re: How did he/she get that round??

[postslippete]

Whenever someone left the business their duties used to be advertised on the noticeboard every year or so.


Recently, it has just been allocated to whoever. What has happened to seniority?? I mean the office allocated the duties in the re-pick due to seniority. Now Im witnessing guys that have only worked at the office for a few years being put on cushy fixed duties. The same duties everyone wanted but couldn't get because their name was on the next page!!

Im not considering self-amputation of the legs or anything but if a doctor told me that I couldn't walk anymore, how would that impact on my working life at the Royal Mail?? Would I be pensioned off or would they promote me (if promotion is the right word) a sit-down desk job as maybe a DOM support or something??

What about promotion of management?? Never saw those jobs being advertised internally


Royal Mail should be doing everything fairly and at the moment it just seems to be a case of jobs for the boys.

[lala]

My understanding (limited as it is) is that when there is just 1 vacant duty it remains that way for 6 months. After that it goes to the senior reserve.

2 or more duties vacant and it goes on the board and done on seniority.

Perhaps it varies on the office.

[Dorset Plodder]

Same in our office at the moment. Some one leaves and their duty is normally "Given" to someone on a temporary basis. "You do this Duty until we've sorted some things out". Then time passes and nothing seems to get Sorted. It's left up to someone like yourself to say, "Hang On, What's happening with that duty"?

Then you normally get some BS from the manager, and the Reps not really interested because it's not a major problem. Then Loe & Behold someone Junior may have got themselves a nice duty, and no one seems too bothered about it.
First port of call Unit Rep then perhaps e-mail to the Area Rep if you're not happy.

[POSTMAN]

Way forward states when the office has 5% of vacant duties available then they can go up for signing,or if a duty has been vacant for 6 months.

[ted_e_bear]

Have either of you asked if you can do it ?

[postslippete]

The guy I've been working with was complaining that a leave reserve has recently been doing a round that he wouldn't mind doing.

We know that not all the rounds are the same in the office. I mean this one has only got like 4 loops on it instead of 6!!

There is another guy who got put on a cushy duty and I've worked there a lot longer than him, yet he's been on it for nearly 3 friggin years. When I queried this with one of the senior managers who's in charge of recruitment he just fobbed me off with different people have different circumstances baloney. I've seen some guys on delivery and then one day they end up in RLE handing out specials. How did they get there?? Were was the job advertised??

I've already mentioned about line managers getting promoted. Our recruitment procedure is bent. We've had quite a few staff leave and we need a repick

[jimboaby]

Perhaps they have a medical condition that means they need to do a certain duty and the DOM would not be allowed to disclose that information to other staff.

[iminavest]

Duties seem to be allocated on convenience rather than fairness. Never worked anywhere else where being good at your job actually works against you.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

There is another guy who got put on a cushy duty and I've worked there a lot longer than him, yet he's been on it for nearly 3 friggin years. When I queried this with one of the senior managers who's in charge of recruitment he just fobbed me off with different people have different circumstances baloney.

Family Friendly Equality Act etc - both options available for eligible people to apply for. But it does not mean everyone should be told when someone is successful.

I've seen some guys on delivery and then one day they end up in RLE handing out specials. How did they get there?? Were was the job advertised??

The managers may have made reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act, in this case its illegal to inform everyone if so and why (Medical Confidentiality, Data Protection Act)

I've already mentioned about line managers getting promoted. Our recruitment procedure is bent. We've had quite a few staff leave and we need a repick

If you need a re-pick then get your Union Rep and colleagues (and of course yourself) to push for it.

[jimmynailsalive]

Easier duties should get extra lapsing, why doesn't this happen to even up the workload?

[Dorset Plodder]

I agree that manager's shouldn't discuss Confidential Personal Matters. However I don't think it helps an Office's Moral or Team Spirit to have lots of different deals being done behind closed doors. Surely it's not too much to ask for a Manager to simply Brief everyone on a WTL and say Postie 'X' has been given Duty 'Y' because they have Family Responsibilities or they need a duty adapted to their Physical Requirements.

