The United Parcel Service is a package carrier that brings deliveries to all types of addresses across the United States.
While there are several positions within the company, one of the most in-demand jobs is a delivery driver.
As a delivery driver, you’ll spend hours on the road either transporting packages from one facility to another or delivering to addresses.
Considering the time spent on the road or in a warehouse, you may wonder if working at UPS is a good job or not.
UPS offers several benefits, so here are some reasons it makes for a good job.
Is UPS A Good Job? (10 Reasons It Is)
1. Healthcare Benefits
Working at UPS means you’re likely going to be very active.
If you’re driving one of the trucks, then you’re going to be carrying heavy packages throughout the day.
Not every package is going to be that heavy, but there will always be times when you’ll need to carry something heavy to someone’s door.
You’re also constantly on the move.
It’s a full day of driving from one place to the next with the goal of having an empty truck by the end of the day.
Because of how fast-paced and physical the job is, working for UPS is going to take its toll on your body.
As such, it’s important to know what healthcare benefits the company offers.
The great thing about UPS is that they take care of their employees when it comes to healthcare.
They have $0 premiums, which means you don’t have to pay anything to be part of their healthcare insurance policy.
That, alone, can save you a lot of money.
If you were to take out a policy on your own, you could face premiums that cost you several hundred dollars each month.
Another great thing about their health insurance is that they don’t require you to have co-insurance either.
Finally, you can count on having low co-pay amounts.
While you will have to deal with co-pays, UPS keeps that amount very low.
As a result, you can receive the medical care that you need to stay fit and healthy.
You might even be able to start focusing on preventative care to ensure you remain at the top of your game.
UPS knows how much of a toll working for the company can take on you.
To help you recover and be as healthy as possible, they have a great healthcare system.
UPS is a good job because they take care of their employees’ medical needs.
2. Paid Vacation Days
Another great aspect of working at UPS is the number of vacation days that you get.
As soon as you work for UPS for a year, you’re eligible to get one week of paid vacation.
The longer you work for UPS, the more vacation time you get.
They cap their vacation days at seven weeks after working for the company for 30 years.
If you plan on making UPS your career, then you can expect to get seven weeks of vacation time that you will be paid for.
This is great for people who can’t afford to miss work.
You can take plenty of time off without having to worry about how it’s affecting your paycheck.
It also encourages you to stick with the company.
Not every company rewards loyalty.
The longer you work at UPS, the more vacation time you get.
That’s in addition to other paid time off that the company offers.
For example, there are certain holidays that employees have off.
You get those off automatically and get paid for them, too.
On average, you’re also able to get 18 days off that you can use for sick days or just days to relax and take a break.
This is ideal for a place like UPS because there are times when you’re going to find yourself exhausted.
Being able to take that time off while still earning money is a great benefit that not every other company offers to its employees.
Some have very few paid sick or personal days.
Others don’t scale the number of vacation days that you get based on how long you’ve worked at the company.
You might get the same number of vacation days no matter how long you’ve worked for the company.
As such, UPS is a good job because it offers a fair number of paid vacation days that scale with how long you’ve worked for them.
3. Option Days
Another reason UPS is a good job is that they have option days.
Option days are specific days that you’d rather not work.
You may have another job that you’re working that requires your attention on those days.
You might attend school and have class on those days.
You might have a family with specific parental obligations on certain days.
Whatever the reason, there may be a few days when working is quite difficult for you.
At other jobs, they might expect you to work on those days, regardless.
You might not get any say in the matter.
At UPS, you do have a say.
That’s because they use option days.
When making your schedule, you can tell your manager about the days that you can’t or would rather not work.
They may not be able to grant you those days off all the time, but they can work with you to make it work.
That makes UPS a great place to work because they actually try to consider your life when figuring out schedules.
Not every company has this attention when it comes to striking a work-life balance.
They expect you to work when they put you on the schedule.
Working at UPS is great for anyone who has specific days that they need off to take care of other things.
If you can’t work Thursdays, for example, because you need to pick up your child from school, then they can work with you.
The fact that it’s an option to discuss certain days when you can’t work is ideal for many workers.
UPS is a good job because they offer option days.
4. Part-Time Benefits
You may think that most if not all of these benefits pertain only to full-time employees.
With other employers, that might be the case.
That isn’t the case at UPS.
If you work part-time, then you’re also able to earn vacation time, paid time-off, and have option days.
The only stipulation is that you have to work a certain number of hours before you’re able to qualify for some of the benefits.
That’s to make working part-time fair with full-time when it comes to benefits.
If part-time workers were able to unlock benefits right off the bat, then everyone would work part-time.
Once you meet that qualification, however, you’re able to start earning vacation time, paid time off, and option days.
Working part-time at UPS also allows you to get access to their healthcare benefits.
As before, you’ll need to work a certain number of hours to qualify.
Once you reach it, you can also access the same benefits that a full-time worker has.
This ensures that even if you’re working part-time, you’re looked after by the company.
UPS wants to ensure that it supports all of its employees.
They don’t want to penalize you if you’re working part-time because you have another job, you’re pursuing your own dream, or you attend school.
As long you work hard when you’re clocked in with them, that’s all they care about.
This is a big deal because part-time employees don’t always get the same benefits as full-time employees at other jobs.
