Help! Am I being treated unfairly?

[Olive1979]

Hello,

I am new on here, so please be nice. I have been with Royal Mail 9 years next month. I still don’t have my own round, or a float, I’m a reserve.
There are rumours of a re-pick of rounds in our office and on seniority I would get a round, however my manager said last week that as a lot of people in the office were unhappy at possibly losing their round to those more senior to them that he probably wouldn’t do a re-pick.

I would like some advice as I am struggling to get any help and support from my line manager. He makes me feel like crap and had me in tears this morning.

My issues:
1. I am the only person in the office who does not get a rota’d long weekend. I never get a long weekend, just the occasional Saturday off and because they do the rotas on a weekly basis I only find out a week before and so I am unable to plan things throughout the year like my colleagues, some of them book mini breaks with their partner, I can’t do this.
2. New staff have come in (new to Royal Mail and senior but new to the office) and been put on rounds and left on them, I am told this is because ‘there is no one to train them to do anything else’ – however when they want me to cover a round I have never done I get no training and am told its easy and I’ll be ok. By being left on a round the new people are getting rota’d long weekends.
3. We have part time staff who come in to a round already thrown off and tied up. I am asked to throw off 2 rounds every morning, this often makes me late and I have to see my colleagues all leave before me. In fact most days I'm not even asked, its just on the sheet that I'm doing it! Very rarely is anyone else asked to throw off and tie up a second round and if they are its the same two other people who are asked with me - this is not a shared task amongst everyone.
4. This morning I approached my line manager (not for the first time) and it took a lot of courage. He is not nice to me and makes me feel like I’m just a problem to him. He dismisses me and I feel very unsupported by him. I asked if he could look at me getting a regular rota’d long weekend. He said the following: ‘No, unless you can guarantee me that everyone will come in and no one will be off sick. I have a really bad sick record in this office, I’ve got people moaning at me about having to throw off more than one round and I have people complaining that we’re lapsing. People come to me and ask me for days here, leave early there, and I do it.’ I said ‘that’s not what I’m asking, I haven’t mentioned throwing off two rounds, or lapsing, I don't ask for anything or any days and I feel like you’re punishing me for the whole office's sick. I am the only person who doesn’t get a rota’d long weekend’. He said: ‘Are you? I don’t think you are. I’m going to see just how many long weekends you have had and come back to you. As a Reserve you're lucky I don't give you every Tuesday off as that's the easiest day to cover’ I said: ‘That’s not what I’m saying, you will find I have had Saturdays off. I have not had long weekends and they are not rota’d in advance, so I can’t plan anything. I don’t get the same or as many as everyone else.’ He then said again he would find out how many I had had.

Is it me, or am I being treated a little unfairly here?
There are some people in my office who get away with everything, dragging their round out so they don’t take lapsing, having 10 fag breaks, never being asked to throw off two rounds, never being moved off of their round to cover and when they are off sick they don’t even have to call in! (I do, and when I have been sick in the past – not often – and I call in, I’m asked ‘well is there nothing you can do to help out this afternoon?’)

I don’t know what to do. I’m so unhappy (I like the job itself and seeing the people on my rounds) but the one person I should be able to go to and rely on as my line manager and I can’t speak to him. I feel like he really doesn’t like me and I don’t actually know why. I feel I should be able to ask questions of him and the office, not in a confrontational way, but I feel I should be able to challenge if I feel something is unfair.

Am I missing something here….don’t we all do the SAME job? Shouldn’t we all be treated the SAME way?

Anyone have any advice? Say if you think I’m being unreasonable…

Olive

[GT85]

Sorry to say but what you are describing sounds like a perfectly normal day as a reserve in my DO.
Would of thought that your seniority should count for something though, have you spoken to your union rep about it ?

