Change of Pace

I'm starting a new schedule soon. Instead of working Wednesday through Saturday, my work week will be Sunday through Wednesday. I'm still in Stow, with the same hours, at the same facility. My new assigned overtime day is Thursday; a big improvement over Sunday which would wipe out my whole weekend.

I'm excited for the change, the timing is much better for my routine. Thursdays I can take care of household chores, and do the grocery shopping. Friday I can meal prep for the week, and I'll have all day Saturday with the family. I can still shift swap for a full weekend. Cool deal.

I was originally hoping to land the donut shift; work Monday and Tuesday, off Wednesday, and work Thursday and Friday. Weekends off sound wonderful, but I've come around to appreciate the three days off with time take care of business then relax. Also, the only donut shift schedules available for transfer are at a facility further from home, so a longer commute. I'm good with my new schedule; we'll see how it works out.

I'm slowly improving in Stow. I still prefer Pick; I look forward to the labor-sharing opportunities that pop up every once in a while. I recently had the chance to try High Quantity Stow, with an emphasis on small items in large volumes. I definitely appreciated the break from large heavy items that are always a pain to put away. 

I recently removed the "Open to Work" flag on my LinkedIn profile. I'm not sure why. It feels a little embarrassing to be seeking work for so long now. It's been over six months. I still check the listings, but a little less frequently. My focus has changed to local, entry to low-mid level positions. Promising leads are few and far in between. 

It's interesting to consider how much my perspective has changed since I was laid off. I've come to truly appreciate the work at Amazon. It's low stress, physically active, and highly independent. It can be monotonous, but it's a fair trade for simple, solitary work. My previous roles were a heavy mental load, and sedentary. I didn't realize how stressful my every day life had become. People management and senior leadership responsibilities, things I loved and considered a privilege, had become suffocating. It took over my life. I'm still a work in progress, but this career downshift feels positive overall. I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm open to learning and growing in new, unexpected ways.

Shout-outs and Opportunities

 I had what I thought was a promising string of interviews. The job closely matched my previous experience as an individual contributor. Similar workflows, familiar tools and the location was right here in town. I spoke with the team lead, hiring manager and senior HR. The recruiter reported all positive feedback. Then.... nothing. No response. It's been a few weeks now, with no reply to my request for updates. It's disheartening to say the least. And a little confusing; why go through all these steps and then silence? But I have little choice but to move on.

Another interview; this time for an operations role in a local delivery hub. Everything is scheduled through an AI bot; another sign of the times. I show up early and wait in the parking lot. About ten minutes before my appointment time, I walk into the entrance and introduce myself to the employee at the window. There's a flutter of activity as they seek out a manager. After a few minutes a man comes up to the front. He tells my the interviewer has left for the day and there are no other managers available. Could I come back tomorrow? 

No, I let him know my availability. He takes down my information and says someone will call me. This was over a week ago; nothing. What is even happening here?!

Work is starting to pick up again. I've had the opportunity to labor share in Pick; a nice break form Stow. I received a Shout-out for the first time, for Quality. My manager called me into a meeting and gave me a small Peccy pin. Peccy is the yellow mascot for Amazon. For my pin they are dressed like a rock star with a mohawk and slinging a guitar. I'm a sucker for flair!

Of course, like an ironic curse I encountered more quality errors in Stow. I sometimes trip over the master packs and either break them down when they should remain whole or stow them as one unit when they should be separated. It sounds incredibly simple but with multiple barcodes and vague descriptions it can be guessing game. I need to remain vigilant and verify before I complete processing. Not that I'm full time, there's more opportunities for error. But on the bright side, I have more time to perfect my technique. Time to earn more pins!

Slow Day

 My fulfillment center has recently experienced a sharp decrease in volume. The Operations team explained that we were over capacity, and our replenishment department (operated at a corporate level) drastically reduced shipments into the building until inventory levels reset. 

The start of my shift was what I've come to expect in the Stow department: big carts were waiting in the assigned aisle, albeit non of them were stacked full. I stowed my items without issue. When I returned to pick up another cart, the aisle was empty. There was a group of associates gathered on one end; I walked over to join them. An Ops manager instructed us to stand to one side as we wait for work. 

After about a minute, I'm instructed to follow one of the associates to take on a new task; we will be applying new bands to assigned aisles. There's about ten of us. We turn in our scanners and wait in the Start Up area for further instructions. 

Soon we are relocated to our aisles. We're each shown how to apply the thick canvas bands across the bins. They stretch and hold the large items stacked in the upper rows. 

We get to work. I'm a little slow at first, but find my groove. It's tedious work. At break time, I see several colleagues have been re-assigned busywork. They're sweeping, dusting. There are groups scattered about chatting. I'm set to re-band for the rest of the day. I move closer to the back of the warehouse, band after band.

I take the Voluntary Time Off (VTO) available in my last two hours. This allows me to leave early without using any of my time off options. Tomorrow is another day!

More Good News

 I have completed my first day as a full-time Amazon employee. My wife has started her new job as well.