They may not be able to get any benefits at all.
If you’re only able to work part-time, then working for UPS is a great choice.
UPS is a good job because it supports its part-time employees just as much as it supports its full-time employees.
5. Pension Plans
In a time when few employers support pension plans, UPS is one of the few that still does.
UPS contributes more than $23,000 to each full-time employee every year.
That said, they do have a few different pension plans from which you can choose.
This is great for several reasons.
The first is that you have a slightly better chance of earning more money for retirement than if you were using a 401(k).
That’s because a pension involves the use of an expert in investments.
They invest money into various funds, stocks, or bonds that they believe will perform well.
While the downside is you don’t get to control where the contributions go, the advantage is that the company usually uses an expert in the field of financial planning.
Since they know what they’re doing, they’re likely going to make good decisions that help your retirement fund grow.
A 401(k), on the other hand, sometimes lets you decide on what stocks, funds, or bonds to invest in.
The problem with this is that, if you don’t know what to invest in, you may end up choosing poorly.
Your retirement fund could go up in smoke if your chosen stock or fund fails.
Pensions are also protected.
Even if the company ends up going bankrupt, you should still expect to get your money.
UPS also offers a pension plan for part-time employees.
This makes UPS one of the few companies that support part-time retirees in this way.
Finally, pensions are monthly payments that you receive from your employer for life.
If you want to live comfortably in retirement, then a pension can help support that dream.
UPS is a good job because they still offer pensions.
6. Tuition Assistance
UPS knows that not all of its employees want to make a career with them.
Some of them are simply working at UPS to help pay the bills.
Others are using it as a way to pay for college.
Even if you end up leaving UPS to pursue a job with your degree, the company still wants to support your growth.
They do so by offering tuition assistance.
This means that UPS will pay a certain amount of money towards your college expenses.
As long as the expense qualifies, you could get a good portion of your expenses covered by UPS.
This is a great way to earn your degree while trying to keep your student loan costs low.
You may even be able to avoid taking out a loan entirely if you take one or two classes a year instead of several.
This is a huge deal for college students.
It can open up the door to college for those who might not be able to afford it and don’t want to serve in the military.
For those who can afford college, working at UPS can make getting your degree just that much cheaper.
Considering how expensive college can be, any kind of savings is ideal.
Not a lot of employers offer tuition assistance.
That makes working at UPS a good job.
They can help you get through college.
7. Pay
Another important aspect of an employer to consider is how much you get paid.
A job isn’t worth doing if it isn’t going to help you pay your bills or enjoy a certain quality of life.
The great thing about UPS is that it pays quite well.
On average, full-time workers tend to make around $95,000 a year.
They also get around $50,000 in contributions for various benefits like healthcare, pension, and welfare.
The amount that you make also increases the longer you work for the company.
After four years with the company, for example, an average delivery driver earns around $42 an hour.
That’s not bad at all considering you’re driving around and delivering packages to people.
That said, the work is hard on the body, and it’s a fast-paced environment.
UPS expects you to pull your weight.
They’ll pay you well, but they expect you to work hard in return.
That said, earning around $95,000 a year is great for anyone who needs to support a family or even for those who live alone.
It can be a great way to save up money to buy a home or set yourself up for a successful future.
UPS is a good job because it pays well.
8. Customer-Facing
Another reason UPS is a good job is that you get to interact with people.
When it comes to being the face of UPS, you’re usually it.
You’re the person people see the most from UPS.
If you like talking to people and meeting new people, then you’re going to love working for UPS.
That said, not every house or apartment that you deliver to is going to have a person there.
That means it’s also ideal for people who may not like coming face-to-face with customers.
The job is to simply ensure the package arrives at its destination safely.
Unless the package requires a signature, you can put the package in a safe spot at the house and go on your way.
UPS is a good job because it lets you interact with people or avoid people, depending on your comfort level.
9. Not Stuck Behind A Desk
Unless you work in one of the UPS stores, you’re most likely out on the road.
This is great for people who dislike jobs where they feel as though they’re stuck behind a desk.
Desk jobs can get boring.
You’re doing the same thing each day and the environment never changes.
That isn’t the case if you’re a package handler with UPS.
You’re on the road, and the scenery is always changing.
Even if you end up delivering to the same addresses, you’re still always on the move.
You’re outside and navigating the streets instead of sitting behind a desk.
That’s great for people who need a bit of stimulation in their jobs to enjoy it.
UPS is a good job for those who like to move around during work.
10. Stay Fit
A final reason UPS is a good job is that it can keep you fit.
While that’s also determined by your diet, working at UPS is a great way to, at the very least, maintain your fitness.
Because of the fast-paced nature of the work, you’re going to be on the move constantly.
To ensure you have enough time in the day, you’ll be rushing in and out of the truck with the packages.
Some of the packages can be quite heavy, too, so you’ll be developing some muscles with time.
This is ideal for people who love physical work or who want a job that helps them break a sweat.
If staying fit is important to you, then you’ll probably find that working at UPS is a good job.
Conclusion
UPS has several positions in the company, but one of its most in-demand jobs is a package handler.
The good thing about working at UPS is that whether you’re a full-time or part-time employee, you’re able to receive benefits.
The nature of the work also gets you outside, changes things up, and provides you with plenty of opportunities to stay fit.
