What's the job like now

[DirtyHarry]

Two words.

Absolute s**t.

[NewPostieUK]

It makes perfect sense to have smaller frames.
The mail comes in trays in sequenced order and we take it out of the trays to put it in frames in sequenced order.
To any objective outsider that is a complete waste of time.
A smaller frame to sort the IPS and then merge it as you tie it up.

In what way would they be smaller? You'd still have the same number of delivery points and need a slot for each one.

I also can't understand this merging. Do you take 3 letters out of the tray and add it to the bundle, then flick through the bundle to the next address that has mail in the tray and merge another 2 or 3 letters?

[Celgar]

RM has a crazy idea they are working on to get rid of the sorting frames in DOs. I'm just waiting to see if they manage to get away with implementing it and the end result.

Oh dear oh dear another crazy idea from those that havent got a clue about the job!

It makes perfect sense to have smaller frames.
The mail comes in trays in sequenced order and we take it out of the trays to put it in frames in sequenced order.
To any objective outsider that is a complete waste of time.
A smaller frame to sort the IPS and then merge it as you tie it up.

You have nearly quoted verbatim the same b******* terminology that the CWU & RM have presented to us and the foolhardy have given the thumbs up to. The 'objective outsider' knows next to nothing about our job and how some of us are treated while at work. It may seem at first glance to be bizarre to prep sequenced mail into our walk sorting frames. The company line is that this plan will save 25 minutes per day but I would argue there will be no time saving and if will take longer. If ALL the mail ie letters and flats is sequenced and we have no IPS to do in DOs I can see possible time savings. This 'paradise' situation has floating in the ether for years and hasn't happened yet. The more likely situation is that they want us to put the sequenced mail to one side, sort the remaining mail, then fiddle the two lots of mail together in our hands. This will take longer to do and be more difficult. I really cannot see any sense in it.

[Brandy]

Well after some 37 years it’s become a gutty slog at times,but as some have said still at times a great job,but sadly being missed managed by managers cost cutting and box ticking at every opportunity,a culture of fear exists with management cutting hours and overtime and things getting done on a wing and a prayer,I love my rural round and it’s the customers that make you smile,and maybe it’s not the job for me any more as my boss keeps saying,but will hang on and see if evr is an option,and as I keep saying doing the job properly,safely and securely takes longer and they ain’t keen on that until something goes wrong,rounds not tested by management who haven’t a clue where your round goes and what’s involved,but hey we get paid Friday,I wish you well my friend.

Well said,I enjoy reading your posts as you say it just as it is. I think your boss is a disgrace keep telling you "" Its not the job for you anymore"" after all those years service.Mind you I got much the same after 19 years I was asked when I would be leaving as they were getting younger new starters.

[postslippete]

Gone are the days when the gaffer would give me an hour of overtime for taking the odd parcel out that hadn't gone. Now we come back to the office after a delivery and see dozens of packets being left on Yorks or even rows of mail being left in the frames. This was all unthinkable years ago when we provided a public service to our customers.

We got PDAs that clock our every move every time we scan something which I can see leading to one or two problems in future. Royal Mail is now big brother measuring our 'efficiency'. That happens at Amazon now and staff get put on stage warnings for not working at the required rate and its not rocket science to predict that is where Royal Mail appear to be heading.

More agency workers. Because most staff just don't want to work overtime or their days off anymore. Who can blame them when the company makes the duties bigger or introduces more lapsing at the drop of a hat. Its just not worth the stress.

[robbertwhitton]

Well after some 37 years it’s become a gutty slog at times,but as some have said still at times a great job,but sadly being missed managed by managers cost cutting and box ticking at every opportunity,a culture of fear exists with management cutting hours and overtime and things getting done on a wing and a prayer,I love my rural round and it’s the customers that make you smile,and maybe it’s not the job for me any more as my boss keeps saying,but will hang on and see if evr is an option,and as I keep saying doing the job properly,safely and securely takes longer and they ain’t keen on that until something goes wrong,rounds not tested by management who haven’t a clue where your round goes and what’s involved,but hey we get paid Friday,I wish you well my friend.

Well said,I enjoy reading your posts as you say it just as it is. I think your boss is a disgrace keep telling you "" Its not the job for you anymore"" after all those years service.Mind you I got much the same after 19 years I was asked when I would be leaving as they were getting younger new starters.

Well thank you for that,I do try to stay positive and keep smiling,not easy at times,but keep the faith ,am not sure it’s the job for my boss anymore he seems s bit scared of his boss to say the least,I wouldn’t want it that’s for sure,when my customers start complaining about me then I will go and that’s not gonna happen,when I say I’ve had enough of it they want to go to the Dom and kick some arse!!

[Celgar]

It makes perfect sense to have smaller frames.
The mail comes in trays in sequenced order and we take it out of the trays to put it in frames in sequenced order.
To any objective outsider that is a complete waste of time.
A smaller frame to sort the IPS and then merge it as you tie it up.

In what way would they be smaller? You'd still have the same number of delivery points and need a slot for each one.

I also can't understand this merging. Do you take 3 letters out of the tray and add it to the bundle, then flick through the bundle to the next address that has mail in the tray and merge another 2 or 3 letters?

Yes. As I understand it you have explained the method they intend us to use. I don't see any time savings can be possible from this so there is no point in it.

[fishtank]

It makes perfect sense to have smaller frames.
The mail comes in trays in sequenced order and we take it out of the trays to put it in frames in sequenced order.
To any objective outsider that is a complete waste of time.
A smaller frame to sort the IPS and then merge it as you tie it up.

