ANNOUNCEMENT : ALL OF ROYAL MAIL'S EMPLOYMENT POLICIES (AGREEMENTS) AT A GLANCE (Updated 2021)... HERE

ANNOUNCEMENT : PLEASE BE AWARE WE ARE NOT ON FACEBOOK AT ALL!

Prep Tests

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
kendo1
Posts: 217
Joined: 07 Mar 2010, 12:21
Gender: Male

Prep Tests

Post by kendo1 »

With this park and loop being implemented in more offices weekly ,and in most cases a shambles,then preassure is put on Posties with prep Tests.

If you fail one .what can they do ,offer retraining,etc and if you still dont come up to standard Sack you?

Sureley if you have worked for them for some years excerlent record,and then they sack you,a decent laywer would wipe the floor with them ,not to mention a local strike ?
fishtank
Posts: 19732
Joined: 28 Sep 2007, 17:22
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by fishtank »

kendo1 wrote:With this park and loop being implemented in more offices weekly ,and in most cases a shambles,then preassure is put on Posties with prep Tests.

If you fail one .what can they do ,offer retraining,etc and if you still dont come up to standard Sack you?

Sureley if you have worked for them for some years excerlent record,and then they sack you,a decent laywer would wipe the floor with them ,not to mention a local strike ?
What kind of prep test are we talking about?
good times, bad times you know I've had my share
taurus88
Posts: 1259
Joined: 14 Aug 2010, 17:53
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by taurus88 »

I don't know what their motivation is with this. They can either accept that experienced postmen cannot do the impossible, or bring in newbies who will be even further away from attaining their superhero standards - maybe eventually it will sink in.
Lateagainpostie
Posts: 393
Joined: 23 Oct 2010, 18:17
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by Lateagainpostie »

I have asked the question repeatedly "what happens if you fail the prep test "

Answer "retraining"

"What happens if you fail after that" ?

Answer "You wont"
If you love Man Utd, you'll love my forum Talkingreds
fishtank
Posts: 19732
Joined: 28 Sep 2007, 17:22
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by fishtank »

Lateagainpostie wrote:I have asked the question repeatedly "what happens if you fail the prep test "

Answer "retraining"

"What happens if you fail after that" ?

Answer "You wont"
• it was counterproductive and contrary to the aims of the initiative to use individual performance standards or one minute spot checks as a disciplinary tool.
http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 84#p315268" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
good times, bad times you know I've had my share
maidstoneposty
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 62
Joined: 31 Mar 2010, 18:13
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by maidstoneposty »

kendo1 wrote:With this park and loop being implemented in more offices weekly ,and in most cases a shambles,then preassure is put on Posties with prep Tests.

If you fail one .what can they do ,offer retraining,etc and if you still dont come up to standard Sack you?

Sureley if you have worked for them for some years excerlent record,and then they sack you,a decent laywer would wipe the floor with them ,not to mention a local strike ?
With prep tests its just another way to bully and intimidate people into coming in early and work there breaks, Its the old school of postmen that management dont like, if you have done a few years just draw on your experience and play along with the dims, put on a good show for them when tested but dont break your neck. Revert to your old way of working thereafter :wink: Theres not a chance that you would ever be sacked.
MegaWalk
Posts: 27
Joined: 08 Feb 2010, 22:49
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by MegaWalk »

maidstoneposty wrote:
kendo1 wrote:With this park and loop being implemented in more offices weekly ,and in most cases a shambles,then preassure is put on Posties with prep Tests.

If you fail one .what can they do ,offer retraining,etc and if you still dont come up to standard Sack you?

Sureley if you have worked for them for some years excerlent record,and then they sack you,a decent laywer would wipe the floor with them ,not to mention a local strike ?
With prep tests its just another way to bully and intimidate people into coming in early and work there breaks, Its the old school of postmen that management dont like, if you have done a few years just draw on your experience and play along with the dims, put on a good show for them when tested but dont break your neck. Revert to your old way of working thereafter :wink: Theres not a chance that you would ever be sacked.

Dont bet on that mate
Just be careful when it comes to this.
"Verbal agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on."
Last edited by MegaWalk on 09 Jun 2013, 15:33, edited 1 time in total.
maidstoneposty
EX ROYAL MAIL
Posts: 62
Joined: 31 Mar 2010, 18:13
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by maidstoneposty »

If its true what you say then they really have got us by the bollocks :Sick.
AlbertoGranado
Posts: 57
Joined: 25 Apr 2010, 15:16
Gender: Male
Location: Under Neon Loneliness

Re: Prep Tests

Post by AlbertoGranado »

MegaWalk wrote:
maidstoneposty wrote:
kendo1 wrote:With this park and loop being implemented in more offices weekly ,and in most cases a shambles,then preassure is put on Posties with prep Tests.

If you fail one .what can they do ,offer retraining,etc and if you still dont come up to standard Sack you?

Sureley if you have worked for them for some years excerlent record,and then they sack you,a decent laywer would wipe the floor with them ,not to mention a local strike ?
With prep tests its just another way to bully and intimidate people into coming in early and work there breaks, Its the old school of postmen that management dont like, if you have done a few years just draw on your experience and play along with the dims, put on a good show for them when tested but dont break your neck. Revert to your old way of working thereafter :wink: Theres not a chance that you would ever be sacked.

