We are finally coming to the end of seasonal work at LL Bean for the holiday "peak." If you've followed earlier installments (see earlier ones lower in this blog using the link "Older Posts"), then you know the pace since Thanksgiving has increased dramatically.
Saturday, Dec 22 was for some of us (including me) our 20th day working in a row without a day off. Starting in November, Monday-Saturday became mandatory (as expected when we were hired), and then at Thanksgiving Sundays were added as well but on a voluntary basis. Now I've always been a soft touch, so when they ask us to work Sundays to help people get their Christmas gifts on time, and I think about all those adorable kid's snowsuits and sleds I'm picking out there, how can one say no?
LL Bean does their part to help out employees who are working extended shifts and every day of the week. We all watch for the safety cart which patrols the warehouse loaded with water and "pick me up" treats (chocolate, animal crackers, granola bars, bubble gum, even an ice scraper for those snowier days). We have instructor-led stretch breaks twice each shift where we have a chance to stretch out those muscles we're working so hard to prevent repetitive use injuries (actually the stretch breaks are done year round). And if you work Sundays your name is entered in drawings (the final Sunday featured free gas cards and even 3 flat-screen tv's -- one for each shift). I didn't win one, but it was fun to hear the drawings and the excitement of those who did. Very cool.
I think for me the "peak" I noticed was last Saturday. On Sundays I typically started my shift at 5am so I could get out by 1pm, but Saturdays were what we called "regularly scheduled days" which means you work your usual shift just like any other day, so I went in at 7am as usual. By 9am that morning the warehouse -- as big as it is -- seemed to be bursting at the seams with so many people and so much activity that it was almost intimidating -- but yet exhilarating at the same time. In those busiest days when we have 100k+ orders to get out, they pull in "day hikers" -- these are employees from other departments and towns who volunteer to be trained to work in the warehouse to help us in distribution during those especially heavy order days.
On these busiest of order days when it's "all hands on deck", and with the extra addition of the day hikers, that warehouse is really something. There are people and hoppers and flatbeds and shopping carts speeding here and there like travelers rushing to catch trains at Grand Central Station. It becomes quite comical sometimes when 4 or 5 of us approach the same intersection in the warehouse with our heavily ladden flatbeds or carts, and since there are no road signals we of course use courtesy and take turns about who goes through it first. This is important since most of our equipment is quite heavy and dangerous if we run over someone. We follow what we call the "yellow brick road" -- actually it's not brick, but yellow lines drawn on the concrete floor which separate walking lanes from areas where we "pull over" to get merchandise from the shelves. These "directional" pathways help, but there is still no replacement for courtesy and being constantly aware of where you are and who's nearby.
When I zipped over to zone 24 where the backpacks and personal organizers are located, I could hear the constant hummmm of those computerized sewing machines as the monogram staff personalized one item after another for someone (tote bags, back packs, organizers, robes, pajamas -- you name it and they can monogram it!).
Later I might wander (at warp speed of course) to the back of the warehouse where the "low bay picking" (where I work) ends and "high bay" begins. High bay (shown in photo at left, see the person standing under the light in the blue shirt) is the area where the shelves are something like 3 stories high, and the pickers there operate forklift-like machines which raise and lower them up and down the high bays (hence the name) where they pick the merchandise off the shelves. Because of the risk of falling they wear harnesses which keep them tethered to the mechanized hopper in case they slip -- but I understand that even that doesn't prevent them from getting pretty bruised up if they miss, since the harness must be loose enough to allow them freedom of movement -- so this means if they accidentally step off that platform they have room to swing and crash back into the metal platform before they stop. This is not a job for the squeamish, and you can always recognize high-bay personnel when they come through our area because they are fully "suited up" in the harness and other safety gear. Reminds me of my days working at Lockheed Martin with the Air Force and all those pilots running around in flight suits.
When in the warehouse we move fast because as I mentioned earlier, we have production quotas that we're expected to meet. Pickers are supposed to pick items at a certain speed (230 units per hour), and packers are expected to pack them at a certain speed, and the same applies for monogramming and alterations. It's a different kind of world from what I'm used to in my professional career, and I have developed a new respect for people who do this every day. It's not easy, and the stresses may be different from the ones we find in an office environment -- but the pressure is just as much, just different.
However, the LL Bean culture is what made the job appealing to me, and I'm guessing it's what keeps some people coming back from one season to the next. Like families, all work places have a culture. Some families are known for having a culture of mutual respect, kindness, graciousness and courtesy; while others present a culture that is not quite as nice. The same is true of work places. I was drawn to LL Bean because of their known culture of a strong work ethic, exemplary service to our customers, and respect and consideration for each other as employees. As I finish up this year, I've already received a recommendation letter which allows me to return next year if I like unrestricted (which means I can apply to any area where there are openings). This was a great experience and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to go through this season with everyone else during the LL Bean "peak." To new friends from Bean from all over Maine, cheers and Happy Holidays. I look forward to our "reunion" gathering in February!