I'm not sure it does make perfect sense. It would depend on whether any negative impact starting with the time it takes to bench merge whether that affects quality and including potential redirection failures, how D2D would be prepped, risks from increased dog attacks and slips, trips and falls would factor into that. After all we're talking about on average 15-20 minutes to prep sequenced mail ( two trays ), if it takes 10-15 minutes to bench merge you're talking about a lot of negative for potentially 5 minutes.

I'm not even sure "a smaller frame to sort IPS" is even on the table, if you remove the sequenced mail element from prep it's unlikely you could justify keeping any kind of frame just for IPS.

[cloherty1976]

Yes it has changed over the last 30 years but it's been great for me. Well paid job and I love the variety of jobs I have done over the years.

[Jack1960]

In my 40th year on delivery and still love the job. Yes there have been changes,only to be expected,but our terms and conditions have improved in parallel to the changes. Far too many doom and gloom merchants knock the job.

[number one]

In my 40th year on delivery and still love the job. Yes there have been changes,only to be expected,but our terms and conditions have improved in parallel to the changes. Far too many doom and gloom merchants knock the job.

Spot on pal, I’m 18 years in and still love it. Some people just don’t deal with change and will moan not matter what. Some people need to get in the real world and realise what they have is a lot better than others.

[fishtank]

In my 40th year on delivery and still love the job. Yes there have been changes,only to be expected,but our terms and conditions have improved in parallel to the changes. Far too many doom and gloom merchants knock the job.

Spot on pal, I’m 18 years in and still love it. Some people just don’t deal with change and will moan not matter what. Some people need to get in the real world and realise what they have is a lot better than others.

Some people understand that the only way to maintain or improve your terms and conditions is to never be satisfied with them.

[clashcityrocker]

A smaller frame to sort the IPS and then merge it as you tie it up.

In what way would they be smaller? You'd still have the same number of delivery points and need a slot for each one.

Do you know what percentage of your mail is currently sequenced?
I think the average is around 70%. It may vary from area to area?
That percentage will probably only increase as automation improves.
If you had a duty of 1500 items then assuming 2/3rds is sequenced it leaves you 500 letters to sort.
Whereas now you require a slot for each house, if you are prepping much less mail you don't.
Whereas now you have 120 slots,a slot for each house in Acacia Avenue for example, you could have only 60. Obviously the basic maths suggest it would be less, but assuming they halve the size of your frame, the indoor footprint of your office is halved.
Consequently they can now move another DO of a similar size into your office. (Or move you elsewhere).
And sell the real estate which I think is the real driving force behind the changes. So all the talk of will it save 5 minutes or 25 minutes misses the point completely.
It allows them to sell Delivery Offices.

[Celgar]

A smaller frame to sort the IPS and then merge it as you tie it up.

In what way would they be smaller? You'd still have the same number of delivery points and need a slot for each one.

Do you know what percentage of your mail is currently sequenced?
I think the average is around 70%. It may vary from area to area?
That percentage will probably only increase as automation improves.
If you had a duty of 1500 items then assuming 2/3rds is sequenced it leaves you 500 letters to sort.
Whereas now you require a slot for each house, if you are prepping much less mail you don't.
Whereas now you have 120 slots,a slot for each house in Acacia Avenue for example, you could have only 60. Obviously the basic maths suggest it would be less, but assuming they halve the size of your frame, the indoor footprint of your office is halved.
Consequently they can now move another DO of a similar size into your office. (Or move you elsewhere).
And sell the real estate which I think is the real driving force behind the changes. So all the talk of will it save 5 minutes or 25 minutes misses the point completely.
It allows them to sell Delivery Offices.

I'm wondering whether you're a postie, an ex-postie, or just trolling us as what you are writing is completely off the mark. RM sold the majority of it's material assets off a number of years ago apart from a few large sites in London some of which now being partially sold off or being redeveloped. We no longer own the vans and probably not the lorries either. Most DOs that RM used to own outright were sold off and immediately leased back. A lot of DOs have already been combined with other DOs or moved into MCs. This process is still continuing with some communities up in arms about the inconvenience etc.
Regarding the percentage of mail currently arriving at DOs in sequenced trays no way is it an average of 70%. The ratio is probably a lower percentage on Tuesdays given how RM manages the mail flow for that day. The rest of the week it's probably between 20 and 30 percent. Regarding sharing single slots in a walk frame for two or more addresses that doesn't work now so that idea is a no-show.
RMs target objective is to save time with this crazy idea and their stated estimate is 25 minutes per day. I would say it's more likely to add a minimum of 25 minutes but probably more. If they can make out that it will save time then every office will be asked to lose more hours or whole walks or do more lapsing.

[Celgar]

It makes perfect sense to have smaller frames.
The mail comes in trays in sequenced order and we take it out of the trays to put it in frames in sequenced order.
To any objective outsider that is a complete waste of time.
A smaller frame to sort the IPS and then merge it as you tie it up.

I'm not sure it does make perfect sense. It would depend on whether any negative impact starting with the time it takes to bench merge whether that affects quality and including potential redirection failures, how D2D would be prepped, risks from increased dog attacks and slips, trips and falls would factor into that. After all we're talking about on average 15-20 minutes to prep sequenced mail ( two trays ), if it takes 10-15 minutes to bench merge you're talking about a lot of negative for potentially 5 minutes.

I'm not even sure "a smaller frame to sort IPS" is even on the table, if you remove the sequenced mail element from prep it's unlikely you could justify keeping any kind of frame just for IPS.

No way is it going to take just 10 to 15 minutes to 'merge' between two and four trays of sequenced mail into bundles of mail combined with mail sorted into your walk frame. Also how long and how are your redirections going to be done and how much longer than now is that going to take. The more I think about this moronic concept the larger a nightmare is becomes. It makes renaming Royal Mail to Consignia seem like a good idea and that was a complete farce.