It is nearly the end of the sixth week of subbing on the same three open routes. I had to choose between tearing my hair out, pitching a hissy fit, moaning out a whine fest, or taking productive action. I chose the latter and am considering an actual formal proposal and a contract change or two for the early job. (You know what that means, forum. You should see it first so that you can fix it.)
Because of this long-term sub work and my other jobs, I am so overwhelmed that I put my unrelated IC work on hiatus. Now you know that I am more than a whiner and complainer on one early job. I have worked at this and other jobs in our little town for the last ten years. In the distant past, I worked in other states. In the meanwhile, I had to have my time at UW as well as enjoy other, necessary Wyoming experiences. In my nearly thirty years here, I (and some of you) have experienced assorted newspaper changes. Did you like any of those changes? Now, I am ready for specific other newspaper changes, and I wonder if you might like any of the suggestions.
Mind you, I only work in the realm of deliveries. I do not make any decisions. I only know from ten years of recent experience why some changes might alleviate concerns, quell frustrations, and improve some services despite challenging conditions such as weather, road conditions, and resultant delays. Delays have occurred so often in recent years that I seriously pondered the value, or perhaps the wisdom, of retaining the appealing contract clause regarding porch delivery before six or seven a.m. Because no one can control the weather or the road conditions which impact the delivery time of newspapers to porches, it might be sensible to stop declaring that newspapers shall be on porches by six a.m. on weekdays and seven a.m. on weekends. It rarely happens when we and other people are subbing on your routes. We would like to meet that requirement, but we are usually completing our regularly scheduled routes then.
What if the only likely outcome is that we deliver paper as early as practicable on days when they arrive at the local distribution sites? Customers will have to trust that someone will eventually get to them, and carriers will have to get to those customers. This is like an honor system. Can we operate on this basis without stringent and contracted expectations? Might we have a few guidelines or new clauses?
We try to give good service. On most days, we can fulfill the terms of contract for our independent contractor (IC) routes. When working as substitute carriers (subs), we are keenly aware that and how the contract cannot be fulfilled. Over time, we learned that if we complied with the contract as written or as closely as possible when subbing and usually starting after the deadline, we would have absolutely no time and no energy left for us and for life's general and specific tasks. It would take three to four times longer to complete all the work every day. All the time spent on open routes detracts from time that is needed for our other personal and work situations.
For a day or two, an adjustment can be made.
After six weeks without a break, a more permanent solution is needed.
While it would be best for as-yet-unknown people to become independent contractors and provide best service for these open routes, it is not practicable because people are not taking these jobs. A wish, hope, prayer, or dream for new carriers does not fulfill a customer contract.
At the intersection of promise, fulfillment, and Wyoming's own confounding impact on our experience is an approach to bridging the gap between customer expectations and the vagaries and realities of the current delivery situation. I suggest a compromise and a reminder of the collective honor system. I believe that we all know someone who truly needs all the promised services, every day. We also know many people who are able to go a little farther in order to reach their products. There is room for self-selection here.
If your subs are getting to your hours past the stated deadline, they might be able to get your papers to your property but not all the way to your front door. As often as possible, we give the porch delivery. At this point, we are tired and have long must-do lists and intractable deadlines. This is not your fault. We know that we are in violation of your contract. We do this only because we must finish this work and then get to and all the way through the rest of our day. Since we cannot stretch time and because no one else is helping with this work, we apologize openly and beg here for forgiveness (even as we wish for more people who can do the work in the manner that you pay for and prefer). Please know that if we know that you must have your paper on the porch, we will get it there. If you can access your paper even if it is not as close as the porch, would you consider getting your paper from where it lands so that we can move as continuously as possible from address to address and get as many papers to as many properties in the shortest time possible? And, will you all please consider the next idea regarding which customers need which services? It appears a few paragraphs down the page.
What if we considered people, re-configured routes, and altered and one or two contract clauses? Why should we do this?
A little PR might go a long way. First, let us behold our little town. It is beautiful, quaint, adorable, puzzling, near the mountains, and a few other things. Chiefly, it has changed and is changeable. One area of change over time pertains to who now makes the early morning deliveries.
In 2021, most of the people who work at this early job are adults who use their vehicles for this early job and also have other employment. The other jobs have strict start times. When supplies for the early job arrive too late, the people with subsequent jobs are unable to wait because they must go to their next jobs. The same time that is promised to customers is promised to carriers. Those who must go to other jobs are free to leave if supplies are late as per some designated time or verbal description which may vary per IC, even though their portion of the early work is not finished or not started. Necessarily, someone must fill in the gap. Who can do this, do it on time, and do it exactly as the contract specifies it to be? Designated subs can be hired and are expected to begin the early job as early as possible after supplies arrive. They can finish some of the work while we are still completing our daily, contracted work.