One major concern for us was health insurance. With both of us losing our jobs, we were at the mercy of COBRA or the healthcare marketplace for coverage; including my young adult daughter who relies on us for insurance. While the government marketplace is much more affordable than COBRA benefits, it's still a hefty price tag. The wife's new company has a sixty day waiting period before benefits kick in. While we are all thankfully healthy, we know how risky it can be to go uninsured. An unexpected medical emergency could wipe us out completely.

When my schedule officially switched to full-time on Sunday, I received a wonderful surprise. Amazon counted by tenure as a part-time associate to qualify me for their basic health plan. I was able to immediately sign the whole family up. It's vastly less expensive, and better coverage. We were so relieved.

I'm definitely feeling grateful for our good fortune, and remain optimistic about our future.

On a Positive Note

 

My transfer was accepted! I start working full time for Amazon next month.

It's not the schedule I prefer, but it gives me Sundays off, and it's an early day shift that ends at 5pm. I stay at my current fulfillment center. I have not converted to Blue Badge yet, but I'm eligible to be in the running when the opportunity arises.

My wife is struggling with the change, it will impact our time together (assuming her next role is standard business hours). My hope is to transfer again when a better schedule is available. There's another facility opening soon nearby, so there will be more options soon.

I'm choosing to look at the positives. I get a three day "weekend", with time for appointments, chores, and errands during the week. I get to start my tenure that will make me eligible for benefits. I have to admit the physicality of the role has a positive effect. I'm naturally sedentary and built-in exercise is good for me. I'm close to home. I do enjoy the work; it's simple, solitary and gives me a tiny burst of accomplishment each day.

I have two interviews lined up this week. I'm still searching for my next move. But I'm grateful for this small step in the right direction.

Another Pivot

Well, my transfer requests pushed back to a later timeframe. The new review period starts next week. I could see the schedules were updated; both of my choices now showed no spots open.

I'm not sure if this was the right move, but I canceled my transfer requests and made two new ones for schedules that reported "many spot open". One for my current location, and one for a different facility. 

The transfer selection process is bit of a mystery. Is it based solely on tenure? First come first serve? Is my part-time status hurting my chances? Or my "seasonal" status?

There were recently changes made to "Blue Badge" conversion. A blue badge indicates you are a regular full-time Amazon employee, versus a white badge indicating your are seasonal. The wording is slightly misleading; some "seasonal" employees have been working at Amazon for almost a year, maybe more.

Blue badge conversion, from what I understand, used to depend entirely on corporate feedback regarding headcount and tenure. If you put in the time, and corporate Amazon determined your site is ready to convert more employees (based on turnover, increased activity, etc) you were in. 

Now, performance plays a major part in conversion. Amazon tracks rate, and you must be in good standing (or at least not behind your peers) to be eligible. You also cannot have write ups. Tenure still plays a part; you must be employed for at least 90 days.

Honestly, I'm surprised performance metrics were not a part of the conversion formula until now. I know I need to focus on bringing my rate up. My new path is Stow, and I need to pick up the pace. This department is also one of the transfer choices I picked. Right now, my metrics show as Insufficient Data. I assume this is due to being relatively new to the path and working part-time. I'm less than a week from meeting the 90-day requirement. 

And the "real" job search continues. I was hoping to see more activity now that we have settled into the new year, but everything feels like more of the same. I did have a phone screen, and I took a (kind of bizarre) AI-driven assessment for a role I recently applied to. I have not heard any updates. On a positive note, my wife has had two interviews. 

I'm proud of my family's ability to pivot. Circumstances change, and we might be disappointed for a moment, but then it's right back to work. What might we learn from this change? How do we adapt? What are the possibilities I have not yet realized?

Training for More

I'm cross training in another department; Stow. At the start of my shift, I check the labor board for my assignment. Large TV screens are displayed at each entrance with details for the Inbound team. 

The list is organized by your User ID. I find my designation and review the instructions: What side of the building I report to, and the floor. The board tells me the aisle where I can pick up work, and where to drop off my finished cart. I have learned to snap a picture of the TV before walking away; it's too much to memorize when it changes daily.

With a scanner in hand, I make my way to the assigned aisle to start work. There are long, green and gray "U boats" lined up for the taking. They contain a mixture of yellow totes and corrugate boxes. I scan my location, pick the first cart, and scan the totes. 

The labor board gives us suggested aisles for stowing; sections where we're most likely to find space. I roam the aisles and check for other stowers; I don't want to crowd too close. My experience as a picker has informed my stowing process; I know what a pain in the neck it can be to navigate three or four aisles packed with large U-boats when I'm trying to pick.

I find a spot and get to work. I scan items and place them in bins. Scan the bin, repeat. Small items go into cardboard drawers. Large items need a shelf. Master packs are broken down into individual units. I'm slow at this, but getting better. I'm grateful for the chance to learn another department and look forward to more shift access.

My transfer requests are pending approval. If approved, I will be moving to a new facility; a distribution center. I would be trained in yet another department. I could really use the full-time work. It's early in the review timeline and I'm hoping to hear back soon.