to be trained for consolidation purposes was going to be ramping up then it was my turn which I could live with.  Now with this potential person being trained is there any advice as to what I should do?


----------



## Dcnewb4now (Jan 19, 2020)

You could probably talk to the om again, or wait for the som to walk around and express your interest.

personally, I’ve been asked multiple times to learn the rr and declined.  The way you have to swing it around so quickly makes me nervous, and I don’t need the stiff neck.


----------



## dcguy86 (Jan 19, 2020)

The OM knows because I followed up Friday.  I spoke to SOM during peak and they suggested discussing it in January. Its the fact the OM specifically said when the need came up I was next in line and now they might be putting someone who just came to our key and has been there less than half the time as me ahead of me.


----------



## ItChecksOut (Jan 20, 2020)

You're going to have to ask to find out. The key will be in expressing your confusion as a question and not in an aggressive manner. 

I've found the best way is to kinda play dumb about it. "Hey, I heard Jimmy saying they were going to be getting trained on the RR soon, do you know any thing about that?" Stop talking and wait for a response. They will probably hesitate for a moment knowing full well what you're really asking. 

What ever the response *assuming it isn't what you want to hear* you pretty much follow up with "oh, well I was under the impression I was next in line to be trained, is that still not the case?" Again less is more shut up and listen to the answer, dont give them excuses to use or a way out of the convo.

How you take it from there really depends on you and the response you receive. Personally I'm pretty blunt and if by the end of it if I had some unsatisfying answers would just be to the point. "well, this is important to me, I'm just confused as per our previous conversations I was under the impression that I was next in line to be rr trained and it seems that isn't what's happening. Have I misunderstood something?"

Rule of thumb is try to end on an open ended question. Something that requires more than an yes or no answer. 

Again it's pretty important to come off as non aggressive as possible while still being direct, so watch your body language, posture and tone. It isn't an argument but they need to know you expect an answer and that it's important to you.


----------



## dcguy86 (Jan 20, 2020)

ItChecksOut said:


> You're going to have to ask to find out. The key will be in expressing your confusion as a question and not in an aggressive manner.
> 
> I've found the best way is to kinda play dumb about it. "Hey, I heard Jimmy saying they were going to be getting trained on the RR soon, do you know any thing about that?" Stop talking and wait for a response. They will probably hesitate for a moment knowing full well what you're really asking.
> 
> ...



Its going to be hard given my past experience with spot in general. I was offered a packing trainer role and accepted and kept getting excuses as to why I wasn't being trained. Then, after I transitioned to Breakpack my OM at time told me to come in next week expecting to learn the tugger and they put it off for almost two months. My current OM knows all of this because they took the time to ask me about my past experience with the company. I'm thinking they may have misunderstood the OM and meant the RC. I am just at a loss because if it is the case there learning the RR I feel like they know that its important and I don't know if its a good idea to drag the SOM into it.


----------



## ItChecksOut (Jan 21, 2020)

The som is likely to deflect to the om if you haven't spoke to them about it yet. 

The soms first likely response to whatever question you have will be. "Have you talked to your om about this?" To which you will have to say... "well, no I haven't." Then you will  likely be asked "well,why not? "

Now you are stuck in the position of either admitting you should have started with them or throwing the om under the bus.... either way it's not helping your goal of being trained on an RR. 

If they are getting the training and you're not the only path you have at this moment is talking to your om.


----------



## InboundDCguy (Jan 21, 2020)

I wouldn’t get too worked up about something a random TM said, they’re often mistaken. I’d probably just let it play out at this point, since you just clarified on Friday that you’re next to get rr trained.

Is it the same OM that put off your becoming a trainer that’s putting this off?


----------



## ManMythMachine (Jan 23, 2020)

ItChecksOut offers sage advice. Just keep showing your interest. When we used to have quarterly reviews and sat down in private with the OM(s) it was the perfect time to mention furture training because they would ask you about future company plans.

