Job losses 2025

[GRS]

2 years VR was over 10 years ago. I suspect if they have another round of VRs it will be massively oversubscribed. The last time a few years ago they did their so called 'preference exercise' there was a lot at my DO who applied for VR.

The thing is everyone gives it large concerning VR. I remember the last preference exercise where so many were openly boasting that they’d put in for it. Yet looking at the ones giving it the big un were the ones with young families & partners only working P/T or in minimum wage jobs. It’s one thing saying you’re gonna take redundancy & completely another actually accepting it especially in today’s world where everything is so expensive. I’m hearing the same rumblings now with people saying “if they offer me £15,000 I’m off” etc etc. It’s one thing giving it the big un in front of the lads at work but once they get home & the missus has put her foot down & drummed some realism into their heads then it’ll be out with all the usual excuses as to why they’re no longer taking the peanuts on offer.

You do realise it wasn't a so called 'preference exercise' until they got the results in, and then absolutely shat the bed because they had such a massive amount of OPGs applying right?

Whatever it’s called or not called doesn’t alter the fact that it’s easy for huge numbers to say they’ll take VR but another actually doing it, especially when you’ve got dependents & massive financial commitments. Fair does if you can get something lined up to coincide with being made redundant but otherwise a few grand won’t last long if there is no job prospects down the line. Obviously some people can take the risk of leaving a secure pay packet for the unknown but in reality I’m sorry but I don’t think the numbers are that huge. The stresses of getting turned down job after job with the VR pennies running down will be worse than turning up at the DO every morning & working your hours.

[Londonsburning]

You shouldn't have such a defeatist mentality. If you think you will be turned down 'job after job' without even trying then you deserve all you got tbh.

[GRS]

Sorry I’m not being defeatist just a realist. I imagine in some areas of real poverty where huge numbers of the local population are unemployed it will be extremely hard to pick up any decent & regular work. Meanwhile in more prosperous areas there may be job opportunities but will you necessarily have the skill set to beat numerous amounts of applicants to them. These are the sort of real facts that many people will have to assess before accepting (not just registering an interest in) VR. I doubt out of 80,000 or so staff there are that many who don’t have large commitments whether they be financial or family driven.
Just out of interest if RM put it out that they are looking for as many redundancies as there are takers how many do you think would actually take it? And I mean actually see it through not just sound off about it!

[Mickeybrowneyes]

Recruitment is already slowing in some areas.
Agency will prop up the gaps where need to as you get closer to the changes I predict.
Allot of the jobs online now are advertised through angard.
2,000 was the number quoted recently for potential VRs.
May be much lower.
Hopefully we don't see an increase in conducts and dismissals in offices to help reduce the headcount.
Wouldn't surprise me.

[Binsey]

The really big pay offs were when the TPOs finished in 2003/04.

They got 2 years VR and £2000 towards retraining courses.

I was just a reserve and got nothing.

To have those VR terms in 2025.

[loyalsnail]

You shouldn't have such a defeatist mentality. If you think you will be turned down 'job after job' without even trying then you deserve all you got tbh.

As horrible as the jobs market might be there is a certain truth to this.

If you go around saying you'll never get another job you manifest a situation and a mindset in which you will struggle to get another job.

Similarly if you go around saying that being a postie is a horrific job you manifest a situation and a mindset in which being a postie is a horrific job. In reality it's not bad at all. I've worked in several DOs and Mail Centres (albeit in short stints) and there are clearly nobheads knocking about in managerial and frontline positions but at the end of the day its an individual game and you're in control of your destiny. Take pride in your job, do your best and go home. It's not hard.

Might be a flippant comment but if you're a negative nelly working in an office full of negative nellies it's that that makes a negative environment, not the job itself.

[Tman]

You'll be popular posting stuff like that.
It goes against the "workers being ground down under the capitalist boss's boot heels" etc etc themes so beloved of many on here.

[hewittinspain]

I've only done 12 years at RM, I'm 52 now and pretty much detest the job now and will do more so when the changes come in.
I have however paid my mortgage off and I've got some savings so if the job ended tomorrow then im in a situation where it's not the end of the world.
If they offered me VR, I'd take it and then I'd go and get my HGV class 2 and get a job that way for £35k day work.

