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The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
abuch1980
Posts: 212
Joined: 13 Dec 2011, 12:30
Gender: Male

The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by abuch1980 »

The problem is not that they RM are asking us to prioritise parcels and 1st class the problem is the duty/rounds are too big and some are too small. There is no equal workloads and there never has been. If the rounds were more equal and achievable then parcels and letters door to doors would not be a problem and staff morale and job satisfaction would be a lot better. But instead we are trying to squeeze a 4 hour delivery into 2 hours in some cases and too much slack on other duties. So when you are coming back and seeing half the staff hanging around waiting to clock out it does grind people's gears!
Perseus
Posts: 720
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Perseus »

The ability to equalise workloads is there, but the appetite to do so is somewhat lacking.
Out of interest, what is it that is causing people to have only 2 hours available to deliver?
I often see people saying that 'duties are too big', whilst I agree, that is only half the story. They are only 'too big' if they are larger than an agreed size, be it locally or nationally, something the CWU leave each office to fight over. They can also be 'too big' to be completed in the allocated time. By using the same logic, a duty that only has 2 hours available outdoor time, is also 'too big' if it takes 2.5 hours to deliver.
It's all a bit of a mess.
abuch1980
Posts: 212
Joined: 13 Dec 2011, 12:30
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by abuch1980 »

Perseus wrote:
10 Mar 2026, 20:35
The ability to equalise workloads is there, but the appetite to do so is somewhat lacking.
Out of interest, what is it that is causing people to have only 2 hours available to deliver?
I often see people saying that 'duties are too big', whilst I agree, that is only half the story. They are only 'too big' if they are larger than an agreed size, be it locally or nationally, something the CWU leave each office to fight over. They can also be 'too big' to be completed in the allocated time. By using the same logic, a duty that only has 2 hours available outdoor time, is also 'too big' if it takes 2.5 hours to deliver.
It's all a bit of a mess.
There are van Share duty - park and loop. By the time you have tried to complete 1st duty there is only around 2 hours left to complete 2nd duty. Plus other duties that had extra added on in previous revisions to make them unachievable with the workplace coach now have a book of sheets to each morning with issues with new posties and some old posties having difficulty doing the job the "right" way as RM see's it. Eg 1mph over 20, Petty crimes basically. WTL meetings that only eat into delivery time even more. It is all a big mess. There is no action ,only words and meetings.
Pfrizzy10
Posts: 23
Joined: 07 Aug 2022, 21:00
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Pfrizzy10 »

abuch1980 wrote:
10 Mar 2026, 20:11
The problem is not that they RM are asking us to prioritise parcels and 1st class the problem is the duty/rounds are too big and some are too small. There is no equal workloads and there never has been. If the rounds were more equal and achievable then parcels and letters door to doors would not be a problem and staff morale and job satisfaction would be a lot better. But instead we are trying to squeeze a 4 hour delivery into 2 hours in some cases and too much slack on other duties. So when you are coming back and seeing half the staff hanging around waiting to clock out it does grind people's gears!
The workload is equal. It doesn’t matter how much mail you have when you have a finish time. Work to it and nothing more. It’s that simple.
Perseus
Posts: 720
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Perseus »

Pfrizzy10 wrote:
10 Mar 2026, 21:04
abuch1980 wrote:
10 Mar 2026, 20:11
The problem is not that they RM are asking us to prioritise parcels and 1st class the problem is the duty/rounds are too big and some are too small. There is no equal workloads and there never has been. If the rounds were more equal and achievable then parcels and letters door to doors would not be a problem and staff morale and job satisfaction would be a lot better. But instead we are trying to squeeze a 4 hour delivery into 2 hours in some cases and too much slack on other duties. So when you are coming back and seeing half the staff hanging around waiting to clock out it does grind people's gears!
The workload is equal. It doesn’t matter how much mail you have when you have a finish time. Work to it and nothing more. It’s that simple.
I disagree. The finish time, generally, may be equal. But there are many factors that make the actual workload uneven. As an example, 2 duties leave an office to deliver at same time. One of them takes an hour less to deliver. They drive around at the end killing time for 30 minutes, then go back to office and sit around for half an hour until the other duty comes back. That is not an even workload. Now this is just an example and it's not something I lose any sleep over, but it does happen.
Pfrizzy10
Posts: 23
Joined: 07 Aug 2022, 21:00
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Pfrizzy10 »