Now maybe once a year or year and a half they walk up to you in an aisle and show you their laptop screen and walk away. It's really sad that the quarterly review has devolved into a passé passing fancy but nothing is forever.

Also, it doesn't pay to push aggressively since job openings and training always be hidden under the all encompassing corporate umbrella of "building needs come first" which supercedes training people in order of their hire date and also allows for skipping of equipment.  As a trainer I see this as a problem because someone going from carton air straight to a reach truck bypasses bulk picking, consolidation & pallet building, and learning the rc.  I'm not saying this is your case; just remarking I've seen the rc skipped under the guise of building needs and then the undesired after effects of rack puts all being fallen pallets because they never learned the rc which doesn't whip around like the touchy as hell reach truck.

To paraphrase Full Metal Jacket.... They play their games & we play ours.


----------



## dcguy86 (Mar 14, 2020)

Sorry, I dropped off the face of the earth for a while.  This was not the OM that kept holding back the trainer role.  This OM is "greener than grass"  That kind of played to my thought process because they're learning and I think they've picked up quick. I was told a few weeks ago they wanted me to do some picking in bulk on the RC, so I'd be used to the tight turns and the process. OM put me in it one time since then. I hop on the RC when I feed from time to time and stack deadwood. Well three weeks ago the OM got into a spot, no pun intended,  They had a TM ready to do full Pallett and they got a backup position. They came out to the aisle I was in and asked me if I was ok with not getting the backup role. Told me after a short conversation I'd be getting trained in the next two weeks on RR. I was able to drive the reach truck just fine, but when it came time to pull and put pallets I wasn't able to grasp it. In the simulated aisle which was our bulk location next to the rack the trainer  gave me feedback that had that been a real aisle I would have probably taken out several crossbeams. So, I talked to the OM and we both felt itd be for the best to end my training on the RR "for the time being" there quote not mine. OM told me we'd revisit the RR training down the line if I wanted. and based on building nee. The training process though is far different than it was when I learned the OP and RC. I was never pushed to test on my first night. Training on the RR OM asked me if I was ready to test about eight hours into training.


----------



## Luck (Mar 18, 2020)

dcguy86 said:


> Sorry, I dropped off the face of the earth for a while.  This was not the OM that kept holding back the trainer role.  This OM is "greener than grass"  That kind of played to my thought process because they're learning and I think they've picked up quick. I was told a few weeks ago they wanted me to do some picking in bulk on the RC, so I'd be used to the tight turns and the process. OM put me in it one time since then. I hop on the RC when I feed from time to time and stack deadwood. Well three weeks ago the OM got into a spot, no pun intended,  They had a TM ready to do full Pallett and they got a backup position. They came out to the aisle I was in and asked me if I was ok with not getting the backup role. Told me after a short conversation I'd be getting trained in the next two weeks on RR. I was able to drive the reach truck just fine, but when it came time to pull and put pallets I wasn't able to grasp it. In the simulated aisle which was our bulk location next to the rack the trainer  gave me feedback that had that been a real aisle I would have probably taken out several crossbeams. So, I talked to the OM and we both felt itd be for the best to end my training on the RR "for the time being" there quote not mine. OM told me we'd revisit the RR training down the line if I wanted. and based on building nee. The training process though is far different than it was when I learned the OP and RC. I was never pushed to test on my first night. Training on the RR OM asked me if I was ready to test about eight hours into training.



Hell, none of it matters now. We are back to overtime no more time to train anybody! A whole two years fight to get our OM to train people on something. ANYTHING new lol. Gone out the window. The ammount of days where no scheduled OB sorter is tugged trained and we run out of pallets, but a dozen plus carts just sitting there (that I then have to palletize to work) is infuriating. And this is on B1 mind you.


----------



## ManMythMachine (Mar 19, 2020)

Yeah now with corona virus looming, training will take a back seat until we can get all these rolls of toilet paper to the people that love to hoard toilet paper.

To sell on ebay.

Thanks dumb people!


----------

