First Day Tommrow, Any Tips/Advice?

[Wyrdlight]

Tommrow will be first day as a "Christmas Casual". I will be doing diliveries, dont know where, or how as of yet.

We had our 45 min induction today, and to be honest it was very daunting, the man (who was exremely helpful) essentially hinted that it would be a nightmare. He said normally new workers have far longer to learn the ropes and we were kinda being thrown in at the deep end.

There seems so much stuff to remember, things to sign, rules to obey, things to look out for etc. The whole "sorting letters etc into the frame" thing was glossed through in about 10 mins, but I am still not sure what order things happen in.

Lunch/Breaks were not really discussed at all, so I am not sure when such things occur, if at all.

Essentially I was wondering if anyone can give some general tips/checklist of things that MUST be remembered, or done and/or general advice for somone just starting out. I want to do a good job, have good Gortex walking boots/cold weather gear etc and am happy to work long hours, and hard to get the job done. But am starting to worry about the little details.

Many thanks for any help given.

Regards.

Wyrd.

"EDIT"

- Also it has just occured to be I have no idea what the pay is, I cant recall it being mentioned at any point from application to induction... any ideas? I am doing 8-4 6 days per week.

[Judgee]

Ah the enthusiasm of someone yet to be beaten senseless by the stupidity of Royal mail management!

Don't worry you will be fine. I am sure someone will point you in the right direction when you arrive. You will have postmen all around you, if you are unsure about anything just ask one of them or your line manager. As a new person they won't expect miracles from you so just relax!

At the end of the day all the management care about is that you get the mail out of the depo. Where it goes and how it gets there after that, really is no concern to them so you can't really go wrong!

Ps think you will probably be on around £9 per hour?

[madmartin]

You will have postmen all around you, if you are unsure about anything just ask one of them or your line manager. As a new person they won't expect miracles from you so just relax!

best ask a postman you really think i l/m will know anything?

[kingofmcr]

number all your bundles ..because if one gets out of sync..you could be all over the place ..check if there any keys or codes needed ..if you hit blocks of flats without keys or codes ..will take forever to get in ringing the bells

[meercat]

X-mas casual on £9ph? Not sure about that, they have a Sat-only Xmas casual job on RMG website at £5.95ph.

A few things you should note:

Bag weights. Don't overload your bags or you will be slow and probablly injur your back or knees. Your first pouch of the day should be 16KG MAX. That's maximum for someone over 18years of age I think. It's NOT a target weight. If you are delivering to flats MAX weight is 7KG in your pouch. Your second pouch should weigh a few KG less and so on.

Ask the regular guys around you anything you don't know. Don't be afraid to ask them as most will be happy to help if they have the time.
Don't rush around like an idiot. Deliver to a good standard, check all the mail properly before putting it through door. Don't put your hand through a letter box incase a dog is waiting for you, don't hand mail to strangers who ask for it, don't deliver if a dog is out take the mail back to the depot. It will take you as long as it takes you and you will get faster after a couple of weeks. As for prepping the mail take it slow. It's more important to be accurate than fast.

6hrs a day means 30min paid break a day. So you could start at 8 and knock off at 3:30 or knock off at 3:45 if you take 15mins break before you leave depot to start delivery.

Most of all don't get stressed!

[Wyrdlight]

I will be doing 8 hours per day.

is there a set order to each day?

I Assume I will get in, be shipped to where I am needed (Was told some of use may be driven to another area to help out). Then first.... prepp the mail so it is ready to go into pouches... then deliver it. But how long do such stages take? Will we go from office to delivery to office to delivery?

I suppose what I amtrying to ask is what does an average day consist of, in what order? To be honest it was not really explained what it was we are to be doing. "Prep Mail, Deliver mail!" was what we were told, there was little explanation.

Also how does overtime etc work? What if it takes longer than my set hours etc to deliver post? Is there a set time to take breaks?

Sorry to pester everyone with all these questions.

