Royal Mail boss issues urgent call for HUNDREDS more vans to deliver Christmas presents as postmen are left short at the busiest time of the year

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... sents.html


Simon Thompson, Royal Mail boss, has told managers to get more vehicles
He admitted head office bosses had left posties short at busiest time of year
The decision will leave staff hunting for extra vans with little notice to get vast quantities of mail delivered on time

The boss of Royal Mail has issued an urgent call to managers to hire extra vans to deliver Christmas presents on time.

Simon Thompson, a former Apple executive who also ran the NHS Test and Trace app, has told managers across its 1,200 sorting offices to get their hands on hundreds more vehicles after admitting head office bosses had left posties short at the busiest time of year.

In a desperate late-night video message posted on an internal channel for its 137,000 employees, seen by the Mail on Sunday, Thompson said: 'Hi team, sorry to get you so late on a Friday evening but I wanted to share something with you about delivery vans. I don't think we've got this right. I think you're short. And I've been hearing the feedback now for too long and it's now time to act.

'So what we're going to do from Monday morning is we're going to make sure that you - at a local level in all of the delivery offices - can decide exactly what you want and you can go and source what you want locally.'

Royal Mail has the largest fleet of vans in the country, including 40,000 of its distinctive red vehicles. The decision will leave staff hunting for extra vans with little notice to get vast quantities of mail delivered on time during the festive rush.

The 500-year-old firm is attempting to cope with the huge numbers of consumers heading online to do their Christmas shopping. Many shoppers began their festive spending earlier this year amid concerns over supply chain problems leading to shortages of presents.

One employee said the board was now in 'panic mode' to rectify the situation.

Consumers have already been left facing delays due to high levels of sickness and self-isolation related to Covid. The pandemic is currently hampering deliveries at 18 offices across the country, including in Bristol, Sheffield and Warrington in the North West.

In the video, Thompson said the dash for extra vans would last for three weeks before the vehicles needed to be returned on Christmas Eve.

He said: 'You are going to decide what you need – you are going to be able to source them locally and we're going to give you a process that's super easy. So team, that I believe will help ensure that we can deliver a really great Christmas for our customers.'

One concerned employee posting in response said the move could leave the company paying inflated prices for last-minute rentals. Thompson responded: 'Perhaps so – perhaps not – let's focus on getting the vans that are required – and looking after our customers – that needs to be our key focus.'

Another employee joked: 'Christmas comes on the same date every year and Royal Mail has only had 500 years to get it right, maybe they need more time.'

A source close to the company told the MoS: 'Thompson is in panic mode. The costs will be mad and there is already a shortage of vans across the UK, so the question is whether any vans will even be available. Their planning for Christmas has been a disaster.'

Asked where he got the policy on vans wrong, Thompson said the company would conduct a review in January. Earlier this year he launched a drive to devolve more responsibility to local managers.

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: 'Christmas is our busiest time of year and we start planning for the following year while most people are still taking down their decorations.

'We have invested in thousands of extra vans and around 20,000 temporary workers to help deliver the festive mailbag, and this week we have also given local managers more freedom to hire additional vans if needed to ensure we can deliver a great Christmas for the nation.'

In October Royal Mail and sister firm Parcelforce Worldwide began a drive to hire 20,000 extra seasonal staff to handle extra Christmas cards, parcels and letters.

Last year senior Royal Mail executives, including former interim chief Stuart Simpson, missed out on bonuses and share awards worth £1.4 million after service failures, including delays last Christmas, and 'slower than planned' modernisation of the business.

Royal Mail is already battling fierce competition from the likes of FedEx and DPD to deliver parcels for online retailers.

The switch away from the High Street towards ecommerce has accelerated during the pandemic, boosting Royal Mail's profits and share price. Last month the company announced plans to hand shareholders a £400 million reward through a £200 million special dividend and a £200 million share buyback.

[POSTPERSON50]

Not a great start for CEO Simon Thompson, have your ducks in a row by September Mr Thompson.

'And I've been hearing the feedback now for too long and it's now time to act'.

How difficult can it be to learn from all of the previous years' mistakes?

