The beginning of every day around the sort is the most crucial part of the day to get right. A multiple-step process that can be tough for those new to the job, I’ll be giving you a step-by-step list of what you must do to properly start your day. This list doesn’t need to be followed exactly step by step in the order they are in but each item is important for every day. Everyone has their own route and finding what order works best for you is always the best way to go about doing each task (as long as they all get completed in time).

The first thing I am going to talk about today is what computer task you must complete before each day. Most management will tell you to begin each day by checking your email. This is a very important task to complete as this will tell you what you must complete for the day outside the sort, any help or problems other supervisors need, and let you know what to expect for the upcoming day. Doing this first every day will help keep you out of trouble and ready for the upcoming day.

1b. While you are already at the computer this is a good time to complete or at least start your time card for the day. No reason to do any work for free and this way you’ll have it done for the day. Also, it’s a smart idea to check for yesterday’s final numbers, but there will be another opportunity for this later.

After you have completed checking your email and any other of your start day routine on the computer next is to prepare for your daily pre-work meeting. This meeting is where you will talk about how yesterday’s sort went, what problems need to be addressed, how to address said problems, and what the day's goals are. During this time you will also discuss staffing with other managers and the daily staffing plan. For whatever center you may end up working at; it is important to remember that the center's pre-work meeting is personalized to that center and the best way to prepare for this is by communicating with your direct superiors and finding what they want to know.

The next step is a bit of an easier one but still very very crucial to your day. For this step, you must set up the program that allows for the sorting machines to work. This two-step process is very easy all you must do is press reset on both separate programs and you are off to the races.

That more or less completes most of the computer work that is needed to set up for the day. Employees clock themselves in you will only need to play with that if it breaks or has some sort of issue. The rest of the setup comes through more physical labor. Properly setting up all aids and tools for the employees is most of the job a supervisor must do when arriving at work. Doing so will allow you to find any problems and allow for you to address them and find a solution before can throw off your sort.

The best thing you can start this part of your presort it’s by setting up all the different sort machines. In my building, we have 8 sort machines that need setting up for two different areas. Making sure each is properly working every day before the sort is what you should do next by testing the machines on different packages already unloaded.

Checking that all belts are properly running and in good repair is another key aspect of a proper setup. Going to each stop/start button and making sure it works both ways for the safety of your employees working with them. Lastly, with the belts, it is very important to make sure they are all set to the speed and direction your sort needs. Every sort in every building uses different settings for how they run their belts most effectively for them, make sure to always set up what is best for you and your sort.

Your employees do a lot to help you and this is your turn to help them. Next, you are going to want to set up splits and load aids that will help your sorters. This can be anything from rollers to make it easier for people loading trucks to get to the back to set up steps for people to easily step down from high platforms. Things like this will maximize the safety and efficiency of your employees and allow you to get more from every hour.

Lastly, you will need to set up any side sort areas that might need prepping. Turning on the fuel pumps and making sure all equipment is there, setting up the clerk station so they can show up and get a head start fixing packages, or maybe even setting up the smalls sort allowing for the employees stationed there to get a head start on their long task.

These little bit more physical tasks are very crucial to a good start to the day. But, it’s important to do everything mentioned every day to ensure you are prepared for the day ahead. Getting to the building about an hour before all the employees should give you ample time to complete all these tasks and still have a bit of free time before you actually start for the day. A good start to the day will allow for a good end to the day and everything in between. It’s something you’ll practice time and time again until you perfect what works for you. Remember to leave a bit of time for any necessary training for you or your employees to need to ensure gets completed.

The very last thing that needs to be down right before you start the sort is your PCM. The PCM is a meeting with all union employees that tells them what is expected, what they are doing, and what the safety goals of the day are. Then once you complete that you are ready to kickstart your day and get to starting the day.