The Man's Message
Established 2003 | "Tetritus fortis sine gym"
Friday, December 13, 2024
Crew Of The Weeks
Your CotW this issue are a pair of cool-headed movers who managed to keep things chill despite Melbourne's wild weather.
"On Time? - They phoned when 15 minutes away to confirm that they would be there exactly as planned.
Worked Efficiently? - Alex and Nat were incredibly professional, polite, respectful and worked extremely hard to make a stressful move completely stress free. They just did the job without any hassle or complaint.
Overall Comments? - It was a scorching hot morning and you would never have known it from their easy and pleasant manner. They were brilliant. I could not be any happier with the experience I had. Moving house is never fun but they were brilliant."
A top quality move from a top quality pair of movers, nicely done team, come catch Jack Tandy around the depot to collect your reward.
The MWAV Xmas Party
Xmas will be held on the late arvo and evening of Saturday, 25 January 2025 - This is a yearly tradition to celebrate all the blood, sweat, and tears that you have put in throughout 2024 which will also include the presentation of our honoured Lifties™ Awards with a ceremony which commemorates the best and not so best parts of the year.What should we do?
1. Lawn Bowls @ Richmond Union Bowls Club
2. 36 holes of Mini Golf @ Yarra Bend Golf Course
3. Drinks @ Carlton Brewhouse
As for the honoured and all important Lifties Awards, including the Gold Liftie™ - the highest award in the land- who should we acknowledge and praise?
Have your say right here: https://forms.gle/yTJX6XWM8c3gjVtH8
Results will be announced in only seven days on Friday, 20 December.
Praise Liftos™
Silly Season
'Tis the season to be very silly and very busy. The summer rush has finally arrived. There are many moves to complete and many stressed customers to placate.
The days will be long and the sweet taste of overtime penalty rates will hopefully make up for not making every pre sunset dinner booking.
Enjoy the work and the Christmas cheer on the mean streets while we've got it.
What's the deal with Poker?
The festival of miniature events continues. On Tuesday just 10th, MWAV had its biggest ever turn out for Texas hold 'em Poker upstairs in the depot.
The pizza, beverages, and snacks (all courtesy of The Man) went down a treat over a few hours as humble up-and-comer, Noah Shute, stared the Desert Viper (Ian Keleher) in the eyes and claimed what turned out to be rightfully his. Well played, Noah and thanks to everyone for enjoying what always is a wholesome evening on a school night.
The next poker night is set for Tuesday, 7 January 2025. RSVP right here: https://forms.gle/qvZRrYmYSXKTfD2z5
Buff Trivia
Gabriel Stibio, Thom Lidgerwood, & Jack Tandy put their all encompassing knowledge of the road & world to the test against 17 other competing teams @ the National Hotel's trivia night on Victoria Street last Tuesday night.
The aptly named "This Is My Union Mandated Team Building Exercise" trio exceeded their own expectations by finishing equal first place.
The next MWAV sanctioned trivia night will return in 2025.
Golf!
Sunday morning saw the teeing off of MWAV's inaugural Golf Day at Freeway Golf Course.
From the mouth of Stuart Daulman "Stuart Daulman is the best golfer at MWAV and everyone had a wonderful time."
Such was the success of Golf Day #1 that there will definitely be a Golf Day #2 in the new year.
Thanks to all who made it memorable.
Call your customer
Running late? You MUST call your customer with at least 30 minutes notice before the job is meant to start. This keeps the stress at bay and happiness to stay.
If you call your customer after the job was already meant to have started, not only does this make us look unprofessional, the stress and anxiety can manifest in the customer and make the job way more stressful than it needs to be. Always be calling!
Read the job notes
Before heading over to your next job, it's important to take a moment to check for any hold spots and read through the job notes. These will almost always contain essential information required to perform your next move successfully.
You may be required to swap into a different vehicle, call the customer with a specific eta, pick something up from the depot, the possibilities are endless. To keep your day running smoothly, always be sure to read ahead.
Dungeons & Dragons
In the interest of discovering your interests MWAV staff have been making rumbles about D'n'D. If you would like to roll the twenty-sided die with some like-minded individuals then click the link below to find out much much more.
Click This Portal To Declare Your Intent
Housekeeping
Toilet bowl dankness, dishes left in the sink, and food scraps in the truck cabs.
Use the toilet brush, dishes go in the dishwasher, wear deodorant, and use the multitude of bins at your disposal.
Roll it up Roll it down
Absolutely never ever ever drive in or out of the depot when the light is red.
You can only drive through if the light is green and your partner is out of the truck.
This is absolutely very important.
TV Tips
Moving a TV?
No box?
TV not on the list?
Nice.
This means there’s now a 100% guarantee the customer is not yet aware we do not cover unboxed TV's under our damage guarantee. Before even touching it, please be sure to explain this policy and make them aware of the risks involved in moving it.