For some reason, there are not enough designated substitute carriers to fill all the open routes and complete them as per the customer contract. We and other IC's who work as subs can do some of that, some of the time. We must consider a few things beyond the scope of the contract, which in these circumstances feels like a stale over-promise with a chronic, cranky under-delivery in tow.
If we do not start extra work on time, people who request early delivery do not receive that. If the paperwork we as subs receive does not designate the doorway delivery, we do not necessarily provide that. If we know the situation from previous sub work, we can make that delivery even if the instructions do not specifically state that we must. [For now, we simply understand that not all paperwork given to subs provides all details. Too much change, made too quickly, could rupture something or cause some other calamity.]
In order to meet the real, daily needs of customers who have limited mobility, why not let them comprise one or more new routes which are dedicated to doorway deliveries? The carriers for those routes should know in advance why they must provide this service without being given any HIPPA details and [I believe] believe that it is good and even wonderful that people read even if they are less mobile now and appreciate the porch delivery. At the same time, carriers should be informed that on some weather days, they might need cleats, or skis, or something, for moral support or basic safety precautions. Well-prepared carriers who walk all or part of their routes, especially on ice, are less likely to incur injury and create an opening for subs.
Having handled these specific and precious customers and their new carriers with care, we can now consider other customers. They are precious, too, and they are able to move themselves a little farther in order to obtain their products. For them, the carriers on typical routes would be free to provide a good (albeit lesser than the current contracted level of service which often remains unfulfilled) type of service simply by bagging and throwing products from the car to the properties. Bagging is important on so many days that it might be done every day! These carriers would have lower risks on the most inclement days, and on most days they will complete more deliveries in a shorter time. Even if supplies are late, more deliveries would be on time or at least significantly less late then they often are now. Could these workers on typical routes be assigned larger routes? Would they be given more routes? Would this one change, however it may be implemented, reduce the number of open routes and the need for substitute carriers? Above all, would it facilitate the attraction and retention of regular, IC carriers? Retaining carriers would reduce the number of open routes and the need for subs. Would customers approve of this change? Would it be too jarring or jolting, or might it seem fair that if they are able to do so, they can walk to their papers so that other customers can receive their papers as soon as possible? I merely deliver; you receive. What do you think? Read on and find my supposition. How closely does it match your customer point of view?
The route labels would be changed to reflect the new status. The doorway deliveries, which require the most time and involve the greatest risks for carriers who are on foot between vehicle and doorways, would be made where they are absolutely and most needed. The other customers will be able to step up to the plate, or at least take a few extra steps to their products, when the new system is in play. If ever they needed to change their status and switch to a doorway delivery route, they would probably notate this delivery status/route change online in their accounts or with the assistance of someone who handles customer concerns.
The contract would no longer promise doorway delivery to all customers by a specific time. Some people might miss the door service daily, or the opportunity to meet their carrier. This would be a loss for customers and carriers. We know how wonderful customers are because some of you have taken the time to greet us or meet us. We appreciate you! We know that it would require some understanding and patience to re-think the possible level of service. Yet, some carriers might be able to provide the current level of service as long as they do not add other routes. This is a possibility. Retaining carriers might make the current level of service possible for some routes on some days, even though such service would no longer be mandated.
Even if we have to figure out some of the new possible as we go along, we could at least give it a try. Couldn't we?
Together, we can change the contracted terms of service and re-align expectations to match what life in Wyoming means for newspaper delivery. Long-timers and newbies alike know what is logical, safe, and helpful. At minimum, we need to remove the unfulfilled promises, be grateful when any carriers can provide that once-promised level of service anyway, and make it easier for carriers to perform the work in ways that will please-- or at least not displease-- customers.
You might have your own ideas regarding how to make the newspaper delivery process better for all concerned. I have no website or poll where you may opine or vote, but you might express your ideas in letters to the editor or in some other way. I would love to know what other people are thinking now. Do tell...
As the bottom line of many business matters is money, so is the bottom line here: the fixed daily fee per sub route might be a greater cost to the owner than payments for regular, IC routes. Even though the sub fee has been lowered and should be raised to previous levels or higher for specific routes, some routes are worth more as subs than regular contracts. Is it more cost effective to pay subs, regular IC's, or some of each?
______________________
______________________
______________________
Meh. So it is a little rough, and it looks more like a school paper than a proposal. But no draft is ever good. That is why it is just a draft! And that is why you should see it first and fix it.
I like the basics of it. If you wordsmiths see something that a manager would rather read than what is there, please (oh, please!) say something. I cannot pay you with money, but you will have a bit to add to your bid for an editor job (if you are not yet an editor) and my little part of the world might be improved. tia
Bach is not noise, Madam. (Robert, in Two's Company)
Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2021 04:12AM by Shop-et-al.
rainbow trout, green beans, baked potato and shrimp cocktail. It will last her all weekend!!