Masks!!

GRS · Post by **GRS** » 04 May 2020, 07:58

OK so let’s take it that van share isn’t going to happen and the 2 metre or 1 metre rule stays in place. How do people envisage all this working in RM for the foreseeable. We may have bumbled around the situation for the last 6 weeks but if the precautions are here for the long term then we need a sustainable way of working. Staggered shifts are the obvious answer in a DO however how do you determine who does these? In my office and I suspect others, people have volunteered in the short term to do the later shift and the ones who wouldn’t dare step forward now see that as the norm and it’s a case of “ nah not me I can’t do afternoons - got things to do.” Firstly there can’t be that much to do as nothing is open and secondly when things do open up then everyone’s going to have things they want to do. Can an enforced rota be bought in?

wandle · Post by **wandle** » 04 May 2020, 21:25

Staggered start times are fine in theory but, in MCs and RDCs, moving someone’s start time forward by as little as 20 minutes could see Royal Mail trying to chop the individual’s late shift or night shift allowance, as they wouldn’t meet the criteria for the allowance

citypostie · Post by **citypostie** » 05 May 2020, 16:13

sindba wrote:
Celgar wrote:Latest thoughts regarding dropping restrictions seem to be that the children will go back to school after what would have been the Spring half term break at the end of May. Most other countries seem to be going with wearing face coverings either to stop fallout from coughs & sneezes or as a confidence booster. Seems to be a worry in the UK that people have gone all 'nanny state' and are worried or even paranoid about going back to work. If the government had not adjusted the daily death figure we would be in a better position regarding getting ready to go back. The other day the former figure was 350 but the adjusted figure was 300 more.
I still cannot get my head around most other vehicles having multiple people in them but us posties not being allowed to get into a van together for five minutes to get to the first drop off point. We are just making our lives harder than they need to be.
The UK has the worst death rate in the world (per population). The virus is so easily spread, all you have to do is breathe in one infected air particle or touch one infected letter.

Posties are dying, people of all ages are dying. In their thousands. "Making life harder"? Just be thankful you're alive full stop.

Van shares can never happen until the plague has gone completely.

Absolute rubbish! It will never be completely gone and there might never be a vaccine. So are you saying if either of those two things don't happen we can never share a van at work? If that's the case there will never be fans in stadiums watching football or big gigs and festivals. Life will have to get back to normal , vaccine or no vaccine and that's a fact

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 05 May 2020, 16:22

citypostie wrote: Life will have to get back to normal

Yes but haven't you been paying attention.
It will be the new normal.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 05 May 2020, 16:28

clashcityrocker wrote:
citypostie wrote: Life will have to get back to normal
Yes but haven't you been paying attention.
It will be the new normal.

I agree this virus is a life changer, the impact will be with us for years to come. 2020 will be just as historical for the UK as 1914 and 1939. Both of those dates changed society and Covid-19 will do so as well.

citypostie · Post by **citypostie** » 05 May 2020, 16:44

clashcityrocker wrote:
citypostie wrote: Life will have to get back to normal
Yes but haven't you been paying attention.
It will be the new normal.

So you think we will all be going on planes, going to gigs and going to pubs and everything else but we will have to have a 2 metre gap? And that will be the new normal?

And as for paying attention? Lost interest a while back now

Post by **IloveMYredTROLLEY!** » 05 May 2020, 16:56

GRS wrote:OK so let’s take it that van share isn’t going to happen and the 2 metre or 1 metre rule stays in place. How do people envisage all this working in RM for the foreseeable. We may have bumbled around the situation for the last 6 weeks but if the precautions are here for the long term then we need a sustainable way of working. Staggered shifts are the obvious answer in a DO however how do you determine who does these? In my office and I suspect others, people have volunteered in the short term to do the later shift and the ones who wouldn’t dare step forward now see that as the norm and it’s a case of “ nah not me I can’t do afternoons - got things to do.” Firstly there can’t be that much to do as nothing is open and secondly when things do open up then everyone’s going to have things they want to do. Can an enforced rota be bought in?

A large majority of my depot's OPGs are in groups that switch between an early shift and a later shift each week, 0630 or 0830 starts respectively, allocation into a group was not done very cleverly so you could have a colleague starting the same time as you on the frame opposite you and/or along side you on the aisle. A bit depressing on the late shift week finishing no earlier than 1540 on Tuesdays, lots of 1600 finishes and 1700 on Wednesdays. Will be grim if this is still going on come Black Friday and into Xmas, trying to deliver in the dark and cold!

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 05 May 2020, 16:58

citypostie wrote:
clashcityrocker wrote:
citypostie wrote: Life will have to get back to normal
Yes but haven't you been paying attention.
It will be the new normal.
So you think we will all be going on planes, going to gigs and going to pubs and everything else but we will have to have a 2 metre gap? And that will be the new normal?

And as for paying attention? Lost interest a while back now

reductio ad absurdum is not a good way to present your position in this instance.

The 2m rule will not be applied universally, it isn't now. But they are looking at limiting gatherings, making the wearing of masks compulsory on Public transport, not allowing hot-desking in offices, even going as far as non-contact toilets (whatever they are). That's not normal now, but will be after lockdown.

Woody Guthrie · Post by **Woody Guthrie** » 05 May 2020, 17:23

Anyone who has been paying attention will know that Royal Mail are not entirely happy with what they perceive as the inefficiencies inherent in van sharing and have been considering a change for a while.

Since the main driver for introducing van share was to give us the ability to deliver large parcels and tracked items and those same large parcels and tracked items are about to be removed from letter deliveries it's not hard to see where the general direction was already heading before the Coronavirus outbreak.

Social distancing is going to make a return to van share almost impossible in the short to medium term and with a business that was already scoping out alternatives I think it's very doubtful we'll ever see a return om the scale we're used to.

This is the new normal.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 05 May 2020, 17:31

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:even going as far as non-contact toilets (whatever they are).

I'm guessing it's things like soap dispensers and taps that turn on when your hands are in range.

From what I've bee reading it's not clear if all canteens and self-messing rooms might have to close. Whether the use of vending machines will have to be banned isn't clear either. Don't know about water coolers

plodplodplod · Post by **plodplodplod** » 08 May 2020, 08:22

Chelseablue wrote:The desperation for van share in these times just now ,,, be patient and grow up . Just do the job , and go home . You can dream about it in ure head for now .

totally agree, people desperate for return to van share so they can go back to finishing early