KBR employees not sure if they can sleep on company time or not
Sometimes KBR just makes it so damn easy to highlight the blatant ineptitude that would be KBR LOGCAP management. Below is an email sent out today to 1000′s of KBR employees from Patricia Murphy KBR HR manager.
Just a quick explanation first. Many KBR employees must go to Entry Check Points (ECP’s) daily to pick up their Subcontract Workers(SCW’s)/Third Country Nationals(TCN’s) and Local Iraqi employees to escort them onto the Camps/Bases where they work. Evidently at this Entry Check Point (ECP), there is a whole lot of time spent waiting.
From: Edmond Halili
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:51 AM
To: DL_KBR LOGCAP III DF&I All Hands
Cc: Patricia Murphy
Subject: IMPORTANT BADGING InformationGood morning,
If you are taking personnel out to ECP 13, whether PPI, GCC or KBR Direct Hires, you will no longer be allowed to sit and sleep in your vehicles. US Military now have personnel patrolling the parking lot. If you are found in a vehicle you will most likely be questioned. If you are resting in a vehicle you will be questioned. This includes “resting your eyes”..
The Military has expressed concerns with our employees loitering and sleeping in the area. If you are driving or escorting employees, you are to be monitoring those personnel.
You should also have with you a copy of the email notification that you receive announcing your appointment.
US Military is asking that everyone watch for suspicious activity and report to any US military personnel if you see anything out of the ordinary.
Please share this information with all in your AOR.
Thank you.
Regards,
Patricia Murphy, PHR
HR Manager
KBR, Inc.
F2 Regional
APO, AE 09344
Office: 281-669-5065
Patricia.murphy@kbr.com
One must assume, for something to be disallowed it must first be allowable. Did Ms Murphy intend to imply in an All-Hands email that KBR has in the past allowed their employees to commit time sheet fraud by giving them permission to sleep on company time in a company vehicle at Entry Check Points?
Shortly after the initial email went out, this one followed:
From: Essence Peel
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 1:32 PM
To: DL_KBR LOGCAP III DF&I All Hands
Cc: Patricia Murphy
Subject: RE: IMPORTANT BADGING Information – PLease Disregard
Importance: HighALCON:
Disregard the message below. (In this post it is the one above)
Thanks,
Essence Peel
Operations Manager
KBR, Inc.
F2 ID #43375
APO AE 09344
Office: 281.669.5019
DSN: 318.847.2322
Is Ms Peel disregarding the disallowing of the sleeping at ECP’s making it again allowable? This is all so very confusing. I think what most people just want to know is….can they catch some ZZZ’s at the ECP’s or not?
Ms Sparky
Wednesday, January 27th 2010 at 2:25 pm |
Hey i protest
Looks like this guy got a lot more comfortable hooch than I got and a lot bigger too.
Wednesday, January 27th 2010 at 5:29 pm |
Someone will simply say that they weren’t sleeping, their eyes were closed because they were praying.
Wednesday, January 27th 2010 at 5:41 pm |
I think there is an opportunity here, order snuggies in bulk then brand them with the KBR logo, issue them with the caps and lanyards. If you catch an employee sleeping without his/her “fit and ready for duty” snuggie, give them three days off without pay. Charge this all back to Uncle Sam at cost+ and cha ching. I think I would require the employee to eat all 3 squares at the DFAC, that’s an extra $100 plus change.
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 12:12 am |
Do you know what is white and can sleep six???
A KBR service truck!!!!!!
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 12:14 am |
Actually, what’s the difference if they are napping at the ECP or hiding behind an old Iraqi bunker sleeping, watching dvd’s reading, ect.
I guess only the rules apply to certain personel over here
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 8:17 am |
I find this email from one Patricia Murphy strange.
I had to leave IQ because of a medical condition which subsequently caused me to be demobilized involuntary.
My departure from IQ was so sudden that I had no chance of taking my personal belongings with me (was flown out on medivac)
Then the email traffic started from my side trying to retrieve my belongings (no flat screen TV though, lol).
The lady in question, I thought was supposed to help me with the process.
To cut things short………no reply after numerous emails.
Makes one wonder who was sleeping on the job!
