By: Kurt Keilhofer

Kurt Keilhofer — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 12:40:02 +0000

Instead of the financial burden of salary and benefits for another employee to fill this position, and the resulting bureaucracy, perhaps companies need to establish a financial penalty for themselves to insure something as simple as an exit interview is done.Perhaps through the bank that the payroll check is issued there was established a termination bond, which the employee would receive after a final paycheck if the exit interview was not completed. Companies have the ability to find out what their problems are, hiring another staff member, and adding to the overhead, will not change a corporate culture. But a financial penalty might.

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 07:14:08 +0000

Dave: At first blush I thought this column was meant as a gag, then I figured it was being ask rhetorically—glad to read I was wrong on both counts. Ellen was right when she stated that your above suggestion for keeping drivers was her job at Schneider. I’ve known her a long time & will state the obvious fact, if all carriers, and I mean ALL carriers have someone like Ellen, or 1/2 the talent she has, working for their company in that prescribed position as Schneider did, lo those many years ago they would be amazed to “all the sudden” find at hand thousands upon thousands of dollars that…..wow! they could actually do better by everyone working for them. But, it t’aint never going to happen. 1 simple reason out of thousands as to why: Just because owner ‘A’ was at one time a truck driver him/herself at one time, has then expanded that 1 horse operation into a few hundred or a few thousand horse operation doesn’t mean he or she knows thing one about the business! The business of managing people to be more precise. And in my 30 yrs. of being behind the wheel I have come across my fair share of companies ie owners of said companies to frankly nog give a damn if they do or not. Small, large or somewhere in between those people have stopped noticing them that brung ‘em to the dance. They are greedy, pig headed & elitist. When you answer to your stock holders, drive cars that cost more than what you pay to the equalivant of 2 drivers, or even worse are driven to work by “James”….well, you know the rest. The pick’em up truck, your own CDL have all long by the road side & so has the family atmostphere that you once promised would always be there with that oh so sincre attitude of the open door policy. P.S. I once had a manager tell a bunch of us drivers when we were inquiring about a boost in pay that he could get trained chimps to do our work & banana’s not coinage would make them happy & they wouldn’t come back looking for more to do the same job. Neat, huh? P.P.S. Now you have one perspective & know too why OOIDA is going after the companies who screw their Lease/Operators. We’re just 1 step above trained chimps so why the hell not! Dan

By: Ellen Voie

Ellen Voie — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 15:08:56 +0000

Hi David, that was my job at Schneider National in 2006, I was the manager of recruiting and retention programs. My job was to initiate corporate level solutions to driver turnover. I worked with driver managers as well as vice presidents to ensure that drivers were treated as professionals.

Ellen

Comments on: Stay a While

By: Kurt Keilhofer

By: Dan

By: Ellen Voie