Lapsing

[norris9]

Why do some managers have to shove lapsing down Postie's throats....

Why can't it be a simple 'can you lapse today'.....Postie says yes or no and that be the end of it.

I am not sure shoving lapsing down people's throats in a hard line way is beneficial financially to Royal Mail anyway. Annoyed Posties may leave, are more likely to make mistakes due to being annoyed/stressed, are slowed down by having to debate with managers.

If managers think some Posties should definitely be taking the extra work out it should be easy to prove as they have this PDA data, can see when people arrive back/leave the depot.

Is it really much of a financial boost to RM to harass posties to take mail out? maybe the odd Postie gives in and takes post out they should not be taking as they don't have time. I am sure this harassment is another nail in the coffin for Posties in terms of reasons to leave and push them over the edge, which could mean RM having to train a new recruit which costs time and money.

Why annoy Posties? A happy Postie is more likely to help you out, is more likely to do things to help RM save money.

I have witnessed a lot of this harassment and I think it's ridiculous. I believe these Postie's who say they don't have time....yet managers will use any excuse to get you to take more work. I am sure they know you can't take more post out, but they will try their best to do anything they can to take more, it's just a tactic.

[Celgar]

Why do people keep calling it 'collapsing'?

Probably because that is what eventually happens to all these who perform this insidious task aimed at making management bonuses a reality. But in return has a detrimental affect on the long term health of those who are made to do it and they wonder why the sick is so high and the turnover of staff!

I think RM said in the Capitals Day announcement that turnover of staff for our company is only a third of the average. IF that is correct it must be really bad in other firms. On the question of high sickness rates I would say difficulty in getting AL we would like as well as full pay for up to a week without need for a doctors note are large drivers for this.

[Celgar]

Why do some managers have to shove lapsing down Postie's throats....

Why can't it be a simple 'can you lapse today'.....Postie says yes or no and that be the end of it.

I am not sure shoving lapsing down people's throats in a hard line way is beneficial financially to Royal Mail anyway. Annoyed Posties may leave, are more likely to make mistakes due to being annoyed/stressed, are slowed down by having to debate with managers.

If managers think some Posties should definitely be taking the extra work out it should be easy to prove as they have this PDA data, can see when people arrive back/leave the depot.

Is it really much of a financial boost to RM to harass posties to take mail out? maybe the odd Postie gives in and takes post out they should not be taking as they don't have time. I am sure this harassment is another nail in the coffin for Posties in terms of reasons to leave and push them over the edge, which could mean RM having to train a new recruit which costs time and money.

Why annoy Posties? A happy Postie is more likely to help you out, is more likely to do things to help RM save money.

I have witnessed a lot of this harassment and I think it's ridiculous. I believe these Postie's who say they don't have time....yet managers will use any excuse to get you to take more work. I am sure they know you can't take more post out, but they will try their best to do anything they can to take more, it's just a tactic.

Summer lapsing happens mainly because:
1) RM always says the volumes of mail drop during 'their' summer period & especially in July & August. This isn't always the case though & as of today's date I don't think it has started to drop yet excluding the effect of GDPR.
2) RM like to push that this summer absorption allows more weeks of AL to be available in the summer especially for the school holiday time.
3) Whether we can lapse, or lapse additional walks at this time of year, is based on RMs predicted mail traffic levels & whether they match to what actually comes through the door. If the mail volume is a lot more then you should get paid for delivering the absorption. It is not generally calculated via PDA actuals data for the summer lapsing although it does sound like this may happen at other times & maybe in the future if they get their way.

[norris9]

Summer lapsing happens mainly because:
1) RM always says the volumes of mail drop during 'their' summer period & especially in July & August. This isn't always the case though & as of today's date I don't think it has started to drop yet excluding the effect of GDPR.
2) RM like to push that this summer absorption allows more weeks of AL to be available in the summer especially for the school holiday time.
3) Whether we can lapse, or lapse additional walks at this time of year, is based on RMs predicted mail traffic levels & whether they match to what actually comes through the door. If the mail volume is a lot more then you should get paid for delivering the absorption. It is not generally calculated via PDA actuals data for the summer lapsing although it does sound like this may happen at other times & maybe in the future if they get their way.