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 8:32 am |
I get so many complaints about people who have been medivac’d out, terminated or instant transfers not able to retrieve their belongings. I know exactly what happens…..it’s a free for all over your stuff! I saw it happen in the Green Zone several times. When I went to Dubai on a medical. I had to go see a cardiologist because the doctor at the CSH thought I might be having a heart attack. I gave my friend my key and $200 to pack and ship my stuff home in the event I wasn’t able to come back. I didn’t trust HR and the camp manager to pack my stuff! Not for one second!!
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 8:55 am |
Problem is……..I had a heart attack.
Medic station to TMC to hospital in another base to Dubai.
Absolutely no chance of taking my stuff with me – If it wasn’t for the help of my fellow sparkies and friends leaving on R&R, I would have had nothing from my days in IQ (at least I got something, except for the memories).
So much for “assistance” from HR who I honestly thought did not only dedicate their time to “days off” or “pasta or chicken” investigations!
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 11:15 am |
You gotta love those sparkies!! I hope you are doing better!
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 11:18 am |
Busy with DBA claim. Let’s hold thumbs!
Friday, January 29th 2010 at 11:55 am |
OMG! Good luck with that. Dealing with your DBA claim might be more painful than a heart attack!
Keep us posted!
Monday, November 19th 2012 at 11:45 pm |
KBR only allowed me what I could carry. The rest they took for themselfs including a autographed picture of Pete Rose being inducted into the hall of Fame
Monday, June 28th 2010 at 3:13 pm |
You’re an idiot and deserved to have your stuff taken… too bad I wasn’t the one to get my hands on it
Monday, June 28th 2010 at 7:16 pm |
Now that’s not very nice….unless of course you are a pantie thief.
Monday, November 19th 2012 at 11:45 pm |
Come get it
Saturday, November 24th 2012 at 8:51 pm |
KBR Guy I am still waiting for you to take my stuff
Tuesday, February 2nd 2010 at 8:14 pm |
As I was reading this and the accompanying replies, I was again reminded of my tenure as the HR File Room Lead at JBB, where I had the opportunity to review countless accounts of people receiving counseling’s for sleeping on the job. It was so prevalent at times, it seemed like there had been a veritable mass casualty attack of weaponized narcolepsy.
Moving forward, administrative action taken against the violator was wildly inconsistent, ranging from MFR’s (Memorandum for Record); to verbal counseling’s…FREEZE FRAME… (Is it just me, or does the concept of someone receiving a “written” verbal counseling create a paradox which defies rational elucidation? Isn’t that what they call an oxymoron, the definition being a figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side? Kinda like a misnomer? Huh?? What the hell did he just say??)
PRESS PLAY…where were we, oh yes – punishment meted-out for sleeping on the job ranging from MFR’s, to verbal counseling’s, to written counseling’s, to the all too common and ubiquitous termination counseling. I can just hear the Governator now making a scowling, tight-lipped announcement with that thick, pre cold war era accent, “YOU IDIOT! YOU HAVE BEEN TURMINATED! NOW GET OUT!”
When is the last time anyone working on LOGCAP has heard anything about making allowances for putting in 7 12’s for months at a time, which if I am not mistaken is still the work schedule on LOGCAP? Or perhaps the big “they” just don’t care, perpetuating that worn-out machismo expression of, “If you can’t run with the big dogs, you should’ve stayed on the porch.” What a load of hooey!
Sleep deprivation is probably one of the leading contributing factors of preventable incidents and accidents on the project, more so than anything any other single causative issue, and unless the LOGCAP employers wise-up, there will undoubtedly continue to be an epidemic of preventable injuries, maiming’s, and fatalities.
I’m sure many of you will agree that a large majority of people on LOGCAP are walking around like a bunch of zombies, a condition totally preventable if the powers-that-be would simply get their collective head out of their collective ass, and do the right thing by taking responsible, pro-active steps designed to mitigate the documented dangers of sleep deprivation. (Check out http://www.sleepnet.com/depriv.htm)
What is it going to take to make them open their eyes? (Check out http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=puns) *Viewer discretion advised*
See you at http://www.logcap4jobs.com
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 12:22 pm |
Isn’t sleep deprivation one of the oldest methods to “entice” POW’s to spill the beans?
Getting back to reality……….you mention “7 12’s for months at a time” for KBR folks.
