bringing mail back

[taurus88]

was on overtime today, was lost and over my time, didn't have a map, phone battery was dead, so took some mail back. no manager there or anything, so put it in the managers' office. right or wrong?

[jumbo137]

Im hoping due to you using a map that you have not been trained or at the least shown around the delivery route, which would stand in your favour. As no Manager around I feel that leaving it in his office was the correct thing to do, shows you have tried to let a Manager aware of the situation. So my opinion would be that you have carried out your duty correctly.

[wacko74]

I imagine you'll get your arse chewed a bit for volunteering to do overtime then not completing it,

lesson no.1... only do docket on a duty you're familiar with and you know you can make a bit of time on it!

[taurus88]

I didn't volunteer, I basically had it hoisted upon me and didn't know how to say no.

To be honest, it doesn't matter anyway. If they don't sack me soon I'll hand my notice in - I'm tired of being left profoundly isolated in places I know nothing about whilst the managers presume upon my skills to get the job done. Other guys in the office get one and a half walks done by half past one whilst I'm still out on the street at half-four, feeling like a moron, whilst wandering eyes locate my hi-vis in the crowd and think 'wow, what a sh*t postman, still out on the street.'

[BELIAL]

I didn't volunteer, I basically had it hoisted upon me and didn't know how to say no.

Know your rights ,and learn how to be more assertive. Bullies can't cope with an informed and assertive response,they crumble

phone battery was dead, so took some mail back. no manager there or anything, so put it in the managers' office. right or wrong?

Hope you don't use your own phone to ensure RM fulfills it's USO, and why was the manager not on site when employees are still working? What if there was a serious accident?

[REARVIEWMIRROR]

Not sure what else you could of done! Your manager will not see it that way I suspect :sad:Having said that its not your fault nobody stayed to check you back! My experiance of Royal Mail is that if you don't stand up for yourself you will be pushed about from round to round, have every Tuesday off,get put on sorting first day on walk etc. Don't put up with it, have a word with your Union rep if you dont think you are being fairly treated, managers are meant to give you PROPER TRAINING and although it might be a bit daunting at first have a go back, i don't mean effing and blinding sensibly!!.With regards to time on walk their are quick and slow posties loads of different factors involved, would class myself as slow but don't get many complaints and work to my time and my customers love me!!!!

[Terry Butcher]

I didn't volunteer, I basically had it hoisted upon me and didn't know how to say no.

To be honest, it doesn't matter anyway. If they don't sack me soon I'll hand my notice in - I'm tired of being left profoundly isolated in places I know nothing about whilst the managers presume upon my skills to get the job done. Other guys in the office get one and a half walks done by half past one whilst I'm still out on the street at half-four, feeling like a moron, whilst wandering eyes locate my hi-vis in the crowd and think 'wow, what a sh*t postman, still out on the street.'

Your situation is very similar to mine for the first 6 months or so of the job. Within TWO weeks of starting (actually starting, not two weeks after "training") I was handed a very vague map printout of a town, this town is about 5 miles from the one i work in. On it was a scribbled arrow and the words "delivery office". The gaffer just give it me and said "You're there next week" and nothing else. No info on why i was actually going, getting there and back, what to do/say when i did, day off, how long i was there for etc etc...just "You're there next week". I was leaving the house at 7:30 am (I'm on a 24 hour contract) and getting home between 4-5pm. I was on a different walk nearly every day as they weren't expecting me ( ) and was getting SIX buses a day: House - Bus station - DO - walk - DO - station - home. Here i was in a town i didn't know, with no uniform and very little experience and knowledge of the job. It also happened to be early-mid December, so i was out delivering the year's heaviest mail as it was going dark.

It took at least 6 months before I started to grow a spine, if they tried the same thing to me now i would laugh while scrunching up the map, or at least ask for 3 hours overtime a day for my trouble and a lift there and back. Just be fair but firm, don't let the managers put a guilt trip on you for not doing overtime, if you don't want to do it just tell them straight, you're under no obligation to do it. If you do accept make sure you are the one dictating the terms - how much to take, overtime, getting there and back etc etc, don't be afraid to ask for maps or info from the guys who have done it before. If you wan't to do a row only don't let them trick you into taking half "because it's rounded off". State you're terms and stick to your guns and they will stop treating you like a doormat in double quick time.

Now's not the time to be out of work, stick with it if you can or until you find something better, the job may be crap at times but it's better than queing at the job centre every 2 weeks.

[Gaz71]

<snip>

It took at least 6 months before I started to grow a spine, if they tried the same thing to me now i would laugh while scrunching up the map, or at least ask for 3 hours overtime a day for my trouble and a lift there and back. Just be fair but firm, don't let the managers put a guilt trip on you for not doing overtime, if you don't want to do it just tell them straight, you're under no obligation to do it. If you do accept make sure you are the one dictating the terms - how much to take, overtime, getting there and back etc etc, don't be afraid to ask for maps or info from the guys who have done it before. If you wan't to do a row only don't let them trick you into taking half "because it's rounded off". State you're terms and stick to your guns and they will stop treating you like a doormat in double quick time.

<snip>

Speaking for myself, I think that's very hard to do as a trial employee. The first 6 months I want to make a good impression so that the contract will be renewed. Saying no to manager requests is a sure way for that not to happen, right? Or am I just being paranoid?

[Postman Plodd]

there is no such thing as paranoia where RM management practices are concerned.

[Terry Butcher]

<snip>

It took at least 6 months before I started to grow a spine, if they tried the same thing to me now i would laugh while scrunching up the map, or at least ask for 3 hours overtime a day for my trouble and a lift there and back. Just be fair but firm, don't let the managers put a guilt trip on you for not doing overtime, if you don't want to do it just tell them straight, you're under no obligation to do it. If you do accept make sure you are the one dictating the terms - how much to take, overtime, getting there and back etc etc, don't be afraid to ask for maps or info from the guys who have done it before. If you wan't to do a row only don't let them trick you into taking half "because it's rounded off". State you're terms and stick to your guns and they will stop treating you like a doormat in double quick time.

<snip>

Speaking for myself, I think that's very hard to do as a trial employee. The first 6 months I want to make a good impression so that the contract will be renewed. Saying no to manager requests is a sure way for that not to happen, right? Or am I just being paranoid?

It's much more important to be seen as being competent than making a good impression, If you are capable of doing your job and don't give them any reason to give you the axe (losing mail etc etc), they wont and probably can't. By all means make a good impression, just don't think you have to conform to every single request to do so, especially when they ask you to do tasks not stipulated in your contract.

[clashcityrocker]

Every RM manager I have ever met has basically been a prick in a shirt and tie.
And they wonder why they have problems with recruitment and retention.

[Pat Ostman]

Every RM manager I have ever met has basically been a prick in a shirt and tie.
And they wonder why they have problems with recruitment and retention.

[dvbuk55]

I didn't volunteer, I basically had it hoisted upon me and didn't know how to say no.

To be honest, it doesn't matter anyway. If they don't sack me soon I'll hand my notice in - I'm tired of being left profoundly isolated in places I know nothing about whilst the managers presume upon my skills to get the job done. Other guys in the office get one and a half walks done by half past one whilst I'm still out on the street at half-four, feeling like a moron, whilst wandering eyes locate my hi-vis in the crowd and think 'wow, what a sh*t postman, still out on the street.'

Don't feel too bad taurus, I only got my mail at 1540 today, and my postie has about 16 years in.

[Postman Plodd]

Yeah my post arrived about an hour ago.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

When I first started I had one day where I finished at 4.pm and that was when we got out at 8:30

That single episode put steel in my spine.