[Barnacle]

If they want mail to pile high in offices for weeks on end, they will slash the workforce to achieve this.

There are still 6.5-7 billion items of mail to shift every year.

[Mickeybrowneyes]

You shouldn't have such a defeatist mentality. If you think you will be turned down 'job after job' without even trying then you deserve all you got tbh.

As horrible as the jobs market might be there is a certain truth to this.

If you go around saying you'll never get another job you manifest a situation and a mindset in which you will struggle to get another job.

Similarly if you go around saying that being a postie is a horrific job you manifest a situation and a mindset in which being a postie is a horrific job. In reality it's not bad at all. I've worked in several DOs and Mail Centres (albeit in short stints) and there are clearly nobheads knocking about in managerial and frontline positions but at the end of the day its an individual game and you're in control of your destiny. Take pride in your job, do your best and go home. It's not hard.

Might be a flippant comment but if you're a negative nelly working in an office full of negative nellies it's that that makes a negative environment, not the job itself.

I think it's the extent in which the job has changed recently which has disgruntled allot of senior staff and I fully understand it.
Most of the perks are going if they haven't already.
Early finishes, smashing out a bit of overtime for a decent rate, van retentions.
Also the constant monitoring through technology, the need to endlessly have lapsing plans if the work drops off even a slight amount but not resourcing to workload at times like Christmas leaving everyone stressed and overworked.
Yes I believe it still is a decent job compared to most and the union have protected our allowances and maintained a decent rate of pay over the years but I understand the negative outlook of a few.
Of course mentality is important in any aspect of life and you can choose to be cup half full or cup half empty on any issue, but most humans will notice a dip in their enthusiasm for a job that has constantly changed for the worse over the period of ten to fifteen years.

[postslippete]

Yes I believe it still is a decent job compared to most and the union have protected our allowances and maintained a decent rate of pay over the years

6,000 senior managers at RM still get perks like employer-paid private medical insurance. Can't remember the last time any of them had to walk half a marathon every day or had their workloads doubled and were forced to leave their job due to poor physical health.

For me, the biggest 'perk' that we have lost as a direct result of the last deal is sick pay. In the past, RM's absence rates were three times higher than the national average and were allegedly costing the company around £250 million a year. How much do you think sick pay is actually costing them now and has sick absence ever been below the 5.5% threshold since it was introduced in October, 2023?

[Mickeybrowneyes]

We will always have higher sick than most companies due to the nature of the job.
That never get mentioned by these senior management
It's a physical job any sort of injuries make it impossible to work.
Especially on deliveries.

[Acca Dacca]

We will always have higher sick than most companies due to the nature of the job.
That never get mentioned by these senior management
It's a physical job any sort of injuries make it impossible to work.
Especially on deliveries.

I made that comment to a manager when he said he hadn’t had a sick day off work in five years

It’s easy to come in to work feeling under the weather when you are sat at a computer for most of the working day

[loyalsnail]

Yes I believe it still is a decent job compared to most and the union have protected our allowances and maintained a decent rate of pay over the years

6,000 senior managers at RM still get perks like employer-paid private medical insurance. Can't remember the last time any of them had to walk half a marathon every day or had their workloads doubled and were forced to leave their job due to poor physical health.

For me, the biggest 'perk' that we have lost as a direct result of the last deal is sick pay. In the past, RM's absence rates were three times higher than the national average and were allegedly costing the company around £250 million a year. How much do you think sick pay is actually costing them now and has sick absence ever been below the 5.5% threshold since it was introduced in October, 2023?

Not quite right, there aren't 6,000 senior managers (more like 1,600) and the private medical insurance isn't free (there's a benefit in kind cost associated with it and an excess to pay on the first claim per year per person). Still, better than a slap across the face.

[postslippete]

Not quite right, there aren't 6,000 senior managers (more like 1,600) and the private medical insurance isn't free (there's a benefit in kind cost associated with it and an excess to pay on the first claim per year per person). Still, better than a slap across the face.

There's certainly too many chief on too much money

This was this the article, maybe they have got rid of a rid of a few of those managers since?

https://employeebenefits.co.uk/pensions ... 20benefit.