What training did you get?

[MrPPatt]

What training did you get?

I was surprised how it happened at my Sorting Office.

There was a mostly useless Starter day, at a different site, with a speaker from 150 miles away who just kept saying "ask your line manager" - as if there were no National rules. We were told all about the history, current structure and likely future of RM. We spent ages writing words on flow-chart paper in a lame and slow way to understand about bullying etc... A lot of time was spent of Health n Safety issues with a particularly pathetic video and then in-room bag lifting shenanigans. They looked at the Willful Delay rules/law with a video about bad postman who had filled their garages with mail instead of delivering it and were now banged up - but plum forgot to point out the day to day implications for less extreme cases. Oh - and a video reminding us not to steal???

No trained trainer after that. There was only one trained work place coach available for the 13 starters and I didn't get him. I got 4 days of walking with 2 different normal postman. Both quite young and neither knew I was coming. They both mostly wanted to get it done quickly cos they needed to be places and hadn't been prepped about me joining them. If it didn't come up in those 4 days - I didn't get to know about it and how to deal with it. Strangely enough many things didn't come up and I have blundered along on my own - gradually learning the ropes; asking or being told things when the situation came up . A few cock-ups have ensured but luckily nothing serious.

It was such a shock when I realized that there was going to be no more formal training or opportunity to ask questions - no meet up with the other starters to discuss problems and experiences.

Overall - the training program was a joke and I cannot understand how a huge organization like RM survives with that level of training.

SO - When were you trained and how did it compare?

[PhilthyPhil]

I had my induction day at the local MC (now closed). It only lasted about 2 hours because I was the only person who turned up. It was all the usual stuff about bullying and health and safety with some crap video. On my first day at the DO i turned up at 9am as instructed but the office was totally empty. I eventually found a manager who told me everyone was upstairs on their break and I was to wait there until they came back. She then disapeared and I was left on my own for half an hour with nothing to do. There was a massive backlog of work in the office at this time because they had just been on strike following a crap revision brought in my EA. I was eventually sent out with the rep on a rural (no coach in out office). We took all the letters and left all the packets behind. He would drop me off in a road with a bag and let me get on with it. No training at all really. The next day a manager went out and delivered the letters while we went round in a transit doing the packets. Then I was left on my own for the rest of the week. My training was appalling to be honest and virtually everything I know I have had to find out myself rather than being told when I started.

[pinstripe]

3 day induction training course, followed by a week of shadowing the postie whose round I was taking over. That was ten, eleven years ago, now new starters are shown a half prepped frame and left to get on with it. And RM wonder why they can't retain new staff, I'll give them a clue.....It isn't the money.

[Stormproof]

When I first started(88) no induction just turned up at the DO. Was given a weeks tuition by another postie then got on with it. 2nd time around(03)had a days induction at the MC, which was basically going through dealing with Recorded/Special Delivery items. Signing the Official Secrets Act and the Union Rep coming in and giving us a talk and leaving the forms for us to fill in if we wanted to join....next day off to the DO, having done the job previously I ended up giving the new starters tuition

[bandit650]

When i joined many moons ago training was quiet comprehensive, we had training with another postie who in general terms had done longer than 5 minutes,we had sorting training and we were trained out on delivery,when i went into the mail center i had training on everything from machines to secondary outward to outward primary, i also worked on the foreign sorting unit,i had comprehensive training and still have all my paperwork for the training I've had,when they bought in Post Code define sorting i remember it was the first time we had any form of computer aided training where we had to use a map on screen,when a post code showed on screen you had to place it in the right area of the map on screen to go forward.The only other computer aided training i had was as a coder we had very small keyboards for the 2nd generation coding which then was superseded by the VCS (video coding suite) type coding which is done via MDEC(manual data entry center) also had RLE training and outward locker training,so i had training with special delivery work for outward and on the delivery office, training for the delivery locker has changed now as you have more work to cover.
I think the training that you get now is very poor and if anyone says anything about training now i always say to people what training they have not had any,i do know that if anyone gets in trouble i always say to a manager can you pull up the persons training records and 99.9% of the time cant so it is almost a get out of jail free card.I don't feel that it is very fair on the staff that join the company now as i believe they do not have the support that they need to be in the job that is why there are so many mistakes made.

[johnnyp]

2 weeks at the school (Kings Cross)which closed years ago,then 3 days on a walk(after doing the cards)with a postie

[Jimmcguinn]

My training was appalling to be honest and virtually everything I know I have had to find out myself rather than being told when I started.

Yeah,that sounds like the RM we all know and love.

[George door to dawes]

I got an induction day and then 3 days with the work place coach. Then 1 day of me and another postie doing 2 walks together. Then was just let loose as a spare on different walks and divisions. I think the training was ok as its always going to take a little while to get upto speed and its generally not too hard. What really takes the p*** is the screws expecting you to do a full walk and a little bit of prep within your time. Nowdays must be even worse as all the screws convince the new starters they have to take lapsing everyday as well and theres no chance of them getting OT. I dont think i would last very long if i started with the conditions as they are now.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

2 hour shortened induction for Chistmas Casuals then 1 day with each of the 2 posties whose rounds I would be taking part of.

Then as a floater no training at all - depressing and stressful at the time.

[taurus88]

I spent two days following a bloke around. He wasn't very good and I was worse. He tried his best to show me what was what, but if you try and impart years of knowledge on to another bloke in two days, it's inevitable that the you shall end up muddled, and worse, the other guy shall be overwhelmed.

[Dumpys Rusty Nuts]

have to say i love reading these posts re training,when i started 26plus years ago you had to do earlies,lates and do a sorting test which involved 2 weeks of night sorting,that particular test you had 3 attempts at sorting so many letters in 20 minutes[think it was 500]and it was the 3 fails and your out rule,i suppose it was quite good then because you got to know all parts of the industry,now the postmen walk in and the mail is walk sorted[boring]nothing worse than walking in the office on a monday morning,on a crap delivery,with the frame bulging from all the mailsort,bills left from previous week[happy days]

[Stormproof]

frame bulging from all the mailsort,bills left from previous week[happy days]

Did'nt you use to leave all the rebate on top of the frame all those years ago and get rid of it slowly thoughout the week?

[Dumpys Rusty Nuts]

yes you did that,then later in the week[friday and saturday]you piled it all on top of the frame for the guy the following week,its called every man for himself

[robg]

2 weeks shadow & then covering it for holiday, followed by another weeks shadowing and holiday cover, followed by the same round for about 4 months

It was getting easier but now we have van share, more specials, huuge parcels like TV size.

I still found it really hard and it's only now I'm leaving at the same time as everyone else, and getting back about 20 minutes later but the round is leggy. Just got
to make sure the managers don't notice and start messing me around .

[Jynxx]

Got trained by agency staff who was covering x-mas duties some years ago, who was losing his job showing me how to do it followed him around for 3 days then left to it ever since by management.