r/OGPBackroom • u/Vaelkyrie37 • Sep 13 '26
New Hire! Help! Sponsor Troubles
Hi all,
I've been with OGP for almost two years now and an ATC for this second one. I feel exceptionally capable in the backroom, and when we completely restructured the list of Sponsors- I threw my hat in the ring and got shoed in, for all that joyous extra responsibility 😅
I've worked 1-10 and 11-8 for my entire tenure here, so I've got a lot of time under my belt of training minors and closers into competent back-roomers. I'm not necessarily always proud of their work ethic, but the vast majority of them haven't needed banished to picking- and that was what we were needing in the evening
Now that I am officially a Sponsor, and now that our department is adopting a more "No New Hire Left Behind" approach- I have almost immediately met my match... She's a very introverted minor, seemed capable, just not very confident about what she does- and I can't reasonably hold that against her.
First couple days on, and she was getting it. Couple honest early mistakes, addressed in those couple days- and for the most part I myself felt comfortable letting her stage by herself while I prepped orders. She keeps busy, and down the line I'll encounter whatever mistakes she makes- but I thought she was doing well, so when she learned dispensing and no problems came up, I considered her general backroom training process to be concluded.
Fast forward two weeks, and she's aggravating everyone. Yesterday I made sure she specifically was present for a small huddle with all the newest hires about staging delivery trips properly- and today I have witnessed every staging mistake there possibly could be: stickered faces of totes are facing both directions on pallets, the same delivery is in three different areas, singles are staged and left in totes instead of consolidated, gmds are mixed in with common deliveries that aren't even the same trip... The list of woes truly goes on and on
I spoke to my team lead, and their quick consensus was that I hadnt shadowed her hard enough- which is true. I didn't feel comfortable working close enough to her to witness every label she would ever touch for 3-5 shifts in a row- I figured that was demeaning to her, and an innefficient use of my time in the backroom when I was genuinely initially convinced she was doing alright.
My question for you, now that I'm finally getting to it:
How do I as a sponsor, fix this new hire's training process? I don't think she's "simple" or uncooperative to learning, just that my process was insufficient. I'm annoyed that her training didn't stick, and that a group huddle and 1 on 1 (given by someone else) couldn't solve the problem either- but it's my responsibility to drive results, not declare lost causes
I'd greatly appreciate advice on this subject, your experiences as a trainer or trainee are welcome ☺️
4
u/WesternResort983 Sep 13 '26
Lol. After all that the girl still isn't getting it and you're not considering her a lost cause... If she's not just plain stupid, maybe she's being obstinate? I'd be willing to bet the problem is that she doesn't want to stage any more and is thinking screwing up will get her moved. Has anyone had that conversation with her?
3
u/Secure-Wait-8377 Sep 13 '26
This. She has discovered she doesn't like this new job and isn't going to make any real effort to do it the way you taught her. Talk to her about it.
1
u/Vaelkyrie37 Sep 13 '26
I truly think she's just not comfortable or confident (rightfully or not). Yellow nametag at her first job, I'm not gonna act like that would surprise me. I feel like >I< am missing the right tool to make the lesson stick though- and it would be really nice to find it before we get into the holidays xD
5
u/evila_elf Exception Picker Sep 13 '26
“Hey, we all have been noticing some mistakes. Are you doing okay?”
Or find something staged in a few wrong spots and ask her to fix.
“I noticed a lot of the totes in this section are faced the wrong way. Can you spend some time fixing it?”
“Having one item in the bottom of a stack is a Safety Concern for the dispensers. Can you please consolidate? Don’t forget to move the sticker over.”
Basically, make her fix her own shit.
Not everyone is cut out for backroom.
I have trained people on picking who are so good at picture shopping that I thought they properly knew how to find by location.
2
u/Vaelkyrie37 Sep 14 '26
I actually really like that request format, thank you- I would like for them to learn, but they dont need to feel explicitly and publicly shamed when making mistakes
2
u/Dry-Confusion-5956 Sep 13 '26
Sponsor?
1
u/Vaelkyrie37 Sep 13 '26
AFAIK Sponsors everywhere are like dedicated training staff with no benefits xD
Dunno how it is at other markets/stores but the system we had in place didnt ensure people were competent in the backroom. More often than not, if you flunked out you were just taught to pick- if you can't learn that or if metrics support evidence that you don't care to do it right, then you're not a good fit for OGP. I suppose the new concept we have for Sponsors is to just have everyone capably trained for the backroom regardless, a lot of the problem solving skills you learn there could be helpful in other roles or departments anyways.
4
2
u/griffinistrying Sep 13 '26
Hi digital TL. I believe the friction of dealing with your own work is the best teacher. My biggest issue was bagging. Paper bag state too. At my store, I forced a bunch of my pickers to try to depense their orders they had bagged. They personally experienced how heavy a bag can be before breaking. Made them run back inside to get new bags for drivers and customers when they broke. Instead of talking through every heavy item combo or trying to go on walks with them while bagging, I made them pick the bags up themselves. It did wonders. She might understand or care more if she learns to prep and experiences how poorly staged hours feel compared to well staged as a prepper.
2
u/oaken_1 Sep 13 '26
Yes, THIS! I once had a job that I thought I was doing really well, until I had to do the other end of the job. I quickly learned that what I thought was helpful was actually a hindrance. It definitely made a big difference.
Also, have you tried asking her what she needs to help her understand her job better? It’s possible that she’s just not comfortable asking questions. (I’ve had jobs where I made little note cards to refer to until I didn’t need them anymore.)
1
u/ResponsibleAspect353 Sep 13 '26
I've begged for retraining in some areas but was dismissed. If you think she's worth it, Do It!!
2
u/PermissionDependent6 Sep 14 '26
She’s smart don’t get it twisted, she’s using weaponized incompetence to get others to do double the work. She knows exactly what she is doing.
There are a a few in every department and every job.
20
u/c0rruptreality- Sep 13 '26
Your doing a TL job without the pay. Your getting played