[Scotland1]

As previous person says, get ur Union rep involved and if he's not interested then go to area rep, even think about sending email to Moyà Greene issuing ur concerns, u will be amazed how things change for the better if u do this, keep ur chin up

[gluteus maximus]

Any major change in an office would trigger a resign. I believe it is a 30 % change. Do not quote me as i am not employed by Royal Mail but i believe it is in The Way Forward Agreement. Your manager has no say in it as to a resign. As suggested contact your branch secretary for the Area Reps to come down and sort it out if your local rep is pants

[Olive1979]

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

GT85 - It is reassuring to hear I'm not the only one out there who is being treated like this, however I have to say, I don't think its right either of us are treated like this. Seniority works if the manager likes you, if he doesn't seniority is not really important (where I am anyway).

Scotland1 - Unfortunately the Rep has his own agenda and is very in with the Manager. I did try to speak to him, he agreed with everything I said, he even seemed interested in helping, but he didn't and when I approached him again he was singing the same song as the manager. I am not with the union because I have never seen a Rep do any good in my 9 years. I have no faith in them. If I contact Moya Greene and nothing happens and my manager hears about it he will just make my life more of a misery. My colleague contacted Moya Greene by email, a message was sent to the manager basically saying 'sort this out' and nothing changed.

gluteus maximus - Thank you for the information (I wont take it as gospel, but its interesting that you seem to think that) the resign is due to several new build estates (adding houses) and constant lapsing of rounds. I will try to find out who the area reps are (I think my manager is also the area manager!?) but feel very unsupported and like its wrong to ask questions!

Managers aren't supposed to manage personalities, they are supposed to manage performance and I work really hard with no complaints and am only asking to be treated the same as everyone else who does the same job as me. I'm not asking for special treatment.

[hatetheboss]

Hello,

I am new on here, so please be nice. I have been with Royal Mail 9 years next month. I still don’t have my own round, or a float, I’m a reserve.
There are rumours of a re-pick of rounds in our office and on seniority I would get a round, however my manager said last week that as a lot of people in the office were unhappy at possibly losing their round to those more senior to them that he probably wouldn’t do a re-pick.

I would like some advice as I am struggling to get any help and support from my line manager. He makes me feel like crap and had me in tears this morning.

My issues:
1. I am the only person in the office who does not get a rota’d long weekend. I never get a long weekend, just the occasional Saturday off and because they do the rotas on a weekly basis I only find out a week before and so I am unable to plan things throughout the year like my colleagues, some of them book mini breaks with their partner, I can’t do this.

If you are the only person in the office not having a long weekend then you are being discriminated against. I would believe the other leave reserves are in a similar situation?For a re-pick to be triggered a 1/3 of the duties need to change, however those that don't change can opt out.

2. New staff have come in (new to Royal Mail and senior but new to the office) and been put on rounds and left on them, I am told this is because ‘there is no one to train them to do anything else’ – however when they want me to cover a round I have never done I get no training and am told its easy and I’ll be ok. By being left on a round the new people are getting rota’d long weekends.

If the duty is a vacant one it should be advertised and picked on seniority.

3. We have part time staff who come in to a round already thrown off and tied up. I am asked to throw off 2 rounds every morning, this often makes me late and I have to see my colleagues all leave before me. In fact most days I'm not even asked, its just on the sheet that I'm doing it! Very rarely is anyone else asked to throw off and tie up a second round and if they are its the same two other people who are asked with me - this is not a shared task amongst everyone.

It would make sense for the same people to prep the same duties, however if this is making you late you need to inform the manager prior to wrapping up that you can't complete and need some help to do so what does he suggest?, unless you want the overtime.


4. This morning I approached my line manager (not for the first time) and it took a lot of courage. He is not nice to me and makes me feel like I’m just a problem to him. He dismisses me and I feel very unsupported by him. I asked if he could look at me getting a regular rota’d long weekend. He said the following: ‘No, unless you can guarantee me that everyone will come in and no one will be off sick. I have a really bad sick record in this office, I’ve got people moaning at me about having to throw off more than one round and I have people complaining that we’re lapsing. People come to me and ask me for days here, leave early there, and I do it.’ I said ‘that’s not what I’m asking, I haven’t mentioned throwing off two rounds, or lapsing, I don't ask for anything or any days and I feel like you’re punishing me for the whole office's sick. I am the only person who doesn’t get a rota’d long weekend’. He said: ‘Are you? I don’t think you are. I’m going to see just how many long weekends you have had and come back to you. As a Reserve you're lucky I don't give you every Tuesday off as that's the easiest day to cover’ I said: ‘That’s not what I’m saying, you will find I have had Saturdays off. I have not had long weekends and they are not rota’d in advance, so I can’t plan anything. I don’t get the same or as many as everyone else.’ He then said again he would find out how many I had had.


