Amtrak named one of 'America's Best Employers'

[VentureForth]

The full list includes 503 companies, so I presume that's the full listing compared. #401 ain't that wonderful. My company is in the top half, and I feel the stress here. But heck, they did better than American Airlines!

That being said, the list seems extremely out of date. It lists my CEO from the early 90's!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

What this really means is that most American companies are screwing over their employees. But that's what people get when they vote for politicians who support "right to work" legislation. By the way, how do you know that Amtrak employees who screw up are not fired or disciplined? Unless you work in Amtrak's personnel department you don't know, do you? Who's going fire a coach attendant on the spot in front of you. The conductor? He doesn't have that power. Hopefully such matters work their way through the personnel structure.

Does experiencing the same lousy service from the same lazy attendant for the better part of a decade count? Does anyone have a single story of an Amtrak employee being fired for rude or lazy behavior toward passengers? Even the most infamous of staff never seem to get the boot. Where I work the take it or leave it AmTude I sometimes encounter would probably get you fired on the spot. Never seen so much as a mild reprimand for rude or lazy service on Amtrak.

 

[StriderGDM]

What this really means is that most American companies are screwing over their employees. But that's what people get when they vote for politicians who support "right to work" legislation. By the way, how do you know that Amtrak employees who screw up are not fired or disciplined? Unless you work in Amtrak's personnel department you don't know, do you? Who's going fire a coach attendant on the spot in front of you. The conductor? He doesn't have that power. Hopefully such matters work their way through the personnel structure.

Does experiencing the same lousy service from the same lazy attendant for the better part of a decade count? Does anyone have a single story of an Amtrak employee being fired for rude or lazy behavior toward passengers? Even the most infamous of staff never seem to get the boot. Where I work the take it or leave it AmTude I sometimes encounter would probably get you fired on the spot. Never seen so much as a mild reprimand for rude or lazy service on Amtrak.

Does anyone here have a single story of an Amtrak employee being fired for any reason? Probably not because that would most likely violate certain privacy laws. So unless such an ex-employee comes forward, you're not likely to hear of it. So lack of proof is not proof of lack.

 

[VentureForth]

Didn't Miss Polly of the Texas Eagle finally get fired after 140 years?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

What this really means is that most American companies are screwing over their employees. But that's what people get when they vote for politicians who support "right to work" legislation. By the way, how do you know that Amtrak employees who screw up are not fired or disciplined? Unless you work in Amtrak's personnel department you don't know, do you? Who's going fire a coach attendant on the spot in front of you. The conductor? He doesn't have that power. Hopefully such matters work their way through the personnel structure.

Does experiencing the same lousy service from the same lazy attendant for the better part of a decade count? Does anyone have a single story of an Amtrak employee being fired for rude or lazy behavior toward passengers? Even the most infamous of staff never seem to get the boot. Where I work the take it or leave it AmTude I sometimes encounter would probably get you fired on the spot. Never seen so much as a mild reprimand for rude or lazy service on Amtrak.

Does anyone here have a single story of an Amtrak employee being fired for any reason? Probably not because that would most likely violate certain privacy laws. So unless such an ex-employee comes forward, you're not likely to hear of it. So lack of proof is not proof of lack.

I didn't ask for proof. I asked for a single story of even one lazy and/or rude Amtrak employee being fired for mistreating customers. After all the years I've spent on Amtrak and here on the forum you'd think I'd have seen or heard such a story by now. I know engineers and conductors have been fired for operational failures and unsafe practices, but the only time I've heard of an OBS being fired for customer facing behavior it was for physically assaulting a passenger. It would seem as though Amtrak may indeed maintain an exceptionally high bar for a terminating offense.

Didn't Miss Polly of the Texas Eagle finally get fired after 140 years?

Not to my knowledge.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I thought someone posted here a while ago that an OBS on an eastern train got the boot.

 

[Ryan]

Correct, on the Cardinal.