Not really understanding this term 'Summer Lapsing'. Lapsing has existed for several months, before summer started.

It seems there are the heavy days where we finish on time with no break, or we finish late, then on the lighter days we'll have to take lapsing out, yet the lapsing takes us up to our hours anyway, so we are basically doing the lapsing instead of having a break. It's ridiculous. Yet managers are still on your back even though every day you are overworked and working for free.

Yes - there will now be Posties coming here and saying 'why are you working for free'. I can only assume those posties who want to type that have an easy round where most or all of the time they can fit in a break, finish early etc.

It doesn't seem that way in our depot. Maybe the ones who treat their rounds like an olympic sport, cut every corner they can, have an incentive to get back early - such as getting ghost overtime, can manage to finish on time.

[k979aaa]

Our summer lapsing started in Feb ffs

Is you DOM called Alan partridge!

[greengiant]

Summer lapsing happens mainly because:
1) RM always says the volumes of mail drop during 'their' summer period & especially in July & August. This isn't always the case though & as of today's date I don't think it has started to drop yet excluding the effect of GDPR.
2) RM like to push that this summer absorption allows more weeks of AL to be available in the summer especially for the school holiday time.
3) Whether we can lapse, or lapse additional walks at this time of year, is based on RMs predicted mail traffic levels & whether they match to what actually comes through the door. If the mail volume is a lot more then you should get paid for delivering the absorption. It is not generally calculated via PDA actuals data for the summer lapsing although it does sound like this may happen at other times & maybe in the future if they get their way.

Not really understanding this term 'Summer Lapsing'. Lapsing has existed for several months, before summer started.

It seems there are the heavy days where we finish on time with no break, or we finish late, then on the lighter days we'll have to take lapsing out, yet the lapsing takes us up to our hours anyway, so we are basically doing the lapsing instead of having a break. It's ridiculous. Yet managers are still on your back even though every day you are overworked and working for free.

Yes - there will now be Posties coming here and saying 'why are you working for free'. I can only assume those posties who want to type that have an easy round where most or all of the time they can fit in a break, finish early etc.

It doesn't seem that way in our depot. Maybe the ones who treat their rounds like an olympic sport, cut every corner they can, have an incentive to get back early - such as getting ghost overtime, can manage to finish on time.

Take your break, then no lapsing can be done? It's not rocket science...

[robbertwhitton]

Mmm so what are you supposed to do first,the lapsing then possibly fail a bit of your round as your likely to run out of time,and he won’t pay you extra to complete cos you finished early the other day???or do your round then run out of time and can’t do your lapsing ?.. blah blah blah.

[robbertwhitton]

Why do some managers have to shove lapsing down Postie's throats....

Why can't it be a simple 'can you lapse today'.....Postie says yes or no and that be the end of it.

I am not sure shoving lapsing down people's throats in a hard line way is beneficial financially to Royal Mail anyway. Annoyed Posties may leave, are more likely to make mistakes due to being annoyed/stressed, are slowed down by having to debate with managers.

If managers think some Posties should definitely be taking the extra work out it should be easy to prove as they have this PDA data, can see when people arrive back/leave the depot.

Is it really much of a financial boost to RM to harass posties to take mail out? maybe the odd Postie gives in and takes post out they should not be taking as they don't have time. I am sure this harassment is another nail in the coffin for Posties in terms of reasons to leave and push them over the edge, which could mean RM having to train a new recruit which costs time and money.

Why annoy Posties? A happy Postie is more likely to help you out, is more likely to do things to help RM save money.

I have witnessed a lot of this harassment and I think it's ridiculous. I believe these Postie's who say they don't have time....yet managers will use any excuse to get you to take more work. I am sure they know you can't take more post out, but they will try their best to do anything they can to take more, it's just a tactic.

a good point well put,boss says what’s happening and we’re left to fight and bitch amongst ourselves,due to different levels off age and speed,a lovely atmosphere to work in !,

[Postie45]

Yes - there will now be Posties coming here and saying 'why are you working for free'. I can only assume those posties who want to type that have an easy round where most or all of the time they can fit in a break, finish early etc.