As an ex KBR sparky I can assure you this is not the case.
In ’09 we had to do 7 12′s, but there’s more; on top of that we had to sit in on laborious conference calls dealing with G&B, which by the way were compulsory for another 1 hour at least.
This is not where it ended – some of us “fortunate” ones had to keep the boat afloat by performing additional standby duties where a call-out could be happening anytime from 8pm until 6am the next morning.
I believe some of the KBR folks have a right to sleep on the job under these circumstances, not so?
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 12:50 pm |
I still can’t condone sleeping “on the job” or at a check point where anything can happen. If you are too tired to work then you should go home, especially if you are an electrician. What I do support is a minimum number of hours off the job. If you are asked to work over or sit in on a meeting after your 12 hour shift and are getting paid for it *straight time of course), you should be allowed those same number of hours to sleep in in the morning with no compensation. If you are not being paid to work over or sit in on these meetings, then you should still be allowed to sleep in those extra hours and be compensated.
KBR is not worth hurting/killing yourself over.
As far as this post goes….the whole gist of it was to high light the stupid broadcast email that was sent out by KBR management.
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 1:02 pm |
Agree, that’s the way it should be.
No overtime allowed, but provision made for “off” time.
Reality however dictated that there was no room for “off” time with G&B…….productivity, productivity…….productiv…..
These are my concluding remarks on this issue
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 1:12 pm |
Actually, if you are being asked to work over or sit in meetings and not being paid for it – you should not do it. I beleive that your employment contract states that you will be paid straight time for all hours over 40.
Then again if after you have worked 12 hours you choose to participate in social activities that, keep you form getting a realistic amount of sleep – then you have no right to complain. Trust me I have seen walking zombies – ususally the ones that found a way to party until 1 or 2 in the AM and then have to be at work at 7 for 12 hours.
Or if you are maybe spending 2 hours in the DFAC at lunch, then maybe lets say another hour at the PX or other shopping during the day – well that really is not working and should not be counted as part of your 12 hours.
Are there lots of people there who consistently do their 12 day in day out, don’t fudge (much), still manage to get a good nights sleep and can’t wait for the R&R wheels up just to get some real sleep. Yes there are.
No one said it would be easy. Technically the Active Duty folks are getting paid for and expected to work 24/7 when the situation requires it.
And by the way the Army actually did do a study of the 12/7 schedule and its effect on performance during LCII. They did point out that 12/7 was the outside limit of effectiveness but was not a detrement.
Could be worse – could be with one of the contractors who does not pay the extra straight time – but makes you work it anyway.
I do however agree strongly that sleeping on the job puts you and everyone else in danger and should never be condoned.
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 1:25 pm |
Civilian contractors are not military and shouldn’t be treated like the military. That’s one reason KBR has killed so many, especially drivers!
I know the Grounding and Bonding (G&B) crews have been literally “bull whipped” in order to comply with the Army’s requirements. But there are many different reasons why people might not get enough sleep. Social reasons (which I have on occasion been guilty of as well) are not a good reason to go to work and sleep. I’ve also been kept up by Indirect Fire (IDF) some close enough to rattle the walls….but who heads to the bunker at 2am? It got to the point that unless it landed close enough to knock something off the walls I didn’t wake up.
I have never been a proponent of working endless 7/12′s. Even if you don’t have a physically strenuous job, you get tired and then people get hurt.
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 2:10 pm |
Well have to agree with you there. Also have to say that as far as I am concerned there should be no reason that there are not enough employees to do the job (but then again we all know that is not real either)and there should not be anyone or group ‘bull wipped’.
Safety should always be the first concern.
Maybe a few side remarks to a few QAR’s regarding the safety factor would eventually have some positive results.
Unfortuantely, it still all comes down to the bottom dollar – trying to do too much in too many places with too few assets inorder to fit into what ever was agreed to.
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 3:01 pm |
KBR Managers used to lock their office doors or leave for a while in Bagram and sleep. Of course they used to write-up everyone else. Construction workers used to nap on the job when they built the Generals Office down towards the Bazaar. They even slept on the job when they built the PUC in Kandahar.
Wednesday, February 3rd 2010 at 4:31 pm |
Well at least we can rule out “beauty rest” but maybe they were hoping for the tooth fairy.