 

[FormerOBS]

At Amtrak, firing cannot be done summarily. This is as it should be. There is a process that involves a hearing, plus the possibility for appeal. I have personal knowledge of several people who have been fired for causes involving bad service, insults to passengers, etc. There are also cases of theft, falsifying records, failure to follow proper procedures, etc. In some cases, I personally think Amtrak lost some very good employees over infractions that deserved a lighter punishment. In other cases, firing was entirely appropriate. I do not think it is necessary or relevant for me to go into further detail. Just because it doesn't all happen in front of you, and in public, does not mean it doesn't happen.

Be careful about jumping to conclusions.

Tom

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If there is an actual story about someone being permanently let go for rude or lazy service on the Cardinal then I would like to hear about it. If there is evidence that Amtrak is refocusing on greater accountability and improved customer service then that's an extremely positive development in my view. It would also be a reason to give the Cardinal a try and see how I like it. Some routes (such as the CS) seem to have substantially higher service standards than others (such as the CZ) and I'ave always wondered why. I realize that Amtrak has little if any control over freight loads or dispatch scheduling or rail maintenance on most of the national network, but they absolutely can (and should) strive to routinely reward friendly and attentive service while consistently working on reducing rude or indifferent treatment. The main difference between the trips I really loved and the trips I genuinely regretted was often down to how the staff treated us. Not just how they treated me specifically but also how they treated new and infrequent travelers who were not yet privy to the process.

 

[FormerOBS]

Your comment "...reward friendly and attentive service..." is interesting. In the real world of Amtrak OBS employees and their relationships with Management, that does occasionally happen; but it is rare. There are occasional recognition awards, but nothing much to really hang your hat on. In most cases, the focus is on finding fault. Of course there are exceptions. That's why I was always glad when the train left the station so that I could focus my attention on spending the next several hours with my passengers and my co workers.

You might want to hear the stories about actual firings, but discretion and common decency tell me to keep them to myself. In my post earlier this evening I described the offenses well enough to give you the general idea.

Tom

 

[greatcats]

I found our dear girl Polly Canada on Facebook. Have a look!

 

[VentureForth]

This sounds harsh, but should there be recognition for doing the job you were hired to do? I work my butt off and in 8 years at my job, I've had good reviews, steady raises and a good rapport with my coworkers. I've got two minor commendations without fan fare. But when I make a mistake, my Boss is sure to tell me about it. My job is to be productive for my company and to provide value that matches my compensation. If at any time they feel that it costs more to keep me than I am earning for the company, they will, and should, let me go.

OBS is really no different. They are hired to do a job, and they know what the job entails and the compensation they will receive for it. If they don't hold up their end of the bargain, they should find another line of work. It is ridiculous to pay someone who is potentially reducing the future income potential for Amtrak by turning off customers. Rational passengers know to follow logical rules, and accept the enforcement thereof.

When I started work at Tokyo Disneyland as a young 16 year old, I was taught the four premises of excellent work philosophy. Unfortunately, Disney no longer teaches this in their orientation. It's simple: SCSE. Safety. Courtesy. Show. Efficiency. The order is important. You see, safety is the most important, but the three others feed into it. In other words, show (the appearance of your product - from hygiene to trash to the quality appearance) is more important than efficiency, but poor efficiency takes away from good show, and so on.

 

[FormerOBS]

VentureForth:

It doesn't sound harsh. There is no requirement that any special recognition is given for a job well done. Justice doesn't demand it, but courtesy does. I never said OBS employees are entitled to any special rewards for superior performance. I mentioned that because it was previously brought up by diagrua: "It also doesn't help when no incentive is offered to the people who excel", and by you: "...reward friendly and attentive service...." There are occasional gestures of appreciation by individual Amtrak managers, just as there are at any place of employment. If you are suggesting that I think employees are ENTITLED to more than normal courtesy, then you are misunderstanding me. I wouldn't have said anything about special appreciation if it hadn't been brought up by you.

