What made you join the Royal Mail?

[clashcityrocker]

I'd worked on the xmas post before and really enjoyed it so when I found myself "between jobs" it seemed natural and right to return to the job.
For all the difficulties over the past few years it is still a great job. I wouldn't leave for the world. ( Unless they sack me which is a distinct possibility)

[Lounge Lizard]

I can only echo many of the earlier comments ;
Mostly working outdoors, much of it walking and out in the country,
Not being watched over,
Providing a service to the community,
Part of a historic, respected institution,
Early start and finish times,
Decent pay for what is basically an unskilled job,
Personal pride in doing a job well,
and very, very different from a previous job of thirty years that i should have left much earlier.

[Stormproof]

I can only echo many of the earlier comments ;
Mostly working outdoors, much of it walking and out in the country,
Not being watched over,
Providing a service to the community,
Part of a historic, respected institution,
Early start and finish times,
Decent pay for what is basically an unskilled job,
Personal pride in doing a job well,

I agree, though now none of those apply

[gj1023]

I joined because my dad was a postman, together we have done around 80 odd years service between us. I liked the idea of being outside and being my own person. From about when I was 13 this was the job I was going to do, I did no exams at school and left school asap in March 1975 and I joined on 7th April 1975 at 6 am as a Telegram boy. I was proud to work for the GPO and the public service we provided. In them days it meant something to be a public servent , it was a tag you wore with pride. You did your job as it was supposed to be done, with common sence and the public in mind. Not rules , rules and more stupid rules.

Now 35 year later, I will glad to leave, if I get offered Ill health retirement that I hope for. The job now is not recognisable to anyone who left five years ago , let alone 10-20 years ago. The last good public service has been taken apart and put on the road to nowhere . I am glad in one way, my dad passed away a few years ago, as he would be so upset to see the state of RM and the job of Postman/women, ops sorry OPG ?? now. You use to have to work your way up, Postman, temp PHG, PHG, Temp JV , JV. That way you knew the job inside out, you could not con a JV, you may not like them , but you respected them as they had been on the job for years . Nowadays you get these dipsticks who suddenly appear out of nowhere and say I am a Manager , so you a get someone who has been in job five mins, telling a 30 year man how to do his job ??? An the public wonder why Managers are not respected now. Money is what matters now not Public Service, shame on you RM.

[Lounge Lizard]

I can only echo many of the earlier comments ;
Mostly working outdoors, much of it walking and out in the country,
Not being watched over,
Providing a service to the community,
Part of a historic, respected institution,
Early start and finish times,
Decent pay for what is basically an unskilled job,
Personal pride in doing a job well,

I agree, though now none of those apply

Well, yes, or if they do apply still it's not to the extent of in the past. I think those most dissatisfied with the job are those that's worked for RM the longest and have seen the greatest decline, and perhaps have never known other employment. Me though, a relative newcomer without experience of the good old days , still sees it as a lot better than some of the jobs I've done in the past. I know it goes a bit against the grain on here to be quite content working for RM, but surely that's what such a forum is for, a variety of views and opinions. In ten years time though I might be just as jaded as the rest of you on here.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I think content is a good description for me. I am happy enough to stay working for RM but I see the flaws in its culture just as I do in the CWU. I used to be proud to work for RM and I still am to some extent just not quite as much as when I started, weirdly though my pride in the CWU although it has faltered somewhat, its decline is not as deep as that of RMs.

[Blade Runner]

Money.

[nationwide]

1. HOURS.
2. MONEY.
3. BEING ABLE TO BE AT HOME FOR MY KIDS WHEN THEY ARRIVE FROM SCHOOL.
4. GOOD PENSION.
5.FAMILY FRIENDLY.

Unfortunately now I can only agree with one of these 5 criteria No.2 MONEYas for the rest well they seem to be falling by the wayside as is my wanting to go to work in a morning.WHAT A SHAMBLES!!.............................................................OH AND THANKYOU VERY MUCH RM.

[plainpat]

When I was made redundant in the late '80s I spent 3 years working, part voluntarily, part paid, for a local childrens charity driving a Playbus around the rural areas running and setting up ongoing after school/holiday playschemes etc.

So when it was forced to close due to lack of finance I naturally thought I would apply to the local bus company, as well as other companies, one of whom was Royal Mail.

I actually got offered a job with RM the day after the bus company did the same. Both companies paid roughly the same basic, but with the bus company you were expected to work early/late shifts during the week as well as Saturdays, and some Sunday shifts, within that basic. With RM of course you got the Saturday Supplement and proper overtime on a Sunday as well as the early start allowances etc.

That's why I chose RM

[peppapig]

i joined 14 years ago this July as a cadet, with the promise of training in most aspects of the job.....still waiting, its my friends at work that make it a laugh to get you through the day

[belle smith]

should we start a new thread "what finally drove you out of Royal Mail?

[Stormproof]

should we start a new thread "what finally drove you out of Royal Mail?

Does Postman have enough bandwidth for that thread?

[youwot!!!!!]

for me it was a family reason.
my dad and uncle both worked for royal mail so i thought i would do a few years and move on!!!started as a cadet and used to quite enjoy the freedom we had back then when you worked outdoors with no manager on your back even though managers were a hell of a lot better then than the morons we are lumbered with nowadays.after 3 years i was married with a large mortgage and no propects of a better job so i stayed and 28 years later am i still stuck here.

GOD HOW I MISS THE OLD DAYS

[sidewinder]

Took redundacy from Telecom after quite a few years.I started when it was post office phones! and as the areas you had to cover were getting bigger(sound famililar?) and the practise of working 4 out of the 7 10hr days(rm has taken nearly 15 years to catch up!)I jacked it in.Took R.M as a stop gap and still here!
Used to love the 5am starts and the early Saturday finishes.

[cookiedog]

I joined for a variety of reasons, one of which I always wanted to be a postman since being a kid. However, I actually joined about 8 years after being made redundant from the forces (the peace dividend ) after working in a call centre and getting stressed out I decided to try and become a postie.

The main reasons for being a postie for me were

1. Job security.
2. Being a member of a team, yet being able to working alone.
3. Providing a service.
4. Being part of a community.
5. Personal Responsibility.
6. Being trusted both in the application of work and in how hard I actually do it.
7. Secure Pension.
8. Reasonable wage. (I only started 7 years ago)
9. Job satisfaction.
10. Personal Pride in doing a hard physical job well.

Its a sad indictment that in 7 years Nos 1,6,7,8,9 are gone and that 2,3,4, are under extreme pressure still I have 5 and 10 left

Agree entirely with this ,after 25 years service ,I feel utterly utterly betrayed,the years of low pay at the start of RM career,I actually took a pay cut to join a supposed decent company,I was instilled with the public service ethic,by my fellow posties,the management have always been crap!