Big News

Before I get to the "big news" of the week, I just wanted to say what a week its been in the kitchen. I'll admit, when I was told I was released and would have to do the majority of things on my own, I was extremely nervous. I realized up until that point, I hadn't done a lot on my own and wondered what I had really learned. However, the night I was released, most everything seemed to come together and things weren't near as crazy as I had made them out to be. I knew what was expected of me, I was aware of the quality checks that I was responsible for, and when an alarm went off, I had a general idea of what I needed to do. My trainer gave me some space and wasn't present for most of the night, it was just myself and the head kitchen operator. With two more weeks of training courses ahead, I'm confident I will be off to a great start as a kitchen operator.

When I started with the company two months ago, I was told it was an exciting time to be employeed with The Hershey Company and there were a bunch of changes on the horizon. I chalked this up to the welcoming commitee just trying to get us excited about our new employment. Once I got to work On Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and found out about the management meeting that went on the morning before, I started to believe all the hype. The "team leaders" (people that are in charge of running and operating their own line) were told if they did not posess a four year college degree, they would be scaled back to a floor position within the next six months, and Hershey would be hiring nine or 10 new supervisors holding a college education before the years end. I of course came home and submitted my application Wednesday morning as we were told Hershey would be more apt to hire individuals that were already employeed with the company. I'm fully aware that this transition will not be all rainbows and butterflies, and there will be some animosity between the former line leaders and the new salaried supervisors. I'm anxious to find out if I will recieve an interview and what my future holds with the company. I have made no mention to anyone about applying for the supervision position with the exception of my father....well, and now you Randy. I thought it best to just keep it quiet for now. Any suggestions or advice you might have?