Dont bet on that mate - Someone I know very well ( more than 10 years service ) was brought up on a charge of wilful delay for not prepping fast enough.
Was told that he deliberately engineered a delivery failure by working "below par" indoors.
It was calculated that for traffic etc "par" was 15 items per min ( based on some unagreed theoretical calculation that only management seems to understand ) They produced figures which showed he was below that. - So wilful delay charged, proven and upheld at appeal.

Just be careful when it comes to this.
"Verbal agreements aren't worth the paper they're written on."
Same thing happened to my mate. Said his sorting averaged 6 per min. put him on a years "severe" warning whatever the f*** that is
lhb
Posts: 19
Joined: 17 Oct 2008, 18:20
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by lhb »

After being bullied for years for sometimes not finishing on time, and claiming over. My DOM decided today, that its not my delivery thats the problem, its my prep. So they want to test my indoor performance, using some new ? tool, in his words I'm the office 'guinea pig'.

He says that I will have to achieve 12 items per minute. That sounds OK. But it will be 12 items a minute overal from the time I arrive in the office to the time I leave on delivery, including collecting mail from inward sorting, sorting my packets, redirections, I guess queing for the cage, Plus tying & bagging up.

Suddenly 12 items a minute doesn't sound so good, I just need one person to get in my way, and I'm knackered.

So my question is, is this a new test designed to catch us out ? , or is it a fair test. Knowing RM, I think I know the answer.

I suppose it my own fault, just as RM want us to work all the hours we are paid for. I'm Part time and I want to be paid for all the time I work. So he has been trying to get rid of me for a long time.
fishtank
Posts: 19732
Joined: 28 Sep 2007, 17:22
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by fishtank »

lhb wrote:
So my question is, is this a new test designed to catch us out ? , or is it a fair test. Knowing RM, I think I know the answer.
The 12 per minute is a resourcing figure produced by the IWT.
It is not to be used as an individual performance measurement because it is based on office "averages" not your delivery.
Tell your manager politely...to poke his test up his hole,contact your rep and your area rep immediately and raise an official grievence.
good times, bad times you know I've had my share
tb35
Posts: 40
Joined: 09 Jun 2010, 19:00
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by tb35 »

fishtank wrote:
lhb wrote:
So my question is, is this a new test designed to catch us out ? , or is it a fair test. Knowing RM, I think I know the answer.
The 12 per minute is a resourcing figure produced by the IWT.
It is not to be used as an individual performance measurement because it is based on office "averages" not your delivery.
Tell your manager politely...to poke his test up his hole,contact your rep and your area rep immediately and raise an official grievence.
Well said Fishtank there hasnt been prep/sorting tests for years not agreed ones anyway , weve had this on and off at our place over the years trouble is everybody works at different rates , you could be having a "bad" day , you may feel unwell the list could be endless .
For those that are old enough to remember i think the original sorting tests were 500 in 20 mins anybody remember those? (and you had to pass after a years probabtionto keep your job!)
lhb
Posts: 19
Joined: 17 Oct 2008, 18:20
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by lhb »

Thanks for your replies lads

He did mention IWT, but that means nothing to me.

I'm quite happy to go along with anything that is fair. I was hoping that it would reveal that we receive more mail than the figures show, as he said everything would have to be counted. Hoped it would prove I was up to speed and get me off the hook. I'm working as quick as I can.
But I take it that you're advising me to refuse to do the test.

Luckily, I've now got a long weekend off, so nothing can happen till Tuesday. We don't have an office rep, nobody will take it on, probably because they wouldn't get much support. The closest we have is an office spokesman, but he's friends with the DOM.

But I can try to contact the area rep on Monday.
tb35
Posts: 40
Joined: 09 Jun 2010, 19:00
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by tb35 »

lhb wrote:Thanks for your replies lads

He did mention IWT, but that means nothing to me.

I'm quite happy to go along with anything that is fair. I was hoping that it would reveal that we receive more mail than the figures show, as he said everything would have to be counted. Hoped it would prove I was up to speed and get me off the hook. I'm working as quick as I can.
But I take it that you're advising me to refuse to do the test.

Luckily, I've now got a long weekend off, so nothing can happen till Tuesday. We don't have an office rep, nobody will take it on, probably because they wouldn't get much support. The closest we have is an office spokesman, but he's friends with the DOM.

But I can try to contact the area rep on Monday.
i wouldt say were telling you to refuse the test i would suggest you ask your lino/dom where the agreement on sorting /prep speeds and requirements are
lhb
Posts: 19
Joined: 17 Oct 2008, 18:20
Gender: Male

Re: Prep Tests

Post by lhb »

thanks tb35

He first came up with prep testing me yesterday, after I said I was running late after prepping my 5 bulky D2Ds. I said I thought we were supposed to get extra time to prep them. His reply was you are already getting more prep time than you should. He went on to say that they would test my prep. I said fine, but I didn't know there was a current agreed prep test.

Today he came back at me with this IWT thing.

I was quite happy to go along with it, now I'm quite worried that I may be dropping myself in it, if this test is not correct.

I think I need to contact my area rep ASAP

Thanks for the replies lads
Last edited by lhb on 12 Nov 2010, 23:03, edited 1 time in total.