The mind boggles at those that still hold a romanticised view of what being a postman is actually like these days .. do these people believe that Postman Pat is based on true events ? .. although I do have a rural round I can't say I've ever been called on to hire the Royal Mail helicopter to rescue a stranded cow up a mountain and winch it to safety.
I imagine that Royal Mail management's eyes lit up at the thought that they could potentially charge for this service .. either through subsidy from the government's social care budget or via relatives of the elderly or vulnerable .. let's face it, RM aren't exactly going to suddenly come over all philanthropic, are they ? .. there has to be something in it for them and, as per usual, this will be at the expense both physically and mentally, of those of us at the coalface .. I say physically because you'll still be expected to complete your ever increasing round as well as taking your lapsing as the visits will, like scanning every 2D barcode and "delivering to neighbours", take "no additional time" .. Can you honestly say for certain that a year to 18 months from now we will not all be facing a minimum "visit quota" of, for example, 20 per week ? .. as for the mental aspect .. I look around my office and can count on the fingers of one hand the number of postmen that I would suggest are capable of delivering this service without potentially making the situation worse .. after a previously highly stressful 30 year career in corporate industry, one of the joys of this job for me is not taking any aspect of the day's job home with you and starting afresh the next day .. I care about people and love the interaction with the general public but I can't say I've ever harboured an ambition to be a carer or social worker.
As for the time factor .. I don't know about you but every time I see a publicised statement concerning the "reduction in letter volume" I feel my blood start to boil .. I find the transparent intent to reinforce the public perception that our job is declining incredibly annoying .. our bags have never been heavier .. the rounds are getting longer .. young people enter the business fit and healthy and are physical wrecks within months .. I know the packet volumes of today would make using cycles completely impractical but I would love, for instance, to know the official figures relating to staff turnover regarding IHR and general sickness and the comparison between pre-bike and post-bike periods .. I have a feeling the truth would be horrific.
Finally, kind of unrelated, but while I'm here I need to offload on the share issue .. I cannot understand how the "unscheduled" statement and profit warning can be seen as anything else but utterly scandalous .. if insider trading is a criminal offence, how is this blatant market manipulation any different ? .. the fact that many of us had forecast exactly what would happen months before the event didn't stop us staring open mouthed with incredulity at the sheer bare-faced audacity of the timing of the statement .. three days after the sale date and the shares are already on the rise as we obviously approach our busiest period of the year .. fortunately I was not in a position where I needed to sell but I feel for those that are not so fortunate and had banked on a pre-Christmas windfall to make their lives a little less stressful.
Rant over .. and you might be forgiven for asking why I work for such an apparently uncaring and cynical organisation as RM ? .. in truth, I love my job .. I love the "craic" with the people I work with .. I love meeting people on my round and getting to know them where time allows .. I love being out in the fresh air all year round and, on a beautiful sunny and warm Autumn day like today, is there a better job out there ? .. I don't think so ….................