Ramp Hazards
Even though moving equipment and lifting aids are employed to make the job both easier and safer, they can also create nasty hazards when placed in the wrong spot.
Do: Keep walkways clear of obstructions like witches hats, straps, & blankets.
Do: Secure the doors open so they don't move with the wind.
Do: Tie straps & fold away blankets as you go.
Do Not: Leave trollies & dollies on their wheels; they can move around of their own accord. They are painful things to land on.
Do Not: Keep noticed hazards to yourself. If you register a hazard, you must communicate them to your partner immediately.
Do Not: Leave a hazard in place. Remove the hazard as soon as practicable.
HOT HOT HEAT
Bring in the big gulps and put your name on it.
It is getting hotter and hotter as we are now knee deep in the season of summer. So, it's worth revisiting some important rest policies designed to ensure we all stay safe out on the road. As always, you can read much much more at The Man's wiki - wiki.mwav.org
What's the problem?
Heat stress occurs when your body is unable to cool itself sufficiently and body temperature rises; when heat is absorbed from the environment faster than the body can get rid of it. Heat exhaustion is a serious condition that can develop into heat stroke. It is the body's response to loss of fluid and salt due to sweating. Heat stroke is a medical emergency, caused by a rise in core body temperature. A person suffering heat stroke becomes confused, and may stagger or collapse. The skin may be either dry or wet.
What should you be looking out for?
Heat stress warning signs may include:
- heavy sweating
- headaches
- tiredness and weakness
- dizziness or fainting
- slurred speech or blurred vision
- nausea and vomiting
- painful muscles spasms or cramps.
What is Man With A Van going to do about it?
Man With A Van will monitor the weather forecast and receive alerts from the Victorian Government Heat Health Alert System
Where the temperature is forecast to exceed 35 degrees, Man With A Van office staff will inform customers that workers may take appropriate breaks to ensure the move is completed without injury. Customers with long moves (ie load up or unload of 2h+) will be encouraged to book to avoid the hottest part of the day (ie 0800 spots).
Where the temperature is forecast to exceed 37 degrees, Man With A Van will, where possible, reserve 25 per cent of afternoon booking spots. This will allow workers to be directed to assist other teams to complete their tasks, and help to ensure earlier finish times.
When can I take a paid heat break?
The same situation as our Fatigue Break Policy. If, during a move for a customer, you think it is necessary to take a break in order to remain safe and avoid injury, please inform the customer and take a break of appropriate length. You should log a break using the mobile website, so that this break time is deducted from the customer’s final bill. After the job is complete and paid for, please contact a manager to explain the situation. The manager will then delete that break time from your timesheet. A break of this type should be taken whenever it is necessary to preserve your, and your team mate’s, safety.
Paid heat break or unpaid lunch break?
You are expected to arrange, and take, a lunch break of 30-60 minutes each day. Logging a “heat break” is not intended to be a replacement or substitute for a lunch break.
Typical instances where this may occur
- Any instance where you feel an injury may be imminent if you were to continue
- During hot or extremely hot weather
- When moving a number of very heavy or items with difficult access (ie large tables, multiple 3 seater sofa beds up flights of stairs)
- Late in the day after having already done a number of long or difficult jobs
- Towards the end of a long and difficult job, where you haven’t had the opportunity to rest at any other stage (i.e. the job had minimal driving)
Moist like a mud Cake
We've had a few hot, moist, and steamy days of late so it's worth going over a few things to help.
If the back of the truck is steaming with humidity when you get back to the depot, open the back and side doors and remove any wet blankets to let the box breathe.
Also remember to action the heat policy wherever and whenever necessary to maintain you and your partner's safety.
The Vibe
A positively stellar outcome on the vibe with nary a single negative review in sight. Fantastic effort team, customers are very much appreciating your hard work and positive vibes.
The Damage
Damage Reports Submitted - 21 🥵
Claims Without Damage Reports - 1
Things are heating up on the damage front with some spicy double digit damage numbers. The holiday rush always adds some extra stress to many moves, remember to try and keep your cool out there and manage safety over speed.
Suggestion Box
Suggestion: Get a system that actually works, on the road, can barely log in, start and stop clocks and breaks, standing around running late for the next job because the morning manager is staring at a spinning loading wheel trying to stop our clock, on the phones barely able to click one button before the system cracks it. What should be a 3 minute call now taking 15 to 30 minutes, can’t call as many people, can’t answer as many calls, the speed of the system is costng you money. How much longer do we have to put up with this madness?
Response: The office knows this sucks and it makes life hard for everyone involved. Angus and Tomas are tirelessly slaving away in the back office building a anew system which should hopefully be in place in the new year but for now, all we can do is hope the spinning wheel of death carries us away to a much better place.