The FedEx CEO said they have had a difficult time finding employees since last spring.
Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images
As the holiday season approaches, concerns are mounting about whether companies will be able to deliver packages in time for the holidays.. And it is that there have been delays in the supply chain throughout the country.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said consumers should contact FedEx to ensure their packages will arrive in time for Christmas. In response to Raimondo’s remarks, the FedEx CEO, Fred Smith, said Sunday that his company will be able to deliver during the holidays on time if it can hire enough employees to do so..
Smith said they have had a difficult time finding employees since last spring, due in part to the emergence of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
According to Smith, FedEx has processed 90,000 job applications since November 1, compared to 50,000 that were submitted in the one-week period in May. In other words, the number almost doubled.
Smith said this is very encouraging because lack of employees is contributing to delays in package shipments.
Another problem employers currently face is dealing with the new vaccination mandate for companies with more than 100 employees.
When asked if he feared there would be a large number of employee strikes by the Jan. 4 deadline to make it mandatory for employees at large companies to be vaccinated, Smith said he did have that concern.
Still, Smith thanked the White House administration for moving the deadline to January 4, since it was previously on December 8. Had it continued on this last date, it could have jeopardized the delivery of the Christmas purchases. Smith said the new date gives them the opportunity to get all their workers vaccinated, as reported on CBS.
FedEx has carried out several initiatives to encourage vaccination among its employees by offering incentives such as bonuses. Despite this, Smith said, “(Among) the people who operate the pickup and delivery systems, the warehouses, and the fulfillment and sorting centers that run this country’s logistics system, there are a good number, a large percentage. , who simply does not want to be vaccinated ”.
Smith said that FedEx may be able to deliver 100 million more shipments this holiday season, compared to 2019. He said this will be possible due to the investments the company made in the area of e-commerce and the modernization of its fleets of planes to use less energy and emit less carbon dioxide.
Still, you need to have enough employees to get shipments through.
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Source-eldiariony.com