I am freaking out a bit thats all, have only done retail shopwork before and this is very differant, I dont want to annoy/upset people by making a bad job of it.

[stokes11eg]

Handy hints!! As other posters say, ask those around you, most will be happy to explain how tp prep up, and how to pull from the frame, and tie up. Forthe few catty folks you might meet, just ignore them!
Make sure you have a plentiful supply of P739's with you--these are the cards you leave when you can't deliver an item.
If prepping in your own duty reverse recorded delivery letters, as a reminder you have to get a signature. also reverse letters if you have a packet for that house, again it serves to remind you. Ditto Special Deliveries, but these items should be carried seperately., and be with you at all times.
Check with your lino what do do about missorted letters etc, all items brought back need to be endorsed with a reason for return.
Take something out with you to snack on and drink, this job creates hunger and thirst like you wouldn't believe!
As another poster said, try not too worry too much, you will feel slow compared to the old hands, but that;s normal! Good Luck!

[pickaname]

One word of advice:

Resign

[dvbuk55]

Nah, don't resign, you'll be fine. Just relax, don't try rush, those around you who look as though they know what they are doing and are quicker than you, will be regular postmen who have experienced the Christmas pressure before.

[mailmonkey]

Best bit of advice I can give you is...

be aware that you DONOT have to work over your contracted hours. You are not obliged to complete a walk. You are entitled to a break, paid.

IF YOU DECIDE you want to work over your hours, to complete a walk, you MUST be paid for all time you work over and above your contracted hours.

Your manager will come up with al sorts of flannel to get you to complete for nothing, work over for nothing, delay payment, whatever. Identify the office union rep and ask for advice if needed, I know you won't be a CWU member, but any rep worth his salt will be happy to give you advice in cases like this.

[dados]

get a good nights sleep,you'll be glad tomorrow,tomorrow night you'll have no bother getting to sleep,even with the aches all over yer body

[theboropostie]

Which area/region are you going to be working in?

Only casuals we have are doing OVO/IVO work.

Could do with a couple on delivery to 'help out'.

[wiganpostie]

If you are doing eight hours a day then chances are you will be prepping your own mail. As you've suggested, there's a set order for doing things, which runs roughly like this:

1. Prep your sequenced letters into your frame. This involves taking the letters that have been sorted in sequence out of their boxes and sorting them in the frame first (before anything else, such as magazines etc), as they are arranged in exactly the same order as the frame and can be thrown in the fastest).

2. Next, collect your loose letters from the IPS sorting frame (the large lattice-like frame where everyone is sorting) and prep them into your own frame.

3. Then, collect your magazines, brochures and and A4-size envelopes (we collectively call these things "flats") and prep them into your frame.

4. Collect the large sack with all your parcels (known as "packets") from the packet frame and sort them into your own frame. Some of the smaller ones like DVDs and games you can place directly into the frame's slots, but larger ones you will have to place on top of the frame. In the latter case, you should turn a letter for the intended recipient of the parcel so that it is facing the opposite direction, such that when you come to that part of the delivery the reversed letter will trigger a light-bulb above your head that will say "zounds!!, parcel delivery for this house!". or in other words, it's just a little reminder. Also,since there are four rows in your frame you should use the compartments above the frame to correspond to different rows (for example, the left hand compartment could be used to hold the parcels for the top row, the second from the left compartment could be used to hold the parcels for the second top row, etc) - this makes things a little easier when it comes time to tie up your bundles as you can easier see which parcels correspond to which bags.

5. Special Deliveries and Recorded Deliveries - everyone tends to do these differently. If it's a letter or magazine sized special delivery I tend to turn it so it's facing the opposite direction in the sorting frame, so that when I'm out on delivery and notice this letter that's the wrong way round I get time to register in my head that it needs a signature (delivery zombie mode: activated ) Larger sized Specials and Recordeds I just treat like larger parcels- put them on top of your frame and turn a letter for them.