[fb1969]

So you tell the markets that your changes are going through.

You announce massive profits and give shareholders a bonus dividend payment.

Having paid that money out, you then have massive spending on vans - one of the essential tools for the job. And all because you didn't plan for Christmas.

I wouldn't let this idiot run a bath!

[noggin1969]

Christmas taking RM by surprise again, not as if it's the same time every year.

[scoobydo79]

The vehicle hire firms will smell desperation now. That’s gonna cost penny pinching RM more. Should have been negotiating months ago.

[Sir Henry]

But they had a piece of paper with 500+ excess vans printed on it! That's what happens when you mistake the map for the territory.
Besides there's loads of vans off the road that just need Fleet to give them a few tweaks to get them back in service.



Just use your windscreen washers.



Ooh you can use it as a bag box



That'll buff out easily


Just run the air conditioning, that'll de-mist it.

[2yearpostie]

Why are the doblo xl catching fire?

[deltaforce]

I often wonder if those that are steering the RM ship are competent and have the skills to do so. For many years, long before internet shopping was king, we would at Xmas take on many xtra vans, work 12 hrs shifts and Sunday dels with many xtra casuals on delivery ,not just a token one or two. The result was no panic, no back log, no issues of not completing, but then we were a service orientated company and not having to please the shareholders. They often say “ look at the past to learn for the future”. Something that’s lost on the this present bunch in charge. Glad I’m Retired.

[ted_e_bear]

Haha this article really sums it up, yeah great idea, bit late though, oh hang just had a thought they could send us as many vans as they like but even now we're in zero holiday leave there's no one spare at our place to drive them

[Dorset Plodder]

I wish they'd stopped quoting "Royal Mail are a 500 year old company". We're not .... We're a 7 year Old Company

Since Vince Cable undersold us to his City Buddies we've been a totally different company, at times dictated to by Meglomaniacs. Now we're under invested, and under staffed, just to make sure RM can pay out decent dividends to it's shareholders.

I've never known a more disorganised Christmas ... but then there's always next year to look forward to.

[Shirtbuttons]

Why would you want OT for what you get after tax? A lot of work for very little gain.

[POSTMAN]

OPG
How have The Mail got hold of the story?

Simon 'alt control delete' Thomson
they were sent my video from Workplace - downloaded using a software package that had been bought for the purpose - DM had a copy of it within a matter of hours...

OPG
so we have a mole on the site. That must breach RM or Workplace regulations

Simon 'F3' Thompson
you are probably right - but lets move on - it is fine - there is nothing we are doing that does not deserve public scrutiny - or scrutiny by you and the rest of the team - we are great believers in transparency... Jenny Hall

Liam 'That Shaggy song' Nam
1 I don't buy software.
2 I did screen it as the vid is in the van thread.
3 I did and do not send to the press as they are already on here.
4 You wanted to air your dirty laundry on Workplace to slim down WTLL.
5 Workplace - The gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving...

[Sir Henry]

[Hyrrokkin]

I often wonder if those that are steering the RM ship are competent and have the skills to do so. For many years, long before internet shopping was king, we would at Xmas take on many xtra vans, work 12 hrs shifts and Sunday dels with many xtra casuals on delivery ,not just a token one or two. The result was no panic, no back log, no issues of not completing, but then we were a service orientated company and not having to please the shareholders. They often say “ look at the past to learn for the future”. Something that’s lost on the this present bunch in charge. Glad I’m Retired.

RM are now on a race to the bottom to be exactly like Amazon/Hermes/Yodel etc etc - penny pinch to save money for higher payouts to shareholders while bullying their staff to do more and more for less money in less time with no backup or equipment.etc etc

They are more than just incredibly incompetent they are corrupt to the core

[fb1969]

RM are now on a race to the bottom to be exactly like Amazon/Hermes/Yodel etc etc - penny pinch to save money for higher payouts to shareholders while bullying their staff to do more and more for less money in less time with no backup or equipment.etc etc

They are more than just incredibly incompetent they are corrupt to the core

And it has been done under the noses of the CWU, or the CWU top level are in on it.