The Reason UPS Trucks Always Have Their Doors Open

UPS is a well-oiled machine, and as the cogs behind the wheel, drivers are expected to be as efficient as mechanically possible. The obvious problem with treating people like machine parts is that they aren't hardwired to function like robots. Humans overheat more easily. They need time to refuel with food and time to poop out the fuel their bodies can't use. But in 2015, an anonymous UPS driver identified as "Bill" told the Nation that something as natural as using the bathroom was considered "stealing time" from the company. (And if UPS considers pooping a form of time theft, then hand-washing after you poop must count as stealing time and soap.) 

Bathroom visits weren't the only kind of waste the company frowned upon. Bill recalled, "If you turned the truck on before you put on your seat belt, that's wasting gas." Truck sensors recorded when his foot was on the brake, how far he backed up — everything. And UPS isn't alone in monitoring every millisecond of an employee's day. In 2013, FedEx warehouse employee Reynalda Cruz suffered inflammation in her arm because of a scanner that tracked her every movement, and when she slowed down because of the pain, she was ordered to speed up. Similarly, Amazon automatically tracks warehouse workers and fires them for not meeting productivity quotas, according to the Verge. Unfortunately, when companies obsess over cutting costs, workers often end up paying a high price. 

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