We're meant to be adults, and should be treated as such. In my experience if Posties are made aware of a situation they're normally sympathetic. If they're left to speculate, and listen to rumours, it can often be more upsetting for the people concerned.

Concerning Duties that are adapted for someone who has a Temporary Medical Condition (i.e Recovering from Surgery), I'd be interested to know if there's a Review Procedure when these Duties revert back to normal. I ask because we have several duties that have had work taken off of them (to make them easier) but literally a year later that work hasn't been put back on them. Despite the fact that the Postie "Appears" fully recovered (although I'm no Doctor) so the rumour mill turns!

[postslippete]

Thank you Dorset Plodder!!


Theres nothing that p*sses staff off when a manager hides behind the equality act just so they can put certain individuals on certain rounds or certain positions.

And its true, this cushy duty that postie X is doing, well he's full-time and still finishing 2 hours before anyone else, with no walk collapsing either!!

f you need a re-pick then get your Union Rep and colleagues (and of course yourself) to push for it.

We have been talking about that for the last year....the fact that full-time staff have left in the last few years and have never been replaced....the fact that managers intend to lose a few duties in the section and make everyone's round bigger....well that must surely trigger a re-pick

The problem is though, they regularly collapse 2 duties in the section and they are struggling to get it covered on a daily basis??

[chrisj]

Duties seem to be allocated on convenience rather than fairness. Never worked anywhere else where being good at your job actually works against you.

Absolutely agree!

We now have duties that have been vacant for more than 1 year. We have at least 3 or 4 (1/2 - shared duty) and they are being done by the most junior staff who are supposed to be reserved and at other times on overtime by more or less the same people who are walkholders.

Because most of the good and versatile reserves do the hardest duties and are often off on Mondays and Tuesdays, they get messed around more and often miss out on working days off as these goes to the walkholders and temp PT walkholders/reserves get to work their days off.

The most confusing thing is that at least 2 of the jobs were advertised more than 6 months ago and they were applied for and people got the job; but they have not been allowed to take up the posts... Why? We do not have a Rep and Area Rep is not good!

The issue of incompetents getting good jobs is so frustrating and is so evident in my office with a guy having done just 2 duties since he stared 4 years ago and he is now a walkholder - he was just forgotten about because he is a 24 hour guy that comes in on time and people/managers rarely see him. Changing managers and Revision had also helped him...

[Dorset Plodder]

Postslippete
I can appreciate that Managers often get as much grief from 'Above' as they try and dish out to us Posties. However I believe Generally RM has a low standard of Office Managers (a lot bordering on Incompetent), the only reason I can think this situation is allowed to continue is because RM are not willing to recruit better qualified Managers, who they would have to pay more!

A lot of Managers are simply Ex-Posties who have applied fro the job. As we know you don't have to be a Rocket Scientist to be a Postie (no disrespect intended) and although they might bring some practical experience to the job they're lacking in other areas. Judging by my own experience I can't see how they might answer such questions as, "What experience have you of managing a team of 30-40 employees, dealing with scheduling holidays, processing pay claims (including overtime), handling HR problems such as Bereavements, Compassionate Leave, Medical Problems"?

If I've got a problem I try not to fly into the Office Fing & Jeffing, and initially just approach the Manager with a reasonable request. In your case it could be simply asking, "Is there any chance of me being able to sign for Duty 'X' as I am senior to the guy that's doing it and I understand he was only put on it as a temporary measure to help the office out"! It's up to the Manager what direction that conversation takes. Managers don't like conflict and don't like making decisions so try and make it simple for them. Always try and express your solution as how the company or office efficiency would improve, not simply "I should be doing that duty because I'm senior"! Good Luck

[chrisj]

A revision, a re-pick or fair recruitment will only be carried by an office if enough people are affected or if the office has a strong Rep (who is ready to upset some with privileges and cushy duties) or if the whole office is operating in a Utopia (fat chance?).

Asking a rep will achieve very little in many offices, IMO.

So an office as a couple of vacant posts - just how many people will be affected by this? Just a number of Reserves and amongst those, only a few will have the seniority or even be in the right contractual hours (some vacancies are part time and other become part time after a full time has left the post).

So this affects less than 3% or so of an office - who really cares?