6. Go and see the fat bloke sitting in the "cage" (small boxy room, usually near the large IPS sorting frame). He will have your special deliveries. YOU will need to sign for them. Ask him for a plastic wallet and a delivery card, as well as some p739's (the red "sorry you were out and I've got your parcel" cards).

7. Check your boxes on the large IPS frame to make sure they are clear. If not, gather up the letters & flats and prep them into your frame.

8. Do your redirections and kill-offs. Redirections are exactly what they sound like - a service that someone has paid for to have their mail redirected somewhere else. Usually, they will be located on the frame, each one consisting of plastic wallet containing a yellow card and a number of stickers with the new address. Make sure you check the expiry date on the redirection, because if it has expired then you should just deliver the mail as normal. Also, make sure you only redirect the EXACT names on the yellow card - any other names should still be delivered to the old address.

KIll-offs are unwanted/undeliverable bits of mail that need to be endorsed with a little square red sticker before they can be returned to their place of origin - any piece of mail you encounter that has something like "addressee unknown" or "no longer lives here" needs one of these stickers. If you don't have any of these stickers in your bench or on your frame then ask someone around you for some "kill-off stickers", or go and see the fat man in the cage again and ask him for some. The sticker itself has check boxes with different reasons why the item was not delivered. You should tick the correct one, then sign and date it in the space provided,then ask someone around you where to put your "Kill-offs" (chances are, the fat man in the cage will be the recipient and will have a receptacle for them nearby).

9. Prep your duty for delivery. Someone who knows the delivery you are on will usually help you with this, but if not, more often than not there will be a prep guide written down, either in the walk log (the nice shiny folder on the frame that no-one ever looks at) or in the compartment set into the bench (just lift the lid for instant enlightenment). General points to remember are that most frames should be prepped starting from bottom left and working to top right. Don't forget to check the top of your frame for the large parcels, and make sure that your bag weights conform to the matrix (maximum of 16kg for the first bag, 14 kg for the second, 12 kg for the third, 10kg for any others thereafter I believe).

10. Work out your replenishment with your van driver - depending on the duty you are on, you may have 'pouch boxes' where you can pick up your next bags, or you may have to meet your van driver at specified times to collect your next bags)

11. Deliver the mail! Take your time, don't rush as it's easy to make mistakes when you are new and unfamiliar with a particular duty. Don't become flustered if you lose track of where you are, ask a friendly face or even knock on a door and ask for the street name. If you put mail through the wrong door, be prepared to knock, apologise and ask for it back.

12. Finish delivering the mail! Any mail that you haven't been able to deliver will need to be endorsed with a reason why, for example, "gate frozen", "dog loose" (never go into a garden where there's a dog loose, even if it appears benign) before you stick it in a postbox or return it to your delivery office. Any parcels you haven't been able to deliver should be endorsed with the letters "F/L" (meaning "form left"), and the you should also put your initials and the date on the parcels before taking them to the most convenient PO (or your delivery office if it is required that you return there when you are finished). The previous sentence also applies to any specials/recordeds you haven't been able to deliver, and you should also get the nice lady behind the counter at the PO to sign for them when you hand them over.

13. Go Home.

14. Rinse, repeat from stage 1.

[johnnyp]

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... 36&t=13909" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Get hold of the office Workplace coach(if theres one there)and ask them to help you out.
You will have a nightmare if you are put on a full walk tommorow.Good luck.

[arty_morty]

Good luck for tomorrow. As a new starter myself (nearly 6 months in) my best advice would be to ask experienced colleagues for tips and help. Most at my DO are very helpful and don't mind helping out. I'm sure where you are will be no different. If you feel things getting on top of you when you're out make sure you have the DOM/DO contact numbers so you can call in. I had to do it a couple of times early on and another postman came out to give me a hand.

I know that things will be really busy but there will always be someone to help. As corporal Jones might have said, "Don't panic!"