Saturday, Dec 22 was for some of us (including me) our 20th day working in a row without a day off. Starting in November, Monday-Saturday became mandatory (as expected when we were hired), and then at Thanksgiving Sundays were added as well but on a voluntary basis. Now I've always been a soft touch, so when they ask us to work Sundays to help people get their Christmas gifts on time, and I think about all those adorable kid's snowsuits and sleds I'm picking out there, how can one say no?
LL Bean does their part to help out employees who are working extended shifts and every day of the week. We all watch for the safety cart which patrols the warehouse loaded with water and "pick me up" treats (chocolate, animal crackers, granola bars, bubble gum, even an ice scraper for those snowier days). We have instructor-led stretch breaks twice each shift where we have a chance to stretch out those muscles we're working so hard to prevent repetitive use injuries (actually the stretch breaks are done year round). And if you work Sundays your name is entered in drawings (the final Sunday featured free gas cards and even 3 flat-screen tv's -- one for each shift). I didn't win one, but it was fun to hear the drawings and the excitement of those who did. Very cool.
I think for me the "peak" I noticed was last Saturday. On Sundays I typically started my shift at 5am so I could get out by 1pm, but Saturdays were what we called "regularly scheduled days" which means you work your usual shift just like any other day, so I went in at 7am as usual. By 9am that morning the warehouse -- as big as it is -- seemed to be bursting at the seams with so many people and so much activity that it was almost intimidating -- but yet exhilarating at the same time. In those busiest days when we have 100k+ orders to get out, they pull in "day hikers" -- these are employees from other departments and towns who volunteer to be trained to work in the warehouse to help us in distribution during those especially heavy order days.
On these busiest of order days when it's "all hands on deck", and with the extra addition of the day hikers, that warehouse is really something. There are people and hoppers and flatbeds and shopping carts speeding here and there like travelers rushing to catch trains at Grand Central Station. It becomes quite comical sometimes when 4 or 5 of us approach the same intersection in the warehouse with our heavily ladden flatbeds or carts, and since there are no road signals we of course use courtesy and take turns about who goes through it first. This is important since most of our equipment is quite heavy and dangerous if we run over someone. We follow what we call the "yellow brick road" -- actually it's not brick, but yellow lines drawn on the concrete floor which separate walking lanes from areas where we "pull over" to get merchandise from the shelves. These "directional" pathways help, but there is still no replacement for courtesy and being constantly aware of where you are and who's nearby.
When I zipped over to zone 24 where the backpacks and personal organizers are located, I could hear the constant hummmm of those computerized sewing machines as the monogram staff personalized one item after another for someone (tote bags, back packs, organizers, robes, pajamas -- you name it and they can monogram it!).
Later I might wander (at warp speed of course) to the back of the warehouse where the "low bay picking" (where I work) ends and "high bay" begins. High bay (shown in photo at left, see the person standing under the light in the blue shirt) is the area where the shelves are something like 3 stories high, and the pickers there operate forklift-like machines which raise and lower them up and down the high bays (hence the name) where they pick the merchandise off the shelves. Because of the risk of falling they wear harnesses which keep them tethered to the mechanized hopper in case they slip -- but I understand that even that doesn't prevent them from getting pretty bruised up if they miss, since the harness must be loose enough to allow them freedom of movement -- so this means if they accidentally step off that platform they have room to swing and crash back into the metal platform before they stop. This is not a job for the squeamish, and you can always recognize high-bay personnel when they come through our area because they are fully "suited up" in the harness and other safety gear. Reminds me of my days working at Lockheed Martin with the Air Force and all those pilots running around in flight suits.When in the warehouse we move fast because as I mentioned earlier, we have production quotas that we're expected to meet. Pickers are supposed to pick items at a certain speed (230 units per hour), and packers are expected to pack them at a certain speed, and the same applies for monogramming and alterations. It's a different kind of world from what I'm used to in my professional career, and I have developed a new respect for people who do this every day. It's not easy, and the stresses may be different from the ones we find in an office environment -- but the pressure is just as much, just different.
However, the LL Bean culture is what made the job appealing to me, and I'm guessing it's what keeps some people coming back from one season to the next. Like families, all work places have a culture. Some families are known for having a culture of mutual respect, kindness, graciousness and courtesy; while others present a culture that is not quite as nice. The same is true of work places. I was drawn to LL Bean because of their known culture of a strong work ethic, exemplary service to our customers, and respect and consideration for each other as employees. As I finish up this year, I've already received a recommendation letter which allows me to return next year if I like unrestricted (which means I can apply to any area where there are openings). This was a great experience and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to go through this season with everyone else during the LL Bean "peak." To new friends from Bean from all over Maine, cheers and Happy Holidays. I look forward to our "reunion" gathering in February!
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