Is it me, or am I being treated a little unfairly here?
There are some people in my office who get away with everything, dragging their round out so they don’t take lapsing, having 10 fag breaks, never being asked to throw off two rounds, never being moved off of their round to cover and when they are off sick they don’t even have to call in! (I do, and when I have been sick in the past – not often – and I call in, I’m asked ‘well is there nothing you can do to help out this afternoon?’)

I don’t know what to do. I’m so unhappy (I like the job itself and seeing the people on my rounds) but the one person I should be able to go to and rely on as my line manager and I can’t speak to him. I feel like he really doesn’t like me and I don’t actually know why. I feel I should be able to ask questions of him and the office, not in a confrontational way, but I feel I should be able to challenge if I feel something is unfair.

Am I missing something here….don’t we all do the SAME job? Shouldn’t we all be treated the SAME way?

Anyone have any advice? Say if you think I’m being unreasonable…

If your manager is treating you badly then you need to take this further speak to your Rep,Branch.

Olive

[dvbuk55]

Hello,Anyone have any advice? Say if you think I’m being unreasonable…

Olive

Well I noticed you didn't mention your union rep once, or that you had been to him/her or even contacted HQ or asked Moya? All useful avenues for you to pursue.

[Himaggen]

Hello,Anyone have any advice? Say if you think I’m being unreasonable…

Olive

Well I noticed you didn't mention your union rep once, or that you had been to him/her or even contacted HQ or asked Moya? All useful avenues for you to pursue.

Does this answer you?

I am not with the union because I have never seen a Rep do any good in my 9 years. I have no faith in them.

Olive, if you want the to be treated according to the rules and agreements negotiated and won by the Union, you need to be a Member of it. Join and ask the Area Union Rep for help, or fight your battles another way.

[redneck]

Oh dear, non-union.

Unions are far from perfect Olive, but I would join now and ask for advice either locally or from the regional officer.

[miles_peters]

yes you are being treated unfairly. I hope you are in the union, if you are, your rep has failed you. you are being discriminated against, reserves should be treated equally. I think the way reserves are treated should be dealt with at the highest level, management and union. operational needs, high sick record in an office, lack of training, or any other excuse management or whoever wants to use against you is a complete disgrace. From what I read you should be on your own duty, again union rep fail. get the union involved, area, national. discrimination, unfair treatment, is bullying.

[clashcityrocker]

Whether or not she is in the union, the rep has failed to ensure, via the weekly resourcing meeting, that everyone is fairly treated.
Yes she should join the union.
Yes she will need union help to progress her claim.
But if a rep thinks it is OK for someone to be treated unfairly because they are not a union member, then that person shouldn't be a trade union representative.

[dvbuk55]

Put in a grievance if you aren't a member of the union though without the support you're not likely to get anywhere.

[Olive1979]

Thank you all for the help and support.
I am hearing the reoccuring pattern here that I need to join the union.
I also hear that you all feel I have a case and that I am being treated differently and unfairly, which is essentially what I wasnt sure about. I feel more confident now to take it further. I will look into joining the union, but will need to go outside of my office as the rep is not supporting me regardless of whether I am in the union or not. He sides with the manager.

I'm very grateful to you all for supporting me...wish you worked where I do.

[beezet]

Olive 1979 take heart, i know it will be hard,i had to get area rep to do my case justice, i won my case, even phone the bullying and harasment helpline, they helped as well,good luck and keep your chin up

[Nondescript]

I'm a reserve and have had one Saturday off in the past six months, but it doesn't bother me as I much prefer Wednesday off, which I seem to get quite a few of. The other reserves in my office also get very few Saturdays off.