:arrrghhh As someone else mentioned -this stuff is not rocket science, if you know you`ll have time to do lapsing after youve taken your break then take the lapsing, if you know you wont have time tell the lino you dont have time to do the lapsing.
In my office people dont have "easy" duties, in fact they have duties that are long enough to fill their duty time so they dont have time to take the lapsing - so they dont.
Once again, all of this skipping of breaks benefits NO ONE apart from RM who get an extra 40 minutes work out of you, where you could be relaxing.
Just dont be the type of postie who gets their lapsing taken away then gets back 30 minutes early.

[Postie45]

Mmm so what are you supposed to do first,the lapsing then possibly fail a bit of your round as your likely to run out of time,and he won’t pay you extra to complete cos you finished early the other day???or do your round then run out of time and can’t do your lapsing ?.. blah blah blah.

tell them before you go out you wont have time to do your regular duty + lapsing, preferably in front of a witness. Then leave the decision of what you take up to the manager. There is no banking of hours.

[Postie45]

Using an LWT doesn't slow you down - in fact the reverse as you can carry more small parcels which saves possibly visiting addresses twice. I don't get all the hate over the LWTs - it's not like having to wear cycle helmets all the time.

Maybe it depends on the duty, but in general ive found a LWT will slow you down, mainly because of the different approaches you`ll take to a delivery point. There can be a few shortcuts you can take when you dont have the LWT. Ive found using the LWT will take 5 mins longer per loop which does add up over an 8 loop delivery. But 1) we`re supposed to be using them anyway and 2) whats the rush to get around the delivery faster for anyway ? so we can take out more lapsing ?

[superports]

If they want to give me extra to make me work my contracted hours during the summer, I'm more than happy to give them mail back so that I only work my contracted hours during the heavier times.

[work]

Summer lapsing happens mainly because:
1) RM always says the volumes of mail drop during 'their' summer period & especially in July & August. This isn't always the case though & as of today's date I don't think it has started to drop yet excluding the effect of GDPR.
2) RM like to push that this summer absorption allows more weeks of AL to be available in the summer especially for the school holiday time.
3) Whether we can lapse, or lapse additional walks at this time of year, is based on RMs predicted mail traffic levels & whether they match to what actually comes through the door. If the mail volume is a lot more then you should get paid for delivering the absorption. It is not generally calculated via PDA actuals data for the summer lapsing although it does sound like this may happen at other times & maybe in the future if they get their way.

Not really understanding this term 'Summer Lapsing'. Lapsing has existed for several months, before summer started.

It seems there are the heavy days where we finish on time with no break, or we finish late, then on the lighter days we'll have to take lapsing out, yet the lapsing takes us up to our hours anyway, so we are basically doing the lapsing instead of having a break. It's ridiculous. Yet managers are still on your back even though every day you are overworked and working for free.

Yes - there will now be Posties coming here and saying 'why are you working for free'. I can only assume those posties who want to type that have an easy round where most or all of the time they can fit in a break, finish early etc.

It doesn't seem that way in our depot. Maybe the ones who treat their rounds like an olympic sport, cut every corner they can, have an incentive to get back early - such as getting ghost overtime, can manage to finish on time.

Take your break, then no lapsing can be done? It's not rocket science...

Been put on leave cover for two weeks...worked out that the ft takes lapsing and when we get there, i take my break and he can do 'his' lapsing...i never get asked if i'm 'taking it', plus i don't agree with the extra absorption of 'someone else's work'. he really hates me taking my break but ditto - i really hate the ft effectively trying to push more work onto me the passenger, who has enough walking (thank you) to warrant the full 30 mins meal 'relief'.

[robbertwhitton]

Forgive me if this has been on before,but what is the official way to do your lapsing? Before you start your proper duty with a chance you may not complete because of said lapsing,or at the end of your duty with a chance you may not be able to do your bit of lapsing?or is it the local agreement grey area again that causes mayhem at times?

[Intercityfirm1970]

In my DO I counted around 50 people daily working through there breaks and around 16 who start at least 30 mins before there start time most of these either get done for 12.30 or the ones who ghost fit perhaps half a walk in and still come back the office for 1.30 I've been on the job for 35 years and I've still yet to see the mentality change u till its to late.