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What made you join the Royal Mail?

Reminisce about days gone by in the job.How it used to be what you miss and how things have changed.This is an open forum.
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jessikb
Posts: 2
Joined: 01 Mar 2010, 21:05
Gender: Female

What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by jessikb »

Hi!
I'm an A-Level Drama student. and we are currently doing a piece about the Royal Mail, and the issues surrounding it. It would be really helpful if people could tell us why they decided to work for the Royal Mail in the first place.
Thanks for any cooperation! :)

delboy
Posts: 367
Joined: 05 May 2009, 16:12
Gender: Male

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by delboy »

Working outdoors, and not having a boss watching your every move, and the freedom to work to my own pace, plus always looked at Royal mail as a well respected company.
But was not at all what i thought it was gonna be.. :crazy:
belle smith
Posts: 1557
Joined: 26 Aug 2008, 17:41
Gender: Male
Location: scotland

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by belle smith »

The hope that one day my life would be played out on the stage. :Very Happy

I was unemployed at the time with no prospect of getting a job doing what i was qualified for. It wasn't such a bad job when i started and included some outdoor exercise.
protect us
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 167
Joined: 12 Oct 2007, 23:27

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by protect us »

every one will tell you that has worked for royal mail what a GOOD job it was ! safe and secure (everybody has mail daily ) , one of the best pensions ever! lots of overtime if you wanted it (always handy when the basic was never that well paid ) nice people , help each other attitude ,commradeship,working on own once out , wear a uniform and feel proud and valued in it ! - there are many reasons these are a few of mine but now its a totally different story and it has become a very SAD story to tell on how the job is now ! hope this helps you , ive tried to be honest and tell it how it is !! :wave
stokes11eg
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 3077
Joined: 20 Nov 2008, 12:51
Gender: Female

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by stokes11eg »

:sad: I echo the above! It was a good job at the start, and I used to feel proud of being a Postie. not now.Our own Employers have spent the past few years constantly telling the press and Public we are all work shy lazy, overpaid and underworked.And thewy wonder why there are industrial relation issues!
noggin1969
Posts: 1321
Joined: 13 Oct 2009, 17:28
Gender: Male

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by noggin1969 »

Started as a few we
Last edited by noggin1969 on 06 Feb 2024, 16:27, edited 2 times in total.
amorallyi
Posts: 4
Joined: 14 Feb 2010, 13:33
Gender: Female

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by amorallyi »

Needed a nightshift job and it was the first one that came up
baldrick
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 4963
Joined: 13 Sep 2007, 23:37
Gender: Male

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by baldrick »

I resigned from previous job because of the stress involved and low pay.
The pay in Royal Mail was about the same, but you could then (almost 30 years ago)
get as much overtime as you wanted to do - there is hardly any available now and I wouldn't
do it now because of the hassle and confrontation you get at work these days.

I always was a trade unionist and Royal Mail had an effective union (CWU) which was listened to
and negotiated with. Today RM management do what they want and rule by bullying and diktat.

Staff then were generally treated fairly and with respect. Frontline managers had come up 'through
the ranks' and knew the job and their staff. Today they put themselves forward to become managers,
often with little experience or ability in the job, and neither respect or are respected by their staff.
Many are unable to motivate people and behave like prison warders, only there to enforce orders from
higher management.

I used to be proud to work for RM who were respected by the public for providing a good and reliable
service. Today we are portrayed by the media as lazy, incompetent, thieving, and unreliable - because
of the 'modernisation' by RM management which has made everything worse, though we are working
harder than ever.

I was told when I started that the RM pension scheme was a good one and that my pension would be
secure - now it has been cut, and we are threatened with more cuts and even closure of the scheme.

How thing have changed. :sad:
Dogs of War
Posts: 471
Joined: 06 Nov 2009, 21:00
Gender: Female

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by Dogs of War »

The early starts and finishing lunch time. Them days are going to be totally gone by christmas, its going to be a 9 to 5 job.
smok3y666
Posts: 648
Joined: 21 Dec 2008, 10:47
Gender: Male

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by smok3y666 »

I joined believing it was a reputable company that looked after it's employee's. I really believed RM looked after it's own people. That was 2 years ago. I can't wait to get another job and leave now.
Dionysus
MAIL CENTRES/PROCESSING
Posts: 8
Joined: 09 Sep 2009, 09:26
Gender: Male
Location: Sarf of the River

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by Dionysus »

My mother, yes my mother after leaving school at sixteen she gave me an ultimatum college or work so off to the job centre I go with my mother :oops: and they were advertising for yts/cadets in royal mail and I applied, twenty years later i'm still here.
should I have gone to college instead!!!!!! :hmmmm
jessikb
Posts: 2
Joined: 01 Mar 2010, 21:05
Gender: Female

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by jessikb »

thanks to everyone for their replies, they have all been really helpful! :) please keep them coming, we need as many opinions as we can get :)
westlondonpostie
Posts: 553
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 19:19
Gender: Male
Location: Close to the edge

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by westlondonpostie »

Joined in the 80's, 3 million unemployed nothing better on offer, all I wanted to do was work for my money and not have to go on the dole.
andy2007
Posts: 3971
Joined: 14 Sep 2007, 10:16
Gender: Male
Location: Earth

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by andy2007 »

I joined Royal Mail, because I wanted to help to provide an important Public Service. I've always worked in the Service Sector, and it seemed like a good career move. Particlualry as it was one of the last Employers to have job security. That was in the '90's.

Now, they're more concerned with making a profit, than providing a service. But I stick it out, in the hope (probably in vain) that it will change eventually. As there must surely be a limit to what the Public will stand for. Before there's pressure on the Government to stop the constant deterioration of our service.
Don't knock Insanity
it's just another outlook on Reality!
TrueBlueTerrier
FORUM ADMINISTRATOR
Posts: 69390
Joined: 30 Dec 2006, 10:29
Gender: Male
Location: Proud to be part of the Union

Re: What made you join the Royal Mail?

Post by TrueBlueTerrier »

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 :left: ) 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 :Very Happy
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