Log 21: Job #3672
This week has taken a bit of a different tone than my first few at Featherlite. Instead of completing miscellaneous tasks for various employees, I’ve begun to receive actual work orders to complete and log in the company database. Basically, Robbie or José will give me a work order with the item that needs to be made, the quantity that needs to be made, the materials needed to make the item, and the location of those materials. It seems reasonably straightforward, but let me tell you, it’s not. First of all, when I say the work order lists the materials you need for the job and where to find them, it’s not like it says: “yellow cords, in the bucket under José’s desk” or “weird bendy metal chunks, in a bin over by where Graeme is always having you label frames”. Instead, it will say something like:
Materials:MBDC-EE9 COMPONENT, 5.6/33” x .36327, Grip= .44”Inventory:Location: WH2-3-2, Lot: System-Lot-MBDC-EE9Location: PR1-2-2, Lot: System-Lot-MBDC-EE9
Right. Let me just mosey on over to WH2-3-2 and grab some MBDC-EE9s - whatever that means. Or am I supposed to go to PR1-2-2? Who thought including two locations would be helpful or necessary? Needless to say, it takes me quite a bit of time and quite a bit of assistance to gather the materials I need, before I even begin working on the job. Once I do start, I first have to log into the job on a computer (usually Robbie’s) so it can be properly marked as done after it's finished. When you pull each job up on the computer, it reiterates all the information included in the hard copy of the work order, but additionally, gives a time estimate of how long it will take to complete the job. When I noticed this, it was a total game changer for me. I know from experience that I perform well under pressure, and while the time estimate isn’t really meant to pressure you, I can't help that it adds a layer of competition for me. A couple summers ago, when I worked for Instacart, grocery shopping for people during the pandemic, their operation used a similar feature. At the end of each shopping trip, their app would tell you how many seconds it took, on average, for you to find each item on the customer’s list. The average time Instacart lists for their shoppers is 90-150 seconds per item, which meant that was my time to beat. By the time my career with them was over, I had achieved an average of 33 seconds per item.
Point being, I was ready to move through my first work order at breakneck pace as soon as I started the job timer. My task was to assemble, disassemble, and pack five 8x10 foot metal frames. I checked the time estimate - 25 minutes. Wait, 25 minutes? I’d assembled a couple of 7x10 frames the other week for José, and found it hard to believe that this job could be done in such a short time. But what do I know? I took a deep breath, and got to work.
After I completed my first frame, I checked the clock. I was already at the 20 minute mark. No way, I thought, shaking my head in disbelief. There’s just no way. As I rushed to put together my next frame, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the timer, feeling a wave of panic wash over me as it ticked past 25 minutes. I glanced around at the guys nearest to me, narrowing my eyes. I was willing to bet every one of them was well over their time estimate, just like me. Perhaps the estimates weren't ever accurate, and being a newer hire, I was just out of the loop.
By the forty minute mark, I had let go of my goal of besting the time estimate, working through the remaining frames in frustrated silence. I couldn’t believe I still wasn’t finished. Who came up with these estimates?! Maybe they ought to come down here and see how fast they can assemble an 8x10!
After working sullenly through the last couple frames, I finally completed the job. I stared blankly at the time on the screen: three hours, fourteen minutes, and 26 seconds. If you’re trying to do the math on that, let me help you out - that’s nearly eight times longer than the estimate. In fact, when I turned in the work order to the finished bin, there were just five minutes left in the work day. I took one more look at the job timer, then at the clock, and then I went home.
