|
| LL Bean Don't be fooled by the hype. Freeport, Maine |
| 16th of Oct, 2011 by User201658 |
| So it is that time of year again. I'm at LLBean working the night shift. Went through their very sloppy training night (only one night since I have been a returning seasonal employee) and one of their points that they drilled into our heads for four hours was safety. I'm all about it! Safety is great, and I think it's important to inform people about how to be safe and all the other usual company policy stuff like being nice or whatever. Not sure how listening to some guy brag about how much safety means to the company for four hours is that helpful but hey, they were paying me for it and so it's their money. I get down on the floor (packing) and it's loud so I put on my headphones which cover my entire ear and cancel out a lot of noise. I like to produce music and dj with my spare time and have tinnitus in both ears from being in clubs for the past 15 years. The past couple years or so I have really tried to take better care of my ears and protect them as much as I can since I need them for my work and because it just hurts really bad if I'm around loud noises for extended periods. Within five minutes of having my headphones on I'm told to take them off since I'm in training. Still don't understand what makes me more stupid then the non seasonal guy but this is not about that. I immediately asked about wearing hearing protection since I was using my headphones to do just that (I know this might sound strange but I have those really big headphones that block out a lot of noise for djing, and keep my volume low). The response I got surprised me. I was told not to wear hearing protection so that I could hear the loudspeaker that announces various bits of information throughout the night. Then I got to thinking about the training spokesperson bragging about safety to me for an eternity and realized there was no mention of hearing protection throughout the entire night. This is because they have an intercom system that does not provide the clarity it needs to in order to overcome the loud machinery. For a company that does so well, I would think they could come up with a better way of relaying information to the employees than by ruining their hearing. Everyone has a computer in front of them, why not use something visual or provide speakers that are more clear? Maybe just more speakers in more locations and then you could turn the volume down:P Ok so I put my earplugs in anyway because of reasons previously stated. The announcements start rolling in and I can't hear a word anyone is saying on the intercom. So I decided to take the earplugs out because I know if I start asking what they are saying while wearing them I'm going to get in trouble. I still cant hear a word anyone is saying with them out and since there is an announcement every two seconds (not literally, but almost) I end up having to locate whoever made the announcement or a floor leader and asking them to repeat it to me in person. Since the company is judging you by how fast you can push the orders through, having me walk 200 feet toward the front control center every time they try to tell us something, or even when they are paging people makes little sense. I have a headache and my ears hurt and are ringing to boot. Excellent safety LLBean! Can you please tell 50 more times about how safety is your number one priority? Rant 2: Break time. Ten minutes… really? It takes me 3 and a half minutes to get from my work station to my car and off the property where I'm allowed to light my cigarette, and thats if I run through the parking lot (the only zone I have not been told I can not run in). Walking it's probably more like 4 minutes. Tonight I was hungry too but eating is not allowed except on my ten minute break. Their goal is to get me to stop smoking but, it's my right as an american and I'm not giving it up because beans attempts to make my life hell unless I do so. So I had to try and sneak bites while working of my delicious pizza pie that I brought. Upon doing so I messed up an order, my first of the season. I'd be fine with ten minutes if I could just walk outside, have a smoke and come back in and munch while I worked. If I'm forced to choose between food and a smoke, I choose smoke. If I just smoke cigarettes for 6 hours (I'm still in training so I don't get 8 hours till next week) then I'm not going to move very fast or be very sharp. Not to mention I'll be quite uncomfortable. I guess it works for them but, I'm not on board. Tonight they bragged about how some magazine said it was one of the top ten best companies to work for. So what? Does the magazine work in packing with me and I'm just not noticing that its there packing out orders? Why brag about what someone says about your company who is not an employee. How about a suggestion box or something for me to drop my rants into? Give me something yo, I need to relieve my stress. I have like a million more rants I could go on and on. These were the ones that matter to me the most, thnx for reading:) |
|
|
|
Post your Comment
|
|
|