It sounds like your work environment isn't that much different from that at Amtrak. Employees are expected to do their work safely, competently, and courteously. Usually they do. Often they do a superior job and there is no manager there to see it, let alone recognize it. Sometimes they do poorly. There are mechanisms in place to deal with that. The fact that those mechanisms aren't perfect, or that you don't see them being employed in front of you, is no reason for you to conclude that they don't exist.

As for the stress level, you have no idea what you are talking about. One of the recognized hallmarks of a stress-inducing job situation is the inability of the employee to exert control over the situation. The OBS employee is the guy in the bullseye. OBS employees are at the mercy of decisions made by Mechanical, Operations, Reservations, Commissary, Conductors, passengers, managers, contractors, and anybody else you can think of. When something goes wrong, it may be the fault of somebody else, but the OBS employee is the one standing in front of the passenger, and the one who takes the heat. When that happens, the manager who could help is 500 miles away, snug in his bed. The Reservations clerk who created the double booking is playing with his kids. The Commissary clerk who failed to provide the resources is at the ball park. The mechanic who failed to do the repair correctly is at the movies, and the guy who was supposed to make sure the mechanic had the right tools & parts, is on vacation. And the person who drove in front of the train, causing it to be five hours late, is dead.

No stress? HAH!

Tom

 

[Bob Dylan]

Excellent post Tom!

Spot on summation of most jobs, especially true of those employees whose job is where the rubber meets the road, or should I say steel wheels meet the rails!

And my friend Venture Forth, FYI where I work PT @ the University of Texas Athletic Dept., the new AD hired Disney trainers to train us in the Disney method of Customer Service, and it was some of the best job training I've ever experienced and I've attended lots in my many years of work! ( I'm Old!)

 

[VentureForth]

FormerOBS: I think there is a bit of misunderstanding. I simply said that there doesn't need to be special recognition for doing a par job. Appreciation is thrown out there with the occasional (and getting rarer) group lunch, service awards, etc. Extraordinary service SHOULD get extraordinary attention by ALL means. We are living in a society now where kids are taught that being awake calls for ticker tape parades!

I don't recall saying anything ambivalent about the stress in your work environment. I'm 100% well aware of what you go through - and as such, I choose NOT to sign up for it. Y'all ARE beaten up as the face of the company by the customer. I totally agree and get that. Please don't think for one moment that I have this misconception that you ride (rode) trains and eat steak every day for a living.

Quite frankly, one look at the latrine on an F40 turned me into an office hermit.

jimhudson: Disney is AWESOME at teaching customer service as well as many sound business principles. Unfortunately, they must have all their trainers teaching at other companies, 'cause they don't teach have of what I learned 25 years ago any more to their own employees - especially in Florida.

Another thing I learned at Disney - Never take your personal problems to work. Wife leave you? Girlfriend spend all your money? Kid just got thrown in jail? Don't bring it to work. People who spend their hard earned money don't care. You put on that "Disney Smile" and use your two fingers to point that snot nosed kid with a bloody nose after falling when told to walk to the nearest restroom.

 

[FormerOBS]

I should add that my online name is Former OBS. A different person uses the name OBS. I'm retired; he's not. I send him a sympathy card every now & then.

Tom

 

[VentureForth]

Duly corrected.

 

[StriderGDM]

You know.. I always laugh when folks call someplace a "Micky Mouse outfit". As a customer, I think if more places were ran like the House of the Mouse, there would be a LOT more happy customers.

(just an aside, not claiming Amtrak does it one way or another.)

Though for Amtrak, I will say that sometimes I find the difference between an "eh" trip and an "excellent" trip is just even a slight difference in effort by the OBS person.

 

[Big Iron]

Excellent post Tom!

Spot on summation of most jobs, especially true of those employees whose job is where the rubber meets the road, or should I say steel wheels meet the rails!

And my friend Venture Forth, FYI where I work PT @ the University of Texas Athletic Dept., the new AD hired Disney trainers to train us in the Disney method of Customer Service, and it was some of the best job training I've ever experienced and I've attended lots in my many years of work! ( I'm Old!)

UT just got an excellent basketball coach. Some are in mourning in RVR right now.