(no subject)

[derien]

We were informed yesterday that for people who fail the x-ray test three times the result will be termination. No more 'retrain and retain' policy.

The new test fails approximately 40% of the screeners. This is NOT because 40% suck, this is because the test is badly designed.

They're going exactly the way they shouldn't be, if you ask me. They're having a harder time finding people who want to do this job, even with the economy turning down as it is, partly because the demands of the job are so high and they're just wearing out the labor pool - at least in this area. We're now hiring kids just out of high school and retired people who just want some benefits and some pin money. Kids just out of high school are often quite good at the x-ray but not so good at completeness, bag searching and customer service. Retirees often fail the x-ray testing just because their eyes are not as good as they used to be, but they're really good at everything else. They shouldn't force everyone to have to do every function.

And the pressure to pass such a badly designed test is not going to help moral, which is already rock-bottom.

Comments

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

That sounds pretty dumb, when they're finding it hard to find staff already.

[derien.livejournal.com]

It really is. And then they train for upstairs first and later for handling baggage, and all the older people get hurt in baggage. So really all they're going to be able to hire will be the kids out of high school! Hey, at least they don't have criminal records, yet. But you have to be able to pass a grammar test, so that might be knocking out a lot of the applicants! (Yeah, why grammar? We don't know.)

[(Anonymous)]

Geez --just when I thought OF TSA again -but I ruled it out ...because at this point I can't lift 70lbs all day long-
never mind the xrays
LTA

[derien.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you know... it's really not good that all these older people are coming in, because it's almost certain to hurt them when they get trained for downstairs. I hate the thought of my current trainee working downstairs. Even though she loaded planes when she was younger and she's probably totally buff, but she's not as young as she used to be.

[peak-in-darien.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sucks. Sounds like a really bad decision.

[derien.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Although at least they have improved the test a little since they were failing so many. In fact I was wrong, they were failing 50%! Yesterday one of the people who'd failed first time around took it again and said it was much easier.