Perseus wrote:
10 Mar 2026, 21:19
Pfrizzy10 wrote:
10 Mar 2026, 21:04
abuch1980 wrote:
10 Mar 2026, 20:11
The problem is not that they RM are asking us to prioritise parcels and 1st class the problem is the duty/rounds are too big and some are too small. There is no equal workloads and there never has been. If the rounds were more equal and achievable then parcels and letters door to doors would not be a problem and staff morale and job satisfaction would be a lot better. But instead we are trying to squeeze a 4 hour delivery into 2 hours in some cases and too much slack on other duties. So when you are coming back and seeing half the staff hanging around waiting to clock out it does grind people's gears!
The workload is equal. It doesn’t matter how much mail you have when you have a finish time. Work to it and nothing more. It’s that simple.
I disagree. The finish time, generally, may be equal. But there are many factors that make the actual workload uneven. As an example, 2 duties leave an office to deliver at same time. One of them takes an hour less to deliver. They drive around at the end killing time for 30 minutes, then go back to office and sit around for half an hour until the other duty comes back. That is not an even workload. Now this is just an example and it's not something I lose any sleep over, but it does happen.
They are probably the same idiots clocking in 30 minutes every day for free and rushing around their walks. They will eventually get more added on. Start on time and finish on time, don’t do a minute more than you have to. :thumbup
Perseus
Posts: 720
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Perseus »

Clocking in early/working for free/rushing round are all moot points to what I am saying.

My point, and the point the OP makes, is that people clocking in and out at the same time as each other don't necessarily have the same workload. It's the nature of the job and always has been. It's not as if we are in production line where everyone must make the exact same amount of products.
emu72
Posts: 96
Joined: 11 Feb 2011, 16:52
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by emu72 »

Most offices havent got enough staff so when you are taken off a duty to cover another because it hasnt gone out for x amount of days and mail is falling out of the slots and then you are put back on your round a few days later with mail now falling out of the slots its demoralising while rm save money.Then you get in a bashed up van where bumpers are held on with tape and your having to put your hazard lights on going up hill because the van is in limp mode and won’t go above 10 mph.You just pray it doesn’t start pissing down.
postmanzach
Posts: 499
Joined: 18 Jul 2011, 15:01
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by postmanzach »

Problem is we don’t have enough staff. For too long 2 rounds are done by one person so only tracked 24 and first class getting done.
Perseus
Posts: 720
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Perseus »

Given the choice, what 'even' workload would people rather have?

1 days mail
2-3 days mail
1 week or more mail
BenacreNick
Posts: 1081
Joined: 18 Jul 2022, 13:27
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by BenacreNick »

The problem delivery offices have is ..............

The last lorry arrives too late, 120 people standing around waiting for 40 mins :no no

How many letters could be delivered by everyone in that time ?
Perseus
Posts: 720
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Perseus »

BenacreNick wrote:
11 Mar 2026, 18:47
The problem delivery offices have is ..............

The last lorry arrives too late, 120 people standing around waiting for 40 mins :no no

How many letters could be delivered by everyone in that time ?
You know RM's solution to that? You won't like it for what it's worth.

Start/finish 40 minutes later.
Mr Rush
Posts: 2777
Joined: 05 Aug 2011, 14:27
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by Mr Rush »

Perseus wrote:
11 Mar 2026, 18:56
BenacreNick wrote:
11 Mar 2026, 18:47
The problem delivery offices have is ..............

The last lorry arrives too late, 120 people standing around waiting for 40 mins :no no

How many letters could be delivered by everyone in that time ?
You know RM's solution to that? You won't like it for what it's worth.

Start/finish 40 minutes later.
The more everything gets pushed further and further back the better it would be to:
  • Hold it a while longer till it's 7AM the following day and we can go back to having plenty of headroom for afternoon OT to deliver s**t, or
  • Give up on once-over-the-ground and deliver what's already in the unit while the rest is still being processed. Parliamentarians should be familiar with the wave model of delivery out of Portcullis House.
Any Questions?
Yeah, how do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?
funkflex55
Posts: 613
Joined: 04 Sep 2022, 22:58
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by funkflex55 »

Perseus wrote:
11 Mar 2026, 18:43
Given the choice, what 'even' workload would people rather have?

1 days mail
2-3 days mail
1 week or more mail
I'd rather have 1 day of mail. However if there were less loops to do so shorter walks I would not mind 2/3 days if it meant less distance covered. I do not want 2/3 days mail and to walk the same distance well further because of the call rate increase.
funkflex55
Posts: 613
Joined: 04 Sep 2022, 22:58
Gender: Male

Re: The Problem Delivery offices have is..

Post by funkflex55 »

Mr Rush wrote:
11 Mar 2026, 19:19
Perseus wrote:
11 Mar 2026, 18:56
BenacreNick wrote:
11 Mar 2026, 18:47
The problem delivery offices have is ..............

The last lorry arrives too late, 120 people standing around waiting for 40 mins :no no

How many letters could be delivered by everyone in that time ?
You know RM's solution to that? You won't like it for what it's worth.

Start/finish 40 minutes later.
The more everything gets pushed further and further back the better it would be to:
  • Hold it a while longer till it's 7AM the following day and we can go back to having plenty of headroom for afternoon OT to deliver s**t, or
  • Give up on once-over-the-ground and deliver what's already in the unit while the rest is still being processed. Parliamentarians should be familiar with the wave model of delivery out of Portcullis House.
Once over the ground is a funny concept.
1. Regular postie
2. Oversized DPR
3. Afternoon LAT
4. Parcelforce
May all attend the same address on the same day :shock: