CSTM (delivery driver) a two month review
Pros
Well organised training, with a real emphasis on safety. Ocado provides all employees with a good benefits scheme from the start. Everyone who works at the spoke (or depot from which deliveries are made) are genuinely friendly and supportive, with people from many, many different backgrounds. I would take a punt and suggest that the average age of the drivers in my spoke (somewhere in the SE) is around 45. Shifts: having worked in an entirely different profession for many years until now, I enjoy having a shift pattern. Earlies typically start between 6am and 6.45 with a late lunch time finish, or lates - around 3.45pm starts until 11.45 pm. A premium is paid for late night shifts and Sunday hours and even more for Sunday evening hours (c. £14 per hour ) The employee portal which is accessible via mobile phone or pc is brilliant, and simple to use. From viewing your upcoming (or past) shifts for the next few weeks, to booking holiday, swapping shifts and viewing payslips amongst other things. *** What really shows fairness as an employer is the paid overtime. Firstly, 99% of shifts are scheduled to be 8 hours long. If you end up working more than 8 hours (delays due to traffic, bad weather etc) you will be paid for the time beyond the 8 hours (I think it kicks in after 15 minutes extra) There are still so many job roles and companies out there that do not pay for overtime. Secondly and I believe this is important too - the fact Ocado pays it's drivers overtime shows its dedication to health and safety - it prevents people from "rushing" to get the deliveries completed - and quite right too - nobody should rush or try to make time up when driving on the roads after all ! Pay is weekly, one week in arrears. I've spent the last 25 years of employment being paid monthly and I'm surprised (pleasantly) to realise there are some advantages to weekly pay, especially if money is tight Career - I know I had a preconception that a career beyond being a delivery driver was unlikely, however there are genuine opportunities to move in to other roles. The Ocado recruitment pages online ring true, many of the managers in this business have been drivers in the past so they know the drill, the issues and opportunities and appreciate the challenges of the job. *** Ocado is proving to be a very successful company - just look at the business news online. Ocado is growing, more and more new customers are coming onboard every week and they are expanding their spokes (delivery depots). Ocado versus other supermarket delivery roles - it's worth remembering that Ocado is an online supermarket, there are no physical stores. With this in mind, the delivery routes can be varied, some will be very compact with lots of deliveries close together, some may involve a round trip of over 100 miles. Also, because it is a modern (and young) company the vans provided are excellent. They are mercedes van and automatic with tiptronic gearboxes. I think most supermarket delivery vans are similar in operation but the real bonus is how you access the goods in the back! Onboard camera - filming both outside and inside the van ! This is a GOOD feature. Like standard onboard dash cams these days, it films the road ahead and automatically records any adverse actions / accidents. But it also films you with the same recording feature. It IS there to protect you - to be able to demonstrate you were not using a mobile phone or being distracted in some way when an accident occurs. Accessing the goods in the back can be done from either side of the van which is a great safety feature (as you physically have to get in and out ). It doesn't matter which side of the road you have to park, you can safely get out without being in the road.
Cons
Downsides - well a lot of this can be subjective - just as my pros could be. I've read a lot of previous employee feedback on this website in the past. One thing is certain to me, the majority of the moanie (sp?) and blunt negative complaints seem to come from people who were clearly not suited to the job, can't cope with varied personalities, or are the type of person who doesn't take working for a living seriously, bouncing from one job to the next. (hit me now if that seems snobbish, but I've spent many years managing and coaching teams of people and I reflect on my experiences) This isn't really a pro or a con - it should be used as a reminder - this is a physically demanding job at times. I am/was an unfit, overweight person by my own admission before starting this role but I have enjoyed losing weight and getting fitter in the process ! I have few that come to mind. Working shifts , very early or late is not a con so ignore that feedback in other reviews - you know up front what the job will entail so it's up to the individual to decide if they are happy with this arrangement. One "con" I can think of is booking holiday. (To put this in context, I started my role in January so the shift rotas had already been created before I came on board.) Booking of holiday is simple enough - online or via mobile phone. However there seems to be very limited days on some months where there appears to be any holiday days available to book. What usually happens, is the closer to those dates you were after, the more slots become available (needs of the business and all that). You will often receive a text message the day before your shift offering the team paid leave, or unpaid leave or a shift swap) so whilst this can be handy at times, it's too late to use as time spent with family. To put it more simply - my kids are on half term, I could not book half term off as holiday (you can't always get the holiday you want in any job) so they have been shipped off to relatives. However twice this week I have received the staff text offering a day off the next day - of no use to me as I could not plan time with kids at such short notice. A hazard of the job I suppose given the business is based around delivering